Podcasts about like amazon

Send us a textCulture isn't just a buzzword – it's the foundation that determines whether businesses thrive or merely survive. This conversation dives deep into why prioritizing people before products and profits creates sustainable success. The research is clear: money only impacts happiness up to about $75,000 per year. Beyond that threshold, purpose and meaning take precedence – especially among younger generations seeking work-life balance and connection to something greater than themselves. We explore how sharing your long-term vision with team members creates buy-in and alignment that ripples throughout your organization.Core values deserve special attention. Generic principles like "honesty" and "integrity" fall flat compared to actionable values that guide decision-making. One example shared: "Do what's right, not what's easy" – a principle that team members can apply both professionally and personally. We discuss how businesses impact far more lives than most realize, with a single company potentially influencing thousands of households through its network of clients and their employees.As your business grows, consider establishing a dedicated "culture steward" to maintain your organizational DNA through hiring and onboarding. Like Amazon's famous door desks (still used today as a symbol of frugality), culture-defining elements become powerful when intentionally cultivated. Whether you run a marketing agency, contracting business, or any other enterprise, the message remains clear: happy teams naturally create happy customers. Your culture isn't just nice to have – it's your competitive advantage.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 800-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Brad and Dan discuss the chaos unleashed by Donald Trump's recent tariffs and draconian deportation policies. They tie these events to broader themes of Christian nationalism, authoritarianism, and Trump's governing style. The episode covers Trump's unpredictable tariff policies, the economic repercussions, and the administration's harsh immigration practices, including erasing the social security numbers of migrants and canceling student visas. Dan & Brad touch on the theological implications, the reaction from right-wing pundits, and the disturbing vision of a dystopian governance model inspired by business efficiencies, culminating in a critique of the Trump administration's approach to ruling without governing. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jorge is officially taking over as the new host of Think Like Amazon. But before diving into fresh conversations, he went back and studied the top episodes. What he found is timeless leadership lessons from insiders who built and scaled Amazon. In this kickoff episode, he breaks down 7 powerful insights (from earning trust to building real customer obsession) that every ambitious leader should hear.Whether you lead a team or just want to level up your thinking, these takeaways will change how you operate.1. (02:50) Long-Term Results Mean Bringing People with You (Ronak Patel, ex-Director of Logistics)2. (06:26) Customer Obsession Goes Beyond Data (Jennifer Arthur, 16-year Amazon veteran)3. (11:58) "Working Backwards" Means Embracing Hard Truths (Colin Bryar, former Technical Assistant to Jeff Bezos)4. (14:06) Earning Trust Can Be Systematic (Justin Maner, ex-Director Amazon Devices)5. (20:56) Simple Solutions Often Win (Dave Anderson, former GM)6. (24:21) Ownership Has Levels (Ethan Evans, former Amazon VP)7.  (28:21) Say YES to Get "Lucky" (Ronak Patel, most listened episode so far) Mentioned in the episode:·       Ronak Patel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronak-patel-nashville/·       Jennifer Arthur: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-arthur-460768/·       Colin Bryar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinbryar/·       Justin Maner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmaner/·       Dave Anderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scarletink/·       Ethan Evans: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/·       Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/think-like-amazon-podcast

The gap between spending money with your restaurant and amazon should not be as big as it is.  - Do you need some help driving sales to your restaurant?   I'm the CEO of America's Best Restaurants. We help restaurant owners get the attention they deserve and find more frequent customers!

