Podcasts about ecom crew

Today, we have an exciting guest on the podcast - Rah Mahtani from Alibaba.com. We dive into the impact of tariffs on Alibaba's business, the shifts in sourcing behavior among American importers, and the biggest emerging countries in manufacturing that might be worth considering in the future. Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let's talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business. For today's episode, we have a special guest.  We have the Head of Commercial Strategy of Alibaba, Rah Mahtani.  We talk about tariffs, other countries that are seeing rising demand and what Alibaba is currently focused on to grow their portfolio of manufacturers. This episode is one not to miss!   The Big Takeaway Tariffs create cash flow challenges for businesses. Alibaba saw a surge in new customers during high tariff periods. Sourcing behavior is shifting towards larger orders and long-term planning. Vietnam and Mexico are emerging as key sourcing countries. Alibaba is committed to increasing supplier diversity. Community engagement is a priority for Alibaba. Alibaba offers various services beyond sourcing, including logistics support. The company is focused on educating suppliers in emerging markets. There is a growing demand for nearshoring and offshoring. Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou is open for tours. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to today's guest 05:02 - Impact of Tariffs on Alibaba's Business 09:49 - Shifts in Sourcing Behavior 15:03 - Emerging Markets and Supplier Diversity 19:57 - Community Engagement and Alibaba's Services As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.   Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave talks about the recent IPO of a major Chinese Amazon seller, SainStore, and explores key insights from their filings. He covers the diverse brand strategies employed by the company (and a lot of other Chinese companies, in fact), the viability of the aggregator model in China, and the company's profitability metrics, inventory management practices, and even their social credit score.  Another Amazon seller has gone public... but in China.  It seems that the aggregator model has been working well over in the East, but what specifically are they doing to succeed?  Here's the 5 takeaways that I learned when looking over this company's IPO fillings.  Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let's talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business. The Big Takeaways The aggregator model in China is thriving, with companies creating multiple brands in-house (rather than purchasing companies at 4x and 5x). Profit margins for major Chinese sellers are significantly lower than Western expectations. SainSmart holds about 25% of their revenue in inventory, which could turn out to be a HUGE risk in cash flow. The social credit score in China is a real and impactful metric for businesses. 75% of SainSmart's revenue comes from Amazon, but they also diversify across other channels that you wouldn't expect. The need for sellers to chase off-Amazon sales for better pricing power is ABSOLUTELY crucial. Chinese sellers are adept at utilizing multiple sales channels, including lesser-known marketplaces. The business model for Amazon sellers is evolving towards higher revenue with lower margins. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Chinese Amazon Sellers Going Public 02:12 - Diverse Brand Strategies of Chinese Companies 04:37 - The Aggregator Model in China 06:31 - Profitability and Revenue Insights 08:28 - Inventory Management Strategies 10:52 - Understanding China's Social Credit Score 12:12 - Revenue Channels Beyond Amazon As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.   Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!  

Dave dives into Amazon's Q1 2025 earnings report and how it will impact sellers. He dives into Amazon's online store revenue growth, FBA fee growth, and the huge growth in advertising revenue, which is one of the major sources of income for the e-commerce giant. This is the earnings report right before the new tariffs start, so it's not indicative of how Amazon will be affected.  Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let's talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business. Timestamps 00:00 - Understanding Amazon's Earnings and Its Impact 02:16 - Tariffs and Their Implications for Sellers 04:34 - FBA Fees: Trends and Insights 08:16 - Advertising Fees: The Growing Burden 11:10 - Market Reactions and Future Outlook As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.   Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave shares some easy Amazon image hacks that can help you improve your click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates. We'll talk about how important it is to show your packaging in your main images, how you can sneak in some keywords without alerting Amazon's ban hammer,  and how you can A/B test against your competition.    Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let's talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.  As an Amazon seller, you always have to be ahead of the competition. This means offering a better customer experience overall, but what does that look like in e-commerce?    This means better product imagery. Images are the only way for customers to truly know what they're getting and better images often means higher click-through rates and higher conversion rates.    How do you get better product images? Here's 7 easy ways you can make your product imagery better than your competition.  The Big Takeaways Include a keyword in your main image packaging and add your packaging to your main Amazon image. More items in the main gallery image convey better value. A/B test your product image against competitors using PickFu. Check Amazon brand analytics for the performance of keywords for your product. Regularly update product images to reflect trends. Do not fear Amazon's TOS when it comes to images. Review competitors' images in competitive categories. Sometimes, ugly images perform better than beautiful ones. Continuously refresh your images to avoid looking dated. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Amazon Image Hacks 01:55 - Utilizing Packaging for Keywords 03:48 - Enhancing Product Images for Better Value 05:15 - A/B Testing Against Competitors 06:38 - Leveraging Amazon Brand Analytics 08:33 - Regularly Updating Product Images 09:59 - Pushing the Limits of Amazon's TOS 10:56 - Learning from Competitors' Successes And that's the 7 ways you can improve your images. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below!  Thanks for listening and happy selling!   

Tariffs are back again and stronger than ever. Things are still a little shaky at the moment because we never really know what will happen tomorrow but today, Dave discusses 5 ways you can deal with the new tariffs through DDP, diversifying, and negotiation.  Big Takeaways:  It is basically impossible to eliminate the effects of the tariffs but there are ways to minimize them.  DDP shipping puts risk on your supplier, not you. Diversifying sales channels can be a great way to keep your profit margins healthy.  Negotiate discounts with your suppliers to soften the blow.  Moving your manufacturing can reduce tariffs and contribute to a healthier business. Accept that the business landscape has changed permanently. Look for new opportunities that arise from these challenges. Consider manufacturing in Canada and Mexico as alternatives. Evaluate your product catalog in these new market conditions. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction 03:03 - Strategy 1: Shipping with DDP 05:50 - Strategy 2: Diversifying Channels 08:59 - Strategy 3: Negotiating with Suppliers 11:48 - Strategy 4: Moving Manufacturing 15:09 - Strategy 5: Accepting Change and Finding Opportunities Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Dave breaks down the huge fee increases for the Amazon Warehousing and Distribution program that takes effect on April 1st, 2025. He talks about the changes in warehousing and distribution fees, specifically on how much the fees have increased from previous iterations.  Need funding for your Canadian Amazon business? Not sure if you should use a Canadian corporation or U.S. LLC to form your company? We'll cover these questions and more in our Start and Grow Your FBA Business as a Canadian Webinar on March 12th, 10am PST! Today's episode is sponsored by Autron. Maximize your ROI with Autron's real-time algorithmic bidding, optimizing every ad dollar for smarter spending and higher returns. Start optimizing today and get 30% off for 3 months!   Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) was one of the biggest programs that Amazon introduced in 2022, and pushed a lot of sellers into using AWD by increasing prices on the FBA side of inventory.    Back then, it seemed like an attractive alternative because of the low prices despite the shove to get everyone into the program.    That is until today where Amazon announced a fee increase to the AWD program in the most confusing way possible.    Luckily, Dave is here to break it all down for us and how these fees impact your e-commerce business.  Big Takeaways Amazon is increasing fees starting April 1st, 2025. The fee increase is not like previous fee announcements; they've given sellers only three weeks notice. AWD storage fees will increase by 20%. Amazon has changed the name of their "integrated rate" to "smart storage rate". To qualify for the smart storage rate, 70 days of inventory is required. Processing fees will increase from $2.50 to $2.70 per box. Transportation fees will rise from $1.00 to $1.15 per cubic foot. Overall, expect a 15-20% increase in fees. Amazon's tactics make it hard to plan for these increases. Sellers need to increase prices to maintain margins. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Amazon Fee Increases 03:12 - Understanding the New AWD Fees 05:51 - Impact of Storage Fee Changes 09:10 - Processing and Transportation Fee Adjustments 11:03 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave interviews John LeBaron, the Chief Revenue Officer of Pattern.com, the biggest third party seller on Amazon. They discuss Pattern's unique business model and how they help brands grow their presence on e-commerce platforms. The episode covers the importance of unit economics, advertising strategies, and how you can use AI to analyse your competition.  Today's episode is sponsored by Autron. Maximize your ROI with Autron's real-time algorithmic bidding, optimizing every ad dollar for smarter spending and higher returns. Start optimizing today and get 30% off for 3 months! The Big Takeaways Pattern operates as an accelerator, not a traditional DTC brand, helping brands manage their inventory and online presence. Unit economics are crucial for brands looking to partner with Pattern. Advertising strategies significantly influence organic ranking on Amazon. Pattern leverages patented AI technology to improve conversion rates and predict organic ranking. The company manages over 300 brands, focusing on their growth. Off-Amazon marketing strategies are essential for brand success. Timestamps 00:00 - Introducing Pattern: The Biggest Amazon Seller 03:02 - Understanding Pattern's Unique Business Model 06:01 - The Role of Accelerators vs. Aggregators 08:59 - Expanding Brand Presence Across Marketplaces 11:50 - Target Demographics: Brands Seeking Help 15:09 - Unit Economics: What Matters for Brands? 18:06 - Advertising Strategies and Organic Ranking 21:01 - Off-Amazon Marketing Strategies 24:04 - Leveraging AI for E-commerce Success 26:59 - Improving Conversion Rates Through Data 29:52 - Future Innovations and Conclusion Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Steve Churchill has a lot on his plate.  After being in the Air Force, he decided to start a simple blog on the side, in addition to her demanding day job. His blog, Urban Worm Company, has always been a passion project, and over time he's been able to grow it to become a healthy lifestyle business. Steve talks about how he built his blog, while being a full time airline pilot.  He talks about his business model, the types of goals he has for the business, his approach to SEO, and why he's okay with owning a small business. Today's episode is sponsored by Autron. Maximize your ROI with Autron's real-time algorithmic bidding, optimizing every ad dollar for smarter spending and higher returns. Start optimizing today and get 30% off for 3 months! The Big Takeaway Running a lifestyle business allows for a better work-life balance and prioritizes quality of life over rapid growth. Using e-commerce principles in B2B environments can lead to stress-free growth and better customer experiences. Finding a niche market and educating customers can help build a loyal customer base and differentiate your business. Cash flow management is crucial for sustainable growth and reducing stress in the business. Prioritizing personal interests and happiness in business decisions can lead to long-term satisfaction and success. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction and Background 07:00 - Steve's Business Journey: From Air Force to Vermicomposting 14:00 - Building a Lifestyle Business: Prioritizing Quality of Life 21:12 - Using E-commerce Principles in B2B Environments 25:15 - The Power of Niche Markets and Customer Education 28:19 - Cash Flow Management for Sustainable Growth 31:17 - Prioritizing Personal Happiness in Business Decisions 33:37 - Conclusion Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!  

Chinese New Year is coming up in a few days and if you're relatively new to the e-commerce game, there's a few things you should know about the big holiday. Dave is back on the podcast to cover the impact Chinese New Year has on e-commerce sellers and manufacturers, the significance of the Zodiacs, and the common equivalent for those who aren't aware.  Let's be real – email marketing isn't flashy, but that's what makes it great. Who needs chaos when you can have steady, reliable results? That's where Omnisend email and SMS comes in. Check it out today and use code ECOMCREW. Ever wonder why all of China basically closes down every January for Chinese New Year? You're not alone.  Chinese New Year seems like the one time each year that China (and by extension, a lot of the neighbouring asian countries) goes on holiday for a few weeks.  As an e-commerce seller, you probably know by now to place your orders well in advance to prepare for the holiday. But there's a few extra things you should know about that could maintain and keep you in the good graces of your factory.  Luckily, Dave is on the podcast today to break down what exactly you need to know and how the holiday impacts you specifically. The Big Takeaway Chinese New Year is comparable to Christmas in significance. Chinese New Year happens on the second New Moon in the lunar calendar after the Winter's Solstice (December 20th).  Zodiac symbols can influence business decisions in China. Quality control tends to take a dip if orders are shipped before Chinese New Year. Suppliers may have varying deadlines for orders before they close for the holiday. Expect delays in shipping and logistics post-New Year as every company that's importing from China will also be placing orders in advance of the holiday. Be considerate to suppliers during the holiday period. Freight prices tend to dip after the New Year rush, as demand declines. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 1:43 - Omnisend Ad  2:17 - What is Chinese New Year? How big is the holiday?  3:28 - The traditions around Chinese New Year 4:28 - When exactly is Chinese New Year? 6:07 - Zodiac symbols and how they can affect business 8:40 - Why is it called the Spring Festival?  9:41 - Tip #1: Deadlines for Chinese New Year orders  11:06 - Tip #2: Days off during Chinese New Years  13:19 - Tip #3: Quality control during Chinese New Year 15:08 - Tip #4: Delays  17:05 - Tip #5: Being considerate As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Dave reviews the top 5 episodes of 2024 and what they're about. Check out the top 5 episodes of the year! We've included a snippet of each episode and links to them below.  Merry belated Christmas and Happy Early New Year!  This week, we're rounding out our top 5 episodes of the year along with a short snippet of the episode itself. Feel free to go back and listen to the winners on our links below:  0:57 - Fifth place  2:47 - Fourth place 5:07 - Third place 7:07 - Second place 10:32 - First place  As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!  

