The Ecommerce Influence Podcast

The best of 2022 and how to start planning for 2023.

Listen to this episode with a notepad or your phone ready to take voice memos. Jot down a few ideas to bring into your 2023 roadmap and plans. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to create exciting and super profitable product launches
  • What the future of eCommerce buying behavior might look like
  • How to use influencers to get content that performs 
  • How to use challenges to build community and lower acquisition costs

Resources:

Direct download: EI_387_Greatest_Hits.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

The big wins, what didn’t work, and what to do next. Austin and Lily recap BFCM 2022.

As you’re reflecting on your own campaign you can compare how you did and maybe jot down some things to consider for next year too. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Diversifying your offer
  • Buy now, pay later & the state of the American consumer 
  • SMS overload: what happened?
  • What to do with customers gained during the holidays 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_386_LilyAustin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

A couple of months ago Lily started a new role as CMO at an early-stage eComm brand. And it’s been a crazy first 60 days as CMO - she stepped in at the beginning of Q4.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • A strategy to balance long-term growth needs with immediate fire drills 
  • Laying the groundwork for 2023 
  • How to build a customer archetype 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_385_lily__Austin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

If you’re a marketer who dreads financial planning this episode is for you. Learn how to build a plan that supports your marketing strategies (instead of hindering them) so your business can grow with fewer bumps. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • The tiers of financial planning & what’s important at each level of business growth
  • How to think about debt vs equity financing and when to consider each
  • The financial KPIs to track on your weekly, monthly, and annual metric sheet
  • Inventory planning: and how to structure your finances so you can stay in stock
  • How the current economic state of the U.S and the world may impact eComm and what to be prepared for

Resources:

Direct download: EI_384_Faheem.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Parenting and being an entrepreneur, Austin share’s what life’s been like in his new role as first-time Dad. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Planning paternity leave as a business owner 
  • Tips for working with a newborn in your life 
  • Life changes & advice for other parenting entrepreneurs

Resources:

Direct download: EI_383_lily__Austin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:03pm CDT

How to use video to vastly increase conversion with live shopping. Educate customers, build loyalty and have fun! 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to increase your add-to-cart rate with live shopping and shoppable video
  • How to bring the acquisition benefits of the in-store experience online
  • How to replicate a social feel on your own site so you can depend less on platforms like Meta 
  • The different types of live commerce

Resources:

Direct download: EI_382_Max_Drut.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Our framework to run your business effortlessly and a sneak peek into the Effortless Growth Operating System we've built to help clients do this.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Why your “superhero syndrome” is hurting your business
  • How to identify what needs to get done and where the opportunities to move the needle are
  • A system to outsource & delegate 
  • How to do more of the things you shine at, and less of the things you’re not an expert on

Resources:

Direct download: EI_381_lily__Austin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

This is a brand that didn’t start with the expectation of selling online. McCullough has a human-first perspective and there’s a lot to learn from him on customer experience and leadership.

A conversation about connection and the human experience, two things that are just as important (if not more important) to building and growing your brand as your marketing strategy. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Wins and learnings from manufacturing an innovative product that no one wants to work on
  • What valuing relationships across all areas of your business could do for your success
  • How focus groups could improve your product offering
  • Birth of a product - getting an idea and figuring out if it’s a good one 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_380_McCullough.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

One of the biggest challenges eCommerce businesses face is low profit to turn this around you need to turn one purchase into two (into three and so forth!)

 

Today we’re going to talk about how to drive repeat customers so that you can be more profitable and have more cash to fuel back into your business. 

 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Why repeat sales so important - and should be top of mind from day 1 
  • How to improve your product by offering more value & keep customers coming back
  • Strategies to automate sales and easily turn one purchase into two
  • The system to roll out new products consistently so that your loyal customers always have something exciting to come back and purchase 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_379_lily__Austin_Mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Build a better brand by staying focused and paying attention to the opportunities, and eliminate shiny object syndrome. The truth is more does not equal better. 

Max Rast is the founder of Klar, a data tracking and reporting software. Max built this software after his experience as a CMO at a fast-growing food and beverage DTC. 

He was obsessed with spreadsheets and trying to build a clear picture, without getting bogged down in all the tiny details of attribution and the millions of data points available to eComm marketers. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • When international expansion is a good idea for scale
  • How to think about influencers and track the revenue they bring in
  • How to simplify your KPI sheet and metric tracking to build a better brand

Resources:

Direct download: EI_378_MaxRast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

A framework to get clear on your acquisition strategy and drive predictable revenue so you can grow your business. 

Predictable revenue is one of the pillars of the 7 Figure Founder program with Austin. A lot of early-stage eComm owners look to what they see other brands do but the truth is if you double down on just one channel you’ll be able to stabilize your business and hit 7 figures. 

This is how we think about this “one channel” strategy and some of the ways we help clients implement this.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to determine the best channel for your business
  • Understand the type of product you’re selling and how potential customers will find it 
  • The 4 key phases of scale 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_377_lily__Austin_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00pm CDT

How eCommerce brands can provide a customer experience that mimics the best parts of in-store shopping to bridge the gap between retail and DTC.

Building relationships is easier in person, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t delight customers with a personalized shopping experience in your online store. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • The power of live product demos & live shopping 
  • How to build an ambassador program that delights participants and makes fans for life 
  • What supporting customers post-purchase should look like 
  • How to use exclusive retail partnerships to increase brand awareness and ultimately convert people online

Resources:

Direct download: EI_377_Mike_Krantz.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

How to build a brand-focused website that will increase conversion with brand first CRO.

Brand building and storytelling are hot topics in eComm right now. Between the changes in privacy making it harder to scale by simply running well-targeted ads to consumers expecting more transparency - being able to relate to the people who land on your site is more important than ever. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Why storytelling is a critical piece of building a brand 
  • What brand first CRO is & how to do it
  • How smaller brands can prioritize content and what’s most important to focus on
  • What and where to optimize your site pages

Resources:

Direct download: EI_376_Shaun_Brandt.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

How do you manage and motivate a team? Today we’re going to share strategies for small teams. 

If you have a mix of in-house employees and a few contractors or if you’re going to be making your first hires soon this episode will help you lay the foundation to have success as you grow your team. 

If you’ve already built a team and you’re looking for fresh ways to motivate and manage there’s some insight for you here too. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to have meetings that are productive while also connecting with your team 
  • Performance reviews that actually set goals & give feedback 
  • What to do when someone isn’t performing 
  • How to set up a training & onboarding process 
  • How to manage and motivate contract partners vs in-house employees 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_377_Hiring_and_culture_fit.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

How do you grow a DTC brand in today’s climate? Here are some of the customer acquisition strategies being used by a top brand growth manager right now. 

