Tue, 27 July 2021
There Are 2 Directions Your Ecomm Brand Can Go - You Can Be A Brand That Scales Up, Or You Can Flop. In This Greatest Hits Episode We Share the Secrets We've Seen Behind The Brands That Make it Big. Some eCommerce brands make it big while others stall out, it’s a fact. But there’s really no big mystery behind why this happens. Today we're revisiting an interview I gave on the Ecommerce Evolution Podcast by my good friend Brett Curry. We break down what separates eCommerce brands that scale up versus those that plateau. Brett and I talk about a variety of things, including average order value and lifetime value, and how that directly impacts your ability to scale up. We talk about demand generation versus demand capture: which is "better" and which lends itself to being able to scale. We talk about the roadmap to building a team and scaling up your business, how your role as a CEO changes as you grow, and much, much more. This is a great conversation with a lot of tips from Brett and me. I hope you enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:54 Why I’m so passionate about dissecting why some brands scale and others don’t.
- 7:25 The KPIs that separate the businesses that can scale from those that can't.
- 8:47 Demand capture vs. demand generation and which one will allow you to scale.
- 12:20 Factors I look for when evaluating a product’s potential for growth.
- 14:22 How a passionate market can contribute to success.
- 18:32 Why having competitors in your market is a good thing.
- 19:13 Average order value and lifetime value: why they’re important and what to look for if you want to scale.
- 22:17 How to evaluate CPA across different channels and the other metric I recommend examining.
- 24:59 It’s OK if your business doesn’t scale -- and this is why.
- 27:57 Growing your business by expanding your product line.
- 31:49 A true entrepreneur falls in love with their customers, not their product.
- 33:16 Great founders know when to ask for help.
- 34:46 Why business founders need to become experts at their marketing channels before handing over the reins.
- 38:52 How a CEO’s role shifts as the company grows.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_314_Why20Some20Brans20Scale20Replay.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 20 July 2021
Raising capital can go two ways - it can help you reach your goals faster or be disastrous and destroy your business. Karen Howland is the managing director at Circle Up, an investment platform that uses technology to invest in early-stage businesses (mostly health and wellness CPG companies). She’s been investing in companies for the last eight years, and in this conversation, we go deep into early-stage investing, what entrepreneurs need to know about raising capital, and the mistakes she sees entrepreneurs make along the way. Karen also shares what opportunities are out there right now and what she's most excited about. If you’re considering raising capital for your business or are interested in investing this episode will give you the tips and tricks to get started. Episode Highlights - 4:12 How Karen first got excited about investing
- 5:35 The mission of Circle Up and what makes them different from other investment firms
- 8:32 What’s hot right now in the health and wellness space
- 12:47 Why it’s so hard for large CPG companies to incubate and develop their own new products
- 15:21 How Covid may have created the opportunity for CPG companies to innovate right now
- 17:43 The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when raising capital
- 24:14 Investing in CPG companies vs. investing in tech companies
- 28:10 Patterns in companies that have massive success
- 30:24 How Amazon, retail, and DTC companies can exist together
- 36:05 What the future of protecting your brand on Amazon will look like
- 40:44 From raising capital to strategic exit - where entrepreneurs have the most challenges
- 43:55 Areas that Karen is excited about investing in
Resources:
Direct download: EI20313_V2.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 13 July 2021
Buffy was one of the first brands to crack paid social. As today's Facebook advertisers scramble to adjust to changes on the platform we revisit this Greatest Hits episode to learn from one of the best. What started as an idea to disrupt the bedding industry has grown into a multi-million dollar business. This summer we’re re-releasing some of our top episodes of all time, and this week we’re bringing back this incredibly relevant show with Buffy co-founder Shoaib Kabani. We talk about everything from product development, to the importance of testing, how landing pages can improve your funnel, and what performance KPIs you have to be thinking about as you scale on paid social. Whether you’re a business owner or an ecommerce marketer, you’re going to get a lot out of this episode. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:55 How a desire to change the bedding industry led to the creation of Buffy.
- 7:27 The training Shoaib got from his start in consulting that’s helped him as an entrepreneur.
- 8:41Developing the initial idea and concept for Buffy: providing value and values.
- 10:35 The process of validating the concept online, on social, and in person before going all in.
- 13:33 How do I make this a no brainer for the consumer?
- 15:20 What’s worked for Buffy from a creative perspective and changes they’ve made as they’ve scaled.
- 19:42 Some of the unintended consequences of having a free trial offer.
- 21:01 Unique KPIs Shoaib looks at on a daily basis.
- 23:03 A funnel analysis tool that’s been a game changer as Buffy’s scaled up.
- 24:16 The materials and brand values that make Buffy stand out in the bedding industry.
- 26:27 How Buffy uses landing pages to enhance its sales funnel.
- 29:11 Addressing customer lifetime value when you have a limited number of products.
- 33:15 Shoaib’s approach to launching into new ad channels, specifically with affiliates and podcasts.
- 37:59 How the Buffy founders set their budget for testing new channels and concepts.
- 40:13 What you, the ecommerce business owner, need to be thinking about to be successful.
- 42:48 Exciting insight into what’s next for Buffy.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_31020Buffy20Replay.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 6 July 2021
Are you winging it when it comes to processes and systems in your business? Today’s guest will help you stop before you spiral out of control. Joshua Uebergang is a master of processes and systems. He is the director of Digital Darts, a Shopify agency based in Australia, as well as a certified Shopify Marketing Expert. He is also a member of the Coalition. In this episode, we get an inside look into an ultra-organized mind. We talk hiring process, the importance of SOPs (and how to write them), iOS 14 mistakes and opportunities, and tools and resources to create your own processes and systems. Leave this episode with direct actions to get more organized and build a business structure so stable “a fool could run it.” Episode Highlights: - 4:19 What Joshua is most interested in right now post-iOS 14 apocalypse
- 6:00 How Joshua got into eCommerce and the shift from Magento to Shopify
- 8:39 Key processes and systems that helped Digital Darts grow over the last 6 years
- 10:42 Why you need a step-by-step hiring process
- 12:01 The tools Joshua uses to manage processes
- 15:00 Defining the “why” in SOPs - not just the how
- 16:40 Comparing project management tools
- 17:45 How the Coalition helped Joshua level up in his business
- 22:17 Thinking about systems not only in business but also in your relationships
- 24:05 Common mistakes from the front lines of iOS 14
- 26:57 iOS 15 - how concerned should you really be?
- 39:18 Books that have helped Joshua on his journey
- 31:05 Is it easier to run a business with 8 people or 2 people?
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_311_v2.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 29 June 2021
What Would Pura Vida Do? From Start-Up to Multi-Million Exit We Talk Strategy With One of The Top Ecommerce Brands Today. When someone asks about eCommerce best practices, we always hear, “well, what’s Pura Vida doing?” and in this episode we’re talking with Pura Vida CEO, Griffin Thall, to get an inside look at their strategies, how the company’s grown over the last several years, the way his role has evolved, and what it’s actually like to prepare your company for a multi-million dollar sale. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Pura Vida's exit strategy.
Interested in the Coalition training with Griffin? You can join the Coalition membership here for access to this and many other great trainings and resources.
Episode Highlights: - 7:00 What got Griffin and Pura Vida to where they are today.
- 8:03 How Griffin’s role has changed as the company’s grown.
- 9:33 Pura Vida’s unique influencer strategy and how it started.
- 13:23 Relentless innovation and how Pura Vida continues to increase customer lifetime value.
- 15:53 The moment Griffin realized the brand was going to be a success.
- 17:09 How Pura Vida’s growth strategy has changed over time.
- 18:32 The challenges Griffin’s faced over the years as CEO.
- 20:47 Where Griffin’s seen the most success in hiring.
- 22:47 How Pura Vida’s ambassador program started, and where it’s at today.
- 22:56 A day in the life of the Pura Vida CEO, and the value of growing a team.
- 25:00 Why you’ve got to stop wearing all the hats in your business if you want it to scale up.
- 28:49 What you should be focusing on as a founder, instead of getting enticed by the newest Shopify app.
- 30:03 A key approach for brands launching today vs 6 years ago.
- 32:28 Lessons learned about managing cash while scaling up.
- 34:22 Pura Vida’s exit - how they ended up making a deal with Vera Bradley, and the process of finding and securing that kind of partnership.
- 38:42 Griffin’s biggest takeaway from meeting with investors.
- 40:15 The expansive value Pura Vida’s gained from their partnership with Vera Bradley.
- 42:14 What Griffin’s excited about right now and some things in store for Pura Vida in 2020.
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_310_GriffinThall_Replay.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 22 June 2021
In a world full of varying attribution models, collecting and using data is critical to understanding your customers and running a successful business. Kevin Hillstrom is President of MineThatData, a consultancy that uses data to help executives better understand the relationship between their customers, advertising, products, brands, and channels. Kevin supports a diverse set of clients, from internet startups, to billion dollar multichannel retailers and previously held various roles at major retailers like Nordstrom, Eddie Bauer, and Lands' End. In this episode, we talk about the myths of eCommerce, how using data can help boost repeat purchase rate, when and where to discount and how to deal with the attribution problem of running multi-channel marketing. Kevin’s been the influence for a lot of what I’ve done in my own business, and I know you’ll enjoy the conversation. Episode Highlights: - 4:24 How (and why) Kevin consistently publishes daily blog content
- 6:47 Kevin’s background from working in analytics to starting his own business
- 9:15 The biggest challenge business owners face around their analytics and using data
- 12:08 Approaching the attribution problem
- 17:21 Identifying low-cost and no-cost acquisition channels for your brand
- 21:04 Using data to retain the new customers you acquired in 2020
- 27:06 Building a solid foundation that will pay back in conversion dividends over time
- 31:42 When to start investing in the “welcome program” mentality
- 35:46 Looking at repeat purchase rate data
- 41:24 The biggest mistake business owners make when evaluating data
- 45:14 The discount challenge - when & where is the place for discounts
- 48:13 Everyone thinks their customers are loyal - why they’re actually not
- 52:04 Where to go to learn more about Kevin
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI20309_KevinHillstrom_Midroll_1.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 15 June 2021
Imagine the insights you'd glean if you could get a behind-the-scenes look at five different brands at once. Lucky for you today's guest is pulling back the curtain. Andrew Faris is the host of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast and CEO of eCommerce holding company, 4x400. After helping grow one brand from $0 to $20MM in less than 2 years, Andrew founded 4x400, where he supports five different eCommerce brands. In this episode, Andrew shares the challenges he's faced and how his mindset has changed while running multiple eCommerce businesses simultaneously. We discuss the shift he anticipates we'll see in how brands reach their audiences in the near future and the channels he's investing in as a result of this. If you're an eCommerce operator, you won't want to miss this episode. Episode Highlights: - 4:13 The meaning of 4x400 and how it relates to business growth.
- 6:11 Andrew's beginnings in the eCommerce world.
- 10:20 The challenges of operating multiple eCommerce businesses at once and the depth of learning that comes with it.
- 15:57 What Andrew's team at 4x400 looks like.
- 19:03 Metrics Andrew regularly looks at to track brands' success.
- 21:34 Impacts of the iOS 14 update across five different brands.
- 24:57 Channels Andrew is investing in as a result of Facebook's volatility.
- 29:45 The mindset shift entrepreneurs need to make around attribution.
- 32:37 Why you should take a cautious approach to your 2021 projections, especially if you crushed it in 2020.
- 33:59 How Andrew measures success and the difference between his free cash flow and EBITA goals.
- 37:15 Recommended resources for eCommerce entrepreneurs.
- 40:10 Lessons Andrew's learned as he's grown into a leader in his business.
- 45:25 Things that are making Andrew's life better right now.
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_308_Updated.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Mon, 14 June 2021
Think you need to sacrifice everything to have a successful business? You're wrong. When you get to a certain point in your business' growth, sacrificing your relationships and your health is the worst thing you can do for your ongoing success. We help you scale up without sacrificing everything or feeling overwhelmed. Today, I'm walking through our current programs so you can determine which one is the right fit for you. Episode Highlights: - 3:37 A coaching community with tools to help you scale up
- 6:41 Building connections with established eCommerce entrepreneurs
- 10:02 Accelerating your growth without adding more to your plate
- 12:03 Expanding your network and keeping yourself accountable
- 14:21 Where to go if you're ready to level up in your business
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_Flash_3.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Wed, 9 June 2021
Most people start a business because they dream of freedom. But in reality, they build themselves a prison. Having 7 or 8-figure revenue only does so much good if your entire business is dependent on you. I see so many business owners with more stress and less free time. The good news is, it doesn't have to be this way. In this episode, I'm sharing the 7-step roadmap for how to build a self-managing company that brings you joy and gives you the freedom you've always desired. If you're ready to get more freedom in your business, without sacrificing your health, personal life, or family, you need to check out Intentional Wealth. It's an 8-week accelerator for eCommerce business owners that kicks off July 7. The enrollment period is open now, and the program is filling up quickly. Get the details here. Episode Highlights: - 3:05 Step #1 for building a self-managing company: Change your mindset about what's possible.
- 5:07 Step #2: Understand what you're really selling.
- 7:11 Step #3: Start thinking like a general manager, not a coach.
- 9:37 Step #4 for building a self-managing company: Share your intent, not your outline.
- 12:21 Step #5: Narrow down your metrics and give your team autonomy.
- 14:43 Step #6: Embrace delegation as a competitive advantage.
- 17:01 Step #7 for building a self-managing company: Find your mentors.
Links and Resources:
Direct download: Flash_2_Building_a_self-managing_Company.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 8 June 2021
Are you making at least 20% of your revenue from email marketing? If not, today’s guest is here to tell you how. Chase Dimond is a prolific email marketer who is making a lot of noise in the eCommerce arena. In 2018, he launched an email marketing agency called Boundless Labs that supports 6-9 figure eCommerce companies. Since then, he and his team have helped their clients send hundreds of millions of emails resulting in over $50 million in email attributable revenue. Chase joins us on today’s episode to share his knowledge on email marketing for eCommerce. He offers specific and tangible actions you can take to drive more sales and increase your email marketing revenue, talks about what works in email and what doesn’t, how to optimize your opt-ins, and how to find talented copywriters. Enjoy! Episode Highlights: - 4:26 The Bernie Singles Case Study
- 8:10 Common misconceptions about email marketing
- 10:05 Chase’s early career in email marketing
- 14:02 How Chase took complete ownership of his marketing funnel
- 17:54 The easiest ways to increase your eCommerce revenue with email marketing
- 20:09 How to maximize your email opt-ins
- 22:31 Does gamification work for opt-ins?
