The Ecommerce Influence Podcast

Today's guest turned her passion project into a global movement.

Chrissie Lam is the founder of Love Is Project, a thriving lifestyle brand that supports thousands of female artisans in developing countries around the world. I’ve known Chrissie for years and have had the pleasure of getting an up-front look into how her business has taken off. Between landing a spot on Shark Tank, multiple press hits, and being featured by Facebook during Women’s History Month, Chrissie has so much insight to share on developing a lifestyle brand with a purpose.

In the episode, we talk about what it’s like to launch a business while traveling the world, getting onto Shark Tank and how to leverage the press to grow your business. Chrissie also shares the ups and downs of working with freelancers and agencies, and how she’s been using our Intentional Wealth program to keep her business and life in balance.

Episode Highlights

  • 2:57 Chrissie’s passion for travel
  • 5:11 Launching Love Is Project in Bali
  • 9:43 The process of getting onto Shark Tank
  • 12:55 Chrissie’s mindset heading into Shark Tank and how it panned out
  • 14:57 How the power of the press for Love Is Project
  • 17:07 The trial and error of hiring freelancers and agencies
  • 20:10 How Chrissie is able to work anywhere in the world
  •  21:33 What Chrissie wishes she knew before launching Love Is Project
  • 21:53 How Chrissie is leveraging the Intentional Wealth program 
  • 24:20 Chrissie’s advice for people building a lifestyle brand
  • 26:20 What Chrissie is most excited about going forward
  • 27:35 Helpful resources for entrepreneurs

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_297_Chrissie.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am CDT

Our most highly requested guest, Moiz Ali, is here to tell you how he made a 9-figure exit in just over 2 years. 

Moiz is the Founder of Native, the fastest growing CPG company in the US. Two and a half years after its inception, the company was acquired by Procter & Gamble for $100MM and Moiz is here to tell us how he made that happen.

We talk about what made Native so successful early on, how he prepared to sell the company and what life was like at Procter & Gamble after the sale. Moiz also dispels a few eCommerce myths and lets you know what he’d do differently if he could hit the reset button.

Episode Highlights

  • 3:30 How Moiz Ali’s family encouraged him to lean into entrepreneurship
  • 5:01 What drove Moiz away from law school
  • 6:13 How life is like at Proctor & Gamble
  • 11:18 A/B testing deodorant: Native vs P&G
  • 16:00 Why Native was successful so quickly
  • 20:53 Navigating eCommerce upsells
  • 23:43 The team members and agencies Native leveraged to grow
  • 28:18 What Moiz would do differently if he could hit the reset button
  • 31:06 Raising money: Should you or shouldn't you?
  • 35:55 Prepping to sell your company
  • 39:45 What Moiz’s schedule was like leading up to the sell
  • 43:22 Moiz’s advice on whether you should go all-in on your business
  • 45:56 eCommerce myths Moiz wants to dispel
  • 48:21 The best eCommerce platform to use
  • 50:09 How Ali Capital chooses which companies to invest in
  • 53:46 What’s exciting Moiz Ali about eCommerce right now
  • 55:40 The three main keys to Native’s early success

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_296_Moiz_Ali_V2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

There isn't a rulebook for building a $100MM brand. This serial entrepreneur is here to tell you how he did it.

Josh Snow taught himself how to build websites at 12 years old. His early venture sparked a full-fledged passion for marketing and branding which led Josh to where he is today, the founder and CEO of Snow - a fast-growing D2C brand and leader in premium oral care.