In this episode, our expert guest answers your Amazon PPC questions. Learn how a seller scaled from $200K to $4M during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Get actionable tips to optimize holiday sales and achieve remarkable growth!   In this episode, our expert guest answers your Amazon PPC questions. Learn how a seller scaled from $200K to $4M during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Get actionable tips to optimize holiday sales and achieve remarkable growth! ► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft ► Watch The Podcasts On YouTube: youtube.com/@Helium10/videos What if you could transform your holiday sales from hundreds of thousands to millions? Destaney Wishon of BTR Media, our expert guest, reveals the art of crafting your own demand and skyrocketing sales with strategic off-platform investments, such as TV and video ads. We dissect the tactics that took one brand from $200,000 to a whopping $4 million, focusing on differentiating branded and non-branded sponsored product campaigns, and structuring these campaigns based on search intent to maximize their impact. We also break down Amazon advertising strategies for those looking to boost performance and profitability. Discover how to make the most of tools like the Search Query Performance report and Amazon Marketing Cloud for comprehensive insights into conversion rates. Learn to balance profitability with traffic through dual campaigns, explore the potential of DSP for bigger budgets, and navigate the nuances of keyword targeting. With Destiny's insights, you'll be equipped to optimize your strategies using metrics like TACoS and tools like Helium 10 Adtomic for periodic assessments. As we explore the intricacies of Amazon PPC campaign optimization, we cover everything from keyword volumes to match types. Learn how to effectively manage budgets with keyword volume, and understand the importance of automatic and manual campaigns, especially for new product launches. We also touch on the importance of influencer collaborations and product targeting to improve conversion rates in high window-shopping categories. Join us as we conclude with a special Q&A, where Destiny continues to share her expertise and engage with our community. In episode 625 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Carrie and Destaney discuss: 00:00 - Strategies for Amazon Holiday Sales Success 00:35 - Welcome to TACoS Tuesday 06:17 - Optimizing for New Product Launch Strategies 10:26 - Optimizing Amazon PPC Campaigns for Higher Sales 16:56 - Amazon PPC Campaign Optimization Strategies 17:57 - Optimizing Keyword Match Types in Campaigns 21:14 - Influencers and Organic Sales on Amazon 27:02 - More Q&A and Follow-Up Questions Transcript   Carrie Miller: In this week's episode of the Serious Sellers podcast, we have expert Destaney Wishon with us and she's answering all of your questions, and we're going to be talking a little bit about Black Friday and Cyber Monday and how one of her clients actually went from $200,000 to $4 million this holiday season. This and so much more on today's episode of the Serious Sellers podcast.  Bradley Sutton: How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think, think. Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of the Serious Sellers podcast by Helium 10. I'm your host, Bradley Sutton, and this is the show. Well, that's a completely BS-free, unscripted and unrehearsed organic conversation about serious strategies for serious sellers of any level in the e-commerce world, and this episode is our monthly live TACoS Tuesday show, where we talk about anything and everything Amazon and Walmart PPC and advertising related with different guests, and today's host is going to be Carrie Miller. So, Carrie, take it away.  Carrie Miller: Hello everyone, Welcome to TACoS Tuesday. We have our expert guest here, Destaney Wishon. Thanks so much for joining us, Destaney.  Destaney: Happy to be here. Very excited. I mean the chaos of the holidays Black Friday, Cyber Monday, what better time to get all your questions in?  Carrie Miller: Yeah, exactly.  Destaney: On our end, almost across the board, we saw Amazon's extending this holiday period, you know, taking some pressure off of their shipping for two days. So for the first time ever. You know, if we're just comparing Black Friday to Black Friday, year over year, this Black Friday was a little bit lower, but the overall holiday period was up. I don't know if consumer sentiment around shopping is higher, but sales were almost incredible and I would say our ROAS was pretty in line. We had one brand go from $200,000 to $4 million in sales month over month. It's obviously a giftable item, but it was pretty crazy to see that. So it's been really strong now. Carrie Miller: Oh, that's amazing.   Destaney: Didn't run deals whatsoever. You did nothing for lead-in CPCs are up and your sales weren't that much stronger. But for the brands who leaned in, they did fantastic.  Carrie Miller:  That's amazing, was there a specific strategy you think that they changed, because that's a pretty substantial jump.  Destaney:   They did a fantastic job. And this is kind of the new topic I've been coining in my training is when you list on Amazon, you're just capturing the demand. Amazon's doing all the work. They're driving the people that are searching for your product. You're just, you know, you got a little bucket and you're capturing it.  Carrie Miller: Yeah Destaney: What they did incredible was they created their own demand, so they went off platform, they invested in TV and video and they educated their customer based on why they need to buy their product. So when Black Friday, Cyber Monday came along and they typed in their search term, they stood out in the page because the customers were already familiar with their products.  Carrie Miller: Wow, that's, that's pretty incredible. Yeah.  Destaney:   Yeah, it was insane to watch.  Carrie Miller:  I was. I've been curious about the tv ads and how. You know how those are going for people, so that's sounds like they. You can do a really good job with them, depending on- Destaney: 100%. We're seeing a lot of success. It's also just like rewiring your brain. I think a lot of brands are spoiled because sponsor products are so successful. But I'm like, of course they're successful, a customer's already planning on buying you. You didn't do any work, you just fit on a keyword. Like Amazon did the work of bringing people on the platform. Carrie Miller: Very true, so would you like to get on and start answering some of the questions from the audience?  Destaney:    Let's do it. I mean, typically these run over, so we might as well start strong.  Carrie Miller: Well, yeah, okay, this is from Spencer, and he says What is considered best practice for branded sponsored product campaigns. Do you make a separate campaign for each SKU or do you make one campaign and put all the SKUs in it?  Destaney:     It kind of depends. Your branded searches aren't always the same, right, if someone's typing in Coca-Cola Diet Coke versus regular Coca-Cola, you can change your strategy. So we segment based off search intents. We almost always separate branded versus non-branded, like that is table stakes. You have to separate branded versus non-branded campaigns. But when it comes to lining up your SKUs, we depend on search intent. But also from a reporting perspective, it's sometimes nice to break out into single SKU campaigns because then you can look at your TACoS per brand and you can say you know SKU A is doing really well. Maybe I should increase my branded search investment on this SKU and increase my budget on that campaign while pulling back on my branded investment for SKU number two. Breaking out into single SKU campaigns as a whole just makes it really easy to control your budget distribution if you have good naming and good organized campaign structure.   Carrie Miller:   Daniel says afternoon. Is there a I think it's morning for me, but afternoon probably for you guys Is there a golden ratio of CTR to CVR for measuring effectiveness of ad campaigns? Destaney:   I'm not going to give a golden ratio per se because it's really dependent on category. Click-through rate's also really difficult because it depends on things like pricing and reviews. So your advertising is going to be influenced by that. Same for your conversion rate, but your conversion rate. You can figure out what your category is converting on really easy using tools in Adtomic or using the search query performance report and clearly see using brand metrics. Hey, my category is converting at 20%. You should be converting better than category average, like that's kind of the standard. If you're going to increase your ad investment, you need to be converting better than category average. That being said, again, it's also dependent on search intent. Probiotics is going to be a lot more expensive than probiotics for kids back to school, right? So you can't just blanket look at your conversion rate across the board. You have to understand intent.  Carrie Miller:   Awesome. Okay, let's go to Joshua. He says if you came to Helium 10 from an agency and had hundreds of their old campaigns in your account, what is the best practice? Should I delete all of the non-performing campaigns and start over? I am not sure how to proceed. Destaney:   Great question. No matter what software you're transitioning to or an agency you're transitioning to, we don't ever recommend just pausing everything and hard stop. It's really bad for relevancy and it's difficult for the transition. What we do recommend doing is pulling your search term report for the last 60 days. Pull out all of your keywords that are successful and build them out into the new structure that you want to move forward with using the new software and then slowly rolling those out at the same time. As your new campaigns pick up traction, you can slowly pause out your old campaigns that are maybe a bad structure or maybe they're a weird single keyword structure that you don't want to move forward with. You slowly transition them over. First thing pull all your good keywords. Second thing pause all your bad keywords. Third thing slowly launch and transition your budgets over from old to new.  Carrie Miller:     What are the best practices for 2025 for new product launches. What's changed? I mean, I don't know if that's in regards to that's what I would put it, as I think.    Destaney:     I mean I don't know if that's in regards to me, but I would put it as yeah, I think quite a few things have changed. In terms of product launches, I would say driving external traffic is still doing really, really well and something that I think needs to be leaned into. A lot of brands cannot afford the CPCs in the category on a product that has zero reviews, so any way you can use external traffic that's maybe a bit cheaper to get your reviews up before leaning really heavy into Amazon advertising is a little bit more profitable. I would also say we're seeing this transition to creative matters so much more. So, making sure your click rate and conversion rate is good with your main image, but on the Amazon advertising side, really focusing on your sponsor brands, your sponsor brands video, your headline search ads, anything that makes you stand out on the Amazon advertising side. Really focusing on your sponsor brands, your sponsor brands video, your headline search ads, anything that makes you stand out on the page, because when you're launching, you don't stand out on the review perspective, so find unique ways to stand out within the search results.  Carrie Miller:   My product launched in October and I'm struggling to get sales. I've been using auto and manual campaigns, spending between 30 to 50 per day on a $20 product. I've launched the product in another territory where it's selling well. So feel confident with the product and listing. Any suggestions? Destaney:   Yeah, so I would say the first thing is to look at the keywords and really make sure they're the right keywords. Type them into Amazon. Do you see similar products? Once you see similar products, are those products priced at the same as you or are they cheaper than you? Do those products have a lot more reviews than you? Figure out the competitive advantage that they may have over you and improve your listing in that way. On the advertising side, it's really as simple as again looking at the keywords and trying to expand the keywords in which you have that competitive advantage and then optimizing your bids to make sure you can be profitable. The biggest thing, though, I would say, is understanding that competitive advantage. When you type in your main keyword, what do your competitors look like? What's the price? What's the reviews? Is the main image different?  Carrie Miller:   And the next question is from an Elite member of ours. Hi, Andrew. For SB product collection campaigns we find basically all our sales come from top of search. Is that common? Also, is it worth spending time bidding on other placements for those campaigns? Great question.  Destaney:    In general, I would say it is common. If you think about how the search results are set up on desktop and mobile, what is the biggest ad on the page? It's the sponsored brand top of search ad. The headline ads, the sponsored brand ads on the product detail page are typically video. It's not typically product collection, it's sometimes store spotlight and video. The only other sponsored brands that show up on page one are way down in the middle of search, sometimes the bottom of search. So this is very typical, not surprising. You can bid on the other placements. It's not going to drive a huge difference. Just know that the majority of your traffic and visibility comes from top of search because that's where all of the customers are clicking and viewing before they scroll down the page. Carrie Miller:   All right. The next one is from Keith. He says my BSR is improving and my PPC is converting. However, the organic ranking for my main keywords are not improving much. Any advice on how to improve rank?  Destaney:    Yeah, the two biggest factors that you can then break down is sales velocity or conversion rate. So again, figure out your category conversion rate. That's super easy with brand metrics, insights and planning or Helium 10 Adtomic, it's Amazon given data, it's first party data. So look at brand metrics. If you're converting lower than your category, you're going to need to drive a lot more traffic to your category, so you're probably going to need to spend more in order to improve that organic rank. On the flip side, let's say that you are spending more than the category or driving more in the category. Then it comes down to again like improving that conversion rate. It's traffic or conversion. Those are the two levers you really need to consider. So again, traffic the easiest thing to do is spend more it's not always the best answer or improve your listing and convert better, so that way you can easily spend a little bit more.   Bradley Sutton: Did you know that just because you have a keyword in your listing, that does not mean that you are automatically guaranteed to be searchable or, as we say, indexed for that keyword? Well, how can you know what you are indexed for and not? You can actually use Helium 10's index checker to check any keywords you want. For more information, go to h10.me/indexchecker. More information go to h10.me/indexchecker. Carrie Miller:    Hello, 80 to 90% of my PPC campaigns coming from SBV. I see the CPC and SBV a lot lower than sponsored. I am thinking to double down on I'm assuming that's sponsored brand video and let the SP sponsored on the second plan. Would that be a good way of going?  Destaney: This is. I'm not going to say this is wrong, but this is really really unusual to see because on page one there's one sponsor brand video ad, so it's very limited in terms of advertising inventory. On page one there's 15 to 20 different sponsor product camp placements, so almost actually across the board. As an agency with over $100 million in spend, 70% of sales almost always come from sponsored products because they have more real estate and inventory on the page than anything else. Very unusual. Also, sponsored brands view can get competitive really fast because since there's only one placement on page one, when everyone starts increasing bids for that placement, you can kind of lose control as CPCs go up and you're going to lose a lot of your sales velocity. So I love sponsored brands video. It's a great format, but it's very, very limited in terms of advertising inventory and you should be investing more in sponsored products. That is, across the board, the highest sales driving tactic because there's so many more sponsored product placements than anything else.  Carrie Miller: Keith says or asks what is the best way to check my conversion rate versus competitors on keywords?  Destaney: I would say your search query performance report is probably like one of the easiest ways as a whole to look at search query performance. It's not specifically related to advertising. When you're specifically looking at advertising, you can't compare directly on the keyword level. You can look at it at the subcategory level but you cannot see directly on the keyword level. You have to use SQP and then overlay it with the rest of your data.   Carrie Miller: How can you measure the effects of having a loss leader to help bring in additional traffic into your brand or variation listing?  Destaney:    Great question. I would probably dive into AMC for a lot of that. AMC is going to help you understand if someone clicks on one product, do they then end up buying another product? That's the easiest way. Without that, you could probably use depending on where you're advertising the sponsor product to advertise product report to see if people are clicking on one and then buying another. That's a really easy way to justify. It's just limited to only your advertising data where, if you use the appropriate AMC report, then you're gonna be able to see all of your organic data and that's gonna help you understand much better.    Carrie Miller: My sponsor campaigns are doing well when I have a lower bid. Whenever I raise my bid to try and get more juice out of them, my budget gets blown and they become unprofitable. Do you know what I should do in order to make this work for me?  Destaney:    There's really no perfect answer here. I mean is the balance that is Amazon advertising. One of the things that we do to help this is we'll create two campaigns with the same keywords. One of our campaign will be lower bid, focused on profitability, and the other campaign will be higher bid, with focus on sales, and we'll shift our budget back and forth. You know, 70% of our budget is going to go to profitability, 30% of our budget is going to go to the high traffic. That way we're not having to constantly fluctuate our bids. This kind of allows us to move the budget from both to maximize profitability and then, when we're done with that, it's okay, we can shift more and turn on higher sales. It's just easier budget distribution. The other things that you could look at is your bid management strategy. Maybe there's a better middle ground. Are you optimizing for placements? Are you moving broad phrase and exact? Sometimes your long tail keywords are going to be a little bit cheaper from a CPC perspective, so you're going to be able to drive more profitability from your long tail keywords. All of those additional measures are going to be hugely beneficial for the strategy.  Carrie Miller:   The next question is what's your take on DSP and data from AMC?   Destaney: I'm going to start with data from AMC, because it is now available for everyone. Brian Lee asked later on in the chat who can use AMC. Helium 10 has actually rolled it out, so you first need to request your instance being set up, but you do not need to run DSP ads to get access to AMC now. AMC is basically analytics and audience platform that just gives you a ton of insights into your Amazon advertising data. If you're not incredibly familiar with Amazon ads, it's gonna be probably a shiny object syndrome and I don't recommend you dive into it just yet. But if you understand sponsor brands and sponsor display. The second part of this question is what's my take on DSP? DSP has a bad reputation in the space because agencies and or Amazon managed services haven't been running it well, but DSP as a tool is incredible. It's one of the most powerful Amazon advertising tools out there, I would say, if used appropriately. You do need to be spending at least $10,000 on DSP a month for it to make sense, but DSP is incredibly, incredibly powerful for brands that are ready for it.  Carrie Miller: What do you recommend for Ad campaigns when you have separate listing variations. Do you recommend to merge or manage in each campaign??   Destaney: Again, it depends on search intent. In my opinion, if I have a black t-shirt versus a red t-shirt, and that's how they're variated, I like to separate out my campaigns so I can create search terms based off the variations. So I can create search terms based off the variations. If my only variation difference is size. No, not size price $20 variation, $10 variation I may not segment them. I would typically put my lowest price first because that's going to have the highest click-through rate and then lead customers to my other variations. If it's flavor variations, weight variation, something with different search intent, I recommend segmenting campaigns so you can curate your keyword experience.   Carrie Miller: What is a good way to determine keywords that you are ranking for, then comparing them to PPC campaigns to determine which keywords you may not be advertising for? Any quick way to do this.  Destaney:   Quick way is the fun part of this question. So the biggest thing I would say is to 100% 80-28. We kind of look at if we're ranked in the top four. We're going to pull back on sponsored product spend and move budgets to our sponsored brand, so we're winning the top of search and showcasing our brand. That's our overall strategy. You can use TACoS correlation to do this. If you have a TACoS objective, you'll see that when you spend on a sponsored product ad that you're ranked for, your TACoS is going to increase because you're cannibalizing your organic sales. So you can almost use TACoS as a lever to push and pull. It's not a perfect solution but it will help. The second thing to do would be to dive into you know, using Helium 10 and on a monthly, quarterly basis, pulling probably those terms, that on average you're above number four, number eight on, and then we create segmented campaigns for ranking that we can turn on and off as needed. So I don't want to turn off that keyword as a whole, I just want to lower the bids. So I'll shift my budget for my ranking campaigns to my profitability campaign. So I'm still running, but I'm not showing up in the top four sponsored ad placements.   Carrie Miller:    Jason says what is an optimal amount of keywords per exact campaign. I started with 15 or so, but as keyword harvesting creates new targets, the list has grown quite a bit. Break them into new campaigns question.  Destaney: Absolutely I personally don't love harvesting new keywords into an old campaign because it's going  change the performance of your old campaign right. If you have 10 new keywords that aren't proven, then your overall campaign may stop, start performing worse. So 15 is a great number. This is one of those fun like depending on what influencer you follow in the space, you're going to get a different number. It's really dependent on your budget. You know we've had brands that are spending a million dollars a month and they're able to have 100 keywords in a campaign because their campaigns had a thousand dollar budget. So we could afford from a budget perspective to drive traffic to every keyword. If you don't have that budget and you're only at $100 a month or a day, then you're going to need a lot smaller group of keywords to make sure you're collecting data on those keywords. So start with 15, maybe go to 20 to 30, depending on how high you want your budget to be, but then always break them out to new campaigns past that point.  Carrie Miller:   Are exact keywords generally expensive than broad? What, according to you, is the right mix of keywords, match type within a campaign and how many can should be added? Destaney: This is a fun one. There's a ton of misconceptions around this. In my opinion it just depends, because it's an auction model. If someone is bidding more on their exact match term than they are their phrase match, then maybe your exact match keywords are more expensive because your competitor is bidding more. We test all three match types across the board. They all three run in a very similar ACoS or ROAS because we control the bids to what's converting best at that certain point in time. I think for us, phrase match is one of our highest selling match types right now because broad sometimes goes too broad and doesn't convert as well. Exact match typically converts the best but can be the most expensive. If we're in a category where our competitors are bidding a lot more on exact, highly recommend running all three. Later on, someone asks can you put them all in the same campaign? You can. It's not necessarily going to hurt. We break ours up most of the time. There's instances where we won't, just so I can control again where my budget's going. But we continue to test every single keyword and every single match type and then just negate and or pause or lower bids depending on the performance in the CBCs.  Carrie Miller: I recently launched, about two weeks ago. I'm running an automatic and manual campaign. Is there any other campaigns I should be running? Destaney: No, I'd say that's fine unless you have a really high budget and look at maybe video or sponsored brands. Those are going to do really well for you. It's unique advertising inventory but considering it's only been two weeks, I think an auto and a manual is good. An auto is going to be used for keyword research and data collection for you. Use your manual campaign to really control where your traffic's going and then just continue adding those automatic keywords you're finding into your manual campaign.  Carrie Miller: Mike says, I'm in a category where there's a lot of window shopping, so my advertising spend is high as lots of clicks, no and low sales. Long tail keywords have low traffic and the keywords with higher search volume are very general, expensive and saturated by competitors. Any other strategies to consider?  Destaney:   Yeah, I would say, like the home decor, apparel, puzzles those categories can be really difficult because of the window shopping. So you got to think how do you stop someone from window shopping? Video does really really well because then you're educating them on why your product's better and why they're interested. And the good thing with sponsor brands video is if they're just watching the video you don't get charged. You only get charged if they clicked, and if they click they're interested. But again, I'd put this back on you to ask why are people clicking on your listing but not buying? Like even in high window shopping categories, you need to have a competitive advantage. The second thing I would say is product targeting, sponsor product product targeting, sponsor display product targeting can do really well. Target all of the competitors who have lower reviews than you, a higher price point than you, worse reviews than you. These do really well in window shopping categories because, as you mentioned, people are looking at competitors and then clicking on other listings and other listings. So this is a good opportunity to kind of take advantage of that mentality.  Carrie Miller:   Would you also say influencers are probably really the best way for those particular categories.  Destaney:  Yeah, I think influencers do really well because they're again, it's the same as the video concept. You don't want to just capture the demand and be compared to every other product in your category by price or reviews, which is what Amazon's known for. How do you educate a customer on why they need your product before they even click? Influencers, video ads, off-platform traffic does that job.  Carrie Miller:   Do you think Amazon rewards or gives more ranked juice for organic sales more than PPC sales, or do they treat them the same?  Destaney:    I would probably say more to organic sales. This is why your big retail brands your Johnson and Johnson's, your Pepsi or Coke's can get away with having listings that maybe aren't as fantastic because their organic conversion rate is so much higher, right? Even before they were spending a ton like seven years ago when I got started in this space those brands did so well because their conversion rate was higher. Customers were searching for their brand name and buying right, so their organic is already inflated and doing much better. Nowadays, PPC of course plays a role, but Amazon knows that they're going to max out on how much PPC opportunity they can have within the search results, so I think organic is weighted a little bit heavier in terms of conversion rate and click-through rate.  Carrie Miller: Do you ever increase budget on a PPC campaign, even if it isn't maxing out?  Destaney: It doesn't hurt. I don't think it necessarily helps. It can. I've seen a few people kind of make statements like I ran a campaign at $50 a day budget and it did nothing. When I increased it to $500 a day it did something. I've never really seen that, but it doesn't hurt anything. Carrie Miller: Joshua says wait. So I thought it was best practice to segment campaigns, as in keywords and such, to determine the performance. So is it best practice to clump keywords together for campaigns in groups of 10 to 15?  Destaney:   It doesn't really matter. Single keyword campaigns are okay, they don't hurt, but they're a pain to scale. We have brands that have 500 keywords doing well, so I'm not going to create 500 campaigns when it doesn't drive that much added value. We do 10 to 15 because it's controllable, it's easy to scale, it's easy for us to build out. Because it's controllable, it's easy to scale, it's easy for us to build out. In an absolutely perfect world, single keyword campaigns could be the best solution, the most value added, because you can do your placements at the same time, but they're not scalable for most people. Most people don't have the operations to run it appropriately and the software's out there that are recommending single keyword campaigns have a really terrible bid management strategy that doesn't make sense for them. So I would say if you're a small brand, only have one product, go ahead and run single keyword campaigns if you want. Just make sure you have a good system for naming and structuring.  Carrie Miller: This is a good question. If you're new to Helium 10 Adtomic, what's the best place to start? I feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the system.  Destaney:   I would start by saying that that is the nature of Amazon and Amazon probably going to feel overwhelmed. So the biggest thing is to actually go through, like the videos that are directly within Adtomic. Like that's what I would say one of your best bets and start learning each piece individually. That's something that I kind of got overwhelmed with, like in the beginning. Keyword research and bid management that should be our core focus when it comes to advertising. So go through those segmented videos and help yourself understand the system that way. Do you have anything else, Carrie?  Carrie Miller: Yeah, I mean we do have kind of a PPC Academy. If you are a paid subscriber to Helium 10, you can go into that course. But Bradley also has done some. He did some masterclasses on Adtomic and then there's also kind of learn videos, like you were saying, just like watch those little videos for each different thing within the actual tools. There's kind of little training videos. I would suggest doing that. We also have it in our academy. We have videos in our academy that show you how to use Adtomic.  Destaney:   General, it just takes time and, to not get overwhelmed, you have to hop in and you have to test and learn. By the time you learn something Amazon will change some button or some switch. So don't get overwhelmed by like. We have incredible comments and questions that are being asked that I would say are pretty advanced here. So, like, don't get overwhelmed by all of that. Just start simple, start small and you'll figure it out as you go. Carrie Miller:   I think we'll do maybe one more here. I think this is a good one. I use Cerebro to extract keywords from competitors ASINs and then include those as exact and phrase match within the same campaign. As a result, my campaign sometimes ends up with 500 plus keywords. Is this approach okay, or should I create smaller, more segmented campaigns? Destaney:   I'm going to assume what's happening with your 500 plus keywords is only 10 of them are actually getting impressions and clicks. That is the problem with that strategy. Unless you have a thousand dollar a day budget, you cannot afford the data across all those keywords. And what I mean by that is the industry standard is you need anywhere from 10 to 20 clicks per keyword before knowing whether or not it's a keyword that can be optimized right. So let's say 10 clicks at a $1 bid across 500 keywords. I can't do that math. What is 500 times $10? Like 5000?  Carrie Miller: Yeah.  Destaney:  Please, you guys I just got the zeros. This is one of those memes I was like what is the most embarrassing thing you typed into your Amazon or your calculator this year? I was about to say you cannot afford to collect data on all those keywords. You're going way too big and you're going to have campaigns that only have 5 to 10 keywords getting clicks, because that's where all of your budget's going. Your budget's only going to go to those keywords. Amazon's not going to spread it across all of your keywords. So there's no point in doing any of that keyword research when 480 of those keywords you cannot afford to get impressions on. That is why we break them out in a segmented campaign. So I can have a $10 campaign focus on one to two keywords, collecting data. I can turn on and off as my keywords are successful versus your 500. Again, you can't necessarily afford it unless you're going to be spending 5 to $10,000 to collect data on all of those terms.   Carrie Miller:   All right, I think that's the last question. I think you've done an amazing job for pretty much 45 minutes straight answering questions. So thank you. And Andrew says Destaney is the GOAT. And then Cory said “Agreed, this is awesome!”. So thank you so much for joining us for TACoS Tuesday and thank you to everyone in the audience. We had lots of I mean, we still have questions we haven't answered. I'm sorry about that. We just don't have time to do all of them every single time, but if you join next time early, you can get your questions in early, right when we start and get them answered. But thanks again for everyone who joined and also Destaney. If anyone wants to reach you, where can they reach you? Destaney:    Facebook or LinkedIn is probably the easiest. I see a few like good questions that came in last minute. Cory Benson, like all of my content is pretty much on LinkedIn, based around your question, so feel free to follow me on either of those platforms or reach out in the Helium 10 groups. I'm pretty active in those groups, so if you have any questions that we missed, we'd love to hop in and help.   Carrie Miller: Yeah, if you're not following Destaney on LinkedIn, you're missing out, so you got to go go follow her there. So, all right, thank you again, and we'll see you all again next time on TACoS Tuesday.