- 23:36 Chase’s email diagnostic checklist
- 27:27 What types of products should be invested in email marketing
- 32:09 The future of SMS marketing and what is overhyped
- 36:41 How to find talented copywriters and designers
- 39:53 Resources that helped Chase build Boundless Labs
- 42:47 What motivates Chase to stay committed to email marketing
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI307_Chase_Diamond_Midroll.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Fri, 4 June 2021
Do you want to unlock massive growth or stay small? If you're unsure why your eCommerce business isn't growing, this episode is for you. Over the last five years, I've worked with businesses that have grown from $100K per month to $1MM per month, and I've worked with businesses that have continued to stay small, despite their desire for growth. In this bonus episode, I'm sharing the 9 reasons why your eCommerce business isn't growing, and how you can change that. If you're ready to unlock growth in your business, without sacrificing your health, personal life, or family, you need to check out Intentional Wealth. It's an 8-week accelerator for eCommerce business owners that kicks off July 7. The enrollment period is open now, and the program is filling up quickly. Get the details here. Episode Highlights: - 2:51 Reason #1 why your eCommerce business isn't growing: You're scarcity focused
- 4:12 Reason #2: You aren't keeping up when the game changes
- 5:24 Reason #3: Superhero Syndrome
- 7:23 Reason #4 why your eCommerce business isn't growing: You aren't managing your cash
- 8:35 Reason #5: You're transaction-focused instead of transformation-focused
- 11:20 Reason #6: You're focused on tactics instead of strategy
- 12:46: Reason #7: You don't know what you want or what your business is
- 16:31 Reason #8 why your eCommerce business isn't growing: You think in terms of cost, not investment
- 18:12 Reason #9: You're trying to do it all alone.
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_Flash_9_Reasons.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 1 June 2021
After a decade of fast-paced growth, are you wondering what’s next in eCommerce? Today’s guest is here to share his predictions. Three-time returning guest Andrew Youderian is back on today’s show. Andrew is a well-known entrepreneur in the eCommerce space, host of the eCommerce Fuel Podcast and the owner of the eCommerce Fuel forum. In this episode, we do some big picture thinking on what’s next in eCommerce, what we’ve seen coming and going, Facebook trends and the future of Amazon. We also touch on brand building, emerging channels to pay attention to and what we think is on the horizon. Episode Highlights: - 5:39 Fast-paced growth and what’s next in eCommerce
- 8:39 The state of Amazon for eCommerce sellers
- 13:00 Is Facebook advertising going to be a thing of the future or the past?
- 18:46 Why Andrew Youderian doesn’t think Facebook is the path to sustainable growth
- 23:40 Strategies for owning your relationship with your community
- 28:10 Are you still experiencing asymmetric returns?
- 32:42 How to take advantage of emerging channels to grow your audience
- 35:49 Why Andrew closed the eCommerce Fuel job board
- 40:04 Exciting new tools and the future of Facebook groups
- 45:47 Why social trust is critical to the success of businesses
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI306_Andrew_Youderian_Midroll.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 25 May 2021
Writing copy that converts has nothing to do with magically pulling the perfect words out of thin air. It’s about learning how to copy + paste. At least that’s what Val Geisler - email marketing conversion copywriter, strategist for B2C startups and Customer Evangelist at Klaviyo - has to say. Val has been a part of the eCommerce community for a long time and is a master at the art of conducting meaningful customer research that translates into copy that converts. Val joins us today to dive deep into email marketing for eCommerce brands, marketing automation, copywriting, and how you can use words to increase the perceived value of your brand. We also talk about how to improve your email flows, how you should be using SMS, and what it means to build your acquisition flywheel. If you want to learn how to set up email flows and automations, check out our Email Growth Guide and Intensive Course inside the Coalition. Episode Highlights: - 4:18 The easiest way to write copy that converts
- 8:27 How to conduct meaningful customer research
- 12:16 Val's new role at Klaviyo
- 21:40 The emails you absolutely need to do customer research for
- 26:13 Val’s approach to balancing qualitative and quantitative data
- 32:06 Klaviyo’s SMS product update
- 36:54 How do upgrade your flows with SMS
- 41:31 Ways you can optimize your abandoned cart
- 47:31 The power of marketing automation
- 52:00 How to design your customer acquisition flywheel
- 55:29 Val’s Email Marketing Hall of Fame
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_304_ValGeisler.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 18 May 2021
Is your business built to sell? John Warrillow is here to help you harvest the value of your company. 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: 303-JonWarrilow_ShipBob.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 11 May 2021
From changes in consumer privacy to new business models popping constantly, the Ecommerce landscape is changing and it's changing fast. Here to help you keep up is my good friend Brett Curry. Brett is an entrepreneur, eCommerce strategist, and host of the eCommerce Evolution podcast. He leads an incredibly talented team at OMG Commerce, and today we're diving into what's new in eCommerce. We talk about the future of eCommerce advertising and who should be most concerned about upcoming privacy changes. Brett shares his formula for creating consistently great content, I share what makes lucrative subscription models work, and we touch on how our roles as CEOs and operators have evolved as our businesses have grown. Episode Highlights: - 4:44 The future of eCommerce: A return to the renaissance
- 8:26 Google’s changes to audience targeting and attribution
- 11:29 Why agencies and freelancers should be weary of privacy changes
- 19:12 The formula for consistently creating high-converting content
- 28:02 Why subscription models aren't going away anytime soon
- 31:13 How to make a subscription model work for your business
- 35:51 Three types of subscription models to consider
- 42:31 How to keep up with the speed of change in business
- 44:32 What being a basketball coach and CEO have in common
- 48:10 Austin’s perspective shift on his role in business
- 53:43 Check out the eCommerce Evolution Podcast
Links and Resources:
Direct download: 303_BrettCurry.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 4 May 2021
It's time to stop losing customers and start understanding them. Sean D’Souza, author of The Brain Audit, founder of Psychotactics, and host of The Three Month Vacation Podcast, is a Marketing Strategist and expert on consumer psychology. He’s one of the most articulate and well-spoken people I’ve met in the field of marketing and he’s here to help you figure out why you aren’t selling as much as you should. In this episode, Sean sets the record straight on the number one reason your customers back out of a purchase. We also dive into how to ease your customer’s fears, the importance of having a uniqueness factor, and how to start understanding your customers in a deeper way so you can stop losing customers. Sean is giving a training inside of the Coalition on May 11th called, “Buy Your Life Back: How to Raise Prices and Not Lose Customers”. Apply to join the Coalition today so you don’t miss out. Episode Highlights: - 4:23 Why Sean D'Souza created "psychotactics"
- 6:41 What stops people from taking a 3-month vacation
- 10:57 The best way to stop losing customers
- 19:30 Why your business needs to have a uniqueness factor
- 25:12 How to come up with your uniqueness factor
- 32:15 Unpacking the misconception around sales
- 37:07 Tiger Woods' iconic shot and what it has to do with your customers
- 40:58 How to start understanding your customer in a deeper way
- 45:04 Learn more about Sean D'Souza
- 47:08 Sean’s top recommendation for a vacation destination
Links and Resources:
Direct download: 302_SeanDeSousa_Gorgias.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Fri, 30 April 2021
Trying to get valuable time back from your business? Steve Chou and I are here to talk about how automation helps us work smarter. Steve Chou, host of the My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast, has built a large business that only requires the help of one VA. From managing a robust social media calendar to tackling email marketing, Steve has cracked the code on how to do more with less. Steve and I share a joint passion for helping entrepreneurs build businesses that don't consume their entire life. If you've been feeling overworked and bogged down in the weeds of your business, this episode is for you. Tune in to hear how we've freed up our time by automating five key areas of our businesses: hiring, social media, email marketing, our inbox, and project management. Episode Highlights: - 4:10 Automation #1: Your hiring process
- 10:18 Automation #2: Your social media production
- 15:07 Automation #3: Your inbox
- 18:17 Automation #4: Your project management
- 24:15 Automation #5: Your email marketing
- 29:40 How to combine SMS and email
- 34:04 What Steve is most excited about
- 38:14 Check out Steve’s podcast
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_302_SteveChou_Coalition.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 27 April 2021
The right marketing strategy + the right team members to execute = DTC success. “A little crazy” is what Ecuadorian artisans called Case Bakker after he requested order after order of handmade blankets to sell to boutiques all over the Ottawa Valley. Rooted in a mission to give back, Pokoloko started off as a wholesale brand dedicated to bringing global inspiration to people's homes and directly supporting artisans all over South America, Turkey, Morocco, and Indonesia. I met Case, Pokoloko’s CEO and co-founder, about a year ago when he reached out with one goal in mind: transition from wholesale to DTC eCommerce. Since then, we’ve worked together inside the Coalition and Intentional Wealth, and his team has made incredible progress. Case joins us today to tell us how. Tune in for a candid talk about how Pokoloko generated their first $100k in sales, what marketing strategies move the needle, the hires that have been essential to their success, and leadership lessons he’s picked up along the way. Enjoy! Episode Highlights: - 3:51 How Pokoloko was first created
- 6:23 How Pokoloko generated their first $100,000
- 9:19 The biggest difference between running wholesale vs direct to consumer
- 11:02 Three major initiatives that moved the needle when switching to online sales
- 13:32 Critical hires when growing a B2C business
- 15:28 Marketing initiatives with a high ROI
- 19:01 How transitioning to B2C affects wholesale
- 20:28 Leaderships lessons Case wishes he knew years ago
- 24:20 What Case is most excited about
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_301_Case.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 20 April 2021
Misinformation is spewed left and right about nearly everything in eCommerce and it’s driving Kurt Elster and I insane. We are excited to bring you episode 300 of the Ecommerce Influence podcast and our special guest today is Kurt Elster. Kurt is a CRO expert, host of the Unofficial Shopify Podcast, and runs an eCommerce website design and development agency called Ethercycle. If you’ve been a long-time listener of the podcast, you know that Kurt is a trusted recurring guest and in this episode, we’re hoping to put a nail in the coffin of six costly eCommerce myths. Tune in as we set the record straight on Google PageSpeed, website design and copywriting, work ethic and so much more. Enjoy! Episode Highlights: - 5:28 Myth #1: You need to diversify your traffic
- 8:38 Myth #2: Google PageSpeed is crucial to getting more sales
- 14:00 Myth #3: You have to be the first to do everything
- 18:49 Myth #4: If a “big” business is doing it, it must be right
- 23:10 Myth #5: Hustle and grind is the key to business success
- 27:57 Myth #6: People don’t read on the internet
- 35:40 Check out the Unofficial Shopify Podcast
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_300_Kurt_Elster_2.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 13 April 2021
Does your business take all of your time or does it give you the freedom to do the things you love? Jeff Vogl, president of Classic Car Stereos, has been intentional about creating that shift over the last couple of years and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing him do it. Jeff and I started working together in 2019. Since then, Jeff’s business has grown tremendously and he’s continued to add to his portfolio. From mastering the art of creating packages his customers can’t ignore, boosting his AOV, and spending more time on the golf course than in the weeds of his business, Jeff is a sharp entrepreneur and he’s here to tell you how he made these big wins possible. Tune in to learn how you can creatively increase your AOV, why Jeff believes a Google AdWords strategy is a must, the importance of bidding on your brand, and how a change in leadership style has unlocked the freedom Jeff always wanted. Enjoy! Episode Highlights: - 4:03 Learning how to create packages to boost your AOV
- 6:20 How Classic Car Stereos manages all of the moving parts in their business
- 8:18 Jeff’s journey from spending time in the weeds of his business to spending time on the golf course
- 10:55 A mindset shift on inventory management and demand planning
- 16:19 Entrepreneurial finance 101: The numbers every entrepreneur should know
- 25:06 Using Google Adwords and why you should always be bidding on your brand
- 29:12 Evolving your leadership style to empower your team
- 34:35 The resources Jeff uses to grow Classic Car Stereos
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_299_Jeff.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 6 April 2021
Holistic Habitat self-taught their way to Facebook Ads success. Here's why they doubled their ad budget in 2020. Kristin Holler is the co-creator of Holistic Habitat, an eCommerce home decor company for the socially conscious. I met Kristin in 2019 and have worked with her inside the Coalition, and most recently, as a member of Intentional Wealth. Since we started working together, her business has grown tremendously and email marketing makes up 30% of her monthly sales. However, that’s not the only lever Kristin has learned how to master. With a roll-up-your-sleeves mentality, Kristin has led Holistic Habitat through the ever-changing landscape of Facebook ads, the COVID-19 pandemic, market shifts and so much more. She’s here to share how they grew 500% in 2018, how she became a Facebook ads pro, and the secret behind creating ads that convert. We also dive into the biggest leadership takeaways of 2020 and how to get out of your own way. Episode Highlights: - 4:21 How Kristin started as an eCommerce entrepreneur
- 7:27 The moment Kristin realized Holistic Habitat had potential
- 9:55 How Holistic Habitat grew 500% in 2018
- 12:53 Why Kristin doubled her FB ads budget at the beginning of COVID-19
- 16:53 The biggest leadership takeaways from 2020
- 19:13 Working in the Coalition: How Kristin increased profits and got out of her own way
- 23:25 Becoming a Facebook ads pro
- 26:23 How to run Facebook ads that convert
- 28:32 Holistic Habitat’s unforgettable marketing mishaps
- 31:10 Advice for purpose-driven brands trying to build customer loyalty
- 33:57 The #1 thing Kristin wishes she knew before starting her entrepreneurship journey
- 35:27 What’s keeping Kristin up at night
- 37:16 Lessons from COVID-19 that keep moving the needle
- 38:43 How Holistic Habitat creatively increases their average order value
- 41:52 Get in touch with Kristin
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_298_KristinHoller_1.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 30 March 2021
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
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Tue, 23 March 2021
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
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Tue, 16 March 2021
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
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Tue, 9 March 2021
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
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Tue, 2 March 2021
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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Tue, 23 February 2021
Apple’s recent championing of consumer privacy means your ad data is never going to be the same. If you’re an eCommerce business owner, you’ve likely been swept up in the confusion around iOS 14 and Facebook ads. Andrew Foxwell from Foxwell Digital is back on today’s show to unpack what this means for you and your business. We’ll be diving into the iOS 14 release and the implications it’ll have on Facebook advertising. We’ll also discuss the tools you’ll need in place for this shift and how you can optimize your ads for this new normal. If your business relies heavily on Facebook advertising, you can’t miss this episode. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:21 The current state of Facebook advertising and what you need to know about iOS 14
- 7:47 Apple’s new positioning around consumer privacy and how it will affect your advertising
- 9:56 How Apple will control the floodgates of information
- 12:52 What we know is changing between iOS 14 and Facebook ads
- 16:05 The upside to these changes within Facebook
- 18:24 What the upcoming data delay will mean for you
- 21:42 8 must-have events to set up to prepare for the new normal
- 25:40 How to set up and customize your new events
- 28:58 Don’t get taken advantage of: A word of caution when searching for help
- 32:05 Who is going to be most affected by these changes
- 37:57 The tools Facebook and Apple are working on to help you
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_292_WhatTheFacebook.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 16 February 2021
If you're trying to stretch your marketing dollars as far as you can there's one piece of low-hanging fruit you shouldn’t ignore. If you cringe when you think about pop-ups, you're missing out on huge wins including more revenue, more email captures, and a higher AOV. Take it from Erik Christiansen, eCommerce CRO expert and the CEO of Justuno. I’ve known Erik for a long time and his company has helped thousands of businesses with conversion rate optimization. He’s joining us today to talk about the future of eCommerce CRO and how you can leverage it in your business. Outside of Erik’s knowledge of eCommerce CRO, what I’ve continued to admire about him over the years is his ability to not only grow a team but retain his team members too. We’ll also cover how he’s built a team of 60+ people, how he thinks about hiring and retention. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:11 How Justuno has evolved over the years
- 6:52 The business basics Erik has been on top of for the last 10 years
- 11:44 Stretching your marketing dollars as far as you can
- 14:20 What Erik has learned about leading a remote team
- 17:51 The two things Erik tells every single one of his employees
- 21:35 What Erik is most excited about in Justuno’s future
- 26:10 How to optimize your landing pages
- 29:45 What Justuno has on the 2021 roadmap you should know about
- 32:05 How to get 30 days of free access to the Coalition
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_291_Erik.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 9 February 2021
Society Has Brainwashed Entrepreneurs To Believe They Have To Sacrifice Everything To Be Successful. “Crush it” culture convinces us that sacrificing our health, personal life, and family is a part of the game and if you’re not making those sacrifices, you can only get so far. It’s time to crush this false narrative and make a paradigm shift. In today’s episode, I’m introducing the Brand Acceleration Formula. It’s a five-step process designed to help entrepreneurs grow their business from $500K to $5MM without sacrificing what matters most to them. We dive into the biggest causes for slow business growth, how to stay focused on the metrics that move the needle, and our best advice on bringing your best ideas to life. I’m going to help 20 entrepreneurs apply this formula and have the best 90 days of their business life. Will you be one of them? Get the details here. Episode Highlights - 6:28 How society has entrepreneurs brainwashed
- 8:29 Are you playing a status game or a wealth game?