Michael Grasewicz started at Taylor Stitch and has played an integral role in the fast growth stage of several DTC brands. This is what he’s learned along the way. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • What to do with your ads in the current state of Facebook
  • Fast Growth strategies for eCommerce and DTC brands
  • Paid vs organic customer acquisition and the place for each 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_374_MichaelGrasewicz.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

What started with an idea to heal her own health issues became a conversation with other women and turned into a big experiment that lead to a successful business. 

This episode is about how Monica Grohne, the founder of Marea, went about scaling a DTC business. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • The journey from idea to start up to building a brand & scaling a DTC business
  • Channels that are working and how to focus with a small team
  • How to be bold in your marketing 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_372_Monica_Grohne.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

In this Greatest Hits episode, Perfect Keto's Co-Founder, Dr. Anthony Gustin, talks about how Perfect Keto started off as a side project and then experienced massive growth -- making $100MM in just 19 months.

Dr. Anthony Gustin cofounded Perfect Keto as a side project in November of 2016. He had one goal in mind: making keto easy. Within 4 hours of launching, the company made $20,000 and took off like a rocketship since. Little did he know, the creation of Perfect Keto was at the rise of one of the largest diet crazes of the past 50 years. 

Anthony joins us to talk about Perfect Keto's growth, his business beliefs, and why he thinks going into retail is the last resort. We also discuss his experience of burnout and how entrepreneurs can best avoid it. 

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

  • 4:58 The problem with copying someone else’s formula for success
  • 7:15 Starting a multimillion-dollar company by accident
  • 12:52 What it’s like riding the wave of one of the largest diet crazes
  • 16:02 How to solve nearly all of the problems in your business
  • 20:00 Perfect Keto’s science experiment approach to business
  • 22:03 Anthony’s experience with burnout 
  • 28:31 What Anthony wishes he knew before launching Perfect Keto
  • 32:00 Anthony’s new approach to building teams and building a solid business foundation
  • 34:02 The next health problem Anthony is looking to solve 
  • 36:42 What business owner’s need to know about entering retail
  • 39:25 Advice for entrepreneurs working long hours and going off the grid
  • 44:41 A mindset shift for entrepreneurs to start enjoying the process
  • 50:17 How you can connect with Anthony

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_371__Replay_Episode_270.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

In this Greatest Hits episode, we revisit a conversation about building a large, successful business with close to $40 million in revenue without using any paid social.

Our guest, Nate Lipton of GrowersHouse, shows us how it can be done. And, in addition to not using paid ads, he’s been able to get his customer acquisition costs to zero.

Nate shares the different approach to marketing that has helped him build several incredibly successful companies in the cannabis and hemp industries. He talks about exactly how you can use YouTube to establish yourself as a trusted brand and drive ad-free sales. 

If you’re looking for some refreshing ideas for how you can drive more revenue, this is a great episode to jog your imagination about what’s possible.

Episode Highlights: 

  • 5:54 Nate’s involvement in the cannabis and hemp industries via multiple different businesses
  • 9:44 Fixing a gap in the cannabis industry: the creation of the Growers Network
  • 12:18 The YouTube channel that lifted the veil on growing operations
  • 16:37 How Nate got started in ecommerce and his number one piece of advice for beginners
  • 20:28 What Nate would do differently if he were building his website today
  • 22:31 The future role of video in ecommerce and common YouTube misconceptions
  • 24:58 Using video to provide clarity around what a product actually does
  • 30:42 One factor that will help you win more customers in the long term
  • 32:37 How connecting with your competitors and being radically transparent can benefit your business in a major way
  • 35:40 Other non-traditional advertising channels that Nate’s using that have resulted in zero customer acquisition costs
  • 41:05 The questions you need to ask yourself to reframe your approach to acquiring customers
  • 45:37 What you can do right now to increase your revenue

Links and Resources: 

Direct download: EI_370_Replay_255_Nate.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

In this Greatest Hits episode, we're revisiting a conversation Traeger Grillswith's Director of Acquisition who talks about how holistic marketing can unify your brand across all marketing channels and make it stand out from the competition.

Jesse Semchuck joins us to share how a holistic growth strategy has contributed to Traeger's success. He outlines the makeup of his marketing team, how internal teams and third-party agencies interact, and how a holistic growth approach can create more synergy across all marketing initiatives and the organization.  

Tune in and find out if holistic marketing is something you should use in your business.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

  • 5:59 Jesse Semchuck’s role at Traeger Grills and what he’s been excited to build over the last year
  • 7:55 The difference between selling mattresses and selling smoker grills
  • 9:18 What’s working well for Traeger Grills right now
  • 11:14 The makeup of Jesse’s marketing team 
  • 12:37 Questions Jesse asks when thinking about strategic scaling and how he decides which marketing channels to focus on
  • 17:06 Why low ROAS isn’t always a bad thing and the importance of understanding how different channels impact one another
  • 20:13 When is the right time to invest in a full funnel holistic approach to your marketing
  • 22:42 What most people do wrong when hiring an agency, and a better way to approach it
  • 26:58 How internal team interaction with agencies is structured at Traeger Grills
  • 29:00 Questions to ask a potential agency partner
  • 30:57 When to outsource to an agency versus keeping things in house 
  • 32:31 Agency red flags to watch out for

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_369_replay_259.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

In this Greatest Hits episode we're revisiting a conversation with John Warrillow about harvesting the value of your company and building to sell.

John Warrillow is the founder of The Value Builder System, a Top 10 Forbes Ranked Podcast host, and author of Built to Sell, a best-selling book that’s helped over 50,000 businesses build more valuable companies. Throughout his career, he's founded and exited four companies and now dedicates his time to helping entrepreneurs sell their own for higher multiples.

Listen now for John’s most valuable advice on the secret to a successful exit, key pillars for being built to sell, how to create more value in your business, and the biggest mistakes he sees entrepreneurs make when trying to do this on their own.

Episode Highlights:

  • 6:49 The secret to having a successful exit
  • 12:04 How much you should get for your business
  • 19:26 The number one job you have as a business owner
  • 23:58 Why so few entrepreneurs turn pro
  • 28:49 Tactical ways you can increase the long term value of your business
  • 36:20 The power of taking a pause in entrepreneurship
  • 43:54 The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when selling their business
  • 49:49 What to do if you are forced to take an earnout 

Links and Resources:

Direct download: EI_368_Replay_303_John_Warrilow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Today we have a secret weapon for you that will help you write copy that converts, reach your best audience, and build brand fans for life.