In this episode, Dave talks about how you can start developing custom software for Amazon, and what the main benefits are. He'll be covering how to setup custom software, the requirements needed, and the advantages of using third-party APIs to enhance data access.  The Big Takeaway Custom software can significantly enhance Amazon business operations. Most off-the-shelf software are mostly perfect; just lacking the necessary customization. Third-party APIs can provide valuable data not available through Amazon's main API. The Selling Partner API is the latest standard for Amazon integrations. AWS costs for API access are generally very low. AI advancements have reduced the cost of software development. Custom software can provide a competitive edge for Amazon sellers. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to Custom Amazon Software 02:25 - The Need for Custom Solutions 05:38 - Setting Up Custom Software 10:50 - Understanding the Amazon API 12:41 - Getting Started with Development As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Dave talks about the potential impacts of Donald Trump's presidency on e-commerce, focusing on tariffs, currency fluctuations, and whether big tech companies like Amazon will still be under scrutiny from FTC.  Today's episode is sponsored by Autron. Maximize your ROI with Autron's real-time algorithmic bidding, optimizing every ad dollar for smarter spending and higher returns. Start optimizing today and get 30% off for 3 months! Sign up to get early access a special bonus offer for our BFCM Deal. We'll be having the biggest deal of the year on our Develop a Profitable Product course + Advanced Amazon Market course + an amazing discount AND a big bonus for those who signup for the waitlist here. Takeaways Trump's presidency will almost 100% signify a tariff on all international imports. Companies will have no choice but to either increase their prices, absorb the cost, or to look at sourcing locally. Other than that, expect higher freight costs in the near term. Almost everyone will be placing more orders before tariffs are implemented, which will spike up freight costs. Big tech will certainly be affected too. Trump's stance on TikTok has softened. Amazon and Trump have a rough relationship, and its unlikely that Trump will ease their FTC issues. Chapters 00:00 - The Impact of Trump's Presidency on E-Commerce 10:10 - Tariffs and Their Implications for E-Commerce 14:27 - Currency Fluctuations and Economic Strategies 18:15 - Big Tech and E-Commerce Dynamics 20:24 - Digital Taxes and Global Trade Relations As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Dave is back for a solo podcast episode to discuss the things you can do when your Amazon business is in trouble. He opens up about the challenges that he's personally facing with 2 e-commerce brands, and what he did to bring up profitability despite revenue going down 10%-50%.    Today's episode is sponsored by Autron. Maximize your ROI with Autron's real-time algorithmic bidding, optimizing every ad dollar for smarter spending and higher returns. Start optimizing today and get 30% off for 3 months!   2024 was one of the hardest years of selling on Amazon. Between Google SEO updates and Amazon's fee increases, a lot of sellers have been pushed to their breaking point.    While things may seem bleak, the good will almost always come back around.    But how do you stay afloat while things are in the gutter?    In this episode, Dave talks about the few ways you can save your business that don't include selling your business at a loss.    Takeaways Many e-commerce businesses are facing financial difficulties, not just you.  Laying off employees can be a necessary but difficult decision to keep your business afloat. Solopreneurs can also consider reducing their salaries during tough times. Cutting advertising costs can help improve financial health. Managing inventory effectively is crucial for cash flow. Shopping around for 3PL providers can lead to significant cost savings. Reviewing SaaS subscriptions can uncover unnecessary expenses. Chapters 00:00 - Facing Financial Difficulties in E-commerce 03:11 - Navigating Declines in Revenue and Traffic 06:02 - Making Tough Decisions: Layoffs and Cost-Cutting 08:55 - Strategies for Solopreneurs in Financial Trouble 11:46 - Trimming the Fat: Advertising and Inventory Management 15:04 - Optimizing Cash Flow and Reducing Overhead Costs 17:56 - Reevaluating Business Strategies for Recovery 20:54 - Embracing Change and Moving Forward   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.    Thanks for listening!   Until next time, happy selling!

Julian Timings from Autron.ai discusses if old Amazon PPC strategies still work in 2024, how video advertising is still profitable, and whether off-Amazon advertising is still worth it. He shares some of the trends that he's seeing in Autron about optimizing campaigns, the average TACOs, and how Autron works to provide PPC management to those without budget, time or expertise. The Big Takeaways of Today's Episode Amazon ad costs have been increasing significantly. Video advertising can be a great ROI for sellers, especially if the creative aspect is locked down. Off-Amazon advertising isn't very profitable - the general trend is that after some time, it isn't worth it. TACoS between 10-15% is more of an exception than a rule. PPC influences organic rankings somewhat because Amazon rewards sales velocity. Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to E-commerce and PPC Strategies 01:58 - Julian's Background and How He Transitioned to Amazon 03:21 - Emerging Trends in Amazon PPC 04:41 - The Importance of Video Advertising 06:58 - Off-Amazon Advertising Insights 09:47 - Identifying New Sales Opportunities for Growth 11:30 - Optimizing Campaign Goals with Autron 13:29 - Campaign Structure and Management Strategies 16:48 - Long-Tail Keywords and Campaign Optimization 18:33 - Targeting Strategies and Keyword Management 19:54 - Understanding TACOS and Profitability 21:47 - The Influence of Advertising on Organic Rankings 23:10 - Autron's Unique Approach to PPC Management 25:58 - Future of AI in Advertising 27:48 - Pricing Model and Customer Alignment 29:11 - Ideal Customer Profile for Autron As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening!

Today's episode is part 2 of last week's podcast, where Mike goes into the details of Icewraps' sale, how he built up profitability from being in a loss at the start of the year, and the mindset he had during negotiations.  Today's episode is sponsored by Autron. Maximize your ROI with Autron's real-time algorithmic bidding, optimizing every ad dollar for smarter spending and higher returns. Start optimizing today and get 30% off for 3 months! It's been nearly 10 years since I first bought IceWraps.  After a long journey of facing Amazon's sudden fee increases, COVID and logistical challenges, I felt that it was time for me to take some chips off the table and finally sell off the last ecommerce business that I'm holding.  It's time for me to get some breathing room back, and move on to another project.  Takeaways Raising prices and cutting unnecessary costs helped turn the business from a loss to being profitable. Transitioning to AWD reduced storage costs significantly. When you have the mindset of being done and over a business, you might be willing to do all it takes to sell. However, it's important to maintain a two-way street and make sure you don't accept terms that seem unfair.  Timestamps 00:00 - The Journey of Selling Ice Wraps 03:07 - Challenges Faced During the Sale 05:56 - Turning the Business Around 09:13 - Cost-Cutting Strategies 12:08 - The Sale Process and Negotiations 15:02 - Finalizing the Sale and Transition 17:55 - Reflections on the Sale 20:59 - Lessons Learned and Future Outlook As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Mike is back on the podcast to look back on IceWraps' journey, from facing burnout to regrets from running more than one brand at a time.  Today's episode is sponsored by Autron. Maximize your ROI with Autron's real-time algorithmic bidding, optimizing every ad dollar for smarter spending and higher returns. Start optimizing today and get 30% off for 3 months! Takeaways Selling at the peak of your business can mean sacrificing future cash flows. Focusing on one business can lead to greater success. Running multiple brands at a time can dilute your effectiveness. Timestamps 00:00 - The Journey of Ice Wraps: A Decade in E-Commerce 08:02 - Lessons Learned from Selling Ice Wraps 15:59 - Defining Success: The "One Thing" Focus 21:49 - The Transition: From Acquisition to Sale As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave recaps Amazon Accelerate 2024, highlighting some announcements that sellers should know about, and some developments that impact e-commerce sellers.  Amazon Accelerate 2024 has just wrapped up this year, and there's been a few announcements that Amazon revealed that may or may not pass the smell test.   In the online event, Amazon announced a range of new programs and services to help brands build relationships with third party sellers and increase their sales and profitability. Apart from the announcements, Amazon is also making a big push to being a part of the entire supply chain process - from logistics to delivery.  The Big Takeaways of Today's Episode Amazon Accelerate is the biggest event of the year for Amazon with over 4,000 live attendees and 450,000 virtual views. Amazon receives over 125 million product reviews annually. Same-day or next-day delivery 2x conversion rates. A new seller dashboard is available and offers better analytics for sellers. Live chat support is now available for all cases. One-on-one assistance is also now available for sellers. Amazon is starting to focus on owning the entire supply chain process - from logistics to delivery.  Buy with Prime aims to capture off-Amazon sales. Amazon Accelerate Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Overview of Amazon Accelerate 01:17 - Key Statistics and Announcements 04:40 - Positive Developments for Sellers 11:44 - Skepticism Towards Amazon's Announcements 16:27 - Amazon's Supply Chain Strategy As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Mike Jackness interviews Michael Kaufman – the CEO of ProTuff Products. We talk about Kaufman's journey in the e-commerce industry, how he differentiates his products by offering an extended warranty and how lifetime warranties guarantees 5 star reviews. How to Find a Profitable Product Course Open Now Still struggling to find your next great product? The EcomCrew How to Find a Profitable Course is open now and is just $499 for one week only. We'll cover everything from using the ‘Cockroach approach' to developing large and bulky products, avoiding placement fees, and more. Check it out now. How Do You Use Lifetime Warranties To Guarantee 5 Star Reviews? As a shopper on Amazon, you've probably bought something that have warranty cards as a part of the products' insert.  But most companies don't stand behind their warranty policy, or they just straight up have flimsy policies.  Having a lifetime warranty means that you'll have to approve every warranty that comes in, no matter what. However, the bright side to this is that this almost always guarantees a 5-star review since you will actually be standing behind your own warranty policy.  The Big Takeaways of Today's Episode Offering a lifetime warranty can help differentiate your products and build a solid review profile. Automating the warranty registration and claim process can save time and money, since you don't have to hire someone to approve warranties. Selling seasonal products can be challenging, but offering incentives for early registration and extending the product's use for other purposes can help mitigate the seasonality. Building a list through warranty registration is a TOS-compliant way to communicate with customers on Amazon. Choosing the right warranty duration and offering additional benefits can encourage customers to register and leave positive reviews. Lifetime Warranties Episode Timestamps:  00:00 - Introduction and Small Talk 03:14 - ProTuff Products and the Pool Tools Niche 11:29 - Differentiating Products with a Lifetime Warranty 18:10 - Building a List through Lifetime Warranty Registration 21:03 - Incentivizing Lifetime Warranty Registration and Positive Reviews 26:57 - Streamlining Warranty Management As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!  