In this episode of The Burleson Box, Dustin Burleson speaks with Steve Anderson about his book The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon. Listeners will discover key principles and lessons from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's annual shareholder letters, breaking down Amazon's journey to becoming one of the world's most valuable companies. The book identifies Bezos's strategies and provides insights into Amazon's success, organized around fourteen "Growth Principles" within four broad themes:Experiment and Embrace Failure: Amazon uses a culture of experimentation and “successful failures” to foster innovation and pursue big, transformative ideas.Obsess Over Customers and Think Long-Term: Prioritizing customer needs and maintaining a long-term focus drive sustainable growth and loyalty.Simplify Complexity and Leverage Technology: Amazon aims to make processes simpler and more efficient through technology, creating time-saving solutions.Maintain a Startup Mindset and Embrace Bold Risks: Amazon's “Day 1” mentality and willingness to take significant risks keep the company agile and prepared for future opportunities.Links:Learn more about TheBezosLetters.comFollow Steve Anderson on LinkedInGet your copy of The Bezos Letters***The Burleson Box is brought to you by OrthoFi:You know orthodontics, we know how to grow your practice. Start More Smiles with OrthoFi.OrthoFi is the industry-leading solution for patient acquisition, insurance management, and patient collections. Our end-to-end software and services help practices achieve dynamic growth, balanced cash flow, and smoother operations.OrthoFi's practices experience a 2.25 times higher same-day conversion rate compared to the industry average, thanks to our expertise in same-day contracts. We take on the full burden of managing patient onboarding, collections, and insurance processing, allowing your team to focus on delivering best-in-class service.Our comprehensive 180-day collection protocol sets the gold standard for delinquency management, achieving an average net collection rate of 98%.Dr. Tara Gostovich of TG Orthodontics shared:"I feel like the cost is less than a staff member, but yet you have an entire team. So, I don't look at the cost of OrthoFi as it's too expensive. It's too expensive to not have it."Learn more today at StartMoreSmiles.com*** Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, exclusive study guides, special edition books each quarter, powerpoint and keynote presentations and two tickets to Dustin Burleson's Annual Leadership Retreat.http://www.theburlesonbox.com/sign-up Stay Up to Date: Sign up for The Burleson Report, our weekly newsletter that is delivered each Sunday with timeless insight for life and private practice. Sign up here:http://www.theburlesonreport.com Follow Dustin Burleson, DDS, MBA at:http://www.burlesonseminars.com

Like Amazon, Goodreads is cracking down on spam and bot author accounts, many of which are producing subpar AI generated content — but protecting the platform means adding a stricter vetting process before authors get to network with readers. In this urgent episode, we dive deep into these changes with insights from Amy, our resident Goodreads expert, who unpacks what's required and how to navigate the approval process with ease. If you're planning to establish your author presence on Goodreads, this is a must-listen! Get the latest on what's changing, why it matters, and how you can successfully meet the new standards. Don't let these updates slow you down—tune in and stay ahead!Send us your feedback!Help promote the podcast and earn free swag! If you're willing to put our podcast player widget on your website we'd love to send you free book swag, and you can earn a free coaching session! Email us at info@amarketingexpert.com for more information.Buy Penny's new book, The Amazon Author Formula now!FREE BONUSLeave a review and we'll give you our Book Launch Checklist! Just include your reviewer name or a screenshot of your review in the email. Can't leave one on your podcast platform? Just email us your review and we'll put it on our website: info@amarketingexpert.com.Check out our podcast page and learn more about the team: www.amarketingexpert.com/author-podcast

Welcome to an interview with a seasoned business strategist and operator respected for his pivotal role in Amazon's early days, John Rossman. In John's book, Think Like Amazon, he provides 50 ½ answers drawn from his experience as an Amazon executive―and shows today's business leaders how to think like Amazon, strategize like Bezos, and beat the competition like nobody's business.   John Rossman is an author, executive advisor and keynote speaker on digital transformation, leadership, and business reinvention. With a career spanning consulting roles at renowned brands like Novartis, Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Walmart, and T-Mobile, he brings extensive expertise in solving complex business challenges and driving customer-centric solutions. As an early Amazon executive, Rossman played a pivotal role in launching the Amazon Marketplace in 2002, shaping its transformative impact.   Rossman is the author of four influential books on leadership and business innovation, including the bestseller “The Amazon Way” and his recent release “Big Bet Leadership.” He served as senior innovation advisor at T-Mobile and senior technology advisor to the Gates Foundation, where he honed his strategic acumen in driving organizational change and creating enduring enterprise value.   Today, Rossman is a sought-after keynote speaker renowned for his insights into leadership for innovation and transformation. His work emphasizes practical applications of Amazon's Leadership Principles to foster innovation, drive growth, and navigate digital disruption effectively.   Get John's book, Think Like Amazon: 50 1/2 Ideas to Become a Digital Leader, here: https://shorturl.at/zyUHR   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 488, featuring an interview with a seasoned business strategist and operator respected for his pivotal role in Amazon's early days, John Rossman. In John's book, Think Like Amazon, he provides 50 ½ answers drawn from his experience as an Amazon executive―and shows today's business leaders how to think like Amazon, strategize like Bezos, and beat the competition like nobody's business.   John Rossman is an author, executive advisor and keynote speaker on digital transformation, leadership, and business reinvention. With a career spanning consulting roles at renowned brands like Novartis, Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Walmart, and T-Mobile, he brings extensive expertise in solving complex business challenges and driving customer-centric solutions. As an early Amazon executive, Rossman played a pivotal role in launching the Amazon Marketplace in 2002, shaping its transformative impact.   Rossman is the author of four influential books on leadership and business innovation, including the bestseller “The Amazon Way” and his recent release “Big Bet Leadership.” He served as senior innovation advisor at T-Mobile and senior technology advisor to the Gates Foundation, where he honed his strategic acumen in driving organizational change and creating enduring enterprise value.   Today, Rossman is a sought-after keynote speaker renowned for his insights into leadership for innovation and transformation. His work emphasizes practical applications of Amazon's Leadership Principles to foster innovation, drive growth, and navigate digital disruption effectively.   Get John's book, Think Like Amazon: 50 1/2 Ideas to Become a Digital Leader, here: https://shorturl.at/zyUHR   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon   Take away: Maintaining a "Day One" mentality in business encourages constant innovation, customer focus, and willingness to take calculated risks, which are crucial for long-term success and prevent a company from becoming irrelevant.   Money Learnings: From an early age, Steve started doing typical things to earn extra money, like mowing lawns. He learned that if he wanted to do something or buy something, he needed to earn the money for it himself. In high school, he developed an interest in photography and turned it into a money-making venture by taking pictures at school plays and selling them to students. This business allowed him to pay for a summer camp for a couple of years. These experiences made him learned that money is helpful and important and that you can make money through your own efforts.   Bio: Steve is the Co-Founder and CEO of Catalyit®, The Insurance Agency Technology Resource Company. Backed by 24 Big I state associations, Catalyit® helps busy insurance agency owners maximize their existing tech and discover, evaluate, select, and implement new tools they need to continue to thrive. Steve is a trusted authority on risk, technology, productivity, and invention and has over thirty-five years of experience in the insurance industry. He holds a master's degree in insurance law and is a Top Voice on LinkedIn with over 340,000 followers. Steve is the author of the international bestselling book The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon. In this very readable and practical book, he takes a unique perspective on business growth by analyzing and demystifying how Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, has grown Amazon, arguably one of the most successful companies in the world. He appeared in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Forbes, CEO Magazine, and FOX News Extra. Steve and his wife, Karen, have two married daughters, but more importantly, seven amazing young grandchildren. They live in historic Franklin, Tennessee.   Highlights from this episode: Early entrepreneurial experiences can shape future business mindsets. The biggest risk for businesses is often not taking enough risks, especially with new technologies. Successful companies find ways to pivot and reinvent themselves as markets change. It's always Day 1. Long-term thinking and willingness to experiment are crucial for sustained business growth. Customer obsession and reducing friction in purchasing processes can lead to significant success. Gratitude and persistence are key components of living an abundant life and achieving business success.   Links: thebezosletters.com https://steveanderson.com/ https://catalyit.com/   Richer Soul Life Beyond Money. You got rich, now what? Let's talk about your journey to more a purposeful, intentional, amazing life. Where are you going to go and how are you going to get there? Let's figure that out together. At the core is the financial well being to be able to do what you want, when you want, how you want. It's about personal freedom!   Thanks for listening!   Show Sponsor: http://profitcomesfirst.com/   Schedule your free no obligation call: https://bookme.name/rockyl/lite/intro-appointment-15-minutes   If you like the show please leave a review on iTunes: http://bit.do/richersoul   https://www.facebook.com/richersoul http://richersoul.com/ rocky@richersoul.com   Some music provided by Junan from Junan Podcast   Any financial advice is for educational purposes only and you should consult with an expert for your specific needs.