If you’ve googled “better conversion copy” or “how to find my niche” recently this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to collect killer video testimonials
  • Setting up post-purchase surveys and capturing Net Promoter Score
  • Getting product-specific feedback with focus groups
  • Using customer feedback to write copy that converts + where else to share

Resources:

Direct download: EI_367_Lily__Austin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How to align life and work with the path that you want to be on through regular check-ins and personal reflection.

Direct download: QW_23_Long_Hours.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

A family butchery started in 1920’s LA became a beef jerky dynasty when they started selling online. Here’s the story of their journey from brick and mortar to eComm. 

Brian Bianchetti’s founder story is unique. He started working with us to help transition his 4th generation family brand to an online DTC store. This is his story of how they found success and grew to hit 7 figures. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to build a brand online
  • Making your first marketing hires and building a team that you can delegate to
  • When to use an agency and when to go in house
  • How to work with your family without going crazy
  • The journey to scale an eComm store from 6 to 7 figures

Resources:

Direct download: EI_366_Brian_Biancheti.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Austin and Lily revisit their 2022 eComm wins and learnings and opportunities and share what should remain in focus and what should be top of mind for the second half of the year.

2022 has been been a wild ride thus far for everyone, and BGE is no exception. Austin welcomed his first child, BGE has restructured and added a new program, and there are a ton of moving parts in DTC, the economy, and the world already this year. Austin & Lily revisit their February predictions and share their updated opportunities & challenges for the remainder of 2022.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • The 100 x 30 challenge
  • The current Ecomm environment - Austin’s take
  • TikTok and leveraging influencer audiences
  • The current economy and risk of recession
  • SMS is still a big opportunity
  • What is the 7-Figure Founder program?
  • Crypto and the loss of wealth so far in 2022
  • Preparing for lead times
  • Has DTC failed overall?
  • BGE Intensive coming up in Q4
  • Books Austin has enjoyed recently
  • Lily’s summer reads

Resources:

Direct download: EI_365_Lily_Austin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: A lesson from the big brands - you grow faster and smarter when you have focused simplicity.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to address the needs of the consumer - with focus 
  • Simplicity as a growth strategy

Resources:

Direct download: QW_22.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:32am CDT

What really is the relationship between site speed and conversion rate? How important is UX when it comes to running a fast eComm site?

Learn how to run a fast site and where to focus on optimizing your user experience from a UX expert. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How running a fast eComm site can be challenging (and what to do about it)
  • How your focus on optimization and site speed will evolve as your business grows
  • How to prioritize design vs function
  • What headless eCommerce is and why you should care

Resources:

Direct download: EI_364_Shawn_Oneil.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

The best practices for email to help you prep your email list and collect customer info to drive more sales and make your holiday campaigns easier. 

Whether you plan to run holiday campaigns or not this year this episode will help you improve your email marketing with some quick tips and long-term strategies you can start using today. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to make your email list work harder for you (drive more sales) 
  • Best strategies for re-engaging with a cold email list 
  • How to routinely clean your email list 
  • Winning with post-purchase surveys 
  • Using flows and when to A/B test 
  • How to increase your email capture performance

Resources:

Direct download: EI_363_lily_and_Austin_Emails.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21am CDT

Quick win: Austin shares the pros and cons of the EOS method outlined in the book Traction and his tips on how to apply this business process to your eCommerce company.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to focus on the things that move the needle 
  • How to be strategic in your planning, without getting overwhelmed

Resources:

Direct download: QW_21.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

An active media buyer shares the nuances of the “new” Facebook platform and some paid social wins right now.

If you are struggling with your ad performance right now or if you’re trying to learn more about Facebook advertising and how the platform works you will learn a lot here. 

We all know what a nightmare ad performance has been in the last 12 months so this episode is to give insight into how some eComm brands are managing their ads accounts right now and give you some tips and ideas to improve your own performance.

 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Big ideas for acquisition and retention marketing right now
  • If Facebook is still a viable growth channel for brands with smaller marketing budgets
  • What a successful marketing mix might look like for early-stage 6-figure eComm brands
  • Analytics and how to track your KPIs when data is skewed
  • Sustainability and the future of ethical eCommerce

Resources:

Direct download: EI_362_Jessie_Healy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: customer satisfaction can be a gold mine for marketing. You can build brand virality through word of mouth.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to build and use net promoter score 
  • Using customer feedback to build the product they want

Resources:

Direct download: QW_20.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

It’s time to reflect and refocus. Our tips to make sure you’re on track to have a winning Q3 and Q4 this year.

The first half of this episode focuses on how to get organized and reflect on the first half of the year. 

The second half of this episode will give you some high level areas to focus on in Q3 and what to look ahead to for Q4. 

You’ll leave with a checklist that you can run through in your own business to ensure you’re focused on the things that will scale your business and keep you on track to hit your revenue goals. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to conduct a teamwide 90-day review
  • How to do a quarterly/ half year personal reflection
  • Prep checklist for holiday campaigns
  • Campaign ideas for right now

Resources:

Direct download: EI_361_Lily_Austin_Q4_Midroll.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win:  how to prioritize email flows that drive the most revenue, and not waste time on one's that won't. 

Key Takeaways:

  • How to prioritize your time when working on email marketing
  • The email flows to consider starting with based on the type of business you have
  • How you can increase & improve your flows as your business grows

Resources:

Direct download: QW_19_Email_Effeciency.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:34am CDT

Understanding human behavior will bring you more customers and increase your conversion rate. It’s the psychology of UX design for eCommerce.

Psychologist and expert UX designer Alina Prelicz-Zawadzka gives an insider view into why we do what we do, and how you can use that to improve your website. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How humans think and how your site should be designed to support that
  • The best practices for UX design right now
  • Simple things to help you increase your conversion rate
  • Why data is so important to design, and what you can do to not get overwhelmed by it
  • Mobile and video best practices and opportunities
  • Survey questions that get answers

Resources:

Direct download: EI_360_Alina_Prelicz.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: Austin Brawner's #1 piece of advice for eComm owners actively trying to scale their business up to 7 figures: get perspective 

Key Takeaways:

  • Why a business without process will break when it grows 
  • How to set yourself up with a successful and scalable business

Resources:

Direct download: QW_18_Simplify_Growth.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Answers to the question every eComm owner asks themselves at some point - should we hire an internal team or hire an agency to do that?