Elizabeth Corbett discusses the biggest mistakes e-commerce brands make with packaging, the opportunities they're missing out on and the easy ways you can save on packaging costs.    Packaging is one of the most important aspects to improving your customers' unboxing experience.   Its the one opportunity you have to communicate with your customers so you should be investing quite a bit into it.    That's why we've invited Elizabeth Corbett to the podcast to talk to us all about packaging, the biggest mistakes brands make, and why you should consider eco friendly solutions for packaging.    Here's some timestamps to get you by:  00:00 - Introduction 01:28 - Packaging Mistakes 04:11 - Packaging Waste and Cost Savings 07:00 - Benefits of Shipping In Its Own Container 10:43 - Dealing with Porch Pirates and Returns in DTC Packaging 14:41 - Considerations for Sourcing Packaging Materials 18:55 - The Impact of Freight Costs on Packaging 27:25 - The Growing Importance of Sustainable Packaging 33:34 - Contact Elizabeth for your packaging concerns   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.    Thanks for listening!   Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Mike and Dave evaluate the impact of Google's September 2023 Update on EcomCrew's and other websites, and talk about the new challenges that have popped up because of this update.  Ever since September 2023, ranking on Google as an affiliate site has been harder than ever.  We've seen websites (including ours) decline in organic views from 20% to 80%, while Reddit has started to rank for every keyword.  If Google continue towards this trend of giving big websites all the ranking juice, what happens to affiliate websites? And by extension, what does that mean for all digital media outlets?  Dave and I discuss all these topics and more in this episode. Here are some timestamps to help you along.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction 01:26 - Economies of Scale and Content Sites 04:20 - Google's Helpful Update and Content Sites 08:07 - The Rise of Reddit 19:29 - Challenges of Self-Promotion on Reddit 23:36 - The Future of Content Sites and Digital Media 24:06 - Conclusion As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave discusses how to reduce inbound placement fees with Amazon, how placement fees are calculated and who the winners and losers are since these fees were implemented.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  It's been a few months since Amazon implemented their new Inbound Placement Fees.  The amount of increase varies, depending on the product, warehouse location, and other factors. But the good news is that you don't always have to pay the fees. In this episode, we'll explore the 3 ways you can use to avoid or reduce your Inventory Placement Fee when sending products to Amazon. The Big Takeaways Shipping to four or more locations can help avoid placement fees. Shipping to Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) can also help avoid placement fees, although it may come with other fees such as receiving and warehousing fees. Choosing a more centralized 3PL can help minimize placement fees and partner carrier fees. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Placement Fees 02:20 - Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) as a Solution 10:53 - Ship into AWD to Avoid Placement Fees 13:48 - Consider the Location of Your 3PL 17:09 - Impact of Placement Fees on Profitability As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode of The Localist, Adam Hickman of Foxhound Bee Company shares his journey from starting a beekeeping business in his garage to expanding into a full-fledged retail store with plans for further growth. He emphasizes the importance of education, content quality and a strategic approach to ecommerce and product development, avoiding rapid scaling and big financial mistakes. Carrie and Adam also discuss the value of supportive advisory relationships for business success.   Mentioned in this episode: Foxhound Website: https://www.foxhoundbeecompany.com/ Foxhound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxhoundbeeco Hardware Park: https://www.hardwarepark.org/ Innovation Depot: https://innovationdepot.org/ Foxhound Bee Company Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/stores/FoxhoundBeeCompany-BeekeeperSuppliesandEquipmentfromBirminghamAlabama/FoxhoundBeeCompany-BeekeeperSuppliesandEquipmentfromBirminghamAlabama/page/60FDD616-DA6F-4D81-B669-6C63C869725A CAD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-aided_design#:~:text=Computer%2Daided%20design%20(CAD),or%20optimization%20of%20a%20design. Luca: https://www.lucahq.com/ People's Bank of Alabama: https://peoplesbankal.com/ Ecom Crew: https://www.ecomcrew.com/ Sting Stopper: https://stingstopper.buzz/ Buzzbag: https://buzzbag.buzz/

Mike interviews Ajoy Krishnamoorthy, the CEO of Cin7, about the importance of software in e-commerce businesses, the challenges of managing inventory across multiple channels, and the benefits of using AI to forecast inventory for your business.   Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!    Branching out into another marketplace can make things more complicated than you think, inventory and accounting wise.    Having an inventory management software can make things easier, but how?    Ajoy Krishnamoorthy, the CEO of Cin7, an inventory management software, is on the podcast today to explain and talk about how an inventory management system can help simplify selling in multiple ecommerce platforms.   The Big Takeaway Managing inventory across multiple channels can be challenging and requires a centralised system. AI and machine learning can improve forecasting accuracy and help make informed inventory decisions. Data-driven insights are essential for optimizing inventory and improving business performance. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction & Sponsorship 01:29 - Introduction to Ajoy Krishnamurthy and Cin7 04:46 - Challenges of Managing Inventory Across Multiple Channels 10:39 - The Importance of Accurate Forecasting in Inventory Management 20:48 - Streamlining Financial Processes with Accounting Integration 25:24 - AI as an Enabler for Business Growth Resources Brain Dead brand case study Ajoy's LinkedIn Get 50% off Core Plan for Cin7 for 3 months!   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

With Prime Day over and Amazon's Q2 earnings report revealed, Dave recaps how his Prime Day went and what does means for the future of third party sellers on Amazon.    Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!    Prime Day 2024 was touted as the biggest shopping event ever, with record sales and more items sold than any previous Prime Day.   But who were the real winners of Prime Day?    Today, Dave talks about his personal Prime Day experience, how Amazon missed their estimates for Q2, and what that means for third party sellers.    The Big Takeaway Amazon's Q2 earnings showed sluggish growth in online store revenue and missed estimates for the "third-party seller services and advertising revenue" section. This might mean more fees in Q3.  Prime Day 2024 was the biggest shopping event ever, but its impact on overall sales is questionable as consumers may be delaying their purchases. Buy Now, Pay Later options are gaining popularity, accounting for 7.6% of all orders during Prime Day. Amazon Basics was the most searched for brand during Prime Day, indicating consumers' demand for low priced products.  Apparel is emerging as a strong category on Amazon, potentially due to Amazon's response to Temu and Shein.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Amazon's Q2 Earnings and Prime Day 2024 03:06 - Sluggish Growth and Missed Estimates 09:47 - Prime Day 2024: The Biggest Shopping Event Ever? 13:02 - The Rise of Buy Now, Pay Later 17:42 - Amazon Basics: The Most Searched for Brand on Prime Day 21:24 - Apparel: A Strong Category on Amazon   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.    Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

To find out what exactly happens to these returns and where they go, Dave stuck an Apple Airtag in it and tracked it over the next 3 months. Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  Have you ever wondered what happens to your Amazon returns? Earlier in the year, Dave bought an Amazon Basics gym bag that he needed to return. To find out what exactly happens to these returns and where they go, he stuck an Apple Airtag in it and tracked it over the next 3 months. Here's exactly where it went and how I found it. The Big Takeaway Amazon inspects returns for their condition and might resell them to liquidators if they're not "like new".  80% of customers mark items as "wrong item sent" to avoid return shipping charges. There is a huge reseller market for Amazon returns. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Tracking an Amazon Return 08:05 - The Reseller Market for Amazon Returns 13:17 - Buying Back the Returned Item 17:05 - The Environmental Consequences of Returns As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Dave and I discuss the reasons why e-commerce valuations have significantly decreased this year, Mike's run at the World Series of Poker event, and the potential valuation of content websites.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  It's been almost a year since I last sold off one of my e-commerce businesses.  Since then, a lot has changed. Amazon's new fees were implemented, interest rates have skyrocketed, and FBA Aggregators are few and far between.  I invited Dave over today to discuss how Amazon may or may not have had a hand in directly affecting the valuations of e-commerce businesses, and why the market hasn't recovered from 2 years ago. Here are some of the big takeaways from this episode:  The Big Takeaways E-commerce valuations have decreased mainly due to the uncertainty caused by Amazon's fees and policies. Who knows when Amazon will come out with more fees that'll impact profitability?  Google's latest algorithm update has hit a LOT of content websites, leading to decreased traffic for everyone involved which directly impact its valuations.  If your e-commerce business is sold at a 2x multiple, it might not be enough for you to retire. Wouldn't it be better to hold onto your business instead?  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 02:56 - Mike's Run at the World Series of Poker 08:13 - E-commerce Valuations 20:07 - Valuations for FBA Businesses 21:06 - Valuations for Off-Amazon Brands 22:01 - Uncertainty in Content Site Valuations 28:14 - Decision to Hold onto a Profitable Business 31:08 - Dave's Funny Story  34:21 - eBay's Attempt to Change As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave shows 10 ways you can reduce stupid PPC Spend and maximise efficiency just in time for Prime Day.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  Prime Day 2023 saw people spend up to $12.9bn alone.  Obviously, everyone wants a piece of the pie. You can expect competitors to increase their ad spend 2x or even 3x more just for the possibility of more sales. To prepare for this year's Prime Day, there are some ways you can maximise the efficiency of your ad spend. However what these sellers fail to notice is that it's all about maximising efficiency of your running ads.  That's why my partner-in-crime, Dave Bryant, is on the podcast today to talk about the 10 ways you can maximise your efficiency and reduce ad spend. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 01:28 - Topic: Reducing PPC Spend on Amazon 03:51 - Optimizing Targeting Options in Auto Campaigns 05:16 - Optimizing Targeting Options in Manual Campaigns 07:37 - Using Dynamic Bids Down Only and Avoiding Broad Match 10:30 - Avoiding Ads in Other Countries and Turning Off Sponsored Display 13:52 - Unclicking Expanded Product Targeting and Using Exact Match 17:44 - Conclusion and Call to Action The Big Takeaways Increasing conversion rates can lower ad costs and improve ROAS. Turn off loose match targeting in auto campaigns and optimize targeting options in manual campaigns. Use dynamic bids down only and be cautious with broad match keywords. Don't let Amazon set up ads in other countries and consider turning off sponsored display campaigns. Lowering prices may be a better option than increasing PPC to improve profitability. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Aaron Hughes makes his second appearance on the Ecomcrew Podcast to talk about all things Tiktok Shop, and why people should start leveraging the platform for their ecommerce businesses.  Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  During my last eCommerceFuel Live Trip, the one common topic that frequently came up was  about was how good Tiktok Shop was for their businesses.  Unfortunately, ice packs don't really have a passionate audience, so I brought in someone who's products have had a significant uplift from TikTok Shop alone. That's why I've invited Aaron Hughes on the podcast today!  Aaron Hughes is no stranger on the podcast but he's back to talk about how Tiktok Shop has performed for his business, the impacts the platform has had on his business, and a few tips for people who haven't bit the bullet yet.  Timestamps 0:00 - Intro  0:33 - Sponsor Segment  1:43 - Recording Issues  3:03 - TikTok Shop for E-commerce Marketing 7:59 - Getting Set Up on TikTok Shop    9:17 - The TikTok Ban 12:00 - Aaron's Strategies for Tiktok Shop 15:33 - How long did it take to start being successful?  17:32 - Top 3 Tips for TikTok Shop 20:25 - Leveraging Controversial Topics 21:53 - Building a Foundation on TikTok  23:00 - Aaron's New AI Listing Tool 27:32 - Mike's Last Question  The Big Takeaways Don't discount your products' potential performance on TikTok Shop, whether they're a commodity or not.  TikTok has become what everyone thought Walmart was going to be.  Aaron, thank you again for coming on the podcast. If you guys want to learn more about Listbutler or hiring from India, you can contact him directly at aaron@listbutler.ai.   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling! 

In this episode, Mike and Dave discuss Ecomcrew's new feature, the trending products tab on Amazon. They list out some of the top opportunities found, and why they may or may not be a very good idea.  The conversation covers a wide range of trending products and niche opportunities, including the impact of the pandemic on consumer behavior, the rise of hyper-seasonal trends, and the potential for creating brands around products you wouldn't normally think of. 

Adam Craft, founder of Elevated Craft, joins Mike Jackness on the EcomCrew podcast to discuss his personal journey in building a brand. Adam shares his approach to product differentiation in a saturated market, and how building a strong brand was the first priority for Adam. This meant that learning the basics of Amazon wasn't his priority. It was all in the hands of agencies.  Eventually, Adam learned about the challenges of relying on agencies and how much better it would be to learn and implement marketing strategies yourself. Adam also shares his experience with using Kickstarter, and how his upbringing impacted his business mindset. 