Unlock the secrets of skyrocketing your e-commerce sales with TikTok Shop! Join us as we sit down with Michelle Barnum-Smith, a leading expert on TikTok Shop, who will reveal why this platform is revolutionizing e-commerce and how you can tap into its immense potential. From unparalleled user engagement to an all-inclusive buying experience that supports brand building and data transparency, Michelle dissects the unique advantages TikTok Shop offers over traditional platforms like Amazon. Get ready to learn how full visibility of sales data and direct customer interactions can transform your business. In this episode, we explore the seamless customer journey on TikTok Shop from sparking awareness to completing a purchase all within the app. Discover how the shift from traditional influencer marketing to a collaborative affiliate model is empowering creators to drive sales through direct rewards from TikTok. We also get into TikTok's growing prominence as a search engine for younger generations and the new shopping features that make discoverability effortless. This is a golden opportunity for sellers to leverage TikTok Shop's innovative ecosystem to maximize engagement and boost sales. Prepare to be inspired by real-life success stories and practical tips for setting up your very own TikTok Shop. We cover everything from business registration and linking social accounts to optimizing your listings and content for viral success. Michelle shares invaluable insights on inventory forecasting and the ripple effect of TikTok Shop's success on other platforms like Amazon. Plus, learn the importance of adhering to community guidelines to avoid account suspensions and ensure your business thrives on TikTok Shop. Don't miss out on this comprehensive guide to navigating and conquering TikTok Shop's dynamic marketplace! In episode 578 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Michelle discuss: 00:00 - Exploring TikTok Shop for Sellers 02:56 - TikTok's Influence on Consumer Purchases 06:23 - Enhanced Shopping Experience on TikTok 09:32 - Maximizing Sales Through TikTok Shop 11:04 - Reviving Live Selling With TikTok Shop 16:22 - TikTok Shop Viral Success Stories 16:40 - Success Tips for TikTok Shop Setup 19:55 - Maximizing Marketing Opportunities on TikTok 25:11 - TikTok Shop Guidelines and Best Practices 26:40 - Navigating TikTok Shop Suspension Guidelines 33:48 - Effective Creator Outreach Strategy Guide ► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft ► Watch The Podcasts On YouTube: youtube.com/@Helium10/videos Transcript Bradley Sutton: TikTok shop is one of the hottest marketplaces in 2024 to sell on. Today we're going to do a deep dive into everything you need to know to get started selling on that platform. How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think. Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Serious Sellers Podcast by Helium 10. I'm your host, Bradley Sutton, and this is the show that is our special Freedom Ticket monthly workshop, where we actually film live a training, a deep dive training, into a certain aspect of e-commerce and we put it later into Freedom Ticket so that you guys can benefit from it. But you guys here on the podcast are going to get the benefit of getting this training too. Now today's guest is going to be Michelle Barnum-Smith, who is definitely an expert in the field of TikTok shop and she's going to do a deep dive into like hey, what do you need to do to get started and what are some best practices? You know we've had some people on this podcast who sell on TikTok shop. You guys have heard them doing some crazy, crazy numbers, some of them even doing more than their Amazon business. So if you guys want to know what's involved with getting set up on this platform, this episode is going to be for you.   Kevin King: Now, Michelle I've known for quite some time, and so today she's going to be showing you why you need to be considering TikTok and talking about some of the opportunities that are there and what she's doing to help herself and her clients actually crush it. So please welcome Michelle.   Michelle: Today we've got lots of ground to cover and we're going to be talking about the TikTok shop opportunity. Just like Kevin said and Shivali said, unless you've been living under a rock, it is all the buzz, and rightly so. Some people don't realize this, but TikTok shop was born from a hashtag and the whole idea of TikTok made me buy it. This hashtag has been around for several years and it basically was like hey, I discovered this on TikTok and I went and bought it. And here I'm showing it off again because TikTok made me buy this. And essentially, TikTok shop allows businesses to showcase through engaging short videos, live streams and creator collaborations, and users can discover and purchase products directly within the app, creating a smooth and convenient shopping experience. And we're going to talk about, like, just how powerful this really is for you as brand sellers.   Michelle: So the opportunity of a TikTok shop has never been hotter. I mean, essentially, we're talking about a billion monthly users. They're on the app 17 times a day, with 83% of people saying that TikTok has influenced purchase decisions on what they're doing and what they're buying. So consumers are on TikTok specifically to be entertained. They hang out for hours. One and a half billion monthly user base spending an average of 95 minutes a day on the platform. I want you to think about that. That's like at least three episodes of your favorite show on Netflix. It's, you know, it's like people are just like scrolling, scrolling, scrolling and, um, all, all times of the day, like, like we saw in that previous stat of 17 times. You know, essentially starting the app 17 times a day, kind of crazy. Um, they offer a frictionless buying experience from creator to product page, to checkout to back to scrolling in seconds, which is one of the huge reasons why TikTok and TikTok Shop is such a powerful opportunity for sellers, right this second, so you can literally go from an organic discovery experience to a checkout experience in just seconds, and you can amplify that opportunity with some certain promotional activities that we'll talk about. So, bottom line, TikTok shop really helps build brands, not just sell products, so they have more high quality traffic, more sales and repurchases, have full visibility of data, end to end loop closing data.   Michelle: So one of the things that I love so much about TikTok shop is having previously just used TikTok to drive traffic to Amazon. So I have tried it a whole bunch and it is so frustrating because Amazon's a black hole. They don't share data back with you. So if you've ever tried to run ads, drive influencer content, even do social media like, just focus on the social media side of TikTok or Instagram or Facebook or whatever it might be. There's no data back from Amazon, even with using attribution, because Amazon attribution is 55% inaccurate to actually tell you what converted, what drove sales. It's kind of like a guess most of the time and if sales rise you're kind of like, okay, well, what contributed to that In TikTok shop? You know exactly what contributed to that sale. You know exactly what social posts drove how many sales. Which affiliate is your number one affiliate? If you're running ads, you know exactly how those ads are performing.   Michelle: It allows you to speak directly with your viewers as well, your customers, your prospects, every step along the way. It's you the face of the brand, your brand, interacting directly with customers. So most of the time, most sellers, most consumers, don't realize that there's sellers behind their brands on Amazon. They just think that they're buying a product on Amazon. That's not the case with TikTok. TikTok gives sellers opportunity to interact directly with the customer on every step of the customer journey. So there's no question who is? You know who this relationship is with and there's serious marketing opportunities, and I'm such a marketing geek. I love all of the marketing opportunities that TikTok has. Just this, just today, they released promo codes. Super excited about that. So let's talk about the full shopping journey within TikTok. Essentially, TikTok allows you to discover through shoppable content and through short videos and lives to select, basically go and learn more from about the product on the product detail page and then actually check out and buy, place orders and check out without ever leaving TikTok. So why this is so significant? As a marketer and as a seller myself, if I have, let's say, the counter to that is on Instagram and if you've ever been influenced on Instagram, you know, let me know, raise your hand, you're watching, you're watching that content and then the person is saying, oh, go to the link in my bio and you go to the link in your bio in, and it's some linktree that may or may not have been updated and that link might take them to Amazon. Take you to Amazon, where their Amazon storefront is like laid out, all for you to have to sort through just to find the product that you were interested in that caught your attention for just a second, that interrupted your entertainment experience that you were there on Instagram to experience, and now you can't even find what it was that caught your attention. You just give up in frustration.   Michelle: What I love about TikTok shop is that you can go from being entertained seeing a shoppable video, seeing something that a creator is promoting, to all the way to checkout in just seconds and back into your entertainment. That experience has very little interruption. So TikTok has several ways to checkout. Essentially, you have the opportunity to go from a shoppable video to a TikTok shop where you can see that brand's full lineup of offerings, and go to the product detail page where you can then check out. But this is not typically the shopping experience. Usually, it's you see a video. It takes you directly to the product detail page and then you just check out. These are the things and ways that you can build your brand on TikTok shop directly. So let's talk about the customer journey on TikTok versus Amazon. So previously TikTok, when it was just a social media channel, sat a little bit higher up in the customer journey. So if you guys aren't familiar, the customer journey is this idea of a funnel or this process where somebody goes from awareness to consideration, to purchase, to customer service, to going deeper in their rebuy or loyalty to that specific brand. So previously, TikTok the app, the social media side of TikTok was just in the awareness phase, the awareness and consideration phase. Just like Instagram, it was like a place of discovery, a place of entertainment, a place to maybe get educated, but it wasn't a place to purchase. That was where you would go to Amazon, and Amazon fit squarely in the consideration phase, like I need more information, I'm aware of my need already and then I'm going to purchase. So essentially, Amazon is solution solving. It's a search engine for buying. Customers are already aware of a need. They search, research and buy on Amazon.   Michelle: Buyers don't hang out on Amazon for fun or entertainment, despite Amazon's best efforts with Amazon Lives, Amazon Post, Amazon Inspire, and that's really why TikTok shop has taken over in that regard. Not necessarily like I'm not saying that Amazon's going away anytime soon. Obviously that's a huge opportunity, but TikTok shop now owns the entire customer journey, from awareness through consideration, purchase, the customer service experience, all the way to rebuy opportunities, average order value increases, um rebuy rates, all sorts of things that TikTok shop makes available to sellers to be able to do and accomplish all within the TikTok shop platform. Are you guys seeing the potential and the opportunity here? And, as a marketer, this is why I'm so passionate about it, because if you own the awareness, if you are the one creating the awareness of the need and you immediately go into a checkout scenario, you win. The checkout is not okay we're making you aware and then you're being taken to a page where you and 100 other competitors are then brought up with different options and people are overwhelmed with options. It's not like that. It's literally going from awareness to checkout to back to entertainment in a matter of seconds. So TikTok really comes down to need awareness. Their focus is on entertainment and education and their goal is to keep users on the platform with their addictive algorithms. Users are made aware of products and the purchases is done within TikTok shop with quick checkouts and then buyers are back to scrolling within seconds. So that's really kind of the crux of TikTok shop there and live selling. I don't know if you guys have seen have been on the platform yet, but live selling it really had its heyday. I feel like you know as far as US consumer behavior goes in, like the late eighties, early nineties, Saturday morning infomercials Anybody remember those?   Michelle: I know I was like, always sucked in. I was always sucked into those Um. And then there's QVC and home shopping network where, you know, basically little ladies hang out to buy kitchen kitchenware, but TikTok shop, specifically, is bringing live, selling back, and it's crazy's crazy, the amount of organic viewers you get checking out your products live, seeing what you have to offer live, you know, and it's a form of entertainment, so they're already on there to be entertained and then they get to watch you pitch whatever it is that you have. That's kind of crazy. And also creators we have this. Creators have been kind of like put up on this pedestal as influencers, right, and this kind of title and with that has come a little bit of a combative nature. When it comes to working with brands, right, how many of you have worked with an influencer where you've reached out to them, you've tried to recruit them and they're charging like a couple hundred dollars of post to like two thousand dollars a post, five thousand dollars a post for the honor to get to work with them. Anybody experience that. And then you're like, um, what did I get from that? I got a post. Did it do anything, right? So the awesome, the awesome thing with working with creators now is that they essentially become affiliates because TikTok is rewarding them for sales that they make through the platform. So creators are now motivated to work with brands and to push products and seek out opportunities. It's no longer just like oh well, I'm a creator and so my creative needs are above your needs as a brand. Now they're willing to be more collaborative with brands in and focusing on content that converts and that drives sales, because, at the end of the day, they want to make money right and we all want to make money, and so it makes it more of a win-win relationship. So that's one of my favorite things about this kind of shift is it goes from the honor of working with a creator and an influencer to now like okay, we're affiliates and we're in this together.   Michelle: So there's kind of four native ways to discover and buy on TikTok. There's the browse area, which is shoppable videos. That's what you would generally see if you're just scrolling through TikTok. You're going to have some content that is just entertainment content. You're going to have content that's educational and informative and that sync to and our shoppable videos, basically, and shop pages. That's where you know brands show up with their brand presence, um, live shopping, like we discussed, and the shop tab. So that's the new kind of search functionality within TikTok. That's all about finding and discovery and searching for solutions. It's kind of crazy, but TikTok has now become a search engine for a certain demographic. Anybody who's less than 25 years old, instead of going to Google with their questions first, they're going to TikTok with their questions first, and it used to be that videos were what was served first in the search results and now it's product. Are you picking up? What I'm putting down? Like this is this is a significant opportunity. This is such a crazy shift and I will say that every almost like 80 to 90% of the in TikTok shop contacts that I have were recently recruited from Amazon. Like Amazon employees are moving over to TikTok shop just like clawing their way over here. So it's very soon there's gonna be some aspects that are native to Amazon that we'll start seeing show up in TikTok shop, especially this kind of search portion, the shop tab, and then the buying experience, like we've talked about, is very seamless, from the product page to the checkout page. You literally can like sync your Apple Pay with TikTok shop, click the side of your phone gosh and be back to doom scrolling in seconds, if I haven't, you know, beat that into you enough.   Michelle: But let's talk about this idea and this question is TikTok shop just a distraction for you as sellers? I hear this kind of objection a lot, and from really big sellers, and so I'm a little surprised. I'm always a little surprised because, like Kevin said, I think that if you have an opportunity to make money, are you going to say no to that opportunity, especially when it's relatively zero to low cost to get started? You already have inventory. You just bring it over to TikTok. So let's talk about just some case studies really quick. Every time I talk to an Amazon seller who is looking to expand off Amazon or diversify their revenue off Amazon, they're usually happy with like, hey, if I can get 5% of my Amazon sales off Amazon, like my Shopify site or Walmart or Etsy or something, I would be happy if just 5%. So here we have a few sellers and I'm just going to cruise through here. This brand got serious about TikTok shop beginning of April and year to date, they are 8% of their Amazon sales on TikTok shop. This brand launched in September of 2023 with TikTok shop. They're one of my brands and we immediately went viral. Immediately, like the bestseller that we had became a bestseller on TikTok shop and then, as we got to know our audience a lot better and affiliates a lot better, launching products on TikTok shop with them, we saw halo effect on Amazon. Every single time that we launched a new product on TikTok shop it would go viral. It would go viral on Amazon as well. Rank would skyrocket and along with sales. So their year to date revenue is 11%.   Michelle: Our biggest struggle with this brand is every time we go viral. Like it's really hard to forecast inventory for going viral. So we keep running into like our bestsellers going out of stock because they just take off. They just take off, so that I guess that is like one of the sides of TikTok shop that is a warning is that your shop could go viral and with your inventory. This seller I did a big training in Cancun back in February and in and around TikTok shop this seller was doing two sales a day before my training and after that, um, 180 sales in the week following. So I was a little proud of that. And then subsequently, uh, we've been working together and now their brands, their, uh, they have 15% of their total brand revenue, uh, of their Amazon revenue they're making on TikTok shop. I'm not going to talk a lot about these brands, because these brands are just like killing it. They're 16% of Amazon sales for this brand. This brand, gosh, they're just like. I just met with their category manager last week, their new category manager. They're number one in their category on TikTok shop, all of TikTok shop, and their year to date is 17% of their Amazon sales. So I guess you have to ask yourself, like, is it worth getting started? Like, yes, I think the answer is obvious, right, like I'm not doing a sales pitch here guys. I don't like this is you already have the inventory, right? You're already selling on Amazon. It's not too much more difficult to extend, uh, what you're doing and get started with that same inventory on TikTok shop as well. So, but there's some nuances to it and I want to talk about those nuances. So there are some keys that are necessary to a successful setup on TikTok shop. So this is where we're getting a little bit down into some specifics. On setup, I am not walking you through step-by-step a setup step-by-step at this point. This is not necessarily how to. This is more of kind of like lessons learned from setting up over 30 brands personally on TikTok shop and some of the nuances, some of the troubleshooting, some of the kind of like things to avoid, basically from a high level perspective.   Michelle: So this is kind of my setup checklist to be successful, this is what. These are all the things that you have to do one time during a setup. You need to get through your business registration. You need to complete that. You need to link a TikTok social account that is US based based with your TikTok shop seller account that is US based. You need to create or connect a TikTok ads manager to that account ads manager account to your TikTok shop account. You need to get your shipping set up and your listing set up and your content optimized for TikTok shop. You need to import available reviews, meaning, if you have like and this is all legal TikTok shop owns well, TikTok is owned by a company called ByteDance and ByteDance owns lots of different tech companies. One included is the main tool that's used for importing reviews. So if you have a Shopify site or another website with reviews on it, then you can bring those reviews over. If you don't, you can import reviews from Amazon to your website and then import those reviews from Amazon. It's a little bit of a process. It's a process, but you only have to do that once. To help you build up, to start the process of building your review presence, you need to select and implement promotions for your listings, such as pre-shipping with qualifications, product discounts, flash sales. Now the new promo codes that are released, and for select accounts, if you qualify, there's now a customer marketing whole section where you can go back and offer, you know, present offers in app. So showing up in the customer's TikTok inbox, basically like they already bought from you once, or, if they're a potential client, you can get directly inside of TikTok users' inboxes with your offers. My marketing heart, it just loves this from an opportunity perspective and we can actually measure how many sales converted from those messages. I love email marketing, I love SMS marketing, I love all of that, but sometimes we just can't close all the loops. And when we're talking native platforms and the marketing opportunities that are native to that platform, we're able to see all those loops close. When it's when we're talking native platforms and the marketing opportunities that are native to that platform, we're able to see all those loops closed and the associated data with that. So we know what further to invest in, what's working, what's not working, and then, of course, they're the final step in success. A successful setup is making sure that you have an affiliate plan set up for affiliates creators to find your products and to start promoting them and to make sure free samples are available. We'll show that here in a second.   Michelle: Okay, the second thing that you need to make sure that you do is to review the prohibited products list. So just because you can sell something on Amazon and Shopify doesn't mean you can sell it on TikTok shop. And this is probably like the number one thing that I see sellers screw up on, um, that they just like rush to get all of their products on TikTok shop and all of a sudden uh, they didn't ever check prohibited products and all of a sudden their account gets deactivated. Um, because they're promoting products or promoting it in such a way that's against, that's either prohibited products or against community guidelines in how you talk about it. So the most suspensions and account deactivations could be avoided by checking this first. So essentially, just, I mean you could even just search for it TikTok shop prohibited products policy and go on there or also look at their restricted categories on there as well to see is my product a prohibited product? I've been surprised how many products are not allowed on TikTok shop that are allowed on Amazon and, of course, on Shopify. You can sell whatever the heck you want to. So it's definitely one of those things that just because you can sell it somewhere doesn't mean you can sell it on TikTok shop.   Michelle: And this is just from a having been through it so many times. Business registration is not what it used to be. In September, I was able to get just like a ton of brands on TikTok shop with very little effort. Now there's a few more steps. Now there's a few things that kind of slow people down. It's amazing to me how many sellers just like give up. They just roll over and they're just like oh no, I can't get it to work. And I'm like guys, you are Amazon sellers, it is selling on Amazon is not an easy thing. Why are we giving up so easily? Have some like, have some resilience here. Also, TikTok shop like says oh, your account setup failed. I wish they would use different language, because sometimes it's not true failure and sometimes it's like they're just um, you get to a certain place in the process and then the system is moving you forward, but it needs more information, like you need to submit additional documents or you need to submit them in a certain way, and so it says failure, but really it just means like you need to go add more, add more documentation or whatever it is that they're actually asking for. So my advice to you is just keep pushing forward, keep pushing through that. It is worth it in the end. And just as a little like hack is any requested documentation, even if it says that they accept PDFs and PNGs, only submit them as JPEGs. Like their system, their bots read JPEGs and more often than not they don't read PDFs. So just, even if it says it'll accept a PDF, just submit it as a JPEG. Okay, cause it will help you. And especially if you're talking to support, support. It's so crazy because support can't see submitted PDFs or PNGs, but it can see submitted JPEGs. Does that make sense? So that's a little, a little note for you to take and make sure that you're doing Okay.   Michelle: This is relatively new and this has to be. This is around community guidelines. Community guidelines were updated mid last month and essentially it's just saying hey, this is the way that we behave on our platform. So there's, they become a lot more strict about what creators as well as sellers can and can't say on their product. You know, on the platform and that includes your listings and what you say about your products, especially, um, you know if something has an effect on weight or weight loss, physical performance or physiological effects or changes. So in this example, I had a seller reach out to me and they're like I don't know what I did wrong, I don't know why this account is frozen, or this product is frozen, I don't know what's wrong with it. And all I had to do was read through the title to see what the issue was. They're essentially saying this eliminates snoring and enhances facial structure and post-workout recovery claim, claim, claim, claim, claim, like you're physiological effects, physical performance, eliminate snoring. You can't say that on Amazon had. Like how can you say that? Like you can't say that on TikTok shop either? Um, and if you have any product in and around weight loss, I'm not saying it's not possible to sell on TikTok shop, it absolutely is. But how you talk about it is really critical. You cannot say weight loss, you cannot say metabolism, fat burning oh my gosh. I had another brand that was just like beside themselves. They were so like offended that TikTok shop suspended their product, their you know key seller, and I was looking through their account. It was like weight loss, metabolism, dah, dah, dah. And I'm like you can't say those things. You. You failed TikTok, you know like. You showed up like, oh well, we can sell it on Shopify. Yes, you can sell it on Shopify, because on Shopify you can say whatever the heck you want about your product. There's nobody policing what you can and can't say on your Shopify site. But this is their market and so they get to say what you can and can't say. And it's not just what you say in the text, in your title, in your bullet points, it's also what you say in the images, on the products themselves as well. So if you have packaging that you're showing and it's making claims. You got to scrub that. You got to like, get rid of it if you have infographics. So that's why I say you're not just pulling over everything that you've created for your Amazon listing or your Shopify listing. You got to be really careful in what you're bringing over and being aware of these community guidelines and what you can and can't say. These are the main ones. It's worth looking at, it's worth reading through and I do talk about that extensively in my course where I detail and outline it, but these are the top ones.   Michelle: Okay, focus on your bestsellers. I often see that the second somebody gets started on TikTok shop, they bring their whole category, their whole catalog of offerings over at once and I really advise you to just test the opportunity and to learn the platform and which of your products is the best opportunity first. So too many products are a distraction to affiliates and your ops team. So, like in this example, this brand brought over gosh all of their products and anytime that they were doing creator outreach they basically all of their creator and targeted plans was just like hey, here's everything that we sell and that's a lot, that's too much. So instead we shifted their focus to okay, what's your best seller on Amazon, what's the one with the best reviews, the strongest call to action, the most obvious for how it helps a consumer? And they're like, okay, this one, their free sample request took off, the affiliate performance took off, their sales took off. So just don't flood. It's a distraction for your team. It's a distraction when you start to reach out to affiliates, so just focus on your best sellers first. Now hear me out. This is probably the biggest warning that I have for you. Second to prohibited products okay, so this is probably the biggest area that I want you to be really careful with. And don't use the shortcuts, okay. So oftentimes I see that sellers are you're on Amazon, you're on Shopify and there are apps available within TikTok shop where you can just sync your Shopify account or sync your Amazon account and sync over your listings. So all of your listing content immediately gets imported into TikTok shop, and I have seen so many issues with this. Like I've said so many times, there's things that you're saying on your listings that you can't say in a TikTok shop, and what happens, guys, is that your listings are not reviewed by human beings, right, they're reviewed by bots, and what I have seen happen so many times is that people have seen those listings and they bring over their entire catalog, like we just talked about, and they're making claims or bringing over prohibited products or something like that that they didn't know.   Michelle: I didn't know and immediately they get account violations and account violations and they get a million account violations and then their account gets suspended because there's a limit to your account violations that you can receive, and then you lose your account, your account gets deactivated and it's over before you begin. So that's an extreme example, but I have seen that too many times to count what also happens, especially in the case of Shopify. For example, if you're syncing your listings, let's say you want to make a change to your TikTok shop listing, like your price or your title or something like that, because your listings are synced with these apps. You can't do that because Shopify and the Shopify listing owns the TikTok listing, so you have to go and make the change on Shopify If you want to make that change, show up on TikTok. You see how that's a problem, right? So and it's not an easy fix, it's not, it's not just like a quick separation, um, because I have a seller, like I've talked about. He's number one in his category and he set this up, his like. When he first got set up, an account manager told him to do this and they didn't know. These account managers have no clue, they really don't, um, and so he is dealing with this issue. If he were to try to separate at this point, he would have to create a new ASIN, for lack of a better term. A new listing for one of his best sellers and one of the big areas of social proof on TikTok shop is to see how many people have purchased the product. He would lose all of that history on that listing that now has like a hundred thousand purchases. So, yeah, it's, it's like a serious deal. So please don't do that. If you're wanting any kind of true shortcut, use the bulk uploading options. This is new the import product upload accelerator. Go this route if you're looking for shortcuts. But, like I said, I really do want you to like set up your listings manually first, at least the first couple, so you understand what TikTok is really looking for, so you can then go and add more products in the future.   Michelle: Offer free shipping. Oh, my goodness, we're running out of time, guys, we'll send you these slides. Basically, bottom line, you set up the free shipping opportunities within the promotions tab and not when you're setting up your shipping templates and your shipping solutions. So it's a promotion and you can apply all sorts of qualifications to qualify for free shipping and fulfilled by TikTok is now a thing, and they're gonna start pushing this really, really hard. So start with your Amazon inventory, start selling via Amazon MCF syncing with TikTok shop. Once you've proven the opportunity for your brand, immediately apply for FBT as soon as you set up your TikTok shop account so that when you prove like, hey, is this an opportunity for me, cause MCF is expensive, you want to get that inventory into FBT and start taking advantage of the opportunities and like super cheap pricing that they have for fulfillment over there. Okay, I'm going to cruise through this, but, just like I showed you, there's kind of like the setup checklist and then there's the ongoing success checklist. This is what you need to do ongoing, daily, weekly, monthly to be able to make sales on TikTok shop. Really, what it comes down to is working with creators, making sure you have your free samples turned on. I have my three S's to targeted outreach, which is search, sort and then save. And just a warning if you are using bots or planning to use bots, that gosh. They've now put regulations in place where new sellers are limited and restricted on how many people they can reach out to because of these messaging bots that are out there. So I really recommend focusing on target collaborations versus and reaching out to creators that way, versus messaging and spamming methods. So this is my search and sort and save method. Essentially, you're under the find creator tab and you're searching via relevant search terms for your brand or your category. You're sorting I like to sort by GMB, and if they're fast growing that's even better, because then they're hungry, they're starting to see success, but they're not so successful yet that they you can't get the time of day with them. And then you hit the little save button over here and then when you go to target collaboration up here, you can import your saved folks I recommend at least 50 per day that you're reaching out to via this message.   Kevin King: Thanks everybody for showing up today. We'll be back again next month to do this again on a whole new topic. Remember there's a replay of this, if you missed part of it, in Freedom Ticket inside the Helium 10. So if you're a member of Helium 10 at any level, there's a little button somewhere up around the top in the education section or resources section that says Freedom Ticket. You'll be able to find this recording in a few weeks in there, added as a permanent addition to the Freedom Ticket. So thanks everybody for coming today and thanks again, Michelle.   Michelle: Thank you, bye, guys.