This is a question we see over and over from clients and one Austin and Lily have both dealt with personally before too. If you’re trying to figure out what to do - here are some answers

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to think about when to hire an agency so that you can make the best decision for your business based on where you’re at right now. 
  • How to evaluate your goals to see if an agency would be a good fit 
  • Red flags to look out for when working with an agency 
  • Tips on how to manage an agency and develop a successful partnership 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_359_Lily_Austin_Hiring.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: an accountability chart makes it easier to identify the role you need to hire for BEFORE you overwork your team or yourself. 

Key Takeaways:

  • How an accountability chart is different from an organization chart 
  • Getting a clear picture of the responsibilities of your team 
  • Figure out what type of skills you need to hire for (instead of what “position” you need to hire for) 

Resources:

Direct download: QW_17_Hiring.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Tips on how to grow and market your eCommerce brand and hit that 7-figure goal both from a creative and operational direction.

Srdjan (Serge) Popovic is the CMO of Crossrope, a fitness jump rope company. He met the CEO and partnered with Crossrope as an early influencer in the fitness jump rope space. He then left his career in mechanical engineering in 2015 to join the team as employee #3.

If you’re interested in content creation and UGC to grow your business, you will get a lot out of this episode. Also, Serge has an awesome hiring theory he shares and he talks explicitly about hiring for marketing roles.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How to think about the layers of gathering UGC content and where to start looking for content creators
  • Some tips on TikTok and what’s working
  • How to hire for your stage of business
  • What the role & growth trajectory of an early marketing hire could look like in your business

Resources:

Direct download: EI_358_Serge_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: how to build a formula for creative churn that consistently turns out winning content for your eCommerce brand. 

Key Takeaways:

  • A formula you can use to create winning content, consistently 
  • Where to look for copy inspiration
  • Using customer content

Resources:

Direct download: QW_16_Creative_Churn.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

A case study on Posh Shoppe and their 90 day growth goals to find success on TikTok, hire a Brand Director and deliver 1 million compliments. 

Posh Shoppe owner, John Chen, was struggling to continue the growth of his business after the iOS updates killed his acquisition on Facebook. He attended an event with Brand Growth Experts to help him get clear and figure out what to do next. 

This episode is his story, why he came to us and the goals he has for the next 90 days. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 9:40 How iOS impacted John
  • 11:05 John’s three growth goals for the next 90 days 
  • 11:52 The importance of a mission that you can stand behind and that speaks to your customers 
  • 13:49 How to know when you need to make a shift in your brand 
  • 17:21 Hiring a Brand director & delegating the things your not genius in 
  • 21:11 How John found the perfect hire  
  • 23:57 Building a TikTok marketing strategy 
  • 30:07 The stages of growth an owner has to do as the business grows from 6 to 7 figures 
  • 36:27 AI software to show outfits on models without a photoshoot 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_357_JohnChen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: how to use subscriptions to raise the floor and increase LTV and improve customer retention.

Key Takeaways:

  • Subscriptions can help you get a better valuation when you sell
  • Build a more stable business model that’s not reliant on auction-based marketing platforms

Resources:

Direct download: QW_15_-_Subscriptions.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Ideas for customer support strategies that are NOT scalable to provide a truly unique and special experience for some of your customers. 

This episode is for people who want to go above and beyond for their customers. 

Why? Because your customer won’t remember that your site was easy to navigate. The things that make a brand stand out and memorable are the experiences - these are the things that people share with their friends & this is what keeps people coming back.

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:11 Send surprise gifts in the mail to delight your customers 
  • 8:36 Give behind the scenes access to your product and brand 
  • 11:48 Have your customer team perform random acts of kindness
  • 13:38 Record personalized videos to thank customers 
  • 15:46 Reward your customers “in the wild”
  • 18:18 Have all your employees spend a day as a customer support rep 
  • 19:00 Founders replying to emails or answering the phone 
  • 22:52 Add small gifts to your packages 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_357_LilyAndAustin_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: building a crystal clear vision to be the single guiding light to drive growth in your business. 

Key Takeaways:

  • What the true cause of slow growth in a business often is 
  • How to use visualization: lessons from pro athletes

Resources:

Direct download: QW_14_CrystalClearVision.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Stop only sending discount emails! Implement these 3 email campaign ideas to drive full-price sales in your business. 

Austin and Lily share some email designs they’re digging right now to serve as creative inspiration for you. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:03 Email example #1: Using aspirational imagery and problem/ solution storytelling 
  • 9:49 Email example #2: Clever copywriting to encourage a sale in abandoned cart (and not discounting) 
  • 13:25 Email example #3: Using a waitlist to drive urgency, excitement and collect customer data 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_355_Email_Were_Digging.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: Tried and tested email flows to drive more revenue without reinventing the wheel. 

Grab our Email Map to start driving more revenue with email today 

Key Takeaways:

  • Where to start & how to be profitable with smart email flows are
  • Applying email wins to SMS 

Resources:

Direct download: QW_13_Emails.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:26am CDT

Want to drive more sales, lower your ad costs and make your buyers into loyal customers? Run a community-building challenge for your eCommerce business. 

This is a packed episode with tons of tactical ideas to grow your business using a 60-day challenge model. 

Alicia Reynoso grew her business to 8-figures before selling using this strategy and she’s sharing everything…

  • How to quickly scale audience growth & business revenue
  • Challenges & how they work in eComm
  • Facebook groups & their value in audience building
  • UGC & how to repurpose content

If you want to go deeper and get Alicia’s help building a challenge in your own business check out her training in the members.

(Not a member? Join here

Episode Highlights:

  • 7:03 How to set goals with the intention of selling 
  • 10:05 Using challenges to increase LTV by 45% 
  • 13:09 Challenges for retention marketing
  • 14:04 Doubling ROAS when using challenges for acquisition
  • 15:53 iOS and Facebook changes: how challenges work to lower ad cost 
  • 17:53 How often to run challenges 
  • 21:18 Structuring an offer for your challenge 
  • 27:39 Getting to know your customer better 
  • 29:44 Facebook groups to have conversations with customers 
  • 35:01 Tips for going live on Facebook 
  • 39:56 Getting UGC from your Facebook group 
  • 42:47 Content strategy for cold & warm traffic: how they different

Resources:

Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How to use VA's to fuel the growth of your business & get more time back by having someone to delegate to. 

Key Takeaways:

  • How to build a good role for a VA 
  • How to hire a VA and what you should be delegating

Resources:

Direct download: QW_12_Free_Up_Time_with_VAs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

How to get from here to there. Setting goals and systems to scale a profitable business. A re-cap of our Profit Summit event.