In this episode, Chris and Julia Tunstall share their journey of building a successful brand in the cocktail industry, what it's like to have your spouse as a business partner and a few tips on how they make it work.    Chris and Julia Tunstall are the owners of the brand, A Bar Above, and have been friends of mine in the industry for longer than I can remember.   I've invited them on the podcast today to find out their entrepreneurial story, and how they manage to stay business partners together through 10 years of being in the business together.    Spoiler alert: it takes a whole lot of effective communication, trust, and a clear list of roles and responsibilities between each other. Ultimately, they emphasize the importance of finding a system that works for both partners and playing to each other's strengths.   The Big Takeaways Here's a few of the big key points from this episode:  Creating a high-quality experience for your customers, whether a physical or a digital product, can lead to customer loyalty and repeat purchases. If you sell B2B, you'll know that there's a problem if they make a complaint.  Focusing on customer satisfaction and providing exceptional products can lead to long-term success. Clear roles and responsibilities are crucial for a successful partnership, especially if you're working with your spouse.  Effective communication and trust are key to navigating the dynamics of being both business and life partners. Understanding and respecting each other's working styles can help create a harmonious working relationship.   Timestamps  00:00 - Introduction and Background 03:09 - Transition from Education to Physical Products 07:23 - Expanding Product Line and B2B Market 12:23 - Innovative Experiences for Consumers 19:08 - Customer Satisfaction and Future Growth 20:32 - The Impact of Reviews on Product Success 21:23 - The Importance of Consistent Branding 22:16 - The Evolution of Launch Strategies 23:26 - Appreciating Well-Designed Websites 24:41 - The Challenges of Working with a Spouse 28:12 - Navigating the Dynamics of Being Business and Life Partners 30:48 - The Pressure of Being the Sole Income Provider 32:34 - Understanding and Respecting Different Working Styles   Chris and Julia, thank you again for coming on the podcast! It was nice catching up with you again, and I look forward to meeting you both in Vegas soon.   If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com.   Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!  

Kevin Williams is on the podcast today to talk about his entrepreneurial journey. From founding brands like Brush Hero to appearing on Shark Tank and finally, to diving deep into AI, we cover the lessons that he's learned through each brand and venture.  Kevin Williams is the founder of MadBrains AI, a company that specializes in AI literacy and training. With an extensive background in ecommerce, Kevin consistently provides practical tips to digital marketers on how to leverage AI for their brands. Kevin and I met quite a while back in 2015, where Kevin held a presentation on the importance of product validation before marketing, and that's when I had an epiphany — if no one is interested in your product before you go to sell, it's not worth it.   After years of friendship, I've decided to get him on to catch up with him and get a background of his experience as an entrepreneur. Here's some timestamps:  Timestamps:  Podcast Start - 0:00 Mike's Reason for Getting Friends on the Podcast - 0:30  Kevin's Product Validation Presentation and Business Model - 1:30  Traffic is 4x more expensive now - 2:44  Kevin's Patent Concept - 4:17  The Origins of Brush Hero - 6:28  Importance of Storytelling - 7:26  How Counterfeits Destroyed Brush Hero - 8:41 Being CEO of Balls.co - 11:48 "What happened to Balls.co?" - 13:59 Diving into AI - 20:14 "What's one thing that I should have asked?" - 28:26 If you're in a hurry, I've listed a few of the big takeaways I personally found to be the most impactful:   Traffic is so way more expensive now. In 2015, it would cost 25c - 50c to buy traffic on Facebook Ads. Currently, it costs $3-$4 to buy traffic. If you want to start buying ads, it might be more cost-efficient to use a cheaper social networks like TikTok.  Being granted a patent is a bucket list item for most tinkerers and engineers. However, a lot of people don't go beyond that point. Partnering with a patent holder can be a good way to find products to sell on Amazon.  Storytelling boils down to three main points:   Man - your brand or product   Mountain - the big problem   Getting Over Mountain - how your product solves your problem Online reviews have a big impact on offline sales. If your product is available in a brick and mortar store, shoppers will normally try to price-match by checking your product on Amazon and they'll run into your negative reviews.  Running a business that's based overseas while having staff that's based in a separate country can be very physically and mentally taxing.  Getting shadowbanned on your advertising account is more common than you think. It's a term that describes getting really poor performance on your advertising account, without explicit notice from the platform.  Balls.co suffered from their success in the influencer marketing. After receiving a lot of traffic from their influencer marketing, they were starting to be seen as an entertainment company instead of a product company. This meant that they werent getting much sales from their marketing efforts. All of the Fortune 10,000 companies are concerned about the implications of AI, but only 5% of them have training in place.  You should be leveraging AI to automate customer service. There is no reason for you to be doing first-contact customer service anymore as a business owner and AI can make this a lot easier for you.  Taking the previous point a step further, you can use AI to sift through previous chatlogs,  emails and reviews for practical information that you can use in your marketing, customer service and product development.  You need to be checking your SEO and keyword rankings almost daily. AI generated content is really finnicky as of now, and it can affect your keyword rankings on Google by a huge margin.    Kevin, thanks for coming on the podcast! It was nice seeing you again, and I hope our paths cross again before the next eCommerceFuel Live.  If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn, where he publishes practical AI tips every week. You can also find him through his company MadBrains.  Thanks for coming on to the podcast Kevin!  Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.  Thanks for listening!

Jeff Oxford joins us on the podcast today to talk about the most recent Google Update, who the winners were, and how search is going to look like with AI in the horizon.   Jeff Oxford is the Founder and SEO Director of 180 Marketing, a marketing agency that specialises in SEO strategies which cover everything from keyword research to webpage optimization.   Today, he's on the podcast to talk about the most recent Google update that happened in March. Specifically, we'll dive into the criteria that Google uses to rank websites, the winners of the most recent update, and why brand metrics plays an important role in search.    The big takeaway here is that no matter what, keep playing the long game. When it comes to content, it's only a matter of time until your content starts making its way through the algorithm and to the audience that you're targeting.    It really is just a matter of time. It might be an overnight viral success, or it might be a crawl towards the goal, but it's a matter of when it happens instead.    Timestamps:  Podcast Start - 0:00 Catching up with Jeff - 0:31 Google's March Core Update - 2:14  Why Mike was excited for this update - 4:30  Playing the long term game - 6:03 Google's update patterns - 7:40 Mike Jackness History Lesson - 9:31  How Google finds cheaters - 12:23  Why Reddit and Quora won the last update - 14:43  Why Brand Metrics matter for SEO - 15:58 How do you get started in building your SEO? - 18:13  Stick with it! - 20:31  What is Search going to look like moving forward? - 22:38 How will Google incentivise making good content with AI in the future? - 28:11 Learn more about Jeff Oxford - 30:39   Jeff, thanks for coming on the podcast! It was nice seeing you again, although through a virtual screen instead of in person but we'll take what we can get!    If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com.    Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!

In the world of ecommerce, opinions on starting a dropshipping business really differ. Some people say it's an unprofitable business model while others swear by it.    Well, dropshipping is still very much around. But as Amazon moved into a position of dominance, its appeal has waned. The fact that some so-called “gurus” who sell dropshipping as an “easy” way to earn millions hasn't helped either.   However, there are those who own sustainable dropshipping businesses.    Pat Haggerty, owner of Right Channel Radios, is one of them.   I've asked Pat to join me in this podcast episode to talk in detail about his business, Right Channel Radios.    I hope our discussion didn't only prove informative but encouraged you to look at dropshipping businesses in a different, albeit more positive light.   Pat, thank you for accepting the invite to record a podcast together. I really appreciate it, and I look forward to seeing you again in the next events.    If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com.    Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!

Dana Jaunzemis joins the EcomCrew podcast today to talk about how she evaluated businesses before purchasing them, why she chose to sell her businesses, and ultimately chose to retire.    Dana Jaunzemis and I met for the first time years ago during my eCommerce speaking circuit and has since become a great friend of mine. She's the killer combination of having a really interesting background, while also being incredibly intellectual business-wise and philosophically too.    She's been a good friend that's always been helpful when I've run into troubles of my own, especially those regarding burnout, identity and the end goal as an entrepreneur.    Today, I wanted to pick her brains on the podcast about what it's like to have been recently retired from eCommerce, how she still finds a sense of fulfilment and the factors she considers before buying a business, which may or may not have been on my mind lately.   "E-commerce, while easy, is the highest risk type of business [in my opinion]." - Dana Jaunzemis   Timestamps:  0:00 - Podcast Start 0:31 - Introduction 2:49 - Dana's Career Timeline 4:54 - The Appeal of E-Commerce for Introverts 6:28 - Is E-Commerce Difficult?  9:19 - The Difference Between Successful and Failing Businesses 11:44 - How lessons in life can apply to your future 15:40 - Factors to Consider When Buying A Business 16:31 - Factor #1: Profitability 16:46 - Factor #2: Where Your Skillset Fits In 24:24 - Why Dana chose to sell her business 30:01 - Risks of e-commerce 31:41 - Factor #3: Inventory Costs  34:19 - Finding Fulfilment in Retirement 38:14 - Knowing when 'enough' is enough 41:53 - Moving Goalposts  46:30 - What was it like buying a business with friends?    Dana, thank you for accepting the invite to record a podcast together. I really appreciate it, and I look forward to seeing you again in the next events.    If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com.    Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!  

John Di Giacomo joins us on the podcast today to talk about the most common lawsuit claims that he's personally seen in the past few years in the ecommerce industry, and how you can avoid them.    John Di Giacomo is the founding partner of Revision Legal, a law firm with expertise in Internet law, copyright & trademark law, and related areas.    Today, he's on the podcast to talk about the most common cases that have been on the rise recently. Specifically, we'll be talking about ADA Cases and CIPA claims, and how ecommerce sellers can protect themselves from these claims.    The big takeaway here is to make sure that you're protected from these false claims.    Because it's not a matter of if it happens, but a matter of when it happens. The best way to protect yourselves is to take preventive action before these claims ultimately kill your business, because it can definitely happen.    John, thanks for coming on the podcast! It was nice having you back on after several years since your last episode and I hope to hear good news from you in the future.    If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com.    Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!

Dave and I discuss the delays to the New "Low Inventory" fees, how you can be exempted from those fees, and the impending FTC Investigation into Amazon.   After months of complaints over the new fees, it seems like Amazon's heard (or read, in this case) the message that people aren't happy about being charged for having too little in FBA Warehouses. To gain some brownie points, they've decided to delay the effectivity date of these new fees. But what does this mean in the big picture?    We all know that Amazon's being investigated by the FTC for their monopolistic practices. With that being said, why would Amazon choose to apply new fees that effectively erodes profit margin from third party sellers?    We discuss that, and more in today's episode. Here's some timestamps below to get you started:  Intro - 0:00  Going to China and experiencing sandstorms - 0:31  The Great Wall of China - 1:53 Big Amazon News & Official Announcement - 2:46  Exceptions for AWD Users - 5:46  "There are nuances to every business..." - 6:55  Amazon's Monopoly - 8:59  Investigating Overseas Sellers on Amazon - 10:52  FTC's Investigation into Amazon - 13:03  Why would Amazon announce new fees while being investigated by the FTC? - 16:32  The FANG Companies vs. TikTok - 22:02 Making sure you're still profitable - 26:04 The big takeaway here is to make sure that you're still profitable.    Go into your Amazon account, check out how much you are going to be charged in April for these fees, and adjust your pricing accordingly to make sure that you're still having a healthy and profitable business.    If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com.    Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well!   Also, we would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!  

Neil Twa from High Voltage Business Builders joins us on the podcast to drop some massive value bombs. He breaks down how you can increase brand awareness on Amazon, his approaches to Product Development, and how you can restart the Honeymoon Period on Amazon. Listen in for some great lessons from Neil!    Amazon's only getting tougher and tougher.    It seems like the laundry list of things that you need to do to ensure success keeps getting longer and longer after each year, but what exactly are the things to do?    I've asked Neil Twa to join me on the podcast today to talk about this very topic. Neil has actually given me a lot of high value thoughts during this recording that I think you should probably listen to on repeat over and over, as there are some things that just come off as surprising.    Here are just a few:    Lesson #1: Below the $50 retail price point, you'll be competing against a lot of brands. There isn't as much increase in competition in the price point of $50 - $150 retail.    Lesson #2: Get more than 1 manufacturer just so you don't have all your eggs in one basket.    Lesson #3: Never get started with electronics.    If you want to skip to certain parts of today's episode, here are some timestamps! 0:00 - Intro 0:32 - Neil's Podcast  1:20 - What you need to do to be successful on Amazon  2:06 - Con #1: Platform Risk   2:56 - Con #2: Increased competition  4:38 - How to Increase Brand Awareness on Amazon 8:43 - How to approach Product Development  12:46 - Why oversized products have to be priced correctly 14:54 - Never start with electronics 15:45 - Neil's product rules  16:38 - How to increase your product's perceived value  24:03 - How to restart the Honeymoon Period  24:49 - Google Cosmo  29:15 - How would you start an ecommerce business today?   Neil, I can't thank you enough for coming on the podcast. It was great having you on and these lessons are surely going to be valuable for a ton of listeners.    If you guys want to hear more from Neil, check out the High Voltage Business Builders podcast!    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can now email us directly at support@ecomcrew.com! Also, we would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!  