- 12:11 The Brand Acceleration Formula
- 15:03 The biggest cause for slow business growth
- 17:15 How to avoid shiny object syndrome
- 20:05 What our most successful clients have in common
- 22:03 The best way to start bringing your big ideas to reality
- 24:21 Our new Intentional Wealth Program
Links And Resources:
Direct download: EI_290_500k-5MM.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 2 February 2021
If you're just focusing on your company's annual income, you're doing it wrong. Today, Ryan Tansom, founder of Arkona, is here to talk about why creating long term value in your business should be your priority.
In 2014, Ryan helped turn his family business around and then sold it for 8 figures. Today he's helping entrepreneurs make the shift from thinking about annual income to focusing on long term value creation instead. In this episode, Ryan shares why your goal shouldn’t always be to maximize income, how to think about investing in your business, and the right way to run your business so that people want to buy it. Whether you have intentions to sell or not, Ryan’s ideas on creating long term value in your business will open up opportunities you’ll have the power and choice to leverage whenever you want. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 4:49 Why Ryan is passionate about helping entrepreneurs create long term value
- 8:04 The right time for a business to think about its direction
- 11:16 Annual income vs long term value: Which is better?
- 13:51 How investing in your business could be more valuable than cash
- 18:00 Tracking the value of your company even if you don’t want to sell
- 19:30 What a “good valuation” really means
- 22:28 Things professional buyers are looking for when evaluating your company
- 25:47 Understanding the J curve and the opportunities you may be missing in your business
- 30:33 When it’s time to find a new CEO
- 35:37 Why you should focus on long term value even if you don’t plan to sell
- 41:16 What business owners should know about the exit process
- 44:21 The things entrepreneurs actually have control over
- 46:01 What you’ll learn in Ryan’s upcoming Coalition training
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_289_Ryan.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 26 January 2021
Implementing Traction at your company? Here’s what you should know before you start. Many of our clients inside of the Coalition have heard of Traction and have considered trying to implement EOS at their company. If this phrase is new to you, EOS - the Entrepreneurial Operating System - is a set of concepts and tools that can help your team align on a clear vision, make progress towards defined goals, and increase accountability and communication. Our team dove headfirst into the task of implementing Traction just over a year ago and we’ve learned a lot since. In this episode, I’m sharing how we adopted the EOS methodology, the pros and cons of using it, and who I think has the most to gain from it. If you’re an eCommerce entrepreneur who thinks there might be a better way to run your business, this episode is for you. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 4:50 Life before finding Traction
- 6:53 The best part about using the EOS process and how it changed the game for us
- 8:05 What “rocks” are and how they address the biggest struggles I see entrepreneurs facing today
- 10:27 The feedback from my team that I didn’t see coming
- 11:51 How we work around the biggest con of using EOS
- 15:07 Who EOS works best for
- 16:10 Why I think solopreneurs will struggle implementing EOS
- 18:59 How to get free 30-day access to the Coalition
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_288.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 19 January 2021
Do you want to know how to hire rockstar talent this year? Finding high-quality talent is a major key to the growth of any organization. However, it’s often seen as a difficult task and can cost a lot of time and money when done incorrectly. At Brand Growth Experts we just hired our newest Community and Events Manager after sorting through nearly three hundred applications and I’m here to tell you how we did it. You’ll learn our step-by-process on how to hire a great employee every time, ways to simplify and structure your hiring process, and the tools we used to manage hundreds of applications. If you've been wondering how to hire without getting overwhelmed at the task this episode is for you. Episode Highlights - 6:36 Creating your accountability chart
- 9:39 How to attract the right candidates
- 14:24 Promoting your job with advertising
- 16:52 The number one mistake I see companies make when hiring
- 19:22 Mapping out your hiring process
- 22:20 How to hire using AirTable
- 24:06 Are you valuing your own opportunity?
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_287_hiring.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 12 January 2021
Is your content strategy worth half a million dollars? Mark Stallings is the CEO of Casely, an ecommerce tech-accessories retailer that’s gone from zero to eight figures in just four years. After dropping out of college, Mark convinced his sister Emily to cofound the company with him. They’ve been bootstrapping their way through everything from website coding to paid advertising ever since. I’ve gotten to know Mark over the last few years after he became a founding member of The Coalition in 2018. He joins us to share what he and his sister learned over the years, including how they profitably spend half a million dollars on paid advertising every month. We also touch on how they leverage their content strategy for growth, their approach to hiring, and how they maintain a lean team. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:45 How Casely leverages the subscription model
- 10:33 Why Mark dropped out of college after one year
- 12:14 Diving into an Instagram rabbit hole to understand your audience
- 16:08 What the first six months of paid advertising looked like for Casely
- 18:31 The content strategy that’s taking the business to the next level
- 22:29 Building and scaling the Casely team
- 27:22 The two biggest obstacles when using FB ads
- 29:37 How Mark spends time in the business
- 31:12 Common misconceptions people have about spending a lot on Facebook
- 31:45 The top metrics Mark closely monitors
- 35:01 Mark’s biggest learning experience over 2020
- 38:51 The hardest part about building Casely
- 40:05 The secret sauce for hiring and company culture
- 43:26 What Mark is most curious about today
- 45:00 Two things every ecommerce company should focus on
- 47:15 Mark’s resources and strategies for growing your business
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_286_MarkStallings.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 5 January 2021
2020 Threw Us All For A Loop. Here’s What We Learned From It and How It’s Helping Us Prepare For 2021. Nobody saw COVID-19 coming and nearly every business had to make pivots while market conditions changed daily. Not only did I see changes happen in my own business, but I also witnessed them across all of the ecommerce companies I have the opportunity to work with inside of The Coalition. This made my annual end-of-year review that much more interesting so I decided to wrap up my findings in this episode and share it with you. In this episode, I talk about the things that went well for me and the companies we work with, the hard lessons and challenges that were presented, and the top takeaways that every ecommerce business owner needs to know to prepare for 2021. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 3:55 The number one question I’m asking myself about 2020
- 7:45 How hiring has been a game-changer for our business
- 10:07 What having a local community has done for me
- 11:25 The COVID-19 impact on our business
- 17:09 My biggest takeaways from 2020
- 18:44 Do you own your marketing channels?
- 20:09 How having multiple streams of income can help prepare for 2021
- 22:29 Industries that are going to continue to thrive
- 23:27 Why awareness might not be your marketing problem
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_285_year_in_Review.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 29 December 2020
If you took a month off from your business would it thrive or struggle to survive? Nat Eliason is three-time Ecommerce Influence guest who built a business that runs itself and he's here to tell you how he did it. Nat founded an Ecommerce company called Cup and Leaf (now Sencha Tea Bar) which he sold last year. More recently, he built an agency called Growth Machine that continues to flourish without him being in the day-to-day operations. Tune into this episode to learn how to build a system that prevents things from piling onto your plate, the roles you should absolutely hire for in your business, and the advice Nat has followed to allow for this growth. Episode Highlights - 4:59 Nat and Austin’s elk hunt
- 12:08 The biggest thing Nat learned in 2020
- 15:49 Three reasons Nat is able to consistently put out new content
- 20:39 How to ship high-quality creative work
- 27:57 Nat’s system to avoid piling things onto his plate
- 33:29 Advice Nat received that helped him build a business that runs itself
- 38:12 The roles Nat hired for to build and scale his agency
- 43:50 Three types of workstyles you should know about before hiring
- 48:59 The type of people you need to hire if you want to build a business that runs itself
- 52:00 The business model the most successful companies follow
- 56:42 How to get yourself out of the day-to-day aspect of your business
- 1:02:05 Getting trapped in a company you created
- 1:11:17 Using resistance as a tool for growth
- 1:15:25 Is your productivity destroying your health?
- 1:24:21 What Nat’s most excited about right now
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_284_NatEliason.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 22 December 2020
Is your business taking you on a roller coaster ride? If so, being a conscious leader can mean the difference between your business making you happy or running you into the ground. Are the business decisions you’re making leading to more satisfaction in life? Or do you find yourself running in circles and in a constant state of reaction? These are challenges entrepreneurs have historically struggled with and 2020 was no exception. However, there’s a way to start turning things around and it starts with you. Stay tuned for a crash course in being a conscious leader. We’ll go over the essential things every entrepreneur needs clarity on, how to level up as a leader and how to break through roadblocks we see so many founders struggling with. If you’re ready to start taking radical responsibility for the state of your business, this episode is for you. Episode Highlights - 4:50 What being a more conscious leader means
- 5:48 The number one thing every leader needs to get clear on
- 8:31 The biggest challenge holding leaders back
- 9:48 Breaking a common addiction in entrepreneurship
- 13:37 Leveraging radical responsibility to grow your business
- 17:37 Three ways to better respect your time and everyone else’s
- 21:01 Questions the best leaders are always asking
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_283__A_More_Concious_Leader.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 15 December 2020
Have you ever wanted marketing advice from some of the best eCommerce marketers in the business? I reached out to seven of my friends in the eCommerce space and asked them: What’s the single best piece of marketing advice you’ve ever been given? From words by Mark Zuckerberg all the way to legendary writer Gary Bencivenga, we’re packing in 8 evergreen pieces of marketing advice that every marketer and entrepreneur needs to have in their arsenal. Episode Guests Episode Highlights - 3:56 Steve Chou: Avoiding shiny object syndrome
- 5:43 Peep Laja: The number 1 thing to look into if you’re not making traction
- 8:15 Noah Kagan: What to remain focused on at all times
- 10:58 Kurt Elster: What it takes to be a true expert
- 14:26 Ezra Firestone: Are you quitting too soon?
- 17:00 Chris Orzechowski: How to never have a customer retention problem
- 20:19 Andrew Youderian: Doubling down on what works
- 23:35 Austin Brawner: Pressure over time
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_282_OneQuestion_KlaviyoFirst.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 8 December 2020
Do you think that agencies are a waste of money? Not sure if an independent freelancer can keep up? We’re tackling the freelancer vs agency debate once and for all. Choosing where to spend your advertising dollars is important, but deciding who to spend it on is the other piece of the puzzle. Once you decide to start pulling the levers of paid search and paid social, the question you’re left with is: Who is going to pull those levers? This is where the freelancer vs agency debate comes in and the decision is crucial. Tune into this episode to learn what conditions make the most sense for a freelancer or an agency, the pros and cons of each, questions you should ask before choosing to make a hire, and the one trap you need to avoid. Episode Highlights - 3:48 The freelancer vs agency debate
- 5:42 Why an agency could be the better option for you
- 7:06 Understanding the true cost of working with an agency
- 9:37 The right questions to ask an agency before hiring them
- 13:56 Why a freelancer might be the best choice for you
- 15:47 Challenges to look out for when hiring a freelancer
- 18:10 The benefits of choosing to hire in house
- 22:52 A dangerous trap to avoid
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_281_AgencyVsFreelancer_KlaviyoFirst.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 1 December 2020
Are you ready to improve your email marketing and stop leaving money on the table? Today I'll show you how. Last year one of my clients had a brand new Klaviyo account -- zero emails sent. Over two days we set up the account, created a system for capturing leads, and built email flows focused on generating revenue. 7 days later, they generated $10,000 in revenue from email. Inspired by this experience, I hosted a live training in The Coalition on how to improve your email marketing, and today I'm sharing that training with you. We cover common mistakes people make when setting up their Klaviyo account, how to increase your email lead flow, building and optimizing your email templates, the most important emails to send, and what’s working right now to generate more revenue from email. If you want some quick, actionable wins you can implement in your email marketing today -- don't miss this episode. Episode Highlights - 8:20 Improving your email marketing and generating $10k in revenue in 7 days
- 10:11 How to ensure Klaviyo is properly connected to your site
- 14:02 Creating an on-brand email template
- 16:22 How to increase your lead flow
- 18:35 Choosing the right email pop-up provider
- 21:03 The two biggest revenue-generating email flows to focus on
- 23:56 How to set up email marketing tests to determine what works
- 27:16 What’s working with email marketing today
- 30:26 Our formula to make more money from email marketing
- 32:55 Why you should start sending more emails (and why you can't send too many
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_280_Email_Marketing_Tips.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 24 November 2020
Thinking about starting a software company? This week’s guest is giving you a behind-the-scenes look at exactly what to expect. Michael Facchin is the ultimate bootstrapper. His digital marketing career started in freelance, then he built an agency, Search Scientists, but soon came to a daunting realization: His business wasn’t future proof. With the rise of AI and Facebook Ads becoming more intuitive, he knew manually pulling the levers for his clients’ ad spend wasn’t going to last forever. Thus, Ad Badger - a software tool designed to optimize Amazon PPC - was born. It’s been over two years since Michael was last on the show and I’m so excited to have him back. Not only is Michael one of my closest friends, but he’s an expert at PPC and in today’s episode he’s sharing the ins and outs of starting a software company, the pros & cons of bootstrapping vs joining an accelerator, having VC funding, and a few key insights he’s learned on his entrepreneurial journey. If you’ve ever considered starting a software company, this episode is for you. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:38 Mike’s journey from biology teacher to ads agency owner
- 8:03 Growing a business as a result of the rise of AI
- 12:11 Why Amazon has the best ad platform for direct response marketing
- 15:12 A bootstrappers mentality vs the accelerator mentality
- 18:45 How to determine if an accelerator is a good idea for you
- 21:05 The metrics Michael focuses on most to move his business forward
- 23:23 Mike’s unique perspective on retirement
- 26:19 How Michael is evolving his workhorse mentality and detangling himself from entrepreneurship
- 31:27 The motivation behind diving into entrepreneurship
- 34:55 The hardest part about starting a software company
- 41:01 How Michael and his team use the scrum methodology and why they are moving away from Slack
- 46:27 What Michael wishes he could tell his younger self
- 48:28 The number 1 thing every entrepreneur should have on their entrepreneurial journey
- 50:54 Michael's favorite book on entrepreneurship that changed his leadership style for the better
- 53:14 Is Ad Badger right for you?