In episode #2694, we discuss the strategies and practices that have made Amazon a powerhouse in the business world. From their unique approach to meetings—using narratives instead of PowerPoint presentations—to their hiring practices and the Bar Raiser program, discover how Amazon's methods can be applied to your own business. Gain insights into the current state of the tech industry and the importance of investing in valuable skills. Tune in for all this and more on Marketing School.   Don't forget to help us grow by subscribing and liking on YouTube!   Check out more of Eric's content (Leveling UP YT) and Neil's videos (Neil Patel YT)    TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: (00:00) Today's topic: How to run your company like Amazon and Why Google and Microsoft Are Laying Off People  (01:02) Eric explains how Amazon replaced powerpoint presentations with written narratives and memos to encourage clear thinking. (01:32) Eric shares his experience implementing the memo-writing practice in his own company. (02:04) Eric gives an example of a memo he recently wrote and how it helped clarify the company's goals. (03:10) Eric explains the process of reading memos during meetings at Amazon. (04:34) Neil mentions Amazon's focus on hiring talented individuals with strong systems and processes skills. (06:00) Eric shares that Amazon pays most of its employees in stock and limits salaries to $160,000 to align long-term interests. (06:49) Eric reveals that Amazon no longer relies on traditional reference checks during the hiring process. (08:03) Neil discusses his company's approach to reference checks and the value of (negative feedback. (08:04) Reference checks can save you from making a bad hiring decision (09:09) Amazon's Bar Raiser program focuses on hiring people smarter than you (09:57) Amazon's hiring process is thorough and values-driven (10:33) What works for Amazon may not work for everyone (11:08) Azure's growth is outpacing AWS (11:57) Google and Microsoft may be cutting costs to increase profitability (12:30) Keep investing in valuable skills and providing value to succeed (12:51) Make a company more money to earn more money (13:14) That's it for today! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Go to https://www.marketingschool.io to learn more!   Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.   Connect with Us:    Single Grain

Do you want a self-managing company where you only focus on the highest level stuff? That's the holy grail in business and every business owner's dream.   Here's the deal: this cannot EVER happen if you don't have a congruent team that follows strong guiding leadership principles. Like Amazon's. I'll go through Amazon's leadership principles with you and help you understand how to translate them into your business.   This is bigger than core values.  It's your Northstar.   JOIN NOW and discover why and how to set up your principles to live and die by.   Jeff Bezos didn't build Amazon by accident...

In my new dating course, No Cold Approach in The Cow Pasture, one of the strategies I lay out on how to find women is via Facebook and Instagram. I learned this strategy a while ago from my good friend Benny Lichtenwalner, and it very much is like shopping for women on Amazon. A lot of guys complain about the types of women they find on dating apps, well here's an alternative solution for you brother! Let's talk about it today! // BOOK // Get my Amazon #1 Best Selling Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNH88C47 // COURSES // No Cold Approach in The Cow Pasture (Online Dating Course): http://dates.comeonmanpod.com Practical Law of Attraction course: http://loa.comeonmanpod.com Everhard Academy: https://learn.erikeverhard.com/bundles/everhard-academy?ref=7b3c4d The Clarey School of Economic Philosophy: https://theclareyschoolofeconomicphilosophy.teachable.com/?affcode=636918_r5uujdh8 Jon Fitch's Practical Self-Defense: https://gumroad.com/a/780330707/ubexvq RP Thor's Courses, Coaching and Group Membership: https://gumroad.com/a/505970387 // COACHING AND OTHER RESOURCES // Beer Club: http://beer.comeonmanpod.com Coaching: http://gumroad.comeonmanpod.com FREE PDF with 20 Dating App Openers! Join my email list: http://list.comeonmanpod.com MERCH: http://merch.comeonmanpod.com Recommended Reading: https://is.gd/COMPBooks Get free shipping from Duke Cannon on orders over $25: http://duke.comeonmanpod.com The CURE for male pattern baldness (Skull Shaver): https://bit.ly/428k9Xy Donate to the show: https://streamelements.com/se-847333/tip Join the 3% Brotherhood: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3percentbrotherhood // SOCIAL MEDIA // Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@bestmenspod Follow on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/comeonmanpodcast/ Follow on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ComeOnManPOD Follow on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/comeonmanpodcast // OTHER MEDIA // Watch on YouTube - http://youtube.com/comeonmanpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/comeonman/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/comeonman/support

Join us today with Tom Read, CEO of the UK Government Digital Service, and Audrey Tang, Taiwan's Digital Minister, as we delve into diversity, accessibility, and post-pandemic inclusivity in digital services. With a remarkable background in tech and public service, these two experts bring extensive expertise to the table. During this episode, Tom and Audrey emphasize the significance of digital accessibility in community centers, including rural areas and prisons. They also explore inclusive website design principles for users of all backgrounds, including non-tech-savvy individuals. Host ⎸ Sam Robbins (TaiwanPlus) Guests ⎸ Tom Read and Audrey Tang Season 2 of Innovative Minds deep-dives into artificial intelligence, digital democracy, and freedom of expression with leading tech figures. This podcast is released under a CC BY 4.0. Creative Commons licence.

On episode #207 of The Author Factor Podcast I am having a conversation with John Rossman, the mastermind behind Amazon's marketplace and the best-selling author of books like "Think Like Amazon" and "The Amazon Way." In this insightful interview, John shares his strategies for helping businesses thrive in the digital age. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the value proposition for the reader and effectively communicating one's message. His approach to leveraging the book as a powerful calling card and the long-term thinking behind the book's impact on his business mindset is incredibly inspiring.Listeners will gain valuable insights into writing a quality nonfiction book, building leadership for innovation, and leveraging it for personal and professional growth. John's focus on writing durable and evergreen content, creating consistency, and developing leadership within a business offers practical strategies for anyone looking to write their own nonfiction book.From clear communication to leveraging the book as a business card, John's journey and strategies are a goldmine of inspiration for aspiring nonfiction authors. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable tips on how to make an impact with your nonfiction book and lead with innovation in the digital era.Learn more about John Rossman by visiting JohnRossman.com.For more details about our short, helpful book publishing program, visit BiteSizedBooks.com.

Building an Army Word-of-Mouth Referrals with Podcast-Guesting Listen to the full episode 136 with Iggy Fanlo on Joe Lemon Show: https://www.thejoelemonshow.com/136In this podcast episode, host Joe Lemon converses with Iggy Fanlo, CEO and founder of Cloud Med Spa. They discuss the company's go-to-market strategy, which heavily relies on podcast guesting for exposure and attracting healthcare providers. Fanlo shares his experiences on prominent aesthetic podcasts, which led to inquiries about franchising and accelerated the launch of Cloud Med Spa.Like Amazon, the platform provides software, services, and procurement services to healthcare providers. Fanlo emphasizes the importance of hard work and dedication for success and highlights the positive impact of Cloud Med Spa on healthcare providers' lives.### **Connect with Joe Lemon**Recovery Lab Show YouTube: https://recoverylabshow.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joealexlemon/IG: https://www.instagram.com/joealexlemon/→ Let's Connect + hit the icon on my profile + tap into the Joe Lemon Show↳ Be the first to see (all of) my posts and stay connected.↳ Listen to the podcast - TheJoeLemonShow.com Let's Connect with Joe Lemon InstaGram: https://www.instagram.com/joealexlemon/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joealexlemon/   Don't miss an episode of the Recovery Lab Show on YouTube: https://bit.ly/453fAjo --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sales/message

Listen to the full episode 136 with Iggy Fanlo on Joe Lemon Show: https://www.thejoelemonshow.com/136In this podcast episode, host Joe Lemon converses with Iggy Fanlo, CEO and founder of Cloud Med Spa. They discuss the company's go-to-market strategy, which heavily relies on podcast guesting for exposure and attracting healthcare providers. Fanlo shares his experiences on prominent aesthetic podcasts, which led to inquiries about franchising and accelerated the launch of Cloud Med Spa. Like Amazon, the platform provides software, services, and procurement services to healthcare providers. Fanlo emphasizes the importance of hard work and dedication for success and highlights the positive impact of Cloud Med Spa on healthcare providers' lives.### **Connect with Joe Lemon**Recovery Lab Show YouTube: https://recoverylabshow.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joealexlemon/IG: https://www.instagram.com/joealexlemon/→ Let's Connect + hit the icon on my profile + tap into the Joe Lemon Show↳ Be the first to see (all of) my posts and stay connected.↳ Listen to the podcast - TheJoeLemonShow.com

Sally Hendrick interviews Amy Nelson about how her family has been fighting Amazon for over 3 years tooth and nail with their hands tied behind their backs. It's all too common in the US unfortunately. Get show notes at ShoutYourCause.com, and follow Amy on TikTok at amy_k_nelson.

Want to not just grow your coaching business but keep it growing for years to come? Taking a leaf out of Amazon (or founder Jeff Bezos) book would be a wise move. This simple piece of wisdom from Jeff Bezos dramatically affects the growth of a coaching business - both short and long term… Want to work closely with us to grow your coaching business to 6-7+ figures? Discover The Private Coaching now: https://www.neilshoney.com/privatecoaching