We wanted to record an episode coming out of the Profit Summit because there were some big themes that came up. 

Each attendee was very different in terms of product, team structure and revenue but they all showed up with pretty much the same question - “how do I get from here to there” everyone had a future goal without a clear path on how to get there. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:33 Hiring: a framework 
  • 9:38 Systems: what you need to scale 
  • 17:53 Channels: why you should stop trying to “replace” Facebook 
  • 23:39 Simplicity: do one thing really well

Resources:

Direct download: EI_353_Profit_Summit_Recap.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How to maximize your time and grow your business without giving up all your time. Prioritizing and delegating tasks to get more done. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Putting the most important things first 
  • How to compartmentalize 

Resources:

Direct download: QW_11_Prioritizing_and_Delegating.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Sick of expensive acquisition costs? This is how to grow a brand with organic TikTok (read: no ad spend).

This episode features the founder of a hemp cigarette company. And guess what - he can’t advertise on Facebook or Google due to the nature of the product. So, he had to get super creative to figure out how to acquire customers and get in front of people. 

After several failed attempts he found massive success with organic TikTok. 

He did $500k in revenue in year 1 with no paid ad spend, and no employees while working full time at his agency. All because of their viral TikTok videos. 

This is also an interesting vantage point because the brand made its own videos (and he was the one making them). So it’s a little different than the other TikTok success stories with influencer marketing out there right now.  

Episode Highlights:

  • 7:33 How to launch a business when your ad account gets shut down 
  • 10:07 Marketing and positioning for a novel product 
  • 12:01 Do you start with product development or marketing? 
  • 13:50 How to identify areas you need to hire for 
  • 18:19 Content creation strategy: how to manage it internally 
  • 23:52 How to Grow a Brand With Organic TikTok
  • 24:45 Why SEO is important again 
  • 27:00 Easy and quick ways to track influencer performance 
  • 32:19 Incentivising word of mouth 
  • 35:04 Thinking long term customer journey 
  • 39:52 Opportunities for growth in eCommerce right now 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_352_AshKrishnaswamy_Final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How to respect your time, your team's time & be a more effective and efficient company. 

Key Takeaways:

  • How to set expectations 
  • Using impact filters to have more effective meetings 

Resources:

Direct download: QW_10_Dont_Waste_Peoples_Time.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

With paid traffic costs continuing to go up PR is a great place to find long-term value in traffic and social proof. Learn how to get press for your eCommerce business. 

Nora Wolf is a PR expert and specializes in getting brands tons of press. She takes a modern approach to PR and uses a mix of media strategies including a unique take on influencers as press. 

She shares her tips and tools on how to get media for your eCommerce business. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:16 What’s exciting in PR right now: getting back to live events 
  • 7:25 Running PR with a small marketing budget 
  • 9:24 Earned media vs affiliate marketing
  • 11:13 How to know when your brand is ready for a PR strategy 
  • 12:21 Where to start when building a press list for PR
  • 14:46 Tools to keep track of your PR lists 
  • 16:44 Writing content that gets picked up
  • 19:49 The types of content that work well for PR
  • 23:29 Shifting to be a story brand over a discount brand 
  • 25:33 Applying design thinking principles to your business 
  • 30:34 Avoiding burnout and staying focused 
  • 34:07 Influencers as media contacts 
  • 39:41 Channels that work well for an influencers using a media strategy
  • 42:38 The biggest mistakes people make in influencer marketing
  • 44:42 Metrics & KPI to track for influencer marketing 
  • 47:00 Using PR as social proof 
  • 48:50 PR & influencer marketing without having to seed product 
  • 50:31 Why you need quality content and good creative 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_351_Nora_Wolf.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: When things are going wrong in your business how can you take radical responsibility, shift perspective and ultimately solve the problem.

Key Takeaways:

  • It’s easy to blame, but where does it actually get you?
  • Stop putting bandaids over issues - find solutions that last

Resources:

Direct download: QW_9_Conscious_Leader_Pt2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

How to grow a bootstrapped brand from nothing to 8 figures by thinking outside the box to drive organic traffic with influencers and TikTok acquisition.

Jason Wong started his first eCommerce business when he was just 15 years old. Since then he’s become one of the top marketers and entrepreneurs in the space. 

He’s built a framework to build bootstrapped brands up to 8 figures using organic TikTok and influencer content. 

He was one of the first to see TikTok as an opportunity. As a forward thinker, he has a lot of ideas on what the future of eCommerce looks like and where the opportunities for growth are. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 3:33 Jason’s start in eComm (at 15!)
  • 7:00 How Jason manages his competing priorities and many interests 
  • 10:06 Hitting $15MM in one year (without outside investing)
  • 13:30 What’s working with influencers on TikTok right now
  • 16:58 How to find influencers and get quality content from them
  • 21:05 The difference between Instagram and TikTok influencers 
  • 22:05 Building a content creation system for UGC 
  • 27:04 Tools & tips to manage and track influencer partnerships
  • 29:58 Driving acquisition through organic TikTok 
  • 31:01 Where to start on TikTok 
  • 34:43 Are 10-minute videos on TikTok working?
  • 36:12 Pairing organic TikTok with SEO 
  • 39:26 What the next opportunities in acquisition are: content & SEO 
  • 43:04 Wins with loyalty & referral 
  • 44:57 Personalization & tech opportunities coming to eComm 

Resources:

Direct download: 350_Jason_Wong.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How to get clear on your vision for your business and life. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Taking time to get away from the weeds 
  • Using offsites as a way to get clear 

Resources:

Direct download: QW_8_Conscious_Leader_Pt1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

The top questions from eCommerce owners right now - answered. (hint: are Facebook groups dead = no!) 

These are questions that have come up either in the Brand Growth Membership forum or in our member's office hours calls recently. 

This episode is designed so you can walk away with an answer and an action to take. 

If you have questions you want to chat with us about check out the membership.

Episode Highlights:

  • 4:54 What’s the state of business - are we optimistic or pessimistic?
  • 9:03 Austin’s thoughts on the impact of Russia/ Ukraine war
  • 13:51 Building a community on Facebook: are Facebook groups dead?
  • 19:49 Raising capital & how to bring in a partner 
  • 23:35 Facebook shops opportunities to increase conversion 
  • 26:03 Personalization, quizzes & better lead capture 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_349_Lily__Austin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How to use landing pages to optimize for conversions by testing and creating a better experience. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Using landing pages to test site design
  • Landing pages to improve ad performance

Resources:

Direct download: QW_7_Landing_Pages.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Tips on running and selling a business from an exit entrepreneur who never planned to sell. 