Steve Chou makes an appearance on today's episode to discuss some key takeaways he and Mike learned while attending EcommerceFuel Live 2024.    It's conference season for eCommerce!    I just got back from ECF Live 2024, which was a great experience where I got to meet old friends and discuss a few of the issues that's been going on in the industry like Amazon's new fees, the recent Google update, and the ever-eroding margins.    As always, I like to get someone who was at the conference with me to discuss some of the things that we've learned, and who else better than Steve Chou! Steve is a good friend of mine for several years now who runs My Wife Quit Her Job and is also hosting this year's Seller Summit, so we're live today to talk about the things we've learned.    We talk about the 4 key takeaways that we came away with, and how we can apply it to our businesses. Here's some timestamps to get you guys going:  Intro - 0:00  Catching up with Steve - 0:30  Mike's favorite time of the year - 1:15 Mike and Steve's ECF Live experience - 2:42  Steve's first takeaway #1: Google Update - 3:54 The future of Search and AI - 4:29  How fast things change - 9:25  Second takeaway #2: Tiktok Shop - 10:37  Third takeaway #3: Higher profit margins are the key to success - 15:11 Fourth takeaway #4: Amazon's New Fees - 18:01  What's happening in Seller Summit this year? - 23:06  Seller Summit's Mastermind Day - 23:45  Sign up for Seller's Summit - 27:07 Why Mike hates flying - 30:03   Steve, it was great recording with you as always! I really appreciate you coming on and doing this podcast with me. If you guys would like to learn more about Steve, check out MyWifeQuitHerJob to learn more about him!    Seller Summit is on May 13th and 14th this year, so get your tickets here and you can put in a special request to get Mike as your Mastermind Leader.    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can now email us directly at support@ecomcrew.com! Also, we would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!

In today's episode, Dave and I discuss why there are so many sellers on Amazon losing money on each product? Because the lower prices do not make any sense at all.    Today's topic is something that I've been thinking about for awhile: how many people are losing money selling on Amazon?    You're probably thinking that this question sounds ridiculous, but if you think about the increasing amount of competition and the higher platform fees, there does seem to be some basis for the question.    Which begs the question: how many people are losing money selling on Amazon? Are they selling old inventory that isn't profitable anymore? Is the competition everywhere at this point?    I thought this would be a topic that my partner Dave could chime in on from his perspective as a Canadian Seller, and also as someone who frequently visits China.    Timestamps:  Intro - 0:00  Catching up with Dave - 0:30  How Many People are Losing Money Selling on Amazon? - 1:55 The Types of Sellers Losing Money & Competition on Amazon - 3:57 Sacrificing Margins for Brand Equity - 6:04  Fishy Practices to Avoid Paying Duties - 8:00  The Chinese Government is Providing Subsidies for Exporters?? - 8:51 The Numbers Don't Make Sense - 11:02  Every Seller Has an Unprofitable SKU - 16:26 The Problem with Product Research Tools - 19:53 Bad Business People - 20:52  What Amazon's Q4 Earnings Report Tells Us - 23:09  Legacy Sellers Who've Suffered Through Events - 26:01 Shortened Product Life Cycles - 30:47  What should happen to old products? - 32:27 Prices are 20% lower than they should be - 33:37    If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com.    Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well!   Also, we would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!  

In this episode, Dave and I go through our list of business goals for 2024 for Ecomcrew, our personal business brands, and more!    Its been awhile since we've done an episode like this, but Dave and I thought of bringing it now since it was one of our more popular episodes from 2019.   Some of these goals were aimed for ourselves personally and for the company. In this episode, we'll go through each goal and our plan for achieving each one.    If you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can now email us directly at support@ecomcrew.com! Also, we would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!

Leslie Pierson, Shark Tank Winner and founder of GoodHangUps, joins Mike on the podcast to talk about how she got started in eCommerce, how one unexpected night eventually lead her to appear on Shark Tank, and how she is technically her son's employee.    Shark Tank is one of the biggest reality TV shows that almost every business owner knows about. It's not everyday that we get to interview a winner on the podcast.    But Leslie Pierson isn't just a typical business owner: she's an Ecomcrew Premium member.    In this episode, we get to talk about the multiple things that led to how she built a Shark Tank Winning Business. From starting with selling laptop skins, to building a business out of a 7 year old's idea, Leslie covers her ecommerce journey from start to present.    Leslie, thank you for the absolutely delightful conversation, it's been my favourite episode to record out of all 500 or so episodes. I hope to see you more in person, and I wish you and your family all the best with Tacos vs. Burritos.    If you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can now email us directly at support@ecomcrew.com! Also, we would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!  

Mike Beckham, a 9 Figure Business Owner, is on the podcast with Mike today to talk about what he'd do differently if he were to start building a 9 figure business all over again. We dive into how and why brand story is so important, and the uncommon mindset Mike Bekham uses to perpetuate business growth.   Its hard enough trying to start an ecommerce business.   Being a solopreneur means you'll have to be on top of your inventory levels, your PPC Campaigns, while also writing blog articles, making Youtube videos about your product and not to mention getting UGC from influencers.    But what does a 100+ person company look like? Better yet, what did it take to get to be able to sustain that level of overhead?    We've invited Mike Bekham, the co-founder of Simple Modern and 9 Figure Business Owner, to the podcast to ask him the golden question. If he had to do it all over again, what would he do differently?    We talk about how being part of a community and choosing the right niche can open up more growth opportunities than you realize, and how building a brand starts internally.    Here's some timestamps to help you along:  0:00 - Introduction  0:31 - Podcast Start  1:39 - Being a Part of an Amazon Community  6:55 - "What Would You Do Differently?" 7:44 - Playing to your strengths  8:34 - Choosing a product niche  14:53 - Product Differentiation 17:07 - Differentiation without millions in capital  24:13 - How Mike makes sure everyone's winning  30:42 - What Mike's learned over the years    Mike, thank you for coming on the podcast and sharing all of the things you'd consider heavily when starting over. I hope that everyone who listens enjoyed the episode as much as I had recording it with you, and wish you well for the rest of the year.      If you want to get in touch with Mike, you can find him at Linkedin or you can check out his Twitter.    If you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can now email us directly at support@ecomcrew.com! Also, we would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.  Thanks for listening!  

John Terry joins Mike in today's episode as a follow up from his Under the Hood Episode 417 where he talks about how COVID & the political climate affected his business, and how going into retail ultimately killed his consumer packaged goods (CPG) business.   Today's episode is one that left me absolutely speechless during recording.    It's a hard topic to talk about when listing down a bunch of mistakes, but it's infinitely more difficult to talk about when the list of mistakes eventually lead to the death of your business.    Nevertheless, I commend John for coming on today to talk about how his business ended up this way, the "trap" of going into retail, and advice for those looking to expand into selling in any big box retailer.    Here's some timestamps to help you along:  0:00 - Introduction  2:47 - Podcast Start  3:03 - Under the Hood Overview 4:31 - Meeting with Walmart 7:16 - The Second Mistake  7:48 - Kroger Reaching Out  9:13 - Ordering Inventory for Retail  11:34 - Kroger Privacy Around Logistics 12:35 - Kroger's Costs  13:41 - Backing out from Kroger 14:42 - First Warning  15:10 - Skyrocketing costs 18:27 - Poor performance in Walmart 20:24 - The goal moving forward 21:36 - Buying back inventory from Walmart  22:25 - Why the product failed in retail 25:39 - Where to go from here 28:00 - Mike's advice 32:02 - John's advice to entrepreneurs  37:21 - John's public adjusting business    John, I can't thank you enough for coming on the podcast and sharing all of the painful things you went through. I hope that someone listens to the episode and knows not to get into retail for the prestige of it.    We hope today's episode was useful to you. If you want to get in touch with John, you can find him at Linkedin or you can check out his company, Crossroads Insurance Recovery. If you want to check out John's previous episode, click here.   If you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can now email us directly at support@ecomcrew.com! Also, we would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes.    Thanks for listening!

It's that time of the year again! In this episode, Dave and I will be revealing the winners (a couple of which you might not have expected) of last year's survey to find out the Best Amazon Seller Software across five categories: Product and Keyword Research PPC Management Reimbursement Services Repricing Tool Product Launches and Giveaways On top of that, we'll be talking about the software that we use in our day to day basis, and whether it's something Dave and I can't live without, the significant shifts in software usage among sellers, and the future of the SaaS ecosystem.  To check out the full breakdown of our results, head over to our blog post of the Best Amazon Software of 2023.  Don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy content like this. Happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

Mike and Dave review their biggest accomplishments and their deepest pitfalls in the past year.    In this episode, Mike and Dave are back to discuss the year in review, and the eventful things that happened in the past year, like traveling to China again after 3 years, visiting Hong Kong and India and the stark differences between the two, and how Mike's experiences of loss and burnout affected him.    I want to thank everyone for supporting the EcomCrew Podcast. Whether you've been with us from the start or are just tuning in, I appreciate your time and feedback. I'm sure 2024 will be another year of insightful podcast episodes, and I can't wait to unpack which ones top the charts next time around.   Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.   Happy selling!

Mike and Dave reflect on 2023 and discuss the various wins and fails that Dave experienced this year, including traveling to China, Hong Kong, and India, the impact of COVID on business growth 3 years in, and how Dave lobbied to change policies around government taxation on digital advertising.   The Ecomcrew Podcast is back after the holidays!    In this episode, Mike and Dave are back to discuss the year in review, and the eventful things that happened in the past year, like traveling to China again after 3 years, visiting Hong Kong and India and the stark differences between the two, and how the Government has knocked on Dave's door for the money that was given during COVID.    Here's some chapters to get you to the most interesting parts:  0:00 - Introduction and Reflection on COVID 2:01 - Traveling to China and Hong Kong 7:13 - Government Financing and Repayment 11:28 - Impact of COVID on Business Growth 18:28 - Government Taxation on Digital Advertising 37:27 - Impact of Sales Tax Laws on Small Businesses 39:28 - The Slow Progress of Bureaucratic Institutions 40:02 - Go and vote! 41:28 - Year in Review and Rating 42:14 - Adapting to Change in Ecommerce 45:12 - The Changing Dynamics of Business   I want to thank everyone for supporting the EcomCrew Podcast. Whether you've been with us from the start or are just tuning in, I appreciate your time and feedback. I'm sure 2024 will be another year of insightful podcast episodes, and I can't wait to unpack which ones top the charts next time around.    As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.    Happy selling! 