TikTok is launching its Shop feature in the U.S. after mixed success in other countries. Meanwhile, Amazon's Inspire feature brings short-form video to its shopping app. WSJ's Meghan Bobrowsky on why the two companies are taking pages from each other's playbooks.  Further Listening: -How TikTok Became the World's Favorite App  -The Billionaire Keeping TikTok on Your Phone  Further Reading: -Amazon Confronts a New Rival: TikTok  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wondered how to make the most of the 'Honeymoon' period when you first start selling on Amazon? Or how to get people to organically search, find, and buy a product without breaking Amazon's terms of service? Tune in to the latest episode of Serious Sellers Podcast, as our host, Bradley Sutton, unveils the intricacies and updates to the Maldives Honeymoon Launch Strategy, along with his prelaunch plan, the Bali Blast Strategy.  He shares effective ways to use PPC to catapult your product to the top of the search, and how to utilize Helium 10's Keyword Tracker tool and boost to gauge your bid's success. We'll discuss strategies for attracting customers to a product with no reviews, and you'll discover how to use tools like Helium 10 Audience and the CPR number to monitor and increase your orders. The episode also sheds light on SEO and its relationship with Amazon listings. You'll find out why a simple listing score formula isn't sufficient to rank on Amazon, and why optimizing your listing for Amazon customers, as well as its algorithm, is pivotal. Let's dive into the evolution of Amazon's algorithm over the years, and why sprinkling specific keywords a certain number of times isn't as effective as it once was. To top it all off, we'll explore how developing a tool with a potent listing score creator, like a “Surfer SEO for Amazon listings” can guide you in optimizing your listing and the importance of testing your strategies. Buckle up for an episode packed with valuable insights!   In episode 500 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley talks about: 00:00 - Maldives Honeymoon Launch Strategy and Results 03:35 - The Maldives Honeymoon Effect  06:50 - Amazon Keyword Research and Competition Analysis 10:53 - Getting Ranked for Keywords With PPC  15:30 - Improve Amazon Ranking With PPC and CPR 18:49 - Amazon Algorithm Changes and New Strategies 25:20 - The Significance of Amazon Recommended Rank 28:23 - Analysis Of The Project X Coffin Bath Tray Keywords 34:40 - Relevance of Keywords in Amazon Ranking  42:44 - Listing Optimization and Test Launches ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft ► Watch The Podcasts On YouTube: youtube.com/@Helium10/videos Transcript Bradley Sutton: Today's episode 500 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, and we're doing it live right here from the Maldives, as usual, because we're gonna go into the Maldives Honeymoon Launch Strategy and some of the new twists and turns that have come up because of the test I've been doing. How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think. Two, three, four, music you want to know what keywords are driving the most sales for listings on Amazon. To do that, you need to know what highly searched for keywords the product is ranking for, maybe at the top of page one. You can actually find that out in seconds by using Helium 10's Keyword Research tool, Cerebro. Now, that's just one of the many, many functions that make this tool my favorite tool in the whole suite, and it's the most powerful keyword research tool ever created for e-commerce sellers. For more information, go to h10.me/cerebro. H10.me/cerebro. Don't forget to use the Serious Delors podcast discount coupon, SSP10. Bradley Sutton: Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Serious Sellers Podcast by Helium 10. I'm your host, Bradley Sutton, and this is the show. That's a completely BS free, unscripted and unrehearsed organic conversation about serious strategies for serious sellers of any level in the e-commerce world and, as you guys can see here. I am back here in the Maldives, Waldorf Astoria. The place that started all the way back in episode 200 was when I first started filming out here the Maldives Honeymoon launch strategies, and then every 50 episodes we'd come out here 250, 300, 350, 400. I actually skipped 450, but so this is the first time back in the Maldives since episode 400. But the Maldives Honeymoon strategy is just a strategy. I just made a funny name to it so that we can try and get the most out of what we call the Honeymoon period, when we just get started selling on Amazon for a certain product, and so we're going to dive into it and what's the latest here on this strategy. So make sure to stay to the end, because we've got some new things I'm going to be talking about today. But just some background again. Bradley Sutton: Honeymoon period what is it? Well, the Honeymoon period is that's not a term that I came up with. That's a term that relates to the first few weeks, the first couple months sometimes, of a listing where you get more bang for the buck. It basically refers to how, if you have a four or five year old listing and you do a couple PPC sales for a keyword, not much is going to happen, right, but if you have a brand new listing sometimes just changing the title, sometimes just changing a keyword here or there, sometimes just getting one sale on a keyword, sometimes just getting a few sales on a high volume keyword It'll start moving you around on the organic side. Big fluctuations might happen on your PPC on a positive way. And we call this the Honeymoon period. This is not an official Amazon term, but it refers to the fact that when you are selling a new item, especially one that doesn't have much history, what happens sometimes is that Amazon doesn't have enough data to kind of know what you're relevant for, and so any little micro actions where on a more mature listing is not going to have much of an effect because Amazon's got so much data and so many clicks and so many things to kind of measure and understand what it's relevant for. Those micro actions on a newer listing where Amazon's just trying to figure out what is this product going to be good for, it has a lot bigger effect on it. So we call that the Honeymoon period. Bradley Sutton: All right, now what I started doing, like five, six years ago, is I launched a lot of product. By the way, I've launched over 500 products now, but even more than four years ago I had launched over 400 products and what I found was I always was experimenting. I found, like these, certain micro actions as I just made up that term now for myself I guess, these micro actions that could help me get even more out of the Honeymoon period, that would help me get off on the right foot. You know, just like you know, honeymoon is for a wedding, right? You want to get off on the right foot, and so then I was like, okay, what am I going to call this? I'm like I'm going to call this the Maldives Honeymoon effect, because these actions have a lot bigger impact, even more than just, you know, what we normally would see on the Honeymoon period. And so that's why I just went ahead and named it this thing, and I came here to the Maldives here to record it. So what is the latest with the Maldives Honeymoon method? Bradley Sutton: Well, we're going to go into some different strategies here, but let's do a recap. A lot of these methods is actually in prelaunch, and in prelaunch I made a new name for it. You know we call it the Bolly Blast. So I'm not going to go too, too in depth. But if you want to have a Bolly Blast, you know prelaunch these are the steps that leads the Maldives Honeymoon launch. Check out episodes 466 and 467. If I'm not mistaken, it's a part one and part two about all the things you need to do to get your listing ready. So h10.me forward, slash 466 or 467. You can also search that up on YouTube on our Helium 10 channel and in there I think I have like a 47 step process that happens before you even launch the product. Let's just review some of those you know. Again, those are two hours of episodes you need to go back and like listen to to get the full details. Bradley Sutton: But in a nutshell, you know it starts at the product research stage, right, picking products that potentially have lower title density. Title density is something that we have exclusively at Helium 10, which measures the number of listings on page one that have a certain keyword in phrase form in the title. So when I say certain keywords, the searched keyword. So, for example, if the keyword is coffin shelf and you see in Helium 10 that the title density is seven, that means that the last time Helium 10 check, there are seven listings on page one that have that keyword in exact phrase match in the title. All right, if you have a listing or a keyword that has title density of 40, that means there's 40 listings that have that exact keyword in the title and that means it's going to be a little bit harder to rank on that page because Amazon algorithm, you know, heavies or favors heavily the title as far as what a listing is relevant for. So it doesn't mean, you know, you can't launch against a keyword that were a title entity it's 40. It just means that, hey, it's going to be a little bit more of an uphill battle where sometimes you have a lower title density and Amazon thinks you're relevant. And, by the way, guys, I'm going to drop some bombs here about how you can know what Amazon is relevant or what's relevant to Amazon. But anyways, if you have a lower title density sometimes it's going to be a lot easier to rank. Sometimes even from day one you can be on page one potentially. Bradley Sutton: So that's one of the things we talk about in the Bali Blast method and then other things is about. That has to do with the keyword research, understanding where Amazon puts relevance as far as things that are in your listing, as far as keywords go from the title to the bullet points, and so we talked about getting all of the keywords that your competitors are ranking for, your direct competitors or the keywords that they're ranking highly for. We talk about getting opportunity keywords finding the keywords that maybe only one of your competitors ranking for, and that means you're going to be able to potentially rank for that keyword when you're only competing with one of your competitors, as opposed to five or six of your competitors. There are other keyword research strategies we talked about, such as trying to find complementary products. So these are all. Again, we're talking about pre-launch right now. Bradley Sutton: How do you put the right keywords in your listing Complementary products? But basically that means maybe you see your competitors have a frequently bought together type of product. For example, if you're selling a coffin shelf or your competitors are selling a coffin shelf, maybe you see in frequently bought together, which you can find in Helium 10 Blackbox, a history of other coffin shelves being bought with a coffin letterboard Right. Well, part of the Maldives Honeymoon strategy is that you want to get index for some of the main keywords from those coffin letterboards if you have a coffin shelf. So if you see that for these coffin letterboards, these five coffin letterboards. One of the top keywords is coffin letterboard and another one is Halloween display or something like that. So those top keywords from those coffin letterboards, even though they might not be directly relevant to your coffin shelf, you're going to want to get index for those listings and then from day one, you're going to be able to target those in product targeting, ppc, and then also you'll get a little bit more breadth, some width to what you're going to be showing up for, especially in broad campaigns and auto campaigns. So that's another strategy to use too. It's also a strategy to get index for forbidden keywords. Like, maybe you're related to an adult product or a drug related product. You can't put adult related products or keywords in your listing or drug related or other forbidden keywords. Well, if you make yourself relevant to the non-forbidden keywords and you're listening by sticking them in there, you potentially could get index for those forbidden keywords just because Amazon deems you as relevant. So that was another strategy we talked about in the Bali BLAST method. Bradley Sutton: Now, originally in the original Maldives Honeymoon strategy, when you're launched, we talked about using search, find by and two step URLs and things of that nature. Now that's no longer something that Amazon really wants you to start doing. And it's actually interesting. I was looking at the terms of service and it doesn't mention anymore the two step URLs. But it does talk about trying to manipulate your keyword search rank in the code of conduct. And that was a different change a couple of years ago where Amazon started specifying that they don't want you trying to do those kind of URLs and things to manipulate what it says the search rank, keyword rank. Before then we always would talk about, hey, doing search find by doing two step URLs, things like that, because in the Amazon terms of service it only talked about manipulating your sales rank, like your BSR. So then Amazon kind of cracked down on the keywords too. So that really changed the Maldives Honeymoon method. We do not suggest anymore getting friends and family or using services that are going to go out and get 40 people to search, find and buy your product with a keyword. That's pretty explicitly against Amazon terms of service. Now it wasn't before. People are trying to say, oh, it's always been against service. No, it hasn't, which is why Amazon changed it to make it against terms of service later. Bradley Sutton: So how did we change the Maldives Honeymoon launch strategy then when we couldn't use services like AZ rank or rank bell back in the day. So how can you get ranked for keywords right away? Well, we changed the Maldives Honeymoon method to be strictly PPC, so the whole theory is still the same. You need people to search, find and buy your products after searching for a certain keyword, and the more people that do that, that's what's going to get you ranked on page one. But when you have a brand new listing, how do you get on page one? How do you get people to even see your listing? You know, the old way was just doing search, find, buy, right, you know, getting two-step URLs, having a service send people to an exact keyword and they find you're listing on page six or seven and then they'll go ahead and buy it and then they'll move you up. But you can't do that anymore. So what we talked about, I think starting in like episode 300 or 350, was do the same thing with PPC. Bradley Sutton: So how do you get people to organically search, find, buy without breaking Amazon terms of service, you know, without using an outside service, without using friends and family, et cetera? Well, you got to think what is going to make somebody, if they happen to see your product, buy it, no matter what. Well, the first thing is what's going to make somebody see your product if you're not using outside service? The answer is easy it's PPC. So you've got to find the PPC bid that is going to get you to the top of search. You could do a top of search modifier in your PPC or you can just up your bid, you know, and do a fixed bid or down only bid, that's at a high, what you think is going to get you top of search, naturally, and then just make that the bid. Now how you know if you're getting that is you put your keyword to keyword tracker. After you put a bid of like $3, just say $3 on the keyword coffin shelf, I put coffin shelf into my keyword tracker and then what I do is put my keyword tracker on boost. Boost is something that checks it 24 times a day and now within an hour or two, I'm going to see a couple different spots on where I'm showing up randomly in the search results and different browsing scenarios and different locations. And then if I'm like ranked one, two or three, I'm good to go. If I'm ranked like eight or nine or below or something that probably I'm going to need to raise my bid to try and get my rank high. So, anyways, that's step one. Bradley Sutton: But if you have a brand new product and has zero reviews, obviously you know how do you get people to buy your product. Right, with the old old days again, search, find, buy you're using these outside services. They were getting incentivized to buy the products like, hey, you get the product for free, basically, all right. Now, now we can't do that anymore. So what is the incentive, I guess you could say, for somebody to buy a product that has no reviews, that they've never maybe heard of the brand? How do you get them to go ahead and purchase your product? Bradley Sutton: Well, the answer is by choosing a price point that makes them buy the product you know like no matter what. So that price point is different for every product. For example, if coffin shelves are all costing, or retail price, $25. So what you want to do is think what price point is somebody going to see this with? Like man, this is an incredible deal. You know, here's this other listing that has a thousand reviews, a lot of social proof. But I'm going to go ahead and get this other one. Well, maybe that price is $13, you know, 50% off? Are you going to make money at 50% off? No, you're not. But the whole point is, you know like you used to have to pay to get orders in the beginning to get that momentum and to get that sales velocity and search velocity, so you were paying money anyway. So to me this is a good investment. So you know you choose whatever that price is of where, when your competitors will buy that product. Bradley Sutton: And one way that you can, you know, do some product research. If you don't have, like Facebook groups where there's a community that's around coffin shelves and you could like do a quick free poll and they're asking them what price, or something like. Let's say, you don't have access to anything like that, use Helium 10 audience. All right, helium 10 audience it's a pay-per-use service inside of Helium 10, powered by Pikfu, where you can go and choose your target market. Like, let's say, your target demographic is females from the age of 18 to 30, who are prime members. You can actually choose that target market in Helium 10 audience and then just find 50 of them and within like three hours you'll have the answer to questions like hey, at what price point would you go ahead and buy this product even though it had zero reviews, and compared to and you can even have the other products there, even though the other products had a thousand reviews, and you would have pictures of it. So then you're able to see, you know, maybe, what price point somebody would buy that from your target market. Bradley Sutton: Or you can just guess. You know, I don't like guessing, you know all the time. So I like to go ahead and, you know, actually get some information. So once you've got that, then you go ahead and launch with that PPC and then in Helium 10, there's something called the CPR number. All right, the CPR number in Helium 10 tells you approximately how many orders over eight days eight to 10 days, I should say where it gives you. If you, if people, if that number of people search, find and buy your product, it gives you the best chance. Doesn't give you a guaranteed chance, but it gives you the best chance to get to page one of a certain keyword. All right, and so that's basically what I've been doing for the last two years. A lot of people have been doing this as well. You know, literally thousands of people are using this technique in order to to get to page one. Bradley Sutton: You monitor how many orders you're getting each day with the CPR number. So, like, let's say, the CPR number is 100. I like ramping up my order. So if the CPR is 100, I don't want to just divide that by eight or 10 and say, all right, I need 10 per day or 11 per day. No, what I like to do is I like to make it look organic. I like to start off slow, maybe day one, and get two or three. So the way I know is that, you know, I'm checking my, my PPC reports in real time and if I get two clicks and purchases on a certain keyword, I actually pause that target so that I don't get more. All right, I kind of want to like make it look a little bit more or organic and then the next day I started again and try and get maybe six or seven orders. Next day I try and get 11 or 12 orders until I can, you know, hit that CPR number and then go back and I'm going to check where am I ranking? Did it help my organic ranking? Bradley Sutton: Now it's important that again, when I said that you're you're choosing a, a cheaper price point, you don't put your list price or your regular price at this cheap price. No, because the problem is, if you do that, you might end up not being able to raise your price in the future. So when you choose, like, let's say you choose a $15 price point for your $25 coffin shelf, well, I'm going to make that a sale price or I'm going to make it a coupon discount, like, so maybe I'll put the price at $25, but then I'll put a, you know, 40% off coupon in order to hit that, that price point. All right. So again, don't put your regular price at that. And again, back in the Bali blast method, I had other tricks and tips about how to get, like, strike through pricing. So again, 466 and 467, make sure to check those episodes to see how to get you know, special strike through pricing and things like that. But but that's. Bradley Sutton: You know, in a nutshell, what the Maldives honeymoon strategy has always been, you know is is launching on five to 10 keywords. One other trick we usually do is hey, in the Maldives honeymoon strategy, don't just choose five or 10 completely different keywords like coffin shelf, gothic decor, spooky bedroom, mysterious oddities and Halloween, scary things Like. Do you notice the difference in those keywords? They're all completely different. They don't share keywords. What you try and do is find the embedded keywords that you can launch in groups, all right. So when you're doing your research in helium 10, you're going to find groups of keywords that have very similar roots. You know, like coffin shelf, gothic coffin shelf, gothic coffin shelf for bedroom. You know there's like six, seven keywords in there. You know coffin shelf for bedroom is also a keyword. So what you do is you try and launch all of those keywords at the same time, so they're all sending those relevancy signals for that root keyword to Amazon. All right. So there's another strategy that we use in choosing the keywords. Bradley Sutton: Again, that's mentioned in the Bolly Blast Now. Here's the thing here. Now let's talk about some new stuff. All right, that's just kind of like a recap of the OG Maldives honeymoon strategy and Bolly Blast strategy. What is new for 2023, 2024? And I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm going to say something controversial, and that is I almost recommend doing a test listing if you're in any kind of a newer niche. All right, literally doing a test listing first, and you could potentially even do this for more established niche, all right. So that's the end game of what I'm about. That's the controversial thing that I'm launching now with this Maldives Honeymoon Strategy. Let's take a few steps back to explain why I'm suggesting this and what has changed on Amazon in the algorithm. Let's take even three steps back before there. Bradley Sutton: Listing optimization is important. All right, how you have the keywords, how many times you have it in your listing, where you have it. It's important, you know, to really send those relevancy signals. However, it is not as important as it was in the older days. Let me just tell you right that right now and it's also not a foolproof way to get ranking All right, do not use some kind of like formula where I'm going to use this keyword this many times and here and here and then, that's equal success. No, all right, if anybody tells you that that is incorrect. Bradley Sutton: People like using, like listing scores you know, like people have been, who have been using Helium 10 for years, have done something kind of like rudimentary, where you know they take what we teach them and say, all right, hey, I know I have to have. This keyword is my most important keyword and it needs to be in my title and in one bullet point and in one search terms. And I'm going to give myself three points to have that. And and then I'm going to give myself one point for this. You know, people I kind of do that myself. Like it helps me to kind of like know where my, my keywords are. Bradley Sutton: And people have asked, you know, helium 10 for probably like three or four years now to do some kind of like listing score, where we take an algorithm and assign points to it, right, and in the past we've always said nah, like I'm not sure how valuable that will be. But, but recently, you know, I started writing blogs again. Maybe you guys are watching seeing some of my blogs at Helium 10.com forward slash blog. But you know, seo is an important part of a company like Helium 10 and any company like that. So when we write SEO blogs, we're trying to rank for keywords in Google and Bing, right, it's kind of similar to making a listing for Amazon. Bradley Sutton: It's not just let's randomly put together some words and make some something interesting. It could be the most interesting blog in the world, but if it doesn't have the right keywords in the right places and the right number of times, you're not going to get seen. So we we've been using, you know, for the last like year, this tool called things like surfer SEO or something like that it's called and like it gives you all the important keywords and then it tells you how many times you need to write it and like where, and then it gives you a score based on if you've optimized your listing around those keywords. I'm