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_279_MikeFaccin.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 17 November 2020
If you primarily rely on pixels or cookies for conversion tracking, you need to know about Facebook's new Conversions API, or else you'll be facing some serious data tracking challenges every soon. With the increasing pressure to provide more privacy to consumers, businesses like Apple are making strides to limit consumer information and Google has announced they'll be removing the ability to use 3rd party browser cookies by 2022. This means that eCommerce business owners who rely on pixels for conversion tracking are going to need to find new ways to stay ahead. In today's episode, Andrew Foxwell and I talk about Facebook's new Conversions API, why you need to install it on your site, how it's been shown to increase conversion reporting by 30% and what you can do with that new information. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 3:09 Why you need to install Facebook's Conversions API on your Shopify site
- 6:23 Common mistakes that prevent pixels from properly tracking
- 7:32 The impact of tracking all conversion events
- 10:39 What a 30% increase in conversion reporting can do for your business
- 13:49 The direction of conversion tracking and customer information
- 17:15 How to implement Facebook’s Conversion API onto your site
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_278_ConversionsAPI.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 10 November 2020
Feeling discouraged by a slow start to your business? Mister Jones Health was in the same boat until they unlocked explosive growth that grew the business by 800% in one year. Jason Daemar spent ten years climbing the corporate ladder only to realize one day that he had enough. Since then, Jason and his wife created Mister Jones Health - an ecommerce brand that has hit an astonishing inflection point over the last year even after having a not-so-glamorous start.
In this episode, Jason talks about finding their first 1,000 customers, a few marketing and Facebook advertising secrets you should know about, being a customer-centric business, and building a team. If you’re an ecommerce business owner or work in the marketing space, you are going to get a lot out of this episode. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:08 The idea behind Mister Jones Health
- 12:32 Experimenting with marketing channels to find their first 1,000 customers
- 14:28 The #1 overlooked thing by Facebook advertisers
- 16:29 Mindsets for having a customer-centric business and building empathy
- 20:28 The insight Jason unlocked to grow Mister Jones Health by 800% in one year
- 24:49 Two mindset shifts for continued growth and a strong culture
- 26:27 Why you should spend time learning the language of your industry
- 30:02 The problem with a founder being in the present
- 31:22 Jason’s resources for becoming a leader in your organization
- 33:29 Mister Jones Health is hiring!
- 37:00 One thing Jason wishes he knew prior to starting his business and his advice to new entrepreneurs
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_277_Jase.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 3 November 2020
The reality is most entrepreneurs won't reach the singular exit that retires them for life. So why is their strategy to build wealth rooted 100% in their business? It's common for entrepreneurs to feel the urge to go all in and invest 100% in their business. But spoiler alert: Running a business is hard and selling your business for enough to spend your retirement at the Four Seasons with a pina colada in hand is even harder. In today's episode, Andrew Foxwell and I talk about how entrepreneurs can build wealth outside of their business by focusing on three different buckets of investments, why a diversification strategy is something to consider, and how we are preparing for looming financial issues that are on many people's minds. Episode Highlights - 6:27 Establishing what financial freedom looks like for you
- 9:27 The three buckets of investments
- 10:38 How Austin and his wife got into real estate investing
- 16:08 Austin and Andrew's stock market strategy to build wealth
- 19:18 Protecting yourself from an inflation event
- 22:09 Views on cryptocurrency and how to create a hedge for yourself
- 24:12 Austin's business strategy to build wealth
- 2840 How to build a $100M asset without having a $100M business
- 30:48 Leveraging the skills you have to create outsized returns
- 34:04 The importance of having a net worth progress tracking system
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_276_BuildingWealth_Postscript.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 27 October 2020
Who is truly at the center of your business, your customers or your profits? Tim O'Brien's supplement company, Find Your Healthy Place, is relentless in its pursuit of customer-centricity. After in-store sales started to tank during the onset of COVID-19, Tim knew that making their customer's online experience just as personalized and memorable as the one they had in store would be critical to their survival. Today, Tim's online sales are up from 3% to 26%, and the pivots they continue to make are remarkable. Tune into this episode to learn why Tim feels a customer first strategy works best for his business, how to create personalized experiences online and the key metrics he focuses on as his business continues to grow. Episode Highlights - 5:07 How Tim got started in the wellness industry
- 10:00 The effects COVID has had on Tim’s brick-and-mortar and Ecommerce sales
- 14:19 How Tim is applying his customer first strategy online
- 18:55 Building your competitive advantage into your onboarding process
- 21:59 Choosing to double down on what works
- 23:31 The most powerful metric Tim’s team focuses on
- 25:44 Hard lessons Tim has learned about himself in his entrepreneurial journey
- 28:47 A perspective on what to do when you make the wrong hire
- 30:36 Tim’s approach on local and digital advertising
- 35:31 The email marketing strategy that is generating thousands of dollars in sales every week
- 38:32 What Tim is most excited about in business right now
- 40:01 How you can get in touch with Tim
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_275_TimObrien.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 20 October 2020
Many Ecommerce business owners are wondering how to reclaim their Facebook ad performance to finish on top. Ecommerce entrepreneurs saw some of their best months this spring with consumer’s response to the onset of COVID-19. However, as buying patterns started to shift, summer and fall have been incredibly challenging. In this episode, Andrew Foxwell gives us some insight into what he's learned working with a variety of clients. We dive into how user behavior has changed, what businesses across the globe are experiencing, and leave you with several tactics you can use to increase your Facebook ad performance this year. Episode Highlights - 6:27 How user behavior is impacting the current state of Facebook
- 10:36 A global overview of Facebook ad performance
- 13:59 What the Shaq Stack is and how to use it
- 17:12 Using bid overrides to manage volatile Facebook ad performance
- 19:35 User-generated content and dynamic creative testing
- 22:49 The All-In-One Campaign Budget Optimization when nothing else is working
- 24:48 Finding your unique performance formula
- 27:36 How long you need to run campaigns to maximize Facebook ad performance
- 30:30 When to ramp up your Facebook ad budget
- 33:13 The top 3 things working for US-based advertisers
- 35:23 Andrew’s Q4 prediction on Facebook ad performance
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_274_SinceThe_Spring.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 13 October 2020
Ever Feel Like A Million Bucks After A $20 Haircut? Today’s Guest Knew That Feeling, And It Led Him To Create A Product That Hit More Than $1MM In Sales In Just 12 Months. Calvin Quallis is the Founder of Scotch Porter – a 7-figure New Jersey-based men’s grooming brand now on the shelves of major retailers like Walmart and Target. The brand’s early beginnings trace back to his mom’s barbershop where Calvin noticed men couldn’t help but walk out with an entirely new pep in their step. Since then, Calvin has been on a mission to help men feel their best. Calvin joins us on this episode to talk about what building Scotch Porter has been like, the struggles and challenges they’ve faced, marketing strategies that have worked for them, and so much more. If you’re an ecommerce entrepreneur interested in going into retail, this episode is for you. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:34 The power of a $20 haircut: What inspired the Scotch Porter brand
- 10:19 Creating a mission you can get behind
- 12:17 Laying the groundwork for Scotch Porter
- 15:29 The key characteristic you need to solve your startup problems
- 17:27 What Calvin wishes he knew before signing major retail contracts
- 21:29 Two things Calvin would approach differently if given another chance
- 23:15 The lengthy process of landing inside Playboy magazine
- 25:35 Scotch Porter’s marketing strategies to gain traction
- 27:55 How Calvin would launch a second brand with what he knows now
- 30:23 4 invaluable resources Calvin recommends for your entrepreneurial journey
- 32:26 Why Calvin will hop on a call with any entrepreneur
34:39 The benefits of bootstrapping vs being funded - 36:29 How you can get in touch with Calvin and learn more about Scotch Porter
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_273_Calvin_Updated_Klaviyo.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 6 October 2020
If you’re one of the few people who hasn’t been impacted by the recent turmoil around Facebook ads, consider yourself lucky. For everyone else, this episode is for you. If you're an ecommerce business owner or agency who primarily drives traffic through Facebook advertising, you’re aware of the recent challenges. Between price increases, instability on the platform, and movies like The Social Dilemma that are going to bring even more transparency and scrutiny on advertising through Facebook, it’s a difficult time to grow your business using paid social. Andrew Foxwell and I recorded two episodes back in February of 2019 where Andrew talks about 20 questions he likes to ask clients that are feeling stuck with their Facebook ads. It's still unbelievably relevant today. If you’re having challenges or are seeing a performance drop, these are the questions and strategies that you can revisit to bring new life to your ads. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 7:29 Integrating user-generated content into your creative
- 8:43 Leveraging reviews and social proof in ad copy
- 10:16 Using square video link posts
- 11:56 Performance differences between lifestyle photos vs product images
- 13:50 The problem with unanswered comments on your paid social ad
- 17:50 How to give first-time customers a reason to try your product
- 19:19 Bringing new life to an old ad set
- 20:36 Utilizing dynamic pixel actions to introduce new prospecting audiences
- 22:29 Testing broad match dynamic product ads layered with interests
- 23:26 Splitting dynamic product ad time windows to give your customers the best treatment
- 24:24 Analyzing your audience overlap to help scale your ads
- 27:16 Using value bidding to increase your average order value
- 30:23 Bid overrides, the bully method and getting exposure in a competitive space
- 34:58 The importance of advertising to previous customers
- 37:32 Trying product bundling to bring up your AOV
- 42:02 Remarketing to engaged users
- 43:24 Reading your age report breakdown and how to find it
- 46:22 What your Add to Cart to Purchase ratio can tell you
- 48:08 How to try campaign budget optimization
- 49:45 The importance of getting a naming convention installed
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_272_20_things_relaunch.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 29 September 2020
Building an offshore business is often thought to be risky, or even illegal. However, it's now becoming a very common, and legal way, to lower your global tax rate -- as much as 42%. “Go where you’re treated best,” is Andrew Henderson’s famous tagline. A US ex-pat and founder of Nomad Capitalist, Andrew has legally lowered his global tax rate from 43% to 1%. Now he helps entrepreneurs keep more of their own money, live freely around the world, and create wealth faster through offshore strategies. I found Andrew when searching for a way to diversify my citizenship. I quickly discovered that he's a wealth of knowledge on ways to reduce your tax burden and I’m excited for you to listen to the show. In this episode, we talk about common misconceptions about building an offshore business, what it’s really like living a nomadic lifestyle, and the benefits it can offer to both you and your family. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 4:47 Andrew’s philosophy of viewing the world as your buffet
- 6:57 The history behind flag theory
- 9:48 Why you should be harnessing difficult countries for different benefits
- 13:02 The biggest misconceptions about offshore business
- 19:26 A case for investing in international real estate
- 22:46 Challenges associated with frontier markets
- 26:05 How families are taking advantage of global citizenship
- 30:21 The differences between a tax-friendly state and a tax-friendly country
- 33:51 What it’s like living a nomadic lifestyle
- 37:35 Andrew’s hypothesis on the future state of taxes
- 42:02 How to approach getting a second passport
- 47:42 Questions to ask yourself when deciding if an offshore business is right for you
- 52:03 Where you can get in touch with Andrew
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_271_AndrewHenderson_1.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 22 September 2020
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 retail is a 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_270_AnthonyGustin.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 15 September 2020
Do you have a dream of building a 9-figure business? We’ve worked with Ecommerce entrepreneurs who have and here’s what they have in common. Today I’m taking you behind the scenes into the Coalition, my Ecommerce coaching community for Ecommerce entrepreneurs. Every month we have a live training that dives into one aspect of growing your Ecommerce business. In this training, we are talking about the mindset shifts needed to reach 9-figure growth. Drew Sanocki, CEO of AutoAnything and former CMO KarmaLoop, joins us and shares his experience running multiple 9-figure businesses. If you own or work with an established Ecommerce business and want to reach for that same success, this is for you. Episode Highlights - 8:31 The #1 prerequisite for building a 9-figure business
- 11:37 A key team characteristic at fast-growing companies
- 15:24 An unexpected truth about reinvention and the willingness to pivot
- 18:35 How to be laser-focused on your brand
- 20:10 Changing your philosophy around hiring and how to attract top talent
- 23:03 What your role as the founder actually evolves into
- 25:58 This is the #1 way to not get what you want
- 28:11 A founder’s trade-off between growth and time
- 30:57 Drew Sanocki’s background in Ecommerce
- 32:30 The biggest differences between a 7-figure and 9-figure company
- 34:48 When to introduce middle management to your team
- 37:27 What Drew spends the most time doing in his business today
- 44:30 Drew’s philosophy on hiring and the power of networking
- 46:57 What successful founders have in common
- 50:52 The difference between being a single founder and having a co-founder
- 52:59 Putting together a board for your business
- 54:08 How to build the most wealth as an entrepreneur
- 59:02 Auditions vs Hiring: How to ensure you’ve found the right fit
- 1:01:16 Deciding to keep your role as the CEO in a growing company
- 1:05:43 The difference between running a software company and Ecommerce business
- 1:13:08 Believing that an exit is possible
- 1:15:07 Why we are in the Golden Age of Ecommerce
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_269_100M_Mindset.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 8 September 2020
COVID-19 Is Presenting Opportunities For Ecommerce And For This Brand, They've Contributed To 100% Year-Over-Year Growth. Kevin Chen is the Co-Founder and President of iRestore, a company that sells laser hair growth systems. Kevin is a long time client of the Brand Guild and when I last had him on the podcast, iRestore cracked the code on paid social and turned into an 8-figure business. Since then, Kevin's role has changed dramatically within the business, and it has continued to grow, despite unforeseen COVID-19 challenges. In this episode, Kevin talks about creating a tight-knit organization that works remotely, increasing productivity, building company culture, team transparency, and the opportunities COVID-19 is presenting for eCommerce. Episode Highlights - 6:58 What iRestore’s 100% year-over-year growth has looked like
- 7:36 The product launch that changed the economics of Kevin’s business
- 12:33 The only two skills Kevin realized he needs to help the business succeed
- 15:18 Lessons from COVID-19 on how to future-proof your business
- 18:53 Creating an optimal work environment and strong company culture
- 21:38 The impact of working remotely on productivity
- 24:08 What Kevin’s team looks like today
- 26:19 Four things to consider when hiring an agency
- 29:17 How iRestore manages their paid advertising efforts
- 31:30 The unexpected source of fulfillment for Kevin in his business
- 33:55 How iRestore is creating a better employee experience
- 36:28 The most challenging yet critical piece to your business success
- 38:50 Kevin’s struggle with transparency with his team
- 41:02 Fortunate opportunities in an unfortunate time: What iRestore is doubling down on
- 44:10 The freedom COVID-19 has given iRestore
- 46:09 What Kevin attributes the businesses’ largest inflection points to
- 48:38 iRestore is hiring!