After dropping a few hints here and there, Dave finally asks Mike the big question: what are you looking for in your next business? After getting into the mindset of selling all of my brands and getting back to the part of Amazon FBA that I really enjoy, I realized that it's not as fun as it used to be with my current business. I am trying to build it for the eventual sale, and after start a new business that's still within e-commerce.  As most of you have probably noticed, I've dropped a few hints here and there about starting a new brand, and what better way to do so than discuss it with Dave on today's podcast!  In this episode, we'll discuss a few criteria on what I would want my next venture to be, and whether Dave thinks they're unrealistic, or downright wishful thinking.  Here's some timestamps to get you started:   Introduction - 0:00  How was BFCM for you, Mike? - 0:53 The next project for Mike - 3:56 Struggles that Mike's trying to avoid in the future - 5:24 Mike's checklist for his next business - 12:17 Priorities with higher margins - 12:56 Increasing repeat business - 18:27 Products that work multi-platform - 24:47 A defensible moat around the business - 30:31 Making complexity an opportunity - 34:30 When is the new business getting started? - 36:39  I hope this is super helpful for those out there who are thinking of expanding their brand portfolio or starting a new business. If you are, leave a comment below on what you think your next business would ideally look like!  As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Full Audio Transcript Mike Jackness: This is Mike and welcome to this edition of the Ecom Crew podcast. How's it going, Dave? Doing good. We're doing some recordings here after American Thanksgiving. So I feel I feel full and thankful, I guess. And yeah, we're doing some podcasts today. DJ: This is Dave. DJ:  I'm doing well, how about you? DJ: How was your Amazon balance though? Is that full and thankful after Black Friday? Mike Jackness (00:28.134) Not really. It was not a real great Black Friday, Summer Monday for us, but it never really is with the brand that I kept. I didn't really expect to have a huge Black Friday, Summer Monday. In fact, I didn't even open up my app over the weekend because I was like, I don't want to see it. Just because we didn't run any Black Friday deals. I mean, we talked a little bit about this on the podcast over this year. And so, I mean, hot and cold therapy packs are not giftable items. They're not the type of thing that people buy and gift them. There were lots of people in my space running Black Friday, Supper Monday deals. I imagine they just got crushed in terms of paying a lot of fees and giving up margin. I don't even remotely see how it's feasible. I mean, I see all these deals running. I mean, they're paying $300, $500 or more per deal, giving up a bunch of margin. DJ (01:10.195) Yep. DJ (01:15.27) No, I don't either. Mike Jackness (01:23.182) I can barely make it without even doing that. I just assume that they're losing money just to have an ego boost and that isn't interesting to me. We just go in a little bit of hibernation for this part of the year for this business. From late November to early January is just a dead zone for us. Early January things have to really pick back up. Going into the spring becomes our best months. Just roll in with what we have. When we had other businesses, we focused a lot on Black Friday and Summer Monday. We sold our baby brand this year. I'm sure they had a really great Black Friday, Summer Monday. We've sold color. That was always my favorite time of the year, although it was stressful. Black Friday, Summer Monday, huge for that. But for a hot and cold therapy brand, it's like, oh, you got me a ice pack for my back. Thank you so much. Maybe there is someone out there looking for that, but I don't think it's exactly the giftable thing. DJ (02:21.985) Yeah. DJ (02:26.573) Well, it is kind of a scenario of rising tide raises all boats and sure people aren't on there to buy hot and cold therapy pack, but they're on there to buy a toy for their daughter and hey, oh, by the way, I need to that ache on my back. I need to get something for that too. So you do get that. So I know for like our off-roading brand, it was up, I guess, about 30 or 40% over a typical Friday. So nothing crazy, but it was up. And I think that's just a case again of that rising tide. The craft brand that we have, that looked like it was up about Mike Jackness (02:40.098) Right. DJ (02:56.209) two and a half X, which I guess was kind of within my realm of expectations. And this is my first time really running a brand that is heavily dependent on Christmas. And that was one of my motivations for actually wanting to start this in the first place was to get a little taste of that Black Friday and Christmas madness. And yeah, it seemed like Friday was up about two and a half X. It seems like Monday's going to end about that too. So it was nice. I don't know how that compares to a typical Black Friday and Cyber Monday though. I really have almost no reference point because like you, Mike, most of my brands have always been, uh, not very dependent on Christmas on the holidays. Mike Jackness (03:34.474) Yeah, I mean, I think that sounds about right. You know, two and a half X seems to be what we've seen in the past. I think that that's a pretty good, pretty good result. DJ (03:44.017) Yeah. So on to today's topic, I guess, uh, as we're talking about our brands, uh, I think today's topic is what you're looking for in your next project and your next business. And I, I'm not sure if we're going into this totally as a blank slate. I'm not sure if that is actually e-commerce related, or you're looking at starting a coffee shop. Uh, so I'll let you take it away. And what exactly that next business, Hey, you're doing some competitor research. Mike Jackness (04:05.576) I've got my coffee right here. Yeah, I don't think it'll be a coffee shop. And I do think it'll be an e-commerce. I really do enjoy e-commerce. There's a lot of really good benefits to it. I also think that no matter, I've learned my lesson in terms of like the grass is greener type of thing, right? And so it's easy to start daydreaming about some other thing that's out there that can potentially make you more money. But the reality is you often forget about all the work and effort you put into what you're already doing And oftentimes that even though you know, there is a potential It's just potential and something else and the chances of success aren't as high And so I don't know. I think that I've got my ten thousand hours and then some into Indie ecommerce, so it's something that I would definitely like to stick with but yeah, I mean I I think everything's an evolution and I think it'll look wildly different than that what I'm doing right now. It'll just still be sewing things online. DJ (05:10.625) Okay. So that's, uh, that's Clara's mud e-commerce business. It's going to look different. All right, guys, that's a wrap. So what are the qualities in all seriousness? What are the qualities that you're looking for in that e-comm business? Mike Jackness (05:14.978) Hahaha Mike Jackness (05:19.435) Well, let's. Mike Jackness (05:24.918) Maybe we should look at from the other perspective of where we're at now and what the struggle is right now and what I'm trying to mitigate against, which is that we're in this situation right now selling the same thing that everybody else sells. There's really just absolutely no differentiation to our product versus the next guy. And the gap continues to close between where we've been able to have success and where we're heading to, which is that we've had success because we've had really high quality listings with good copy, good images, good customer service, lots of reviews, et cetera. But what I see is that the competition is accelerating quicker than the platform. Maybe at one point, the platform, you know, being Amazon. DJ (06:16.765) Mm-hmm. Mike Jackness (06:18.442) was growing quicker than there was competition. So even when there was competition coming into the market, your sales would still grow because there were so many new people coming onto the Amazon marketplace. But I just, by the raw numbers, I actually don't know how many prime members there are in the United States. I probably should know that number off the top of my head, but 100 million, 150 million, whatever it might be, it's let's say 30% to 50% of people in the United States. you're never going to get 100% saturation. And at some point, you're kind of hitting peak saturation of just potential shoppers on Amazon. And you know. DJ (06:54.361) Yeah. And I think the way to look at it actually, objectively, you're right. Like there's only, you can't have 400 million prime shoppers in America. There's not enough people. But all you have to do is look at Amazon's P&L and you can see that their retail sales last year were basically flat. They had revenue gains from advertising and other services, but their retail sales were essentially flat. Mike Jackness (07:04.839) Right, there's not enough people. Mike Jackness (07:11.635) Yeah, exactly. Mike Jackness (07:18.31) Exactly. And so when you look at the dynamics of that, where Amazon's, let's just say their revenue is flat in the United States, I do think that expanding out of the United States is an opportunity. We're also still pigeonholed a little bit again, because the types of products are selling. We're FDA registered in the US, trying to get other nationalities to approve these products and go through that process. I just don't think it makes sense for us right now. where we have done that in the past for other brands. And so, you know, if Amazon is hitting peak saturation in the United States, and competition continues to grow, and margins continue to erode, because when you have more competition, there's always somebody there that's willing to sell it for less. They're doing it for whatever reason, right? They're breaking into the market, and so they're stowing at a low price to try to get traction. They are... living in a lower rent, lower cost of living jurisdiction around the world, and they don't need to make as much money as I do to pay for my lavish Vegas lifestyle. There's always someone willing to do it for less. When there's more people that are in that category, it makes it more difficult for me to price my products and make the margins that I need to. to justify the risk that I'm taking by running these businesses because there is a risk, right? I mean, at any point your account could get shut down or you could get sued or Amazon could tumble and fall. There could be a recession. There's always things that happen in business. Over 19 years, I've experienced a lot of them. And so I think that you need to make enough money to justify the risk. You're holding hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory at any one time. It feels like a hot potato. And so... Just trying to think through all these different things makes me want to shift into a very different environment where we're making products that are maybe a one of a kind or certainly much more difficult for somebody to just grab off of Alibaba or at the Canton Fair or through a sourcing agent from someplace in the world. DJ (09:35.525) Yeah. So I guess your first two points, if you want to boil it down, number one is you're looking for a product that has opportunity for international expansion. And with the products you're selling right now, they're basically a health product. And that makes expanding internationally a bit of a barrier and a bit of a difficulty. So looking for a product that is a little bit more easily expanded internationally. So running shoes don't have any international regulation around them into expanding into Australia or the UK or Canada or wherever. Mike Jackness (09:57.888) Yup. Mike Jackness (10:04.354) Yep, exactly. So, yeah, so I think, you know, shift and, okay, go ahead. DJ (10:07.425) So on that note, just before you go there, so our products are, most of our brands and most of our products don't face any international regulation in terms of import restrictions. The barrier that we've always had is, you know, you wanna expand to Luxembourg, but how do you justify getting that inventory in to serve the 12 people that live in Luxembourg? And that's always been the big barrier for us is that you need to hit a certain scale before you can warrant that international expansion. Mike Jackness (10:28.938) Right, right. DJ (10:36.253) And for us, Canada is about 25% of our sales. It works out well because, you know, I'm Canadian and geographically Canada and the United States are close, but expanding to a lot of these other countries, it is a big logistical issue. So, do you think that will be an issue? Do you think that you can overcome that, especially as you're starting up with a brand that's, you know, doing low thousands of dollars a month in sales in the very beginning? Mike Jackness (10:36.31) Yeah. Mike Jackness (10:40.994) Yep. Mike Jackness (11:01.898) Yeah, I mean, I think it all depends on how you're getting your sales and the size and weight of the product. Are you shipping individual orders from here to overseas via some of these lower cross programs or are you having to land inventory in an NOAA jurisdiction first? So I think that there's still quite a bit that remains to be kind of figured out because I think there are certain criteria which we're going to go over here next that I am looking for. Being able to expand internationally, I look at as a long-term thing. I don't look at that as month six, I need to go expand internationally. I look at that as in year six maybe, after I've hit saturation in the US and now I have enough of a war chest or my logistics and manufacturing has spun up to a point where it makes sense to where I can efficiently break into another country. logical choice, as you said, is geographically close. It's same language. There's a whole bunch of huge benefits. You can even get started by just shipping stuff across the border, onesie twosies at a time to customers versus having to get inventory landed to test things. It's much easier. And so, yeah, I think of that as a longer term thing. It's just one of those things where I think it's a natural thing for a business to hit a point where... your business or your SKUs have hit saturation in the US and you'd be looking to expand internationally. DJ (12:34.333) Yeah, interesting. I am totally with you where I think that is where the profit centers are in smaller markets and smaller marketplaces, even though the bulk of the sales may come from the United States and that justifies the orders. Ultimately, it's the smaller marketplaces and smaller markets, which really move the profit needle. So, okay, you talked about customization too, and I know you're talking about a few other things. I don't know if you want to riff on that for a minute Mike Jackness (12:55.806) Yeah. Mike Jackness (13:03.85) Well, let's go through criteria because I have a list. I'm prepared with a list of things. So my number one thing at the top of the list is margin. Right? It just the idea of buying something for $10 and selling it for 30. We've discussed this many times on the podcast. I think that those days are just completely like way long gone in the rearview mirror. DJ (13:06.081) Sure. Okay. Mike Jackness (13:29.262) And so I'm thinking in terms of buying for 10 and selling for 50 as like the absolute bottom line floor. And so, you know, what qualities and criteria of a product do you have to have to be in that ballpark are the things that I'm looking at. Yeah, go ahead. DJ (13:44.821) So before you move on to that, why are you looking for margin? Because I know it sounds like a silly question, but I am totally with you. And I think perhaps my revelation for why I'm looking for margin is my reason is probably one of your reasons too, but I bet you it's probably not your number one reason. So what's the number one reason why you're looking for margin? Mike Jackness (14:04.694) Well, I mean, for me, it's really just the ability to be able to advertise. You know, it's, uh, this, this is not a new thing just because I, I'm going to tell you the story from last week, but, uh, cause I've been talking about this for quite a while, but I was with a buddy of mine in Los Angeles, uh, last week. And I went to a wedding in Los Angeles. It was a great time. And I had to pick one person that I, uh, that I can go see cause I only had like a very limited time. I flew in and flew right back out. Uh, and so I just kind of. went down my list of who I hadn't seen the longest and went to go see him. And after we had lunch, he asked me to look at his Facebook ads account and just kind of give him some recommendations. I'm like, holy crap, dude, like you're spending so much on these ads. Like you can't, he was getting like a two X row as I'm like, you're getting just slaughtered. He's like, no, I'm not like I'm actually still making money with this. And I was like, holy crap, like what do you, you know, we still we got into like, what are you buying this for and blah, blah. God, what a refreshing change of mindset, right? Where you're just like, I can afford to spend this money on these ads in a world where that's gonna be more and more prominent. Like you think about where things came from when you and I first got started a decade ago to where they are now, to where they're gonna be going another decade from now. It isn't like less and less people are gonna be involved in e-commerce and there's gonna be... less and less social platforms or whatever other platforms are out there that we can't even imagine 10 years from now, ads are going to continue to be more and more competitive. It's all going to be moving electronic. Just can't imagine a world where that goes any different. We're not going to go back to print. We're not going back to newspapers or national television programs to be advertising. It's all going to be these micro-advertising experiences. having the ability to have a product that you can spend that much money on that appeals to a certain segment of the population because again, now you have to be having a high-end product, something that people emotionally fall in love with and are making a purchase based off of that versus just they've typed in something into a search bar in Amazon and just want to buy and solve a problem. And so... Mike Jackness (16:27.694) I think that margin really comes down to all that. It also, there's a bunch of ancillary things that I think are important. I mean, besides just letting you spend money on advertising, it allows you to have a longer, more longevity in your business, right? Like as costs continue to go up, which is always going to be the case. Like there's never been a year I'm like, ah, prices went down this year from my cost of goods or from my ad cost or from my platform cost or for shipping cost or... for my anything, right? Like insurance and electric, whatever. Like every year, everything goes up. There's inflation plus, you know, just platforms get better at extracting fees and Amazon's really good at that. You know, and so I think that you start with kind of the end in mind. It isn't like, oh, because I, obviously I'd love to have a product that I can buy for a dollar and sell for five years ago or whatever. But like. where things are going, I think that we're going to be talking about like, I'm going to buy something for a dollar and sell it for seven longer term. This is going to become a more and more difficult thing to overcome. I want to set the bar high now to allow me to have a business that three to five years from now, when I'm thinking about potentially selling it, there's still a healthy margin as things do erode. DJ (17:33.36) Yeah. DJ (17:54.097) Yeah, 100% agree with both of those. And I'll tell you why the other reason that has been my kind of epiphany over the last couple of years, when it comes to margin. Uh, so we have historically sold a lot of really expensive products. Let's say a thousand dollar rooftop tent. Uh, we'll buy it for 500. We sell it for a thousand. Let's say we make 10% on it and we make a hundred bucks on it. However, all our money is in that cogs and paying that six months before we actually sell it. We have to place the order and then. six months later, we sell the product and we get the money. However, if you're putting all your money into advertising, that's where your costs are, is that you're dependent on advertising. You pay that net 30, you don't pay it six months in advance. So the problem is when all of your costs are in cogs, instead of advertising and marketing, you're paying that six months in advance and it's a huge cashflow issue. And that's why almost all these companies that scale really quick, e-commerce brands that scale really quick, they have high margins, not because at the end of the mine where I have all my money tied up in cogs, it's because they're able to utilize their cash a lot more efficiently than I am because they're paying for their advertising marketing costs 30 days after they incur them, not six months before. And having all your money tied up in cogs and having this really tiny gross margin, even though your net margin might be the same as Mike's watch brand, it is just a total hindrance to being able to scale that company. It's one of the things I've realized. over the last couple of years is why all these companies that have these massive gross margins where they're buying for a dollar and selling for a hundred, while they're able to scale, even though at the end of the day, their marketing and advertising costs mean that their net margins are still the same as me. So that's been my big revelation on why I'm now looking like you might mention five X, but you know, even six and seven X. Mike Jackness (19:40.522) Yeah, and there's lots of things out there, shockingly, that do fall in that category. But you have to do more work. Right? I mean, there's nothing in that bucket that's easy, right? In terms of just sourcing it off of Alibaba and then turning it around. Not that I'm aware of, at least. It's things that require a little more work, which we'll talk about here in a minute, because that isn't the... The second biggest thing for me in terms of when I'm going down my list of things that like are must haves, if margin is number one, number two is the ability to sell more to the same customer. Like I find this to be incredibly high up the list and really, really important factor into whatever business I'm into next. Because again, as we just talked about, as ad costs continue to go up. and competition is going up, the ability to recover your sunk cost from getting that first sale needs to be able to be divided eventually across two, three, four, 10 plus sales. And so this is a very important factor for me. We do have repeat business for ice