like, hey, this is kind of like a cool idea. You know, maybe we can do this for Amazon. You know sellers because you know people have kind of like been asking for something similar to this, and so you know this might be a way to help guide people to, to kind of know how strong their listing is as far as best practices. But here's the key Again, even though Helium 10 is working on something like that, once that comes out, don't just think that's all you need, that you know what. Bradley Sutton: All you need in order to rank is to know how many which keywords there are, how many times you put it in your listing and in what places, and try and get some high score Is a high score. You know, using this algorithm important to send relevancy signals to Amazon. Of course it's important, otherwise you wouldn't even be working on it. You know it's just a general truth in SEO, but the Amazon algorithm is so advanced these days, it is not enough just to have some kind of mathematical formula. And of course, it goes without saying you have to optimize your listing for an Amazon buyer, all right, which no algorithm can measure, all right. So I'm not even going to talk about the strategies there. But obviously you need to make sure your listing is attractive to a human being, right? All right, so that's a separate conversation about. You know how to do that. We've done podcasts about, about how to do that and really be able to connect on an emotional level to sellers. Bradley Sutton: But what about the algorithm? Like, why am I saying that just having a score is not going to be enough? Well, first of all, amazon algorithm does not work on a certain score. It's not like Amazon is scoring your listing as far as all right, it has this keyword four times, it's got to this root word three times and they've got this in the bullet point here in the title, and so it's always going to, you know, have some kind of formula that Amazon scores it and then that's how it deems you as fully relevant for all time. No, that's not the way Amazon works. Back in the old days, in the beginning, amazon did work a little bit more like that, you really could control how you know relevant you were to Amazon. You know, because the Amazon algorithm was not as as developed and I say this not, trust me, guys, I am. I do not have any secret access to the Amazon. I have contacts at Amazon who developed the algorithm and and develop tools like brand analytics and things like that. That does not make me some kind of special. You know, savant as to what the Amazon algorithm, helium 10, no other tool out there, no other guru out there knows what is going on with the Amazon algorithm. Bradley Sutton: People speculate, you know. They'll say, oh, I read this scientific paper. You know we've read all the scientific papers. You probably heard a couple episodes ago or you know we went deep into that. But at the end of the day, nobody really knows. Everybody's just speculating, which is fine. There's nothing wrong with speculating. Bradley Sutton: I speculate too, but what I like to do is I like to speculate based on tests and that's all I do. That's why I run Amazon accounts. I'm not trying to make money Nowadays. I'm trying to make a little bit more money in my Amazon accounts because that's what I do to to to support my, my kids, who are employees of my, my Amazon company. So now I have to make a little bit more money than I did. But my main point in running Amazon businesses is I use them as like my playgrounds to like test what is and isn't working with the algorithm. Bradley Sutton: Because, again, amazon doesn't make its algorithm public. The only way we kind of know how it works is by seeing what happens when we do things on Amazon and then just like measuring the results. But no matter what we do, again get it in your mind, guys there is no exact formula, and anybody who says there's an exact formula to rank on Amazon like an exact keyword the same time, every other time they're full of nonsense. All right, you know, even the helium 10 CPR numbers. Like we've always said, it gives you the best chance, but it doesn't give you a guaranteed chance. You know, every time it's based on a lot of trial and error. You know, I did a one and a half year case study to come up with that CPR number, all right. So what have I found that is working with the Amazon algorithm now and why is it different? Bradley Sutton: All right, well, number one is that a kind of important metric in helium 10 that people overlook is now a super important metric. All right, and what metric is that? It is Amazon recommended rank. All right, that is a name that we kind of made up, but it actually comes from an actual data point in Amazon. It's one of the things I'm very proud about. You know, I've made up the Maldives honeymoon strategy and you know I don't invent a lot of things, but this is one of the things that I discovered about five years ago and back then, like five years ago, I was like, oh man, everybody's going to copy us and start showing this. Nobody ever came up with this. I'm sure somebody's going to show it now. You know somebody's going to try and figure out where this data point is and show it to people because it is super, super important. I'm just shocked nobody's copied us in the last five years since we had this. Bradley Sutton: But again, Amazon recommended rank is coming from Amazon, where it kind of like says hey for X product and Y keyword. We think Y keyword is kind of very relevant to this product, or not so relevant, or medium relevant, etc. Amazon has a scoring system for every single product and almost every single keyword, where at least the top 1000 keywords if the product has a lot of history, it will go ahead and say, score it as far as how relevant it thinks for advertising. And in the past it was never something I really talked about too much that everybody should have to do because it was mainly about advertising. But it was a great metric to have because it kind of gave you insight into at least how the Amazon advertising algorithm thought that you were relevant for a certain keyword, right, or in relation to a certain product. But now, guys, in the last six months and all the tests I've been doing with launching everything else, it is all of a sudden a super indicative Metric on how just Amazon search algorithm thinks you are relevant. All right. Bradley Sutton: So I did a couple of tests with, like this, coffin Bath tray. I use the helium 10 project X account. I use a couple you know friends accounts because I wanted to have like Different accounts and different products, different ASINs, to kind of like test my, my theories right. And so I chose coffin bath tray because this was something that didn't have a lot of history on Amazon. So this is especially geared towards you people who are are getting in these niches where they're not completely saturated, all right. So because of that. Bradley Sutton: Amazon doesn't have that much data in order to know from day one what you might be relevant for. You know it's different, like if you're gonna launch some collagen peptides. There is hundred collagen peptides who've been selling millions of dollars a month and you know hundreds of thousands of customers have bought collagen peptides and Amazon has tracked every click and how they interact with the listings. They've got so much data on exactly what is relevant to collagen peptides that from day one of a brand new collagen peptides listening, you're probably going to be able to, you know, to get relevant for the right keywords but in a newer niche is a little bit different. So, sure enough, when I first launched these two coffin bath trays, I did on separate accounts. I did it with separate kinds of listings, one like a more in-depth listing and and I use the best practices again, you know I use that, my own scoring system, even on how to get you know Like I put coffin bath tray, like you know, like four times in the listing and long tail versions of I did all the right things and and get this. Bradley Sutton: The key words that I was relevant for from day one Was not coffin bath tray. Alright, if I was looking at the Amazon recommended rank from day one on one of the products. Or again, I launched pretty much the same exact kind of product. It was just different kinds of listings in different accounts at the same time. So I could, you know cross cross, see the number one. There was only one keyword on one of them that it was relevant for. Like Amazon only recommended one keyword. It was bath. Bath tray was kind of crazy, right. One keyword, bath tray. No other keyword had it on Amazon recommended rank. By the way, when you use that in cerebro in helium 10 to get the Amazon recommended rank, you have a listing up for five minutes. We'll already have Amazon recommended rank. This is something we pull from Amazon in Real time. Bradley Sutton: And the other product that I launched it was actually relevant for like 40 keywords from day one and the top three was interesting was bathroom decor, wineglass and candle holder. Very interesting. Alright, bathroom decor was super generic Word wine glass, what you might be like. Why does it have wine glass? Well, this, this, this coffin bath tray. I had in the. I think I put in the title and you know I had in the description that it has a slot for a wine glass. Alright. And then I also put that I had a slot for a candle holder but Amazon thought that this was a wine glass in candle holder. So from day one I was not. Bradley Sutton: I couldn't really do the Maldives honeymoon launch because for coffin bath tray, I was indexed for it but Amazon didn't think I was relevant. It would not even show me in PPC for coffin bath tray when those was the number one, most important keyword. I was optimized everywhere for it. It had a low title density. There was hardly any competition for coffin bath tray two years ago. I would have been on page one instantly for this, but because Amazon couldn't figure out that this was a coffin bath tray, it would not give me any PPC impressions. Alright, that's crazy. Bradley Sutton: So then, what are some of the things I started doing? I started changing up the listing. I had it coffin tray and other keywords. I wasn't even indexing for more times. I had to special features. I was trying doing search terms. Things were not working. I would see little bits of movement, but it was not moving like it would in the old days. Bradley Sutton: And this is a listing again. I just barely started. I started it like so definitely in the honeymoon period. So what got me to get coffin bath tray to Amazon recommended rank number two on one and Amazon recommended rank number one. What it was was I did an old-school two-step URL alright, I did an old-school two-step URL. It was the field ASIN URL. Alright, I did a field ASIN two-step URL and then I got somebody to buy it. I think one of them I might have got you know, chevali to buy it, and then the other one. I went to AZ rank and I paid AZ rank to get somebody by it. Bradley Sutton: Now I know what you're saying. Wait, bradley, didn't you just talk about how that kind of stuff is is against Amazon terms of service. Now, I think there's gonna be different opinions on this, but I could not care less in this instant about Keyword ranking. I was not trying to increase the keyword rank at all. Alright, I didn't even look at what the keyword rank was. My point was I knew I was not relevant for it to Amazon and so I was trying to send a relevancy signal to Amazon. So it knows that, hey, this is something important and this is something that you can give me impressions for in PBC and I'll gladly pay for clicks. So, in my mind, my interpretation of Amazon terms of service. This is not against the terms of service, because I'm not trying to manipulate or affect Amazon keyword ranks. I'm just trying to get, I'm just trying to pay Amazon some money in PBC and and make sure that they know that I am Relevant for it. So what I did was I just I just did one order, one field ASIN, where somebody added it to the car and they they bought the product for with the keyword coffin bath tray in it and, guys, less than 12 hours later it not only was it not Amazon recommended rank at all, it went to number one. Amazon recommended rank on one of the products and number two on the other product. For the top, amazon recommended rank just with one. Bradley Sutton: Feel ASIN now, because Amazon said two-step URLs for ranking is not good anymore. We took those off of our helium 10 gems page. So you guys want to know a trick to do a two-step URL still with a keyword. Right, go to index checker in Helium 10, put your ASIN, put that keyword in there and, whether it says is index or not index, you'll see it has check marks and dashes or whatever. Right click on the dash or the check mark, alright, and then do copy URL. Alright, so that URL is a feel on the field ASIN one there's a, there's a, there's a field ASIN check, copy that URL, replace the keyword and the ASIN with yours. Or if that's exactly the keyword in the ASIN and that's the exact URL you can use in order to get somebody to buy your product with the field ASIN two-step URL, and then that should get you the impressions and it should send that relevancy. Bradley Sutton: So again, this might be a controversial thing. You know, I'm definitely. You know I have a good relationship with Amazon. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna suggest something that is blatantly against Amazon terms of service. That's not how I roll, but you know, anything can change. I am like 99% sure this is not against Amazon terms of service Because, again, I am not trying to manipulate sales rank, I'm not trying to manipulate search rank. I'm just trying to let Amazon know that I am relevant for this keyword when on this new product. Bradley Sutton: So again, once that happened, once I did that one boom, I got to the very top of the search results in sponsored alright, I'm not talking to, you know, search rank and then I got some organic orders from sponsored and then that brought my organic rank up after just like two or three orders more that I got it got me to like the top of Page one for that keyword, just like the regular Maldives honeymoon strategy. It was very interesting to see because on August 2nd this is months ago this is one of the I do tests constantly, guys. So this one coffin tray you know this is just one. I'm just giving you, guys, one of the examples I've done. I'm looking here at my notes. On August 2nd, you know, the top 10 were keywords like bath tray, tray, decor, very generic keywords. It like he obvious Amazon couldn't figure it out. And then on 8, 4, 2 days later, every single one of the top 10 keywords on one of them was all had coffin in it. So finally I got Amazon, just without one order, to understand that, hey, I am relevant for coffin related keywords and in the other product it didn't show all coffins, that I didn't have coffin as many times. In listening again, listing optimization is still important for the, for the algorithm, but at least the number two keyword was coffin bath tray, and then a lot of the other keywords were were just generic. Now here's the thing, though. Here's a Again, I can do a podcast episode of just about the test. I mean I literally did like 75 tests and tweaks just in this case study alone for these two products. Bradley Sutton: Interestingly enough, before I started getting relevant for with the Amazon recommended rank for coffin bath tray, my number one Keyword on one of the products, like I said before, was bathroom decor. All right, very generic keyword, very high search volume, way higher than coffin bath tray. But because Amazon gave me a recommended rank of one which is not really from Amazon, amazon gives a score and then we translate the number one score into Amazon recommended rank one, because for bath bathroom decor, I Could actually target it in PPC and I was already ranking like on page five for this keyword. I didn't even get one sale for one at the cart one, nothing. And I was on page five for the super high volume search term, just because Amazon gave me a high recommended rank. Bradley Sutton: Now you might think, well, why didn't you double down on that? You know, Bradley white, you know, to me I couldn't care less about the word bathroom decor. You know, like I don't think that people who purchase or who search bathroom decor we're really going to buy, you know, a coffin shaped bath tray. But that just shows you again how today, in 2023 and 2024, this data point is super important and has wide reaching effects as far as how you or how Amazon thinks that you are relevant. So, at the end of the day, I had this product running for three months now and what I did was after the three months, and you know one. Bradley Sutton: My theory I wanted to test was well, is the Amazon algorithm trained All right now that I've been selling this coffin bath tray when nobody else was on these two accounts for three months? You know what, if I launch a new coffin bath tray, is Amazon, from day one, going to go ahead and understand now what this kind of product is? Because it has got this history and the answer is interesting. The answer is still no, not really. So I launched two products on two different accounts today. One of them I just made with the listing builder AI that we have that uses ChatGPT made a great listing, but it was optimized for the keywords that I knew were relevant. And the other one, I use the exact same 100% listing that I've had up for three months, thinking that, hey, now that Amazon recommended rank is very high for these products or for these keywords, well, it should know right away and copy that Amazon recommended rank. So here's what I found out on the very first one, the top three or four keywords that are Amazon recommended rank. On this brand new listing that I had really optimized for coffin bath tray, wine glass, charcuterie board, bathroom tray, wooden tray and bathroom caddy. So a little bit different than when I started off. On the other one, but again no coffin related keywords. So, even though it's you, I did everything right and optimizing my listings to make it somewhat relevant. At the end of the day that ASIN is still going to need me to run a field ASIN two step URL in order to let Amazon know that I am relevant for coffin tray. Bradley Sutton: On the other listing that was in Project X, where I copied the 100% same listing that's been up for three months, word for word. I changed like a couple, like just one or two words just to make sure it wasn't the exact same listing, so I should say 99%. Here is the top three keywords from Amazon recommended rank bathroom decor, wine glass and candle holder. Does that sound familiar to you? Exact top three keywords of when I started with that other product, even though now that same product has the number one keyword is coffin bath tray, which it should. So again, it shows listing optimization, guys, is not the end all be all. Having a perfectly optimized listing at times is not enough. It's more. It's probably going to help you more in established categories. But even though I've had this product selling for three months, amazon still needs more, a bigger bump in order to make sure that some of these niche keywords it knows that it's relevant for it. So the Amazon algorithm is not perfect. It was perfect. It would have known from day one that hey, this is a coffin bath tray. This other coffin bath tray has been getting sales from coffin bath tray, coffin bath caddy, you know coffin decor and all these keywords. This product is very similar. We're going to put it number one. All right, that's actually how I noted the Amazon algorithm work back in the day. Bradley Sutton: But this is a new year, a new Amazon algorithmic shift. I guess you could say where this is not. You know this strategy is not necessarily working anymore. You've got to send those relevancy signals to Amazon. So for now, you know my way of sending those relevancy signals is, and you shouldn't need this for every single keyword. Guys, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying go, go and every single one of your 10 launch keywords you're going to have to do a field as in two step URL. No, like, I think that Amazon probably wouldn't, you know, like that, because that almost would be considered manipulating sales rank, because you're getting all these sales that are not necessarily real orders. But if you find yourself having trouble getting relevant for a keyword because Amazon recommended a rank is off, try that out, get one or two orders, just try one at first for a field as in two step URL in order to send those relevancy signals and then the next day, wait 24 hours, run it again. Bradley Sutton: And this is why I said that kind of like off the wall thing earlier where I'm now suggesting that you might want to always do a test listing. Now, all right, I didn't say that before you know. I said do kind of test listing so you can, so that you can know what kind of exposure you're going to get on PPC to validate some, some theories you have. When there's not enough information from existing competitors, you know you might want to make sure that you validate your idea with a test listing. But now, guys, I'm saying, if you're selling in a newer niche, especially and maybe sometimes, even if you're an established niche, it might be worth it to spend you know 50 bucks and get another UPC code and just do a fulfill by merchant listing, send a couple of or have a couple of units available and have your listing that you want to go with and then see immediately what does Amazon think that you're relevant for right. And then if you're completely fine with this listing and you have the right keywords for Amazon recommended rank from day one, all right, well, you're good to go. That means go ahead and launch your regular product once you're ready and you can have that exact listing, knowing that from day one you might have that. Bradley Sutton: But if you're like me and you have to do like 40 tests or something to try and figure out, how do I make Amazon think I'm relevant for this important keyword? Well, you don't want to be doing that on a live listing when you're trying to like get you know, make advantage of your honeymoon period. So what the best thing to do might be to spend a few bucks and try a field ASIN, two step URL to see if that helps your Amazon recommended rank, to see if that helps you get those PPC impressions that you're going to need to do the Maldives honeymoon strategy from day one and then, once you figure out what works on this test listing, now you can start over again once your inventory comes in, or you can, you know, maybe your inventory is already there and now you can start off on the right foot so that you know from day one I'm going to send this field two step URL, you know, to go ahead and get this order or to get to get relevant for this keyword or maybe something you maybe have to optimize your listing in a different way. Again, like I said, listing optimization is important. Sometimes it can help. It can definitely help you by by doing things differently. But instead of trying to do all this trial and error on a live listing, when you're trying to you know, get your, you know, get your sales and everything do it like on a test listing first. That's what I did for this coffin tray and that's what I'm going to do for any probably the next few of my launches, or I've been doing it on some of my launches and it's going to be doing what I'm going to be doing, going forward on some of my launches. So, guys, let me know what you think, but this is the Maldives honeymoon strategy, like version four, 4.0, a lot of it's the same, but there's some new things that are different here. Bradley Sutton: But the very important that you guys know your Amazon recommended rank and especially if any of you guys have issues ranking for keywords or getting sales or getting impressions in PPC, just run your listing through Cerebro and check what that Amazon recommended rank is All right. So, number one again that means that's the keyword that Amazon thinks you're most relevant for, all right. Number 20, that means Amazon thinks you're 20th relevant, all right. The coffin shelf is a great example. The old coffin shelf seems to be completely locked in at a low Amazon recommended rank. Our Project X coffin shelf is like rank 25. For that you guys can see that yourself. Anybody can run the Helium 10 coffin shelf in Cerebro and you can see what the Amazon recommended rank is Right and it's not high. And that's why we're not ranking high organically. I don't know what happens, you know, like a shadow ban or whatever. I don't want to try and speculate on that, but in even in that case, this Amazon recommended rank is highly indicative of what's happening on the organic side. So, guys, I hope this helps. Let me know how it works when you guys try these strategies out, and especially, even if you have a more mature listening, let me know in the comments below what does it say for your Amazon recommended rank, the one that you've been struggling with? Let me know, and let me know how you fix it. Bradley Sutton: I'm not sure when I'm going to come to the Maldives next. You know, 500 was kind of like all right, I'm going to keep going until 500. So maybe if there's going to be a new strategy I need to come up with, I'll have another reason to come out, to come out here. This is my favorite place in the world the Waldorf Astoria. They always take care of me really well. If you guys make sure to you know, if you want to know how I afford this place, it's like $2,500 a night. Check out my travel hacking episode. Just look at up. You know Sirius Sellers podcast, travel Hacking. You'll find that episode and then you can see how I am able to get to this place without having to pay money or ask helium 10 for money for it. But anyways, guys, hope you enjoyed this episode and here's to another 500 episodes. Bye-bye now.