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_268_KevinChen.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 8:40am CDT
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Tue, 1 September 2020
This week we're bringing you throwback that is all about the difference between brands that scale and those that don’t. Kurt Elster interviewed me on the Unofficial Shopify Podcast and after re-listening to the episode, I wanted to share it with you. Kurt asks great questions and I outline my entire philosophy on growth. In this episode, we talk about defining a growth strategy, scaling your advertising, and how to hire the team necessary to get to the next level. I also share what I’ve learned from working with some of the fastest-growing brands in the country. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 4:30 How Austin has helped many brands scale from $500k to $1MM.
- 7:00 Why it's so important to do almost every job in your business before turning it over to someone else.
- 8:27 The big differences between the Shopify brands that scale up and those that don't.
- 12:00 How to remove tasks from your plate so your business can scale.
- 14:20 The core KPI's Austin uses to understand his client's scalability.
- 15:56 Understanding what your net promoter score is and why it is so valuable to ecommerce brands.
- 23:00 The point at which Austin regularly sees businesses die out and how you can overcome it.
- 30:17 Everyone wants to scale their business but it does come with a few downsides.
- 33:45 How PR has helped many ecommerce brands become successful.
- 39:34 The questions you should be asking yourself to help you define your success.
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_267_KurtElster160Replay_BGEIncrease.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 25 August 2020
Beardbrand’s approach to content marketing has resulted in 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube. On today’s episode, I am bringing back my good friend Eric Bandholz. I first met Eric in 2014 at an Ecommerce Fuel event and he was one of our early Ecommerce Influence podcast guests. Since then, he’s been continuing to build an incredible business called Beardbrand. In this episode, we talk about being on Shark Tank, what it’s like being the face of your brand as a founder, content marketing that creates superfans and so much more. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:11 The stressful, year-long experience of being on Shark Tank
- 12:23 The difference between having business partners and owning 100% of your business
- 14:53 How Eric has created freedom in his life and business over the last 8 years
- 19:44 The pros and cons of being the face of your brand
- 22:27 How Beardbrand showcases different facets of their brand through multiple social media channels
- 25:27 Beardbrand’s approach to dealing with online haters
- 27:55 What Beardbrand focuses on to stay ahead of their competition
- 29:48 An approach to content marketing that creates superfans
- 31:57 The lesson COVID-19 has taught businesses
- 34:49 What Eric wishes he had known when he first started his business
- 35:27 The system Eric uses to hire top-notch employees
- 37:29 Key roles Eric plays in the business today
- 39:16 Using agencies to grow your business and when to transition to in-house
- 43:50 Beard Brand’s approach to paid advertising
- 46:05 What Eric is curious about right now
- 48:52 The hidden world of infertility and the journey Eric and his wife have been on
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_266_EricBandholdz_Final.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 18 August 2020
What if you could find the marketing formula that would double your business, and then double it again? This is the kind of growth Oral Essentials is currently experiencing as they’ve dialed in and refined their approach to marketing and paid advertising. On today’s episode, I’ve invited Justin Madahhi, Co-founder and Head of Online Sales and Marketing at Lumineux Oral Essentials, back on the show. Justin and his team were already experiencing fast-paced growth when we started working together two years ago, and since he was on the show last fall, their growth has continued to skyrocket. In this episode, Justin talks about dialing in your messaging, the marketing formula they’ve created to drive consistent sales, how to drive subscription revenue and how to get your team into alignment during high-growth times. Episode Highlights - 7:32 What Justin learned is critical for rapid, successful growth
- 9:43 A sophisticated approach to Facebook marketing
- 13:00 Expectation vs Reality: What startling fast growth actually looks like
- 15:51 Justin’s three main roles in the company today and how his team has grown over the last year
- 19:34 Shifting focus to a long-term brand vision
- 21:13 How to get your team into alignment, set realistic expectations and maintain a high work ethic
- 24:20 The sales channel Justin believes is going to take the company to the next level
- 26:03 Factors to consider when crafting paid ad content
- 28:00 The one thing you need to ask yourself before deploying a new marketing strategy
- 32:22 Why disruption is a double-edged sword and the impact it has on your marketing
- 35:27 Oral Essential’s approach to email marketing and the changes they made over the eight months that have had drastic results
- 38:15 Three steps to successfully drive subscription revenue
- 40:55 Key metrics that will increase the valuation of and stabilize your business
- 43:43 How failure helped Justin get more perspective and learn to set an example for his team
- 45:34 Justin’s advice for entrepreneurs trying to build 9-figure businesses
- 47:47 The most helpful resources Justin has found on his journey, including his recommended Twitter follows
- 50:37 What freedom means to Justin and how it shows up in his business
- 52:13 Analyzing the long term effects of COVID-19 on consumer psychology
- 57:41 Oral Essentials is hiring!
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_265_JustinMaddahi.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 11 August 2020
When I met Greg Williams in the Coalition, he told me he wanted to sell his business and be a millionaire by age 40. A year later, he’s done just that. Greg started Autoimmune Institute in 2017 with the intention to sell, and in just three years, he went from $50,000 to $2,000,000 in sales. In this episode of the Ecommerce Influence podcast, Greg shares the levers he pulled to fast-track business growth, what it actually looks like to sell a 7-figure business, and how to maximize your business’ valuation. If you’re interested in building a business with the intention to sell, this episode is a must-listen. Enjoy!
Direct download: EI_264_GregWilliams.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 4 August 2020
The “crush-it” culture of entrepreneurship almost led to me giving up the business I have today. After two years at a fast-growing startup, I was pushed to the edge mentally and physically. I knew I had to walk away and form a vision for what I wanted my future to look like. It took eight years for me to go from burnout to freedom by building my business into what it is today, and creating that vision involved a lot of trial and error and reinvention. In this episode I talk about some of the lowest points I’ve experienced as an entrepreneur, what it was like to close down a successful marketing agency, the trials of breaking up with a business partner, and the importance of defining success so you know what you’re actually working towards. Episode Highlights - 5:22 The early foundation of Austin’s journey as an entrepreneur
- 8:17 Invaluable experience gained from startup life and lessons learned from burnout
- 10:58 Making sales while you sleep: Austin’s introduction to ecommerce and email marketing
- 12:49 How the Ecommerce Influence podcast was born
- 14:04 The unexpected rise and intentional fall of Austin’s marketing agency
- 18:30 The most important thing to consider when forming a business partnership
- 20:32 Austin’s lowest point in his entrepreneurship journey
- 22:38 The lightbulb moment at a mastermind that led to the creation of a new business model
- 24:47 Crush it culture resurfaces: how a second round of burn out changed the direction of Austin’s business
- 28:50 Hiring a business coach and building a membership site
- 31:23 The three current revenue-drivers for Austin’s business
- 32:42 Austin’s huge mindset shift that led to steady and consistent growth
- 36:07 How to create more freedom in your life as an entrepreneur
- 40:20 Austin’s definition of success in business and life today
- 44:22 An unpopular opinion Austin has about business that many other entrepreneurs won’t agree with
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_263B_AustinandCarly_Finalv2.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 28 July 2020
Growing a team is challenging for any company. But going from two people to 90 in just 10 years with a non-traditional business model? That’s an almost unbelievable feat. Connie Matisse, cofounder and CMO of East Fork, joins us today to talk about how she built a successful business with a 90+ person team without following the path of many traditional businesses. Tune in to learn how East Fork created a memorable marketing engine with a self-described “laughable” budget, what they’ve found to be one of the most critical business functions that’s often ignored, and how they’ve kept their store running through the challenges of COVID-19. Episode Highlights - 4:44 How the 2008 economic recession introduced Connie to the world of craft pottery
- 7:00 Reinventing pottery to reach the modern household
- 11:16 Connie’s organic approach to content marketing and building a holistic brand
- 13:35 The challenge of being the voice of the brand for a fast-growing business
- 16:41 What East Fork leadership spends 90% of their time on to ensure successful growth
- 19:23 Moving from WordPress to Shopify and the effect it had on demand
- 21:27 How East Fork is managing production and customer expectations in a COVID-19 world
- 23:36 Analyzing profitability and venture capital funding for a capital intensive business
- 26:21 How East Fork’s leadership style has evolved during COVID-19
- 27:59 The many hats Connie wears as a cofounder
- 30:30 Connie’s process for creating honest and authentic brand collaborations
- 33:05 How to stop following the herd and create space for radical thinking
Direct download: EI_263_Connie.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 21 July 2020
There are only 130 days until Black Friday. With the global economy in so much flux because of COVID-19, what are your Q4 predictions? Are you preparing for a massive Q4 or wondering if your business is going to just get by? In this episode, I go over a few Q4 predictions with cases in favor of and against Q4 being a thriving quarter for ecommerce, factors to consider that are in and out of your control, and most importantly, how you can prepare. Episode Highlights - 3:39 Why the ecommerce industry is primed to have a massive Q4
- 5:59 COVID-19 effects on spending and your consumer’s potential psychological shift during Q4
- 8:01 How to manage your ecommerce inventory to get a leg up against your competition
- 9:12 If your target audience includes these people you might have a difficult Q4
- 10:39 The biggest case against a successful Q4
- 13:17 Large corporations marketing budgets and how they could impact small business’ ability to compete
- 14:27 Austin’s Q4 predictions and his 3 step plan for preparing for the type of quarter in store
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_261B_q4Predictions.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 14 July 2020
With Facebook boycotts, changing advertising policies, and channel unpredictability, it’s more important now than ever to invest in what you can control The approach to search engine optimization (SEO) has changed over the last several years, but it still remains an incredibly important component of your marketing strategy. This week’s guest is SEO consultant and expert Dan Shure. Dan’s been working in SEO for more than 12 years, and he joins us to talk about what’s changed over time when it comes to SEO strategy, the two different types of core content to focus on, what’s working in ecommerce SEO in 2020 and the tools you should be using to be successful. This episode has some great actionable tips you can start using today, and I hope you enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:16 How Dan fell into SEO while working as a professional musician
- 7:50 What is SEO really? Is it a channel, a traffic source, links, or something else?
- 13:30 The #1 thing business owners need to think about when it comes to ecommerce SEO in 2020
- 15:49 Informational intent vs. purchase intent content and how you should be using each in your SEO strategy
- 18:53 Letting the keywords be your guide as you’re thinking about creating content with informational or purchase intent content
- 22:40 Breaking down seed keywords and how to identify them for your brand
- 26:04 Why Dan shifted from an agency business model to a consulting and training model
- 31:35 The technical pieces of SEO you need to watch out for in ecommerce
- 33:55 Should you have a developer on your team to help you with technical SEO?
- 35:34 Shopify blog or Wordpress blog: which is better for SEO?
- 37:20 What’s working right now with content: remember the keywords are king.
- 42:56 Backlinks: do you need them and how to build them proactively
- 46:30 Must-have tools for ecommerce SEO in 2020
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_260_DanShure_Widen.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 7 July 2020
Holistic marketing can make your brand more consistent and unified across all your marketing channels so that it stands out from the competition. Jesse Semchuck, Director of Acquisition for Traeger Grills, joins us to share what he has learned from viewing channels holistically. He shares what the makeup of his marketing team looks like, 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. 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_259_Jesse_JustUnoUpdated.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 30 June 2020
This Week We’re Bringing You A Throwback To One Of Our Most Popular Episodes Of All Time. In May 2018 we interviewed Jake Kassan about what it really takes to build a $100 million business. This episode has been incredibly popular, and it still extremely relevant today. Jake Kassan, founder and CEO of MVMT Watches, was one of my first clients when he was just launching the brand back in 2013. He talks about how things have changed since then, and how MVMT has grown to what it is today.
MVMT strives to be a best in class brand and best in class in all-around marketing, and Jake shares the strategic approach to marketing MVMT uses to achieve those goals. He also talks about how having a strong team is essential to scaling your business and shares his experience hiring a CMO and supporting team, and what you need to know to do it. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 9:05 How building relationships with customers through direct sales online helped MVMT scale.
- 12:04 The best success comes in stages and this is what each stage of growth has looked like for MVMT over the last 5 years.
- 13:12 Jake’s #1 tip for successfully scaling a business (hint: it’s not email or Facebook ads).
- 15:07 What MVMT would do differently if they had to do it all over again.
- 19:05 As an entrepreneur, Jake believes it’s important to always be testing and working through those results to find success.
- 21:13 The basic math MVMT used to scale in the beginning and how they look at “spending-money-to-make-money” now.
- 24:18 Where MVMT is testing for acquisition and where they’re seeing success.
- 28:28 What you need to know when growing your team so you can successfully scale your business.
- 32:15 How MVMT solidified their appeal with customers through user-generated content.
- 35:09 What Jake loves most about building a lifestyle brand.
- 38:11 Every business goes through low times, here’s a few MVMT went through in order to grow.
- 43:09 Why Jake feels it’s so important to network with and learn from other founders.
Links And Resources:
Direct download: EI_258_TBT_Jake_Kassan.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 23 June 2020
Most companies add a second product line when they want to grow. This week’s guest decided to build a second brand instead. Ashley Merrill founded women’s sleepwear line Lunya in 2014 because she was tired of wearing her husband’s clothes around the house. Five years later, she decided to expand into menswear, but just adding a men’s line didn’t sit right with her. Tune in to find out why Ashley decided to start a second brand, how she grew her company from a startup to an established business, and lessons she’s learned about building a team. Episode Highlights: - 5:16 How an ambition to solve a problem resulted in launching Lunya
- 8:00 How business has evolved since its unconventional 2014 launch
- 10:42 Why having major funding in the beginning isn’t always best, and the spending that eventually moved the needle for Lunya
- 13:05 The value of identifying your brand muse.
- 15:28 One company value that’s contributed to Lunya’s success
- 16:30 Hiring lessons learned growing from a start-up into an established business
- 21:00 How Lahgo started and why Ashley built a second brand, rather than simply adding the men’s line to Lunya
- 25:44 The biggest trap entrepreneurs can get stuck in
- 28:48 The High 5 Test and the lessons Ashley learned from getting her MBA
- 33:20 How non-traditional methods of getting in front of people help the brand
- 39:36 Ashley’s key piece of advice for business owners
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_257_AshleyMerrill.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 16 June 2020
One of the most challenging parts of growing a business is acquiring valuable customers who will purchase from you regularly. Part 3 of our Profit Series gets into the nitty-gritty details of how to increase customer lifetime value. We dive straight into customer-centric versus product-centric businesses and talk about different ways to acquire more high-value customers and share proven tactics that will help you increase customer lifetime value. Episode Highlights: - 3:36 The first strategic decision you must make when thinking about customer lifetime value
- 6:38 The best lever to focus on to increase customer lifetime value
- 8:03 The revolutionary changes with Facebook advertising that help you reach your best customers
- 10:05 The importance of product and service offerings that tailor to high-value customers
- 11:49 Are loyalty programs a good way to increase customer lifetime value?