Josh is a true operator and in this episode, we dive deep into how he’s grown Snow to over $100MM in revenue. We talk about the differences between running a $1MM company and a $100MM company, how his leadership has needed to evolve in the process, and his thoughts on hiring the right people. Josh also shares how leveraging influencer marketing was a game-changer and where he plans on taking the company next.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

  • 4:02 Josh’s pre-teen start to entrepreneurship
  • 8:36 Snow’s defining moment of growth
  • 13:55 Josh’s take on paid acquisition
  • 16:45 How Snow strategically diversified their marketing channels
  • 21:34 The biggest differences between running a $1MM and a $100MM company
  • 27:07 How Josh has learned how to ask for help as a leader
  • 32:20 The difference between “hunting elephants” and “hunting rabbits”
  • 39:26 How Snow leverages influencer marketing and a celebrity’s social capital
  • 45:00 Common misconceptions about running an eCommerce business
  • 52:29 Where Snow is going and the challenges Josh sees on the horizon
  • 56:01 Josh’s words of wisdom for eCommerce entrepreneurs

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_295_Josh_Snow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Losing half a million dollars in one year can be a devastating blow. Find out how this company turned things around to become the 20th fastest growing company in the US. 

Garret Ackerson is the cofounder of Kindred Bravely - a privately held company that has experienced the highs and lows associated with rocketship growth. Garret did a live training for Coalition members last fall, and I'm sharing it with you now because it’s truly a transparent and sobering look into the ups and downs of a fast-growing company.

Garret dives into the importance of knowing your numbers, making KPIs a team event, and why founders should carve out time and space to think. He also shares why he's never scared to invest in learning, how to build a flywheel, and find the right partners for your business.

If you're a founder or someone who helps eCommerce businesses grow, this episode is a must-listen.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

  • 4:02 How Kindred Bravely first started in 2015
  • 7:02 The KPI system Kindred Bravely uses that promotes ownership
  • 14:42 Why you should always schedule time to think
  • 16:53 Why you should never be afraid to pay for learning
  • 19:39 How to debrief and implement your learnings
  • 22:26 The only two functions of your enterprise
  • 27:30 How to start thinking and dominos and why you want should
  • 28:46 Why you need to create a flywheel
  • 34:52 What Garret’s thinking routine looks like and the questions he asks himself
  • 36:19 The first hire that Kindred Bravely made and why
  • 38:37 How to create a flywheel in Shopify
  • 43:17 The most important part of capital management
  • 47:00 Kindred Bravely’s financial reporting rhythm
  • 51:18 The best way to have successful relationships with agencies
  • 53:35 How Garret structures business goals and sprints

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_294_KindredBravely.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Buying an ecommerce business can be a brilliant move to build wealth, or have costly unintended consequences. 

Between finding the right business, knowing what to look for when going through due diligence, and avoiding misinformation - buying an eCommerce business can be a lot to handle. We're giving you a crash course on how to do it.

Today’s show is a mashup of three episodes I’ve done with expert eCommerce entrepreneurs in this space - David Newell, Shakil Prasla, and Drew Sanocki. We talk about how to determine if you are the type of person who should buy or build, what a thorough due diligence process looks like, and the things to always investigate within a prospective company. We also breakdown the common pitfalls first-time buyers tend to experience and how to avoid them.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

  • 4:30 How to determine if you should buy or build an eCommerce site
  • 7:27 Buying a business to cross-sell
  • 9:29 The 6 key tenets to robust due diligence when buying a business
  • 13:12 How to assess the quality of a business’ backlinks
  • 16:23 Financials you should always assess as a buyer
  • 19:23 Problem areas to investigate before buying a business
  • 23:15 Technical and legal checklist items you shouldn’t forget
  • 25:38 The biggest mistakes most first-time buyers make and how to avoid them
  • 27:34 Leveraging SEO and content for growth
  • 30:53 Income and age: Two essential criteria for evaluating a company
  • 32:49 Buying a business on a bank loan
  • 35:48 Five things to always look for when buying
  • 39:04 The advice Shakil would have given himself when he was starting out
  • 41:30 Shakil’s process for reviewing prospecting companies and getting them through due diligence
  • 43:30 What Drew is most excited about when buying
  • 46:15 Merger and acquisition opportunities that can help your brand
  • 50:45 Uncovering your blind spots within the acquisition process
  • 52:26 Boostrapping vs acquisition: Which is right for you and which comes first?

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_293_Buying_An_Ecomm_Brand_-_Throwback.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

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