wraps. It isn't like it's zero, but I don't spend a lot of time email marketing or doing Again, Black Friday, Summer Monday sales or the types of things that a brand that has the ability to sell inherently more to the same customer does. Because if we do our job right, someone's buying our product once and never buying it again. And it's pretty rare for you to buy a health related product again for a friend or family. It's just not normal to like, you know, for Christmas or. for a birthday or whatever to give somebody an ankle ice wrap because you heard that their ankle was hurting because if their ankle is hurting, they're going to buy the thing right then and there. And so it does happen. And so the reason we have repeat business is that we're selling to other businesses. And we see this on our Amazon dashboard. We see this from our Shopify sales. It's the chiropractor office. It's the dentist office. It's the physical therapy office. We also sell customized packs. We're like literally it's those customers that are getting their name printed on these Mike Jackness (22:04.494) products that they then hand out almost as like a business card to have their repeat business of people coming back to the chiropractor or the dentist or the physical therapist. And so we do have repeat business there, but there's only so many of those companies out there and we're never going to get into hiring a salesperson and calling on these types of offices and trying to convince them to buy our products. It just isn't where my expertise is. And I don't think that… It makes tons of sense to try to do that. But what I'm thinking of is more in terms of what we have with Color It, where someone's using up a page or a gel pen or a pencil and they're actually consuming our products similar to a can of shaving cream or a razor blade every single time they use the product. And so, or if it is something that's giftable. So like they buy one. They... maybe it isn't consumable, but they might buy another one from themselves or another two or three from themselves, or they'll find themselves really liking the product. When it comes time for the holidays or for a gift, they're like, man, I enjoy this product so much I want to give it to somebody else. Whatever element that is, I don't really care exactly what the product is necessarily as long as it hits that criteria of I can get somebody to buy my products more than once. DJ (23:31.985) So high repeat rate. I hear two things that either means A on Amazon, subscribe and save or B off Amazon. Mike Jackness (23:40.37) Right. And it even can't be on Amazon. Like, I mean, Color products weren't subscribe and save, and people were buying them off Amazon more than once. Right? It's like they're looking, they're seeking out our brand or our other products, because they weren't buying the same exact product. But subscribe and save certainly would be great, you know, if you think about a food product or other products or whatever that makes sense in terms of subscribe and save. That certainly is, it certainly is an angle. All the other things that come with your building a brand, sinking money into building an email list, sinking money into YouTube or SEO, building out your Amazon store, brand story, talking to Amazon influencers, just having your stuff out there to where once you have a customer, they're going to love your products and type in your stuff and seek it out. Color it was and is a search term on Amazon. You'd be shocked at how many people were actually searching our brand name. Uh, and that's something that I think is, is really important because again, they, they might buy color at Mondalas version one and then go out and look for volume two or go look like, man, I really love this, this product. I'm going to go type in color at coloring book and go look for other titles that are, that are out there. And so while it might not fit in the subscribe and save thing, it's still fit in the, uh, the repeat business category. And so certainly, however, However that is, whether it's subscribe and save or they're seeking us out, I think is an important component. DJ (25:12.837) Yeah, I would have agreed with you two or three years ago. I think if you're not subscribed and saved now, the chances of any repeat customer on Amazon occurring is very, very small. So first off, even outside of on Amazon, somebody finding your product on Amazon and then going and buying through your website, like they might have a few years ago, I don't think that really happens anymore. Amazon has complete monopoly over people's purchase behavior where they're not going to buy from another website. It's just. You know, even when we ran anchoring.com and anchoring.com or 80% of our sales, that just can't exist today just because there's so much loyalty to Amazon. So the idea of that, somebody finding the product on Amazon, going to your website and buying probably unlikely. I also think. Mike Jackness (25:56.662) Well, I'm not suggesting they come that they I'm not trying to drive them off Amazon to our website I'm just trying to get them to buy more from Amazon DJ (26:02.529) Yeah. And I think even that trying to get people to buy more on Amazon, that is relying on branded search, even if you get it to occur, there's so much advertising noise on Amazon, that somebody filtering through all that and making their way to your Mike Jackness, uh, sweater page, really, really hard to do a lot harder to do nowadays than it was before. However, my mindset, again, maybe I'm completely wrong, but my mindset is that those two don't work, but the one area that does work incredibly well is subscribe and save because. You get that repeat purchase behavior happening over and over again. It's automatically added to the cart every three to four weeks or whatever interval they set and it's there basically forever. So that's my way of looking at it. If you can do subscribe and save for an item, man, you are golden. But other than that, it's tough on Amazon. I could be wrong. I'd love again, on the comments, if anybody has a business on Amazon that has a high repeat purchase rate, not in subscribing, say I'd love to hear about it. But that's my opinion, really hard, a lot harder now on Amazon than it used to be. Mike Jackness (27:04.106) Yeah, I think that one of the qualities that would exist here, it wasn't actually on my list, but it's certainly up there. It's actually funny that you brought this up, but something that would work well multi-platform, which is a unicorn in itself as well, because it's typically a product that's really well suited for Amazon or it's really well suited for DDC off Amazon via Shopify and Instagram or Facebook ads or whatever. There's a small subset of products that... DJ (27:17.249) Mm-hmm. Mike Jackness (27:33.27) that the Venn diagram overlaps. That would be another quality that I'm looking for as well. I mean, it wasn't specifically on my list, but it is an important quality, because then you have an ability to go after particular keywords in search on Amazon and have that business, and then also have an ability to do SEO. and have it go directly to your Shopify store, having the ability to do DTC ads, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, et cetera, all the things that I find to be really fun. Maybe that has a lot to do with it. It's like, I want to have fun and enjoy what I'm doing, which is certainly an important component for me to be able to do that is really important. And so I think, it's an interesting way to articulate it different than what I was thinking, but certainly that would be another component that would be important to me where I sit down and go, man, like this product, will never do well on Amazon, I think that doesn't make a lot of sense. Or you get, you look at a product, this is only something that's going to do well on Amazon, it'd be very difficult to, like right now, that's kind of where we're at. We have a product that's difficult to sell off Amazon. They do sell, we sell them on our website, but SEO, et cetera, is not really a great long-term strategy. I mean, the brand that we just sold back this summer worked well on both platforms. We had expanded to Shopify. being almost a quarter of our business from starting at almost zero when we bought it. So I think that that's an important thing. So you're not platform handcuffed. I only picked three things to talk about today because I know we have a limited amount of time. And so that was not on my list, but very interesting nonetheless. DJ (29:17.221) Yeah. And I know it's not on your list, but actually you brought up a really good point there. More fun, more enjoyable to run. Not necessarily more profitable. So this is kind of for me too, is like I'm trying to imagine, okay, what's a business that I'm going to be really excited to run and tinker on a day-to-day basis. And the truth of it is, you know, a Shopify site, we can debate the pros and the cons of it from a profitability standpoint compared to Amazon all day long. Mike Jackness (29:38.688) Yep. DJ (29:46.173) The truth of it is, at least for me and probably for you too, Mike, it's a lot more fun to run. It's a lot more fun to tinker with your funnels and your landing pages. I'm like, how can I increase my conversion rate? Uh, 0.001% by, you know, affecting this email campaign. Um, it just allows you to scratch that marketer itching you a little bit more because Amazon is really product based and, uh, you know, uh, me and you are probably more marketing based and product based and Having a Shopify site is just a lot more fun for scratching that marketing itch that we get than Amazon profitability aside. Mike Jackness (30:22.686) Yeah, I mean, absolutely no doubt. I mean, I don't know. Like, I think a lot of it comes down to being able to interact with your customers, right? With Amazon, it really feels so isolated. They've made it more and more isolated. And I love when they put these polls up in their back end that we have to look at every day, because it just shows you how disconnected management and Amazon is every single day. We should make that the way that we open the podcast every week is just to make fun of the poll. in the back end of Amazon. Today's poll is when I appeal a listing suspension, Amazon responds in a timely manner. If they actually think that that's what happens, if they're expecting everybody to be like, I agree, strongly agree, they're fooling themselves. One of the questions that came up recently was like, I have the ability to interact with my customer. I was like, what do you mean my customer? You guys explicitly say that it's not my customer, it's your customer. Do not contact them under any uncertain circumstances. I don't know, I think that that's pretty funny and I do feel isolated from it. DJ (31:23.073) Well, I'm sure they do it because they know the answer is either going to be 1% or 5%. Like that actually grew that answer and they're looking at, yeah, we got 5% this week. So I'm sure that they're completely aware that those questions are going to result in overwhelmingly negative responses. So there must be some strategy behind why they do it, but it does feel a little toned every time you log into Amazon, you see these questions, which are just infuriating. And I know that data is probably valuable to them and they understand what kind of Mike Jackness (31:44.116) Yeah. DJ (31:53.141) Like it really is infuriating and that's totally an aside, but I'm with you Mike. Every time I log in there and I see these questions, it's like, dude, like just be a little bit more sensitive. Mike Jackness (31:55.083) Yeah. Mike Jackness (32:02.707) Yeah, yeah, I mean, I don't know. It's funny, but yeah, that definitely is a very, I don't know, I really got a lot of joy out of being able to interact and do that and feel connected to my customers, my tribe, my people, seeing how that was affecting them in a positive way. And that really is infectious and makes you want to go design and do more things. And so yeah, it's certainly something I would be looking for as well. DJ (32:28.449) Well, it's a good thing that customers never complain and never find your cell phone number on a six o'clock on a Saturday night by calling your three PL and then calling UPS to see if they can give you the phone number to the owner of EcomCrew LLC. But yeah, I think back to that. I totally agree with you, dealing with customers on a day-to-day basis. It's really nice when you get... Mike Jackness (32:40.648) Yeah. Yeah, well that's you, so. DJ (32:56.969) than 95% of them who have a positive experience, but there's always going to be somebody that gets their product that arrives late and it was like a Christmas gift and it shows up on December 26th, uh, completely out of your control. But still they find that number, your phone, personal phone number somehow if they're with the repel or some other mechanism. Um, and so definitely that part, I don't know if I'm with you on that one. Uh, looking forward to dealing with all customers cause I know the bag go with the good. Mike Jackness (32:59.682) Yeah. Mike Jackness (33:24.138) Yep. All right, so let me get my third thing out of the way here because we're already, we go over time every single time, but it's a fun conversation. And my list is quite a bit long on this, but these are just the top three things I had on my list. The last one here is some sort of a moat, right? And so, you know, whether I'm building a, depends on the size of the castle, the size of the moat or whatever, but you're just thinking through things of how difficult is it. to duplicate my business. And I want it to be as hard as possible for somebody to recreate what I do. And now that doesn't mean impossible because that's just ignorant. Everything can be copied. But I want it to be more difficult than the average person is willing to do. And more difficult than nine out of 10 people in fact are willing to do, right? And so... I know there will be other people that will be willing to do it, but I want it to be something that requires a sizable capital investment to get started, and so people stay away because of that. Maybe it's something that requires signing a lease or getting a warehouse for and having employees here and doing something, and that's the thing. Maybe it's something that has intellectual property or a patent, and that becomes the defense. Maybe it's something that has all three of those things, which would be... even more exciting. But certainly again, what I'm trying to prevent is the 7 billion people around the world that have access to these platforms from being able to do the exact same thing I'm doing with relative ease, which is the exact spot that I'm in right this second. Again, we have a brand that I bought in 2015 that luckily has had tremendous success and I bought this brand for $50,000. It will be a huge success story the day that we sell it. It's been our cash cow. But again, it doesn't mean that I want to continue to do this indefinitely, because the last year has been a struggle. It hasn't been a cash cow this last year. It's certainly getting more and more difficult. And so looking at what we have here, which is, again, zero defensibility. Anywhere in the world can go get these products and sell them against us. And Mike Jackness (35:49.238) They will struggle to start with because just making a nice listing and selling it for less doesn't really get you a whole lot of traction or get you anywhere. But over time, there will be people and things that stick. And we certainly have a lot of competitors out there now selling the exact same product. And realistically, it's just as good. You put it in the freezer, it gets cold. You throw it in the microwave, it gets hot. I don't have the same excitement about it as color. stand in traffic defending those products all day long because they were truly better. They were really great products that people really love and they were defensible. And so I had everything was a little extra property, it took a big investment. And so you mentioned customization earlier. That's certainly one of the things I've been looking at because if you're doing customization and being able to ship and get it there quickly, inherently you probably need to do that in the United States. There are some things that can be. DJ (36:46.094) Mm-hmm. Mike Jackness (36:47.746) customized abroad and then ship because there are some huge leaks in our system. It's crazy. You can ship stuff from China to the United States cheaper than just shipping from Nevada to Nevada. I was just at my buddy's house today. He does e-commerce stuff and he printed me out a label because it's cheaper than going to the post office. But a medium flat rate box is up to $14.75 now. It's crazy. I mean, and you can literally ship something from China to here. DJ (37:10.439) Yep. Mike Jackness (37:14.782) In something like five to seven days, we've had people on the podcast talking about this for less than that. There are customized things that you can ship from around the world, but I'm not talking about like trade show pens here or something that's just your run of the mill commodity customized stuff. I'm talking about something that has a little bit more uniqueness to it than that. There's a lot of things I've been looking at in that regard. Again, something that has some sort of emote where the complexity becomes the opportunity. And I am, you know, I've always been willing to work hard. I've been a hard worker my whole life. I feel like, you know, I've had a pretty easy the last few months. And so certainly it'd be easy to go back into, and we're settled here now, which is the other cool thing. I mean, we're just not going anywhere. And so having a warehouse and having people here to do that stuff would be, it'd be a good timing for us. And if that's what it took. And so, It'll make it more difficult for other people out there that are just getting started, the people that are listening to this that don't want to make those steps. But for me, again, I'm willing to do it. I think that it seems crazy to not do e-commerce. All the skills, again, are very applicable. I still want to be able to sell whatever these products are on Amazon. I still want to be able to launch that Shopify store and sell. sell on Shopify, I still want to be able to run Facebook ads, TikTok ads, Instagram ads, Google ads, do some SEO, do email marketing, and work with influencers and have all this ecosystem and things that I've worked really hard on to learn all these skill sets. It seems like nothing to me because you're learning a little bit at a time and it makes it feel like you haven't learned a whole lot. I never went to college for psychology, but there's like a term for this of where... You know, something seems easy because you're learning it one day at a time. But if you try to tell somebody that is just getting started, how to sell their products online, and you had to like verbally tell them this, you know, almost like you had a podcast telling people about this. I mean, you'd be there for weeks and months and years, like verbally trying to exhaust what you have in your head to somebody. DJ (39:17.17) Almost like you had a podcast. DJ (39:28.469) you would be on episode 525. Mike Jackness (39:31.466) which I think this might be exactly episode 525, or it's very close to it. And so, you know, I think there's a lot to be said for that. I mean, we have 10,000 hours in podcasting. So, yeah, I mean, it's something that I've definitely put a lot of thought into, and I want to be able to kind of have my magnum opus e-commerce brand, which will... Now, here's the hard part is that I'm kind of committed to this one thing strategy right now. And so... I cannot start doing that until this current thing is complete. And it has been tough. It's been tougher to get out of bed than it has been in a long time and work on the stuff I have to work on because it's not exciting. I mean, it really is not the fun stuff, but it has to get done. DJ (40:22.697) Amen. All right. So that's your idea for a business. Not going to happen for until you can finish this one thing. And then you're going to find this unicorn of a high margin, high repeat customer, big moat business. And then you're going to partner with me on it. Mike Jackness (40:37.01) I don't think it's a unicorn. Yeah, well, I mean, I need someone to help me sell in Canada. I don't think it's a unicorn. You know, I really don't. There's a lot of things that I've been looking at. I don't necessarily know that I want to mention them all here on the podcast right this second, but there's a lot of things. I mean, there really is a lot of… There are hundreds of different types of products and ideas. DJ (40:44.481) Sorry. Mike Jackness (41:06.518) that can be done. Now, I guess it is a unicorn when you figure that there's probably a billion freaking products online. Like literally, I think that's probably not an exaggerated number. And so we're talking about hundreds or thousands into a billion, okay, maybe it is a unicorn from that perspective. But it's not like the true unicorn of like, there's only one. Like I think that there's a lot of things that fit this criteria. What doesn't fit this criteria is just the, I'm going to again, DJ (41:12.904) Yep. Mike Jackness (41:37.034) just be a faceless, mindless reseller of products on the internet, which is getting close to max saturation. DJ (41:45.949) Yeah. And I poke fun at you because it sounds like you've described a unicorn, but the truth of it is basically what you're saying is that you want a business with, uh, more margins to support higher advertising costs, uh, and more margin probably to support a little bit of customization, a manual input locally. Uh, and that kind of leads back to your higher margin part, not because necessarily your net margins at the end of the day are going to be any higher than the business that you have now. It's just going to be a little bit more of a, uh, of a different rejiggering of where those costs occur, which Ultimately, we'll give you more defense build. Mike Jackness (42:20.002) Cool, well we have hit the 42 minute mark of this podcast so we're already way over our target as I mentioned but hopefully this gives people some things to think about as we're ending 2023 heading into 2024 which is crazy. It's another year it's gone by. quickly so it's getting close time for our top episodes, episodes and what we're thinking about doing in 2024. It's crazy this is all happening and time to take the year end break and vacation. So we will probably not have an episode here that last week of the year just to because most people are out in some outer space spot. But yeah, getting close to wrapping up another year. It's crazy. DJ (43:01.089) Cool, well, we will chat in the next one whenever that is. Mike Jackness (43:04.342) Whenever that is. All right, until that one everybody, happy selling. We'll talk to you soon.