- 13:20 The strategy that led Best Buy to boom while their competitors got wiped out
- 15:15 The value of subscriptions and talking to your best customers
- 17:58 How to build a solid referral strategy
- 20:10 Additional tactics to increase customer lifetime value
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_256_Profit_Series_Part_3.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 9 June 2020
Is it possible to build 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 Grower’s 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_255_Nate.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 2 June 2020
One of the top ways to accelerate your growth on the path to profitability is to increase average order value. In Part 2 of our Profit Series, we’re diving into successful strategies and tactics you can use to increase your average order value. From simple changes with pricing to on-site additions to optimizing your Facebook targeting, we share the exact tactics our top clients are using to increase average order value and how these tactics support the big picture strategy toward profitable growth. Episode Highlights: - 4:27 The 80/20 Rule and how it should impact your overall business strategy
- 8:41 The first thing to do if you want to increase average order value
- 10:30 Successful approaches to bundling products
- 13:02 How to use dynamic product ads to increase average order value
- 16:28 A tactic Kettle & Fire is using on their website collections page to boost sales
- 18:10 Why your best type of customers are the key for increasing average order value
- 20:34 The difference between upsells and cross-sells and how to determine which is best for your brand
- 23:57 The value of delivering relevant products at the point of checkout
- 26:19 How upsells can have a huge impact on average order value and why you don’t have to overcomplicate the offer
- 29:00 A few additional unique ways to increase average order value
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_254_Profit_Part_2.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 26 May 2020
TikTok is all the rage right now. Even with fewer people creating content, there are more people consuming. But what makes this platform so viral? August Noble went from leading acquisition at SnackNation to helping his clients optimize TikTok’s acquisition channel -- influencers. He is now using key learnings from other social media platforms to ramp up influencer marketing strategies to promote brands. Tune in and find out what TikTok is all about and how it’s generating more buzz in the social media world. Episode Highlights: - 3:17 How August Noble shares a similar start with our co-host, Austin
- 4:10 The successes at SnackNation that led August to paid media consulting
- 6:47 Lessons learned from Linkedin for B2B and B2C
- 8:32 How Linkedin helped targeting strategy
- 10:08 The tweet about TikTok that landed August on our podcast
- 14:29 What makes TikTok more viral than Instagram or Twitter
- 17:26 Building relationships with influencers
- 21:42 The products that do well on the TikTok platform
- 24:18 What August is prioritizing over tracking
- 26:44 Where TikTok is headed and what the most effective content is
- 30:56 Key learnings from scaling on Facebook and Instagram
- 33:53 What’s the difference between $15K a day and $1k a day ad spend?
- 35:52 Targeting strategies: Specific versus Broad
- 42:48 Tools and resources August recommends
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_253_AugustNoble_Thesis.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 19 May 2020
Do you know what you should be focusing on to make your business more profitable? We’ve had conversations with many clients during these challenging times. While some businesses are booming, others are taking a hit in sales. But the one thing that seems to be on everyone’s mind is profitability. In this episode, we set the framework for our entire Profit Series. Whether or not your business is thriving during this time, we share the five-step process of creating the roadmap you can use for profitable growth. Episode Highlights: - 4:52 The decision you have to make about the metrics you keep in focus
- 6:19 How do you define profit?
- 9:12 What it means to set a profitability goal and how it differs in different industries
- 14:53 How to set a capitalization goal
- 17:55 What is a salary cap?
- 21:25 How to manage salary caps
- 25:03 The three levers to drive profitable growth
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_252_Profit_1.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 12 May 2020
They’ve won the Shopify Build a Bigger Business Competition, hit number 20 on the INC 5000 list, and now they’re on the podcast to talk about turning a personal need into a successful business venture. Garret and Deanne Akerson of Kindred Bravely share how they’ve navigated running a business together as a couple -- from initial startup to hiring over 50 remote employees and all the challenges and milestones in between. Tune in and enjoy! Episode Highlights: - 4:59 How Garett and Deanne started Kindred Bravely
- 9:01 The lessons learned transitioning from Amazon to Shopify
- 12:07 How the Amazon ecosystem has evolved and how to approach it now
- 14:47 How to navigate running a business as married entrepreneurs
- 18:17 What trading flexibility for structure looked like for Garret and Deanne
- 21:55 The things that make a large, remote company successful
- 26:36 Milestones and challenges during the hiring process
- 30:53 How to know when it’s time to hire executive-level positions
- 36:47 Group Zoom calls during the interview process -- is there an advantage?
- 42:36 What questions and themes Garett and Deanne like to bring up during interviews
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_251-Garett26Deanne.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 5 May 2020
If you are advertising on Facebook and Instagram, this is an episode you don’t want to miss! As we see an increase in Facebook and Instagram usage due to COVID-19, many of our clients are scaling up their advertising. Today’s episode will cover what’s working right now in paid social and how our clients and partners are scaling up! Episode Highlights - 6:37 The specific audiences working right now for top of the funnel advertising
- 9:57 User-generated content that’s providing additional scale
- 11:30 What’s working right now to scale up middle of the funnel advertising
- 12:22 The audience advertisers should be targeting
- 13:23 Bid strategy - are cost caps working?
- 15:35 How to acknowledge the challenging times on the website and product
- 19:14 Optimizing dynamic creative within campaigns
- 20:58 What optimization is working in low funnel
- 21:33 How to address shipping concerns
- 22:44 Other messaging opportunities to address delivery concerns
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_250_Whats20Working.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 28 April 2020
The daily habits you or your team have can either hinder your growth or facilitate it. But what should we focus on to build good habits while breaking the bad ones? Our guest is James Clear, New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits and writer on the James Clear Blog. James has spent years researching, writing and talking about the topic of habits. He’ll share his insights on what you can do to grow your business, market better, and rethink your habits. If you want to create a better system of habits that will improve yourself and your business, this is an episode you’ll want to tune into! Episode Highlights: - 4:58 Why we struggle to develop and maintain the good habits
- 8:14 The principles of habits are the same in various areas of life and work but applied uniquely.
- 10:15 Three big ideas Atomic Habits centers around
- 16:22 What to ask to reinforce your desired identity as an individual or as a company.
- 18:35 Changing environments can be framed as a positive time to form habits
- 21:23 The personal changes James has made during the Coronavirus pandemic to foster better habits
- 25:10 What to focus on first to help your businesses grow
- 28:56 The transition James made from being a blogger to a business owner and how experimentation made it clear what he was actually trying to build
- 33:20 Three things that make a product remarkable enough to buy
- 38:40 Marketing a product to elicit someone’s desire to make the purchase
- 42:14 The habits James no longer values
- 44:59 Small town influence on James’ family values and love for exploration and travel
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_249_JamesClear.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 21 April 2020
Have you ever felt that in order to grow your business, you just need to work harder? We’re here to tell you that you’re wrong. In today’s episode, we’re busting the five myths of ecommerce. From diversifying traffic to always doing the next big thing, we’ll share the realities that will actually help you scale profitably, without burning yourself out. If you own an ecommerce business or you're intimately involved with one, this episode's for you. Enjoy! Episode Highlights: - 4:54 Myth #1: All I need to do to grow is work harder.
- 6:06 Reality: Do less, but do it better.
- 7:45 Myth #2: To grow you need to diversify traffic.
- 8:03 Reality: Be an expert on one channel, and don’t diversify until you have to.
- 11:59 Myth #3: You need to always be doing what’s new.
- 13:12 Reality: Do the right things at the right time (even if it’s just one thing).
- 17:19 Myth #4: If I follow big brands, I’ll learn what works.
- 20:58 Reality: Here’s what actually works, no matter your size.
- 22:15 Myth #5: Top founders have a clear vision and know what they’re doing from the beginning.
- 23:19 Reality: Find a mentor you can rely on and build your strategy as you grow.
Links and Resources:
Direct download: EI_248_5_Myths.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 14 April 2020
Being in charge of the global marketing strategy for a 9-figure business is no simple feat. Our guest today is Andrew Rosch, Director of Channel Marketing Strategy for Trek Bicycle. He joins us to talk about what it looks like to manage a global strategy team for a huge global organization, the importance of only focusing on a few key metrics, why email is still his favorite marketing channel, organic content strategies that are working for Trek, and much more. If you’re growing a large business, or you have aspirations to grow into a large business, you won’t want to miss this episode. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:19 What it means to be the Director of Channel Marketing Strategy.
- 7:44 Finding harmony between brick and mortar and ecommerce.
- 9:27 The Trek customer journey both on and offline and how it overlaps.
- 13:02 How Trek avoids alienating its broad-range of customers with its organic content.
- 15:22 The first test influencers have to pass before working with Trek.
- 16:12 How Trek approaches the seasonality of the bike business.
- 18:49 Andrew’s philosophy on measurement and why Trek’s global digital marketers are only responsible for 5 key KPIs.
- 21:23 What the Channel Marketing team at Trek looks like.
- 23:58 How Andrew empowers his global team to share new ideas.
- 25:27 This Director of Channel Marketing Strategy’s favorite marketing channel.
- 27:01 Andrew’s email marketing tech stack and team.
- 29:16 Balancing experimentation and systemization.
- 31:14 Three things Andrew’s learned in his career that have contributed to his success.
- 35:05 In ecommerce, what you see is rarely the whole picture.
- 40:02 The importance of going down the rabbit hole and finding out the larger context of what we see online.
- 43:17 When you create content, assume that whoever is going to see it has never seen anything from your brand before.
- 46:23 Having a brand is key when you’re thinking about business longevity.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_247_AndrewRosch-JustUno_Covid19.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 7 April 2020
This is the final part in our Scaling Series and we’re talking about some hugely successful brands. In our previous episodes, we covered zero to launch, launch to traction, traction to scaling, and growth mode, which will take you from the stages of just starting out to making somewhere between $12 and $15 million. In this episode, we’re diving into specific case studies of brands you’ve probably heard of, like MVMT Watches and Native Deodorant, and talking about why we think they were successful and why they were able to grow and scale up. We hope you’ve enjoyed this series, whether you’re just starting out or close to making an exit. Episode Highlights - 4:07 What MVMT, Pura Vida, and Blenders did that made them special.
- 6:23 The huge significance of the first-mover advantage.
- 9:12 Taking advantage of upselling and cross-selling.
- 10:28 The overnight success of Native Deodorant.
- 11:22 Native’s checkout process and what makes it so great.
- 13:27 The power of subscription at scale.
- 16:43 How Tuft & Needle scaled to over $100 MM in mattress sales.
- 18:02 Why being a copycat business really doesn’t pay off.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_246_Scaling_Series_E5__Just_Uno_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 31 March 2020
Every business has its unique set of growth challenges. Zach Stuck spent several years working for a digital agency before deciding to go out and start an agency of his own, Homestead Studio. Now he’s in the process of building his agency business. He’s on the front lines of trying to help clients grow their ecommerce brands. Today we’re covering a range of topics with Zach. We dive into some specific paid social tactics and what’s working right now for Zach’s clients, and we talk about the onboarding process Zach uses for his clients to ensure both his clients, and his agency, can be successful. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:58 How Zach went from working at an agency to starting his own.
- 8:07 Changes in Zach’s role from agency employee to agency owner.
- 9:52 Resources Zach used to help a client grow from zero to a million in their first year.
- 11:26 Common paid social misconceptions Zach hears from his clients.
- 14:33 What’s working in paid social right now and how to successfully approach dynamic creative testing.
- 17:33 Value-based lookalike audiences and how to easily start using them.
- 19:07 The state of social proof in 2020 - does it really matter?
- 23:37 If you don’t have a large customer audience to run social proofing to, what can you do?
- 24:31 A little known fact about 1% lookalike audiences.
- 27:07 Crucial steps for successfully onboarding new clients and building a strong ongoing relationship.
- 32:00 What’s keeping Zach up at night.
- 34:20 You can’t outsource your growth.
- 37:16 The challenges with growing an agency and how finding clients who are the right fit is key to success.
- 43:20 How Zach’s avoiding the churn and burn that happens so often to agencies.
- 44:57 What Zach’s eating, is he working out, and what his daily life looks like.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_245_ZachStuck_JustUnoUpdate_Covid19.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Thu, 26 March 2020
We're in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis and a time of much uncertainty. Some of my clients are businesses are experiencing growth, and others are down by 50% or more. Even if this crisis leads to an economic recession, you get to choose whether or not you want to take part in it. Today I'm sharing a special recording of one of my recent members-only webinars where I talk about how to lead your ecommerce business during uncertain times, and how to transform this uncertainty into a time of abundance and opportunity for your business (without exploiting anyone). In this episode we'll talk about: - The three things business owners should be focused on right now.
- How to think about cash management during a crisis and why you must use this as an opportunity to build a rock-solid financial future.
- Why playing offense is going to become more important than playing defense in the coming months.
- How to lead (not manage) your way through this crisis and come out stronger on the other side.
- How to bring your team together during uncertain times and to build a resilient remote culture.
- How to react if your business HASN’T been impacted by COVID-19 and how you can ethically use this to your advantage.
We will get through this together. Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_BonusEpisode_Thriving_In_Chaos.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 24 March 2020
In part 4 of our Scaling Series we’re talking about Growth Mode. You’ve made your first seven figures and now you’re scaling up to eight figures. You’ve figured out something that works and you might be starting to feel overworked and overwhelmed. Now is the time to make those key hires and/or outsource channels you feel like you’ve maximized. It’s time to go from the day-to-day manager of your business and grow into the true role of CEO. In this episode, we’re talking about how to start getting things off your plate, managing inventory issues, and how to determine whether it’s time to focus on a new marketing channel. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:38 One of the biggest issues in Growth Mode: Superhero Syndrome.
- 7:57 Implement systems to help you get more off your plate.
- 11:10 Why inventory issues often arise at this stage of growth.
- 13:20 How to solve your inventory issues.
- 16:01 Challenges you might face as you’re trying to hire, and what not to do.
- 18:32 Strategic issues that arise during Growth Mode.
- 20:54 Things to look at to determine how much more room there is for growth with a specific marketing channel.
- 22:06 How to successfully onboard an agency or a new in-house hire.
- 24:33 Businesses that take it to the next level offload successful channels and dive into learning the next one.
- 26:44 Slow down to grow faster.
- 28:14 Remember why you started your business in the first place.