How can you build a business that both you and future you will benefit from? This episode covers the steps to growing a business you can sell.

My guest (and friend) Jared Nations shares his lessons, tips, and learnings from recently selling his business. His story is interesting because his plan had been to keep running the business as a cash flow business and never sell. After a cold offer, he changed his plan and pivoted. 

This episode gives you an inside view to what selling a business looks like and what you can do to prepare your business (even if you’re not planning to sell). 

Episode Highlights:

  • 6:36 COVID impacts on business growth 
  • 10:52 Getting a cold offer to buy 
  • 13:51 The layers of building a deal to sell 
  • 15:03 Why you should position your business as a strategic acquisition when selling 
  • 17:34 What makes a deal successful 
  • 18:58 Running a business for growth 
  • 20:44 Learnings from the selling process 
  • 25:57 Not having a single point of failure that the owner is involved in 
  • 27:47 Building a business for the future you 
  • 30:45 Hiring while in an intense growth period 
  • 33:26 Creating culture in a remote team 
  • 39:04 How many meetings is too many meetings 
  • 42:01 Understanding what the people on your team value 
  • 46:17 Business models and mistakes when trying to innovate

Resources:

Direct download: EI_348_Jared_Nations.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

When shit hit’s the fan… what do you do? 

Almost exactly 2 years past the first COVID lockdowns in the U.S. Austin and Lily team up to share what exactly has been going on and the impacts it’s had on eComm brands. 

Learn what’s out and no longer working, get some ideas for where you can focus your energy now and how to win in a post-Facebook world. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 0:45 What’s been happening in eComm since COVID hit 
  • 3:48 Demand for eComm products right now 
  • 7:06 Supply chain issues - what’s next? 
  • 10:13 The impact of shipping costs going up
  • 13:35 Facebook isn’t coming back - is it? (how to win in a post-Facebook world)
  • 15:19 How to recession-proof your business 
  • 17:49 What’s out and what’s in for eCommerce
  • 19:45 Wartime CEO: how to be one 
  • 20:48 Radical focus: how to get narrow and drive results 
  • 23:27 Opportunities with organic traffic 
  • 23:56 SEO quick tips 
  • 24:37 What’s the deal with TikTok 
  • 26:44 Referal and loyalty programs that people actually use 
  • 27:43 Why you should try direct mail 
  • 28:01 YouTube has consistently been getting better 
  • 28:39 Sell your story, not your product features 
  • 31:26 Get our help 

Resources:

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

If you can’t write, you can’t sell (unless you hire a copywriter). How to increase conversion, LTV & engagement with better copy.

In this episode, Austin and Chris Orzechowski discuss a wide range of eComm topics to give you some great food for thought. 

Topics include - traffic strategies by channel, how to hire a copywriter, choosing your mindset towards your business, how to write a story hook over a product hook (and sell more), and rounding out with web3 opportunities and curiosities. 

Sit back and enjoy the ride on this one. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 4:11 Chris’s experiment to find traffic channels that work 
  • 5:13 Facebook ads right now 
  • 7:05 What Chris is doing on YouTube 
  • 11:57 What to look for when hiring an in-house copywriter 
  • 14:57 Where to hire a copywriter to increase conversion, LTV & engagement
  • 18:12 Creating a brief and working as a team from idea to output 
  • 21:19 Story based hooks vs product based hooks 
  • 24:21 How to tell a story around your product (that’s compelling & sells)
  • 29:03 Parenting as an entrepreneur 
  • 33:56 A “not participating in recessions” mindset 
  • 40:20 The difference between good and great copywriting
  • 43:30 Thoughts on crypto and NFT markets
  • 48:08 The metaverse and optimizing your real life for the online world 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_347_-_Chris_Orzechowski.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How you can have success with influencers for content creation to drive more engagement, better ad creative, and increase organic traffic.

Key Takeaways:

  • TikTok and Instagram platform updates (and opportunities)
  • How to get quality content from influencers 
  • Creating influencer contracts & how to do it right

Resources:

Direct download: QW_6_Influencers.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

What opportunities are you leaving on the table with Google Shopping? This is a critical mid-funnel channel that will help you convert more customers. 

Eagan Heath is one of the unique people that has experience both owning an eCommerce brand and owning an agency. This episode is about what he's seeing work right now from his access to a lot of different accounts in different industries. 

Eagan is an expert in Google Shopping and Google ads and he shares his strategy.

(If you’re interested in learning more about Google Shopping Eagan is doing a deep dive on this in the membership on March 16th. You can join the membership here for access.) 

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:32 Landing pages & opportunities to optimize ads 
  • 12:01 Opportunities to improve your customer retention 
  • 15:45 Optimal ad spend ratio for retention and acquisition
  • 21:10 Channels to focus on outside of Facebook
  • 27:24 Using Google’s data to optimize your ad account 
  • 29:25 iOS impacts on Google ads 
  • 31:04 False beliefs about Google Shopping (and why they’re wrong) 
  • 34:26 Potential revenue lifts from Google Shopping 
  • 35:53 Products that do best on Google Shopping 
  • 38:25 Competing on price or brand 
  • 41:27 How to set your pricing 
  • 43:44 KPI’s and how to track your performance with loss of data from privacy updates 
  • 48:05 The importance of design & having an internal creation funnel 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_347_Eagan_Heath.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How to build a successful loyalty program to improve customer retention and drive higher value repeat purchases.

Key Takeaways:

  • What does a good rewards program look like (tools & strategy)
  • Offering a discount vs a free item: what provides more value 

Resources:

Direct download: QW_5_Loyalty_Discounts_and_Retention.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Product launches can be a rocket ship to your sales or a sinking vessel pulling you underwater.  Here are 6 different ways to make your next product launch your best ever.

Austin and Lily share strategies, actions, and tips that you can take away from launches that they’ve seen crush it. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 2:51 The power of product launches: why you should do them
  • 4:16 Coordinating with influencers to pour fire on your launch 
  • 8:50 Waitlisting your audience before a launch 
  • 10:38 Testing your product ideas with SMS 
  • 12:41 Using a loyalty program to give early access to your VIPs 
  • 17:04 Send more emails than you think you should
  • 19:50 Scarcity & planning to sell out 
  • 23:07 Critical operational considerations for product launches (that a lot of people miss)
  • 24:56 Bringing your customer support team into your launch marketing plans  

Resources:

Direct download: EI_345_V3_ProfitSummitMidroll.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: How to train, optimize and manage a remote team. Plus, tips in building company culture and why it should be an integral part of your onboarding process.