Today, I’m thrilled to have a regular back on the show, Mike Jackness. Mike is the founder of Ecom Crew and he owns many e-commerce brands. But out of all his companies, we just happen to own one together.  In this episode, we give you all the details about our recent exit and sale. What You’ll Learn The details of our recent company exit The future of e commerce and AI Why Mike sold a number of his brands and laid off his team Other Resources And Books EcomCrew Sponsors SellersSummit.com – The Sellers Summit is the ecommerce conference that […] The post 506: Insider Details About Our Recent Company Exit With Mike Jackness appeared first on MyWifeQuitHerJob.com.

Ecomcrew Premium is finally opening in the next few days! Join the waitlist to get a discount for Black Friday, and get access to a community of like-minded e-commerce sellers.  Dave joins Mike in this episode to talk about the Pros and Cons of building a community and content site through affiliate marketing in comparison to a product-based business. With Ecomcrew being open, Dave and I thought it'd be a good time to reflect and compare the differences between a content site and product site.  We talk about the pros and cons of building a community, the various platform risks in digital businesses that are unavoidable and our personal experiences with getting hit with a Google Update that ultimately led to less visitors. Here are some timestamps to help you along:  Audio Timestamps: Introduction - 0:00  Migrating out of South California for Ecommerce - 1:30 The Good, Bad and Ugly with Running a Content Site - 6:11 Running a Digital Platform on Your Own Platform - 8:00 Platform Risks - 8:52   Amazon is EASIER to Appeal to? [shorts] - 11:00  Getting Shut Down by Google [shorts] - 12:31 Google Penalties - 14:05  Running a Content Business vs Product Business - 14:53 Amazon Only Rewards Marketing > Quality [shorts] - 15:19  Difference Between Amazon and Google - 18:34 Being Labelled as "Gurus" - 22:06 Difference Between Ecomcrew vs. Gurus - 27:58 Pros of Building a Community - 29:17 Cons of Building a Community - 31:40 The Full Customer Funnel of Ecomcrew Premium - 32:46 Networking with Ecomcrew - 35:52 New Ecomcrew Premium Features - 37:11  As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.