- 29:17 Your transformation from day-to-day business manager to CEO.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_244_Scaling_Series_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 17 March 2020
If you're struggling to make SEO work for your business, this episode is for you. Our guest today is a dual-threat. He’s building an ecommerce brand while also running a digital marketing agency that specializes in SEO. Not only does he get to see what’s working for his clients, but he’s learning from what’s working in his own business. Eagan Heath is the owner of The Splendid Beast and Founder of Get Found Madison. Today he’s doing a deep dive into ecommerce SEO and talking about how to avoid keyword cannibalization, how to get started with SEO (and if it’s even a good idea for your business), and tips for better tracking attribution. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:11 The dual-threat that is Eagan Heath.
- 9:20 What it takes to grow your skills as an agency and the currency you should be selling in.
- 11:21 The different approach to capturing leads as an agency vs as an ecommerce business.
- 13:16 The complex order process for Splendid Beast and the advantages of a highly custom business.
- 16:21 The strategy Eagan used to double his business over the last four years.
- 18:09 How to avoid keyword cannibalization and appear higher in search results.
- 20:05 When you should start thinking about SEO (and whether you should be thinking about it at all).
- 23:43 How to get started with a very small budget.
- 27:34 Why it’s critical to remember that you are not your customer.
- 32:45 The huge value of having a business coach.
- 35:14 What gives Splendid Beast longevity as a business and differentiates it from competitors.
- 38:01 The issue with attribution on Google Analytics and the solution Eagan is using to work around it.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_243_EaganHeath.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 10 March 2020
In part 3 of our Scaling Series, we’re talking about traction to scaling, the period after making your initial $100K to surpassing the million-dollar mark. There are a number of challenges you’ll face at this stage, including becoming overwhelmed with possibilities, losing strategic focus, wearing too many hats within the business, and more. Today we walk you through how to tackle these challenges and the things the most successful businesses do at this stage to continue growing to 8-figures and beyond. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 4:41 The first problem we see at this stage? Mindset and losing focus.
- 7:53 Why most business owners lose strategic focus at this stage.
- 8:53 If you’re overwhelmed and losing focus, it’s time to hire.
- 10:05 The critical role you have to hire for if you want to continue to grow.
- 10:42 The second problem business owners run into at this stage? The year-over-year mentality, and why you have to get out of it.
- 13:40 It’s time to get serious about email marketing.
- 15:10 Other things you can do to increase average order value and lifetime value.
- 16:30 The companies growing fastest at this stage all have this in common.
- 17:38 Why connecting with other successful business owners is critical to your success.
- 19:51 Challenges with cash flow at this stage, and how you can alleviate cash-related issues.
- 22:31 More commonalities between companies succeeding at this stage of growth.
- 25:56 If you’re ready to take it to the next level, it’s time to get some outside help.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_242_ScalingSeries_P3_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 3 March 2020
There is more than one way to create wealth in ecommerce. While many entrepreneurs follow the path of bootstrapping a business and hoping to one day be acquired, another option is to start on the acquisition side, and grow a portfolio of successful companies. Our guest today has done both. Drew Sanocki is CEO of AutoAnything, owner of PostPilot, and an expert at lifecycle marketing. He joins us to talk about the evolution of lifecycle marketing and the big role direct mail is playing in brand loyalty and repeat purchase rate, as well as how mergers and acquisitions can help your brand, and why M&A are his big focus for the upcoming year. I always learn a lot when we chat with Drew and I hope you enjoy! Episode Highlights - 9:05 Why Drew is so excited about direct mail marketing.
- 12:08 The role of direct mail for Drew's 9-figure dropshipping company.
- 14:54 Bringing direct mail into traditional lifecycle marketing and how it enhances your brand.
- 18:55 Exploring brand partnerships in the direct mail space.
- 19:46 Prospecting with direct mail.
- 21:56 Syncing direct mail with Klaviyo and segments that are working particularly well.
- 27:48 The shifting customer journey and how Drew sees it evolving in the near future.
- 32:49 Why merchandising can be the best kind of marketing.
- 36:11 What Drew’s excited about in this new decade and what he sees as the quickest way to grow a company.
- 39:13 Merger and acquisition opportunities that can help your brand.
- 42:38 Why most business owners have a blind spot to the acquisition process and how Drew would get started building a portfolio.
- 46:15 Bootstrapping vs acquisition -- does it matter which comes first?
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_241_DrewSanocki.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 25 February 2020
We’re on to part 2 of our scaling series, where we talk about the stage from launch to traction, when you’re on track for, or surpassed, the $100K mark. At this stage in the business, you’re moving from selling something to having consistent sales. Today we’ll talk about some of the common problems people run into during this stage, critical questions to answer before you can start scaling up, and where to seek out support. We’re bringing you our knowledge and experience from working with brands that have successfully scaled up, and seeing others that haven’t. In part three, we're going to be talking about traction to scaling. So enjoy this week and stay tuned! Episode Highlights - 4:42 How to know when you’re in the traction stage of your business growth.
- 7:59 Your goal during this stage of scaling up your business.
- 8:45 Places you can turn to when you’re looking for guidance.
- 10:31 Focus on customer acquisition in the early stages of growth.
- 11:26 Why you have to distinguish between signal vs. noise and listen to a diverse set of sources.
- 13:06 One question you have to ask yourself before you continue to scale up.
- 14:48 You must become a channel expert before you outsource.
- 17:13 The minimum AOV you need if you want to acquire new customers via paid ads.
- 20:33 Great opportunities for you if you’re in this stage of growth.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_240_ScalingSeries_P2_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 18 February 2020
If you want to run your business successfully, you need to have a deep understanding of how everything works. Today we’re talking with Helen Guo, co-founder of The Cereal School about how she took her business from zero to well over 7 figures in just eight months. One of the key components of the business’ success is that Helen and her co-founder, Dylan, started by learning and running every aspect of the business themselves, before hiring agencies to take things over. They also put a lot of initial time into building the brand organically, which made it easier to amplify with paid efforts as they’re scaling up. Helen shares her amazing journey with us, as well as her tips for finding the right agency, and how to build a partnership that will last. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:06 Helen’s entrance into the world of entrepreneurship.
- 9:06 The Cereal School’s insanely rapid growth.
- 10:06 Pre-launch efforts to build an audience before the product was ready to officially launch.
- 13:25 How Helen built a 20,000+ person email list without running paid ads.
- 15:29 Helen’s philosophical approach to Facebook ads and scaling up.
- 18:58 Lessons learned from working with different advertising agencies.
- 23:10 The importance of actually learning how to run your own marketing, and the creative approach that sets the Cereal School apart.
- 27:57 How Helen successfully onboarded an ad agency to take over for her.
- 31:33 Questions to ask your agency upfront to build a better relationship.
- 32:41 Where Helen goes for new ideas and advice.
- 34:29 How implementing email marketing helped the Cereal School go from 0% to over 25% of revenue from email.
- 36:56 What Helen’s looking at to the future to stay ahead of the game.
- 38:49 Apps that Helen is excited about right now.
- 41:57 The thing about the Cereal School’s business that can’t be easily replicated.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_239_HelenGuo.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Fri, 14 February 2020
On today's special BONUS episode we're talking about CBO. That's Campaign Budget Optimization. Andrew sat down with expert digital advertisers Molly Pittman and Depesh Mandalia to talk about what's happening with CBO, how it's working, why it's working the way that it is, and some tips to improve your campaigns. They discuss: - Why you can't treat CBO campaigns the same way as you were treating ABO campaigns
- CBO misconceptions
- When CBO works best
- How to think about your budget when setting up CBO
- CBO and Dynamic Creative
- CBO best practices
Enjoy! Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_Bonus_CBO_Depesh_Pittman.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 11 February 2020
Andrew and I have worked with hundreds of different companies at various stages of growth, from pre-launch to multi-million dollar acquisition. Today we’re kicking off our scaling series, where we’ll talk about each stage of growth and the challenges you're going to face as you scale up your business from zero to 8-figures. We’re starting off with a “zero to launch” episode where we’ll address some of the questions you’ll face when you’re determining how to launch and going from an idea for a product to actually getting sales. We’ll be sharing core lessons through each of these episodes that will give you value whether you're at the beginning, already making 7-figures, or somewhere in the middle. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 4:30 Why we decided to do a scaling series.
- 9:07 The most important thing when you’re just starting out? Feedback.
- 10:24 Knowing what your community looks like is critical for scaling.
- 13:40 Once you know your community, identify their buying power and your market potential.
- 15:38 A zero to launch case study.
- 18:16 Common missteps at this stage.
- 19:40 Creating a “talk trigger” product.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_238_ScaleSeries_1_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 4 February 2020
One of the keys to successful growth is hiring a team that keeps the business running, whether the founder is there or not. Over the last 14 years, Cory Bower, founder of Aviator Gear, has built a multi-million dollar business with a team of 48 full-time employees. When Cory was in the Air Force, he saw a need, launched a company, and to this day uses some of his military systems and structure to keep things running smoothly. It’s always a pleasure to chat with Cory, and I hope you enjoy our conversation about growth, hiring, and critical tools for success. Episode Highlights - 5:55 Introducing Cory Bower and the birth of Aviator Gear.
- 8:12 The unique custom nature of Cory’s products.
- 10:20 Cory’s journey to becoming a fighter pilot.
- 13:53 Transitioning from fighter jets to ecommerce.
- 16:05 How Cory applies lessons learned in the military to his business.
- 18:42 The team structure Cory’s built that lets his business run even when he’s not around.
- 23:55 Engines for Aviator Gear’s growth over the last year and how they communicate about the custom nature of their products through different parts of the funnel.
- 26:43 The role Cory wishes he would have gotten off his own plate sooner, but why you have to have balance as you grow so the wheels don’t fall off.
- 29:18 Tools Aviator Gear uses to keep things running smoothly.
- 35:07 What it looks like to hire and manage a 50-person team.
- 39:29 Cory’s learning process and how he finds useful information to help his growth.
- 42:07 Do this simple thing right now to be more productive.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_237_CoryBower.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 28 January 2020
We’re getting tactical today and bringing you 6 quick wins you can execute today to grow your business. From Facebook, to email, to website optimization, these quick wins will help you generate sales and get results. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 4:25 Quick Win #1: 4-6% Lookalikes based off pixel value.
- 5:47 Quick Win #2: Identify previous customers who are likely to spend again, but who are no longer on your email list, and hit them with remarketing.
- 7:23 Quick Win #3: Integrate your Klaviyo audiences with Facebook.
- 8:34 Quick Win #4: Turn great text reviews into video reviews.
- 11:14 Quick Win #5: Use bid caps to ensure your Facebook ads are being shown.
- 13:05 Quick Win #6: Get a fresh perspective on your website.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_236_6ThingsYouCanDo_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 21 January 2020
When someone asks about eCommerce best practices, we always hear, “well, what’s Pura Vida doing?” Today we’re talking with Pura Vida CEO, Griffin Thall, to get an inside look at their current strategies, how the company’s grown over the last several years, the way his role has evolved, and what it's actually like to prepare your company for a multi-million dollar sale. Andrew and I both worked with Pura Vida at the very beginning, and we’re so excited to reconnect and bring this episode to you today. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:25 What got Griffin and Pura Vida to where they are today.
- 7:28 How Griffin’s role has changed as the company’s grown.
- 9:02 Pura Vida’s unique influencer strategy and how it started.
- 12:45 Relentless innovation and how Pura Vida continues to increase customer lifetime value.
- 15:18 The moment Griffin realized the brand was going to be a success.
- 16:30 How Pura Vida’s growth strategy has changed over time.
- 17:57 The challenges Griffin’s faced over the years as CEO.
- 20:12 Where Griffin’s seen the most success in hiring.
- 22:12 How Pura Vida’s ambassador program started, and where it’s at today.
- 22:21 A day in the life of the Pura Vida CEO, and the value of growing a team.
- 24:25 Why you’ve got to stop wearing all the hats in your business if you want it to scale up.
- 28:14 What you should be focusing on as a founder, instead of getting enticed by the newest Shopify app.
- 29:28 A key approach for brands launching today vs 6 years ago.
- 31:53 Lessons learned about managing cash while scaling up.
- 33:47 How Pura Vida ended up making a deal with Vera Bradley, and the process of finding and securing that kind of partnership.
- 38:07 Griffin’s biggest takeaway from meeting with investors.
- 39:34 The expansive value Pura Vida’s gained from their partnership with Vera Bradley.
- 41:33 What Griffin’s excited about right now and some things in store for Pura Vida in 2020.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_235_GriffinThall.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 14 January 2020
Every year I grow more personally and professionally, and these weekly episodes are a big part of that. We’ve had discussions about Facebook and email marketing, business processes, how to avoid burnout, and more. Today Andrew and I are sharing the top things we’ve learned in 2019. What were your big learnings over the last year? Episode Highlights - 5:15 No one cares where you are as long as the work gets done.
- 8:33 Be clear about what you want (because you’re going to get it).
- 11:50 Listen, Help, Learn.
- 14:21 Focus on generating profits so you can hire good people.
- 17:52 Dive deeper into discomfort.
- 21:50 Everything takes longer than you expect.
- 24:02 Having a business partner with different perspectives than your own is a huge asset.
- 28: 19 It’s still a great time to build an ecommerce brand.
- 30:46 Play is important.
- 31:48 You don’t need to learn everything yourself.
- 32:40 Track your time.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_234_Final_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 7 January 2020
Digital agencies get a bad rap these days. From providing inflated results to wasting time on dead-end tactics, many businesses have fired their agencies and moved things in-house. However, agencies aren’t the enemy. You just have to understand how to build the right relationship with them, and truly integrate them with your team. Our guest today is Susan Wenograd the CMO of digital agency Aimclear. We talk with Susan about the shift she’s seeing in where brands are directing their paid ad spend, and the issues of attribution that are coming along with it. She talks about how to build a deeper relationship with your agency so they can bring you greater success, and her thoughts around navigating the digital landscape as things continue to change and evolve. This episode is a must-listen whether you're a digital agency or doing digital marketing in-house for a brand. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 8:01 What the role of CMO looks like at a digital agency.
- 10:06 The changes in where brands are spending their paid media dollars.
- 14:43 Today’s analytics are not the analytics of the future, and why attribution objectives may continue to get less defined.
- 18:08 How to spot an agency that’s getting results that are too good to be true.
- 21:26 If you want your agency to be a better partner, you need to more transparent.
- 24:58 As an agency, it’s important to have the difficult conversations and be a leader.
- 30:17 Global perspectives on digital marketing and where the US is falling behind.
- 34:35 You cannot fix broken strategy by optimizing tactics.
- 37:02 If you're entire marketing plan only consists of spending $300K/month on Facebook, you do not have a brand (and that’s a problem).
- 41:06 Why fluidity and flexibility are the keys to long-term success.
- 42:35 Is it time to hand bidding control over to Facebook?