Key Takeaways:

  • Optimizing a team for remote work 
  • Building a marketing first company
  • Training in company culture first
  • How to build a training system that will scale with your growth

Resources:

Direct download: QW_4_Team_Management_And_Culture.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Breathwork is a superpower for dealing with stress, lack of clarity and overwhelm. If you’re overwhelmed learning to work with your breath and meditation is how to stop entrepreneurial burnout. 

This episode will put a tool for your toolkit to help you get through the challenges that come from running your business (and life) and help you thrive in fulfilling your dreams and best life. 

Carson Finkle is the CEO of Tenth Street Hats, a DTC hat business. He also has a new business called Create Meditation. His deep dive into the meditation space came from his own challenges with overwhelm and burnout in his eComm business. 

We do a bit of meditation towards the end, so I highly encourage taking some time for this.

Episode Highlights:

  • 4:08 How burnout led Carson to meditation and breathwork
  • 9:02 Meditation as a practice to help entrepreneurs
  • 10:47 A new approach to meditation 
  • 15:40 Identifying your north star and getting there 
  • 23:28 How Carson balances life with a full plate 
  • 26:58 Creating a system to find a flow over a structured schedule 
  • 34:39 Meditation practice with Carson 
  • 52:25 Breathing exercises you can do on your own

Resources:

@BrandGrowthX on Twitter

Direct download: EI_344_Carson_Finkle.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: a streamlined process that will teach you how to hire your dream team while saving yourself time and headache.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why you need a compelling job post 
  • Use your marketing skills to “sell” your company and attract the right person 
  • The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make: wasting time into interviewing unqualified people
  • How to set up a process that filters out people who don’t fit early on

Resources:

Direct download: QW_3_Hiring.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Last year was a wild ride - and one of the hardest years for eCommerce ever. 

What do the opportunities and hurdles for eComm businesses look like this year?

Austin and Lily share what they’re excited about and where they suggest focusing your efforts right now. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 6:18 What Austin is most excited about in eComm right now 
  • 8:28 4 big opportunities for eComm this year 
  • 8:43 Influencers to create or grow a brand 
  • 12:01 TikTok will continue to expand reach 
  • 12:37 Privacy - getting ahead of others who refuse to admit it’s impacting them 
  • 14:00 Loyalty programs & better retention and LTV 
  • 14:54 Success with SMS flash sale 
  • 15:45 Hurdles eComm will face this year 
  • 20:11 Brands to look at for best practices in eComm right now 
  • 27:00 What Austin’s been listening to for inspiration 
  • 28:47 Book’s that Austin has recently enjoyed 
  • 31:23 Lily’s podcast recommendations 
  • 32:07 A good (and short) book to inspire you 
  • 33:28 Austin’s 2022 prediction 
  • 35:24 Lily’s 2022 prediction 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_343_Shane_Cixeros_conflicted_copy_2022-02-03.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: how to optimize your email marketing to make it work harder for you (without working harder yourself).

Key Takeaways:

  • 3X your email sign up rate with conversational pop-ups
  • Why your transactional emails need personalization 
  • How to conduct customer research 
  • Write insanely good copy by using what your customers say
  • What KPIs to track with changing privacy policies 

Resources:

Direct download: QW_2_Email_Marketing_P2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Make more money, work less, and be prepared for a black swan event when you offset the risk of business by investing smartly. 

Taylor Pearson is the founder of Mutiny Fund, where he helps investors maximize the long-term growth of their portfolios. 

In this episode, he shares how he thinks about investing and diversifying as a business owner.  We talk about how to think about diversifying your portfolio to offset the risk you've taken by going all-in on a business

You’ll learn what talk risk means, how to better preserve wealth and what to think about investing right now when it seems like the whole world is going crazy. 

This podcast is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. All opinions expressed by podcast participants are solely their own opinions and listeners are reminded that managed futures and other alternative investments are complex and carry a risk of substantial losses. Visit mutinyfund.com/disclaimer for more information.

Episode Highlights:

  • 4:18 Taylor’s tail risk and long volatility hedge fund, Munity Fund 
  • 6:50 Why you should be thinking about tail risk 
  • 10:28 What exactly tail risk means
  • 13:58 Playing the long game in investing and evaluating your personal risk tolerance 
  • 18:18 Are we headed for a major economy altering black swan event?
  • 21:10 Debt super cycles and patterns in financial history
  • 23:58 Should you be preparing your portfolio for a black swan event?
  • 27:41 Being an optimistic & rational prepper 
  • 31:36 Thinking about your business as a part of your portfolio and how to balance risk
  • 35:30 Finding a minority stake business owner for your business 
  • 38:13 Conservative assets to offset your business with 
  • 43:03 Taylor’s thoughts on holding cash right now
  • 47:06 How often you should think about rebalancing 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_342_TaylorPearson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Quick win: where to unlock hidden revenue in your email marketing.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to determine which emails to focus on (that will drive the most revenue) and when to test.
  • How to optimize your flows (trigger emails) to ensure you’re not leaving money on the table.
  • 3 email mistakes you’re probably making and how to fix them.

Resources:

Direct download: QW_1_Mixdown_1_V2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

If you want to be successful you need to focus on selling your business, not selling your product. (Even if you’re not planning on selling)

This is an episode about the system that we use to run our business called the Effortless Growth Operating System (EGOS). 

It’s a 6-step system that we share with members of the Brand Growth Membership and help people implement directly in their own business in the Brand Growth Accelerator. 

Today - Austin and Lily team up to give you a look into how it works and Austin shares his own experience with poor management and burnout that led to the creation of the Effortless Growth Operating System.

What you’ll learn in this episode: 

  • How to create compelling job descriptions & how to hire the right people 
  • How to focus your energy on the areas of your business you love 
  • How to get clear on your vision & truly believe in it 

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:08 Austin’s background in eComm, business, and operations
  • 9:22 The Effortless Growth Operating System and how it can improve your business 
  • 11:48 What Austin has done to improve his own business and processes 
  • 12:33 Why eComm brands who want fast growth need the Effortless Growth Operating System
  • 19:50 Under-discussed issues with hiring right now 
  • 22:21 How to get help implementing an operating system in your business 
  • Join the The Brand Growth Accelerator and we will help you scale your business 
  • 25:58 Why you should be focused on selling you busines and not your product (even if you’re not planning on selling your business) 
  • 27:30 Austin’s tip on what to do RIGHT NOW in your business 
  • 29:16 Lily’s tip on what to do RIGHT NOW in your business 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_341_-_Effortless_Growth.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Facebook is smarter than you, and your customers are better marketers. (Learnings from working at a fast-growing brand.) 

Today’s guest is our own Brand Growth Experts Marketing Manager, Lily Ackerly. 

We’re talking about Lily’s journey being one of the first employees at a fast-growing brand and what she’s learned from really teaching herself the ropes in eCommerce. 

Lily also has a lot of experience in customer support - and we’re going to give you some reasons why you should keep your marketing and customer support teams close and engaged with each other. 

You’re going to be hearing more from Lily on the podcast so this is your first opportunity to “meet” her and hear some of her ideas. 

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:49 Lily’s start in eCommerce at a fast growing brand 
  • 7:49 Team set up in the early days of a business 
  • 8:45 Wholesale and the word of mouth benefits it gives 
  • 9:47 Facebook in 2016
  • 13:31 Learnings from Facebook ad account management 
  • 14:57 Keeping advertising (and reporting on it) simple 
  • 17:55 Culture first when growing a team 
  • 19:03 The importance of customer support & connecting it to marketing 
  • 19:58 Advice to get out of the customer support weeds 
  • 24:12 Why having a creative design team is more important than ever 
  • 28:23 What a successful agency partnership looks like 
  • 32:44 The importance of connecting with other eComm people and why it’s better than books
  • If you’re interested in connecting with other eComm owners check out our Brand Growth Accelerator
  • 34:20 Advice from Lily: keep it simple 
  • 35:24 Campaign and promotion tips 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_340_Austin_And_Lilly.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

How do you sell a product that no one understands until they try it? With smart marketing, positioning, packaging, and a solid mix of DTC to big box sales. 

John Pinto founder of BoomBoom Naturals (all-natural nasal sticks) and he's been a friend of mine for over 10 years, we met and got our start together working at our first job out of college. 

In this episode, we talk about John’s journey with BoomBoom, what he’s learned in DTC and acquiring over 500,000 customers through Facebook and online marketing, and his recent (and very successful) shift from DTC to big box stores.

We also talked about life balance, being an entrepreneur with kids and what that looks like. John's one of the most balanced people that I know and he shares some of his ideas and hacks around how he's been able to keep that going while building a large and fast-growing company.

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:47 How John and Austin met 
  • 7:05 Johns eCommerce venture 
  • 11:52 When Jordan Belfort endorses your product 
  • 13:33 Selling a product that’s in a new category 
  • 17:25 Shifting from DTC to big box stores and why
  • 21:12 What goes into pursuing a relationship with big box stores 
  • 27:09 In-store marketing strategy 
  • 33:36 Going deep in one geographic area and then replicating what works elsewhere
  • 34:27 How John prioritizes things that matter outside of work 
  • 45:40 Personal growth leading to business success
  • 57:01 What the Shark Tank experience is like 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_339_JohnPinto.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

Get out from under never-ending to-do lists, delegate and build a business with happier employees, customers, and profit. 

Cameron Herold was the CEO of 1-800-Junk, which he grew from 2 million to well over 100 million. He now has a company called the CEO Alliance where he helps second in command up their game and be more successful. 

He's also the author of 5 books, including Vivid Vision, which lays the foundation for building a vivid vision in 3-year segments for your business and life.

There’s a ton of insight to gain from Cameron and we discuss getting clear on your priorities, traveling while running a business, having kids and still being an entrepreneur, and strategy for how to delegate, manage, hire and train your team.

Episode Highlights:

  • 5:26 Traveling to Antarctica with a group of CEO’s
  • 8:31 Creating a larger vision for life and work and how Cameron came to practice and teach this
  • 11:25 How to have a successful CEO and COO relationship to be successful
  • 13:11 Cameron’s experience in a CEO / COO relationship
  • 14:52 Hiring talent when experiencing rapid growth 
  • 17:21 Training & “passing information” from entrepreneur to leadership team 
  • 21:53 System lesson’s from franchisors for all business owners 
  • 25:41 Filling the model for setting goals 
  • 27:24 Why employee happiness should come before customer happiness
  • 29:31 What motivates Cameron & how he stays motivated
  • 30:42 Cameron’s personal vivid vision for the last 3 years 
  • 32:42 Building a global lifestyle 
  • 40:54 Making decisions for life and career and how it changes over a lifetime 
  • 42:35 How to adjust when things don’t go according to your vision 
  • 46:45 Being an entrepreneur and having a family 
  • 47:42 Delegation strategy and why leaders should be at the bottom of the org chart 

Resources:

Direct download: EI_338_CameronHerold_Midroll.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

It’s been a wild wave in ecommerce when we look at where the industry started to where the opportunities are today. My guest today reflects on what's he's learned at 15 years in ecommerce and what's coming in ecommerce in 2022.

Drew Sanocki was the CEO of the eCommerce brand AutoAnything, the founder of the blog nerdmarketing.com and the owner of the Shopify direct marketing app PostPilot.

He has his hands in a lot of key areas in eCommerce and has been in the game for about 15 years. 

In this episode, Drew shares his well-rounded journey from buying out, being the CEO, and acquiring a bunch of companies. We talk about what it's like to run a $100 million retailer and what it’s like to run a small brand and scale up to 7-figures. 

This episode has a ton of information on what’s been working in eComm, where things have started to shift and we end with where we think this wild ride is going for eCommerce in 2022.

Episode Highlights

  • 5:40 Secrets to turning 50 and being in the best shape of life 
  • 7:10 Taking over as the CEO of AutoAnything 
  • 8:25 Transitioning after exiting to an eCommerce aggregator 
  • 9:16 Biggest learnings from taking over a 200+ person organization 
  • 10:47 Acquisitions: why some work and some don’t 
  • 12:45 Exiting early due to supply chain issues 
  • 18:51 Drew’s thoughts on supply chain challenges and issues 
  • 22:14 Growing as a leader by running both big and small businesses 
  • 23:45 What daily life looks like when being more strategic in the business 
  • 25:26 Drew’s role at PostPilot: postcard marketing 
  • 26:26 Hiring a CEO 
  • 27:36 Tips on structuring deals 
  • 30:40 What Drew’s excited about in eCommerce in 2022 
  • 33:07 The time is right for direct mail marketing 
  • 37:14 Differences between running a SaaS business and an eCommerce business
  • 39:31 Hiring developers 
  • 41:10 Advice from Drew’s business experience: iterate quickly
  • 44:08 The last 15 years of eCommerce and what’s next for eCommerce in 2022

Resources:

Direct download: EI_33720-20Drew20Sanocki_Updated.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

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