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_233-SusanWenogard_v2.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 31 December 2019
Today we’re bringing you part two of our “How to Get Started” series, and in this episode, we’re talking about email marketing. If you’ve recently launched a business and want to get started with email marketing, this episode is for you. Or, if you’ve had an agency managing your email for some time, and want to make sure everything is running as it should be, there are some helpful tips in here that will deepen your understanding. We talk about best practices for list creation, how to capture leads, which emails to create first, how to determine the number of emails you should be sending, and more. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 4:15 Choosing an email service provider (ESP), and why Klaviyo is a great option for many businesses.
- 5:49 Getting your ESP set up correctly: some key things to keep in mind.
- 8:35 Best practices for list creation and management.
- 9:35 Checklist for making sure your ESP is set up correctly.
- 10:15 How to start capturing leads and growing your list.
- 12:03 The more unique your offer, the better. But ultimately, don’t overcomplicate it.
- 14:03 Building an email template for your brand.
- 17:38 Austin’s recommended approach for warming up your audience.
- 19:51 Campaign emails vs flow emails and which ones to prioritize.
- 21:59 Automated email flows to start with: Welcome Series (Buy or Die), Abandoned Cart, Browse Abandonment.
- 25:00 Best practices for sending campaign emails and how to start segmenting your list.
- 29:22 When it’s right to expand your audience: the ideal open rates to look for.
- 30:44 How to decide how many emails you should be sending.
- 31:49 Examples of valuable content that drives revenue.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_232_HowToGetStartedWithEmail_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 24 December 2019
Not many ecommerce brands can say they’ve been around for almost 30 years, but Peepers is one of them. Founded in 1993, with a website that went live in 1996, Peepers has been going strong ever since. In the last 10 years alone, they’ve grown by 900%. John Hart joined the team five years ago and is now the Ecommerce and Operations Director. Today he joins us to talk about how Peepers has continued to evolve, the marketing strategies they're using, including why they find major value in Amazon, and how they’ve successfully approached wholesale. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:08 Introducing John and how he ended up at Peepers.
- 8:27 What Peepers is doing differently that allowed it to grow 900% over the last 10 years.
- 10:10 Peepers’ approach to growth and the channels they’re currently investing in.
- 12:36 Prospecting techniques for both online and offline.
- 13:57 John’s feelings about selling on Amazon and how they make it work in their overall marketing strategy.
- 17:22 The challenge of selling glasses online, and the fun strategy Peepers is using to overcome it.
- 20:29 Why Peepers hasn’t ventured into AI on their site yet.
- 22:36 Lessons learned about website speed and sacrifices that had to be made.
- 25:01 Coming up with the perfect product price and Peepers’ price-testing process.
- 28:49 Peepers’ approach to growing the wholesale component of the business and supporting their partners.
- 31:32 How John’s role has evolved over the last five years and what he’s focusing on now.
- 33:51 Employee retention at Peepers and what they do to keep people happy.
- 38:09 A quick win from John will help you improve your business.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_231_JohnHart_v2.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 17 December 2019
One of the questions we’ve received from several listeners recently is, “Can you guys talk about how to get started with Facebook advertising?” We’ve done quite a few episodes where we talk about scaling up your Facebook ads, but we've never started at the very beginning. Today we’re doing just that. If you’ve never advertised on Facebook before, or you’re just starting out, this episode is for you. We’ll talk through how to set up Facebook Business Manager, how to start building audiences for different parts of the sales funnel, how to approach your initial budget, and what success looks like in your first few months of advertising. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:35 If you’re just getting started with Facebook advertising, here are the first steps.
- 8:01 Dynamic Product ads: what are they and why you need them.
- 8:50 Creating customer avatars to inform your interest-based targeting.
- 10:51 The main hurdles you may come across when setting up Facebook Business Manager.
- 13:00 How to check whether you’ve set up Business Manager correctly.
- 14:34 Where people often get stuck with creative and the components of great content.
- 16:51 The three phases of the sales funnel and how to start building audiences for each phase right out of the gate.
- 20:13 How to approach the first three months of advertising: crafting your brand message, how much to spend, and what success looks like.
- 23:23 What is your Cost Per Acquisition goal, and how do you determine it?
- 26:38 How to understand your initial Facebook advertising metrics.
- 28:16 Where to go next after you’re getting comfortable with your advertising.
- 29:35 How to decide which objective to pick for different parts of the funnel.
- 31:31 Two objectives you shouldn't be using.
- 34:07 The key component you have to understand when you get started with Facebook advertising and what success often looks like for the first several months.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_230_HowToGetStartedWithFBAds_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 10 December 2019
Who says girls can’t wear dinosaur dresses? Rebecca Melsky was frustrated when the only patterns she could find for her daughter were pink and flowery. Where were the rocket ships and trucks for girls? In 2013 she teamed up with her friend Eva to start Princess Awesome, a stereotype-busting business that creates clothes of all colors, and with all kinds of patterns, for both girls and boys. Today we sit down with Rebecca to talk about their massive crowdfunding success, how they’ve managed the growth of their business while prioritizing their families, and the key Klaviyo strategies helping them drive major revenue from email. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:51 The story of how Princess Awesome was born.
- 7:39 Princess Awesome’s explosive experience with crowdfunding.
- 12:25 The major impact Kickstarter had for Rebecca’s business, from more than just a financial perspective.
- 13:58 Taking the next step in business growth after Kickstarter success.
- 17:40 Product innovation and the creation of Princess Awesome’s women’s line and brother company.
- 20:39 The benefits of using Klaviyo for email marketing.
- 22:34 How to plan your email campaigns, and how segmentation can help drive more sales.
- 29:20 Things Rebecca’s done over the last year that have had a big impact on her business.
- 32:05 Why Princess Awesome outsources their fulfillment.
- 35:41 The company makeup of Princess Awesome and the critical support roles they’ve outsourced.
- 37:33 Growing a business that serves your lifestyle and how this has been a core part of Rebecca’s business from day one.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_229_RebeccaMelsky_Updated_Klaviyo.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Fri, 6 December 2019
We've got a special Black Friday/Cyber Monday BONUS episode for you today. Andrew saw down with Alex Afterman of 11:11 Digital, Deirdre Kelly and Terry Whalen of Sum Digital, Kurt Bullock of Product Department and Paul Fairbrother of Hootsuite/AdEspresso to do a post-BFCM 2019 recap. They discuss: - Trends they saw over the weekend
- Bidding strategies that worked
- Audiences that were successful
- Creatives we saw working well
- Reporting and assessing numbers
Enjoy! Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_Bonus_BFCM_recap.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 3 December 2019
Today we’re taking a break from our normal programming to go on a short rant about things we hate in the ecommerce industry. We want to shed light on some of the frustrating things we’ve come across over the years to help you keep your sanity as you’re growing your business. We believe in the importance of truth and transparency, and that every single business is different, and hope our little rant today will help you avoid frustration and see through the B.S. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:32 Thing we hate #1: When people take advantage of business owners by making things seem more complicated than they really are.
- 9:18 Just because it’s a big, well-recognized company, doesn’t mean it’s actually doing well, so don’t compare yourself.
- 11:11 Warning signs to watch out for with bogus business information.
- 11:47 Thing we hate #2: When entrepreneurs are told they have to be running ads on every single possible channel.
- 15:07 Thing we hate #3: Example sharing without context.
- 18:11 Thing we hate #4: Not having enough information about why people are building their businesses a certain way and the lifestyles they’re hoping to achieve.
- 21:19 Why context is so important, and why there’s no simple success blueprint for every business to follow.
- 23:17 An example of how to think about the bigger thematic approach when you’re trying to decide if a certain tactic is going to work for you.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_228_TheThingsWeHate_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 26 November 2019
While it may only take a great idea to start a business, it takes a heck of a lot of hard work to build a successful one. Five years ago Patrick Coddou was unhappily working at his corporate job when he had an idea, spurred by personal passion and necessity. That idea eventually got off the ground with two successful Kickstarters, and recently landed Patrick and his wife and co-founder, Jessica, on Shark Tank, where they got backing from Robert Herjavec. This idea, which has now grown into a multi-million dollar company, is Supply, a men's shaving and grooming company. Today Patrick joins us to give an inside look at what makes Supply successful today, and the challenges he faces as he continues to grow his business. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:39 Introducing Patrick and how he started Supply.
- 7:21 The pivotal role of Kickstarter in Supply’s launch and success.
- 9:19 Where the idea for Supply came from and the challenge of creating good products.
- 13:53 Why Patrick wants to grow as quickly as possible with as little outside funding as possible, and the metrics he looks at to track his success.
- 18:59 What Patrick plans to focus on in 2020 as he further diversifies his marketing channels.
- 22:26 As Supply is starting to expand internationally, here are some of the considerations and challenges Patrick is facing.
- 25:48 Why Supply is so appealing in the international market, and how Patrick uses customer service to clarify his value proposition and support customers.
- 29:57 The post-purchase survey questions that help with Supply’s customer retention and satisfaction.
- 34:39 Things Patrick’s done in the last year that have had the biggest impact on his personal and professional life.
- 38:48 The truth about entrepreneurial life that Patrick wants everyone to know.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_227_PatrickCoddou.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 12:00pm CDT
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Tue, 19 November 2019
Two common questions I get from clients are: How much should I spend on advertising and what is a good return on ad spend? Andrew and I are tackling these questions today by breaking down the calculations you need to do to determine what a good ROAS is for your business. We also discuss how to have an open conversation with your advertising agency and the first question you really need to ask yourself before you can realistically estimate the ROAS you need to be successful. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:15 The inspiration for this episode: one of the most common questions Austin gets in the Coalition.
- 6:55 What is a good return on ad spend (ROAS)?
- 9:08 The first question you need to ask yourself to help determine what ROAS is realistic.
- 11:05 Why you have to know your math before you start telling your advertising partner what ROAS you “need.”
- 12:15 The first question you should really be asking to figure out a good ROAS for your business.
- 13:04 Breaking down ROAS calculation and how to discuss it with your agency.
- 15:49 The importance of making the distinction between warm and cold traffic.
- 19:27 A further look at how to calculate the ROAS you need for your business.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_226_TooMuchForAdvertising_NoBrex.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 12 November 2019
As he sat down at his desk on the first day at his first post-college job he thought, “The cubicle life just isn’t for me.” If you’re an entrepreneur, I would venture to bet you’ve had a similar thought at some point along the way. Today we’re joined by Matt Schroeder, the co-founder of Shelly Cove, who started the business in college with his family, and has been off to the races ever since. Matt tells the story of how he taught himself marketing and his journey to eventually leaving his secure job to go all-in on Shelly Cove. He shares the unique ways the brand surprises and delights its customers to keep them coming back for more, and why, as the business has grown, he’s more open to just saying “Yes.” Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 6:21 How Matt got started in ecommerce and the birth of Shelly Cove.
- 10:39 The roles in Matt’s family-run business.
- 13:57 Lessons learned from going to school full-time while also growing a business.
- 16:55 How Matt became an expert in marketing and business.
- 18:27 The strategy behind Shelly Cove’s product development and release.
- 20:34 When Matt realized he wanted to put all his energy into the business.
- 23:31 How Shelly Cove built a strong brand from day one and the delivery tactic they use to set themselves apart.
- 25:54 Connecting customers with the company’s charity to build deeper brand loyalty.
- 28:18 Some things Matt tried that ultimately flopped.
- 31:36 The turning point from t-shirt company to lifestyle brand.
- 33:26 Surprising sources Matt uses for his shipping supplies.
- 34:44 Advice from Matt: don’t run sales too often.
- 35:20 Looking to make a little extra cash with your business? Check out these sites.
- 37:38 What’s on Matt’s mind right now as Shelly Cove continues to grow.
- 39:26 The roles Matt hired for that allowed him to free up his time significantly.
- 43:53 Matt’s advice for aspiring business owners.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_222_MattSchroeder_Klaviyo_Holidays.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 5 November 2019
Due to Facebook’s influence, your website is less and less often the first place potential customers learn about your brand. We don’t see this changing anytime soon. In fact, Facebook’s already moving to on-site checkout, removing the need to visit your website altogether. Today we’re talking about the future of Facebook advertising and how we see it evolving. We discuss what Facebook’s plans are for the platform, as well as for Instagram, and how you can be prepared for what’s to come. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:13 Why we’re talking about Facebook’s future and what you’ll learn today.
- 6:53 What Facebook has planned for future interactive elements.
- 9:04 How to use Instagram polls to increase engagement.
- 11:17 The future of augmented reality on Facebook and how it could impact your CPM.
- 14:22 Interactive games as ads: worth the hype or overrated?
- 16:05 Andrew’s biggest takeaways about the future of Facebook advertising.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_224_FacebookFuture.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 29 October 2019
You look up at the clock and realize you’ve been working for 14 hours. You’ve still got a dozen more emails to respond to before you can go home, maybe spend a little time with your family, then get 4 hours of sleep and start the cycle again the next day. Sound familiar? This, my friends, is the recipe for burnout. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get addicted to your work and feel like if you’re not spending 16 hours a day trying to grow your business, the person who is will beat you to the top. Burnout isn’t talked about enough in the ecommerce world. But today we’re changing that in our conversation with Mike Jackness, Co-Founder of EcomCrew and someone who has built and sold multiple businesses. Mike shares the story of how he got started in ecommerce, his criteria for buying a business, and what it means to deal with entrepreneurial burnout. This conversation really hit home for us, and we hope you get a lot out of it. Episode Highlights - 6:28 Mike’s life on the road for the last several months.
- 7:52 Who is Mike Jackness and how did he get started in ecommerce?
- 9:30 From ice wraps to adult coloring books: the variety of businesses Mike’s been involved with over the years.
- 11:49 Big opportunities in ecommerce right now that will help your brand stand out.
- 14:27 The criteria Mike’s looking for as he’s thinking about buying another business.
- 18:53 Strategies for increasing average order value and customer lifetime value.
- 23:24 If you’re going to launch a new product, make sure it has synergy with the rest of your brand.
- 26:05 The truth about entrepreneurial burnout and the importance of having connections and support.
- 30:05 Things to watch out for to help prevent yourself from burning out and the ongoing struggle of running a business.
- 34:35 How do you create an environment where you don’t have to compete?
- 36:25 The importance of identifying the time when you’re actually being productive.
- 39:12 Technical challenges of living on the road.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_223_Mike_Jackness.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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Tue, 22 October 2019
We’re in the midst of the busiest time of year for eCommerce. Will Q4 craziness get the best of you, or will you come out on the other side with your sanity intact? Today we’re sharing five tips that will help you keep you from losing your mind this holiday season. Enjoy! Episode Highlights - 5:36 Tip #1: Communicate holiday availability expectations early for both your team and your family.
- 8:55 Tip #2: Plan, plan, and plan again.
- 10:11 Important components of your marketing plan.
- 14:13 Tip #3: Evaluate your success based on execution, not outcome.
- 17:29 Tip #4: Be nice to your service providers.
- 19:11 Tip #5: Lean into the season.
Links And Resources
Direct download: EI_222_Surviving_Q4.mp3
Category: general
-- posted at: 3:00am CDT
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