Corporate America like Amazon, Nike, CVS are only hiring 6% of WHITE APPLICANTS! 94% NON WHITE?!

Kiri shares lessons from past Q4's, as well as lessons learned from 2023's summertime Prime Day so that consumer brands can be best prepared for the peak selling season. Discussed in this episode: Prime Day learnings - any level of Prime Day activity, no matter the promotion, led to a higher uptick in sales than not doing any promotions at all. Simplicity was in favor. Coupons were the top-used promotion among Acadia clients, Clients using coupons saw a 322% increase in daily sales compared to the daily average in the two-week lead-up to Prime Day. Clients offering anything between 5% and 75% off. Prime-exclusive discounts (PEDs) were the second most popular promotion. The flashier deals, like lightning deals and spotlight deals, are smart bets – for the brands that can afford them. These placements cost more and can be trickier to navigate Have backups for deals that don't run.Advertising Top-of-funnel ads that build awareness and consideration need to run early Switch to performance ads during the event to capture demand Understand that ad performance will suffer leading up to the event. Some brands say they don't want to participate in running ads or discounts - beware! Ad spend rose 338% year on year, reflecting an annual trend in increased CPC of 30%. BUT conversion rose 23.6%, in step with spend. At the same time, ROAS was up, avoiding erosion thanks to higher overall prices and better conversion rates that offset higher costs. Consider that if your competitors are leaning into tentpole events with ads and promotions, but you are not, their BSR will improve and yours will fall behind. Are you willing to take a long-term hit for a short-term saving?   Read our 2023 peak season prep guidelines (with timeline!) here. Read our Prime Day recaps on the Acadia blog. 

In this episode we are going to answer a question from one of our viewers and get into a great discussion about the main things we like about Amazon Influencers. Lots of interesting side conversations on this one and sorry we didn't get to some of the stuff that we promised to get into, but we'll cover these things in another podcast! For feedback/questions or if you'd like to be a guest on our podcast, please email us at sidehustleheroeshq@gmail.com Join our Side Hustle Heroes HQ Facebook group to be part of the Side Hustle Heroes HQ community and be the first to get access to the latest tips and strategies for our latest side hustles. ---> https://www.facebook.com/groups/sidehustlesheroeshq Subscribe to our YouTube channel for additional video content not covered in our podcast. ---> https://www.youtube.com/@SideHustleHeroesHQ

I've identified 7 specific strategies and tactics that Amazon successfully uses and you can leverage these same strategies with your Facebook and Instagram Ads, even on a small budget. Website: https://philgrahamdigital.com

Amazon rules the roost when it comes to e-commerce, with its marketplace outpacing everyone else when it comes to gross merchandise value, reach and market capitalization.

Happy Valentines Day. The AHA says it's time to give up the ghost, the new entrants are going to win the Primary Care space and it's time to fall back and pick your partner. Today we discuss.

INTRODUCTION: Emily Dufton“An oracle ofknowledge on all things marijuana” - BostonHeraldI'm a drug historian and writer based near Washington,D.C. I received my BA from New York University and earned my Ph.D. in AmericanStudies from George Washington University. My first book, Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana inAmerica, traced over 50 years of cannabis activism and wasnamed one of “The8 Best Weed Books to Read Right Now” by RollingStone and one of “The Top 5Cannabis Books to Have In Your Personal Library” by 10buds.com.Since its publication,I've become a commentator on America's changing cannabisscene. I've appeared on CNN,the History Channel andNPR's BackStory with the American History Guys, and my writing has been featured on TIME, CNN,SmithsonianMagazine, and the WashingtonPost. I'm currentlyworking on my second book, Addiction,Inc.: Medication-Assisted Treatment and the War on Drugs (under contractwith the University of Chicago Press). It's the history of the development andcommercialization of the opioid addiction medication industry. In 2021 I won a LukasWork-in-Progress Award to help finance its writing. In 2022 I won a Robert B. SilversGrant. I'm deeply grateful for all the support.I'm also a podcasthost on the NewBooks Network, where I interview authors on new books about drugs,addiction and recovery. I live in the People's Republic of TakomaPark, Maryland, with my husband Dickson Mercerand our two children.  INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to):  ·      A Look At The History Of Marijuana ·      Emily's Halloween Candy Advice·      De'Vannon's Experience With Hallucinogenics·      Great Grassroots Advice For Marijuana/Drug Activists ·      President Joe Biden's Major Moves For Marijuana·      The Inappropriate Relationship Between - Church + Media + Government·      Political Influences And Implications On Drugs·      The Balance Between Parents Rights And Kids Rights·      How Grassroots Organizations Impact Federal Policy·      Why We Shouldn't Assume Decriminalization Is Here To Stay  CONNECT WITH EMILY: Website: https://www.emilydufton.com/Grass Roots: https://www.emilydufton.com/grass-rootsLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3ganBPgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/emily.duftonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_emily_dufton/Twitter: https://twitter.com/emily_duftonMedium: https://medium.com/@ebdufton   CONNECT WITH DE'VANNON: Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.comWebsite: https://www.DownUnderApparel.comYouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCMFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopixLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannonPinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/SexDrugsAndJesus/_saved/Email: DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com  DE'VANNON'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ·      Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)o  https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370o  TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs ·      OverviewBible (Jeffrey Kranz)o  https://overviewbible.como  https://www.youtube.com/c/OverviewBible ·      Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed (Documentary)o  https://press.discoveryplus.com/lifestyle/discovery-announces-key-participants-featured-in-upcoming-expose-of-the-hillsong-church-controversy-hillsong-a-megachurch-exposed/ ·      Leaving Hillsong Podcast With Tanya Levino  https://leavinghillsong.podbean.com  ·      Upwork: https://www.upwork.com·      FreeUp: https://freeup.net VETERAN'S SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS ·      Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org·      American Legion: https://www.legion.org ·      What The World Needs Now (Dionne Warwick): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHAs9cdTqg INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?: ·      PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon  TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00]You're listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De'Vannon and I'll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what's really going on in your life.There is nothing off the table and we've got a lot to talk about. So let's dive right into this episode.De'Vannon: Emily Dufton is an author, podcast host, and a drug historian who has blessed the world with a phenomenal book, which is entitled Grass Roots. The rise and fall and rise of marijuana in America. This book offers phenomenal advice for marijuana slash drug activists and encourages us to not arrest on our laurels, assuming that drug decriminalization is here to stay.Now, I fell in love with Ms. Emily when I discovered her while [00:01:00] listening to the, the. To The ReidOut podcast hosted by the great Joy-Ann Reid over on msnbc, and it was a surreal delight to sit down and talk with Emily about what's going on with drugs right now, as well as what was going on with drugs back then.Also, would like everyone to please check out our YouTube channel because for this very special episode, Emily and I have dawned our Halloween costumes. She's a hot dog, and I'm Fred Flintstone, and you have got to check them out. Have a super safe Halloween everyone.Hello and happy Halloween everyone, and welcome to this very special edition of The Sex Drugs in Jesus podcast. I wish you all a very, very spooky weekend. I have with me the great. Multi talented, multifaceted, delicious, and nutritious. Emily din, How are you, girl? Emily: Oh my God, I'm feeling delicious and nutritious.Thank [00:02:00] you. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me. I'm De'Vannon: so fucking lely. Like you look delicious and nutritious. So you're dressed as a hot dog. I am. So I'm curious and you told me, Previously that you're a hot dog every year, and so I've been wondering, so some years, are you like a vegan hot dog another year?You're like a Polish sausage. You switch up the bond, like how exactly does it go? Emily: Oh, the hot dog is in the eye of the beholder. I, that's how it is. I think, you know, I live in Tacoma Park, Maryland. It's known as the Berkeley of the East. I think many people see me as a tofu dog, as a beyond beyond.Hot dog. Others as DC adjacent, you know, were like, I could be a half smoke. I could be, I'm just I just wear this because it's a costume I found on the side of the street in Capitol Hill in DC where I was living at the time, and I thought, [00:03:00] This is amazing. Someone is just giving away a hot dog costume.I'm going to give it a home and I'm going to be a hot dog every year from now until it literally falls apart. And so that's why I'm a hot dog every year. De'Vannon: looks brand new. I love it. Emily: Thank you. It gets washed from time to time. De'Vannon: from time. Good time. Look, I love me a good wier girl. So , Emily: I could be, I could be the wier of your dreams.Who knows? Let's see. We can put the, the top up for a minute. See you. De'Vannon: It's great. That is one. Okay. All right. There y'all. So . So Emily is an author and a drug historian. She holds a PhD in American Studies from George Washington University. She is the author of a fabulous book called Grassroots, the Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America.Has to do with how, how, how, how, [00:04:00] how earnest hippies, frightened parents suffering patients and other ordinary Americans went to war over the marijuana. It was a little mm-hmm. description I had of that. Before we go much further, I wanna take a moment to give a shout out to Ms. Joy and re over at the readout on msnbc, because that is how I discovered.Oh wow. . I saw you on her podcast and then I heard what you had to say about your grassroots book, and then I fell in love with you and when I built up the courage and got, got, got more bodies of works under my belt, I sent you a message, you know, hoping and praying that you would respond and you did.And so, Emily: Paul touch my heart. I'm so happy to be here. And honestly, like I The idea that, that, oh, you would be at all nervous to talk to me, makes me just like ache a little bit on the inside. I'm so happy to talk to you and this is such an honor for me to [00:05:00] be here. We are. You wrote a book, We Are equals, We know, We know what it is to go into the, the pain cave of writing and, and try to create something intelligible and lengthy about complicated subjects.You know, so writer to writer, you and I are, we are. Eye to eye. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you. De'Vannon: The sausage and so, So I'm like a glittery version of Fred Flinstone because, As far as I'm concerned, we all know what Fred Freestone and Barney Rubble were really doing over in Bed Rock, Honey and Emily: Rock. I mean, come on.Yeah, it was right inDe'Vannon: Barney Rubs a total bottom. I know. It . So, So in your own words, I've given like my take on, is there anything you'd like to say about yourself, your own personal history or anything? Emily: Gosh. [00:06:00] Like, like about writing grassroots or about like what? Like about me as a human being. De'Vannon: Anything about you at all.Your favorite color, Favorite place you've traveled. We're gonna get into grassroots right after you. Tell us whatever you'd like to say. Just about yourself. Oh my at all since I've already given a little history, so you don't have to Oh, Emily: lovely. I'm a Piy, Sun Sagittarius, Rising Pisces Moon. I have two children a boy who's six and a little girl who's almost three.I'm working on my second book right now, which is about the history of medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, and I won a couple grants to fund the work, and it's been super awesome. And hopefully I'm gonna go to Switzerland either at the end of this year or the beginning of next year to compare addiction treatment programs over there with America's treatments.So those are, I think by far the most pertinent facts about me that everyone should, [00:07:00] should know. .De'Vannon: I think those are pretty damn good and relevant facts. the, the, the resurgence of healing with the drugs. Look, I just got back from Portland, Oregon dealing shrooms. And sell. So that is a cell aside, but, and what the fuck else I did?Mdm a I had never been shrooms before in my life and since I'm a veteran who suffers from ptsd, O C D and you know, all of these things and I saw on Netflix and the How to Change Your Mind documentary on PBS history of Mil illness. Documentary, how they've been using these hallucinogenics to help veterans.And I thought, Okay, I'm not gonna wait for this to be approved. I'm gonna fly my happy ass up here and do these shrooms. Man, it took seven grams for me to like fill anything. And apparently that's like a lot. And wow. I don't know, apparently besides the Emily: social work. Oh, that context. Yeah. So you did like an official, like, like clinical trial?It De'Vannon: wasn't a trial I paid for this. I [00:08:00] found a social worker who was willing to to do it in a psychiatric setting. Uhhuh, he feel like his woods are like an hour north of Portland into his cabin in the woods. So that, cuz he was like insistent that the environment be like, Right. And so it was like a guided assistant thing.It was, it was clinical, but I paid for it. I wasn't, I didn't wait for a trial Emily: to come. Totally, totally understood. That's awesome. How was it? Was it a good experience?De'Vannon: It follows me, so in a good way. So like if I smoke weed, it does not have an effect on me. I've tried different strands, different states, different times.I used to sell the hell out of it back in my drug dealing days, but I never fool with it too much. I used to sell shrooms. I never did 'em either. But I have discovered that if I do like a CBD gummy, I will be sitting around looking like EE from South Park. I feel that. But, so the, the C B D [00:09:00] does the same thing that the MDM A and the shrooms did.It quiet hit my mind. So I was expecting to have one of those like, really jerky experiences like I saw in the documentary, but that did not happen for me at all because my mind is always like this with the OCD and the PTSD and everything. Mm-hmm. . So for me, what those, what those hallucinogenics did was it just neutralized.And so I was just like, still just silent, quiet. And so I have found things that I used to, that I used to have anxiety over. I don't anymore. And so basically that peace, it, it attached itself to me in those, in that state of mind. Emily: I love that. So, so quieted your minds downed. How long did the quietness.De'Vannon: It's ongoing. So I was, while the drugs had their effect on me, okay, on this room, you know, the trees started to like move and the prints, you know, the pattern in the carpet started [00:10:00] dancing and doing his own thing and whatnot. So that was kind of freaky. But once that all settled down, , you know, you know, So it's not like it was, I, I have found, this has been like maybe three weeks ago that I was in Portland.It hasn't changed. You know, I still feel peace. It's like, and I experienced the same thing when I started experiment, the CBD gummies, which has only been like maybe two or three months ago. Mm-hmm. That I discovered that these gummies will have an impact on me. That's interesting. It's like, it's, it's a permanent thing with me.Emily: Wow. And have you had any kind of I don't know, like sessions or counseling or anything to kind of talk about like, But you know, sort of digesting the effects of it or like, maybe I don't even, I don't even know what the word is, but have, have you communicated at all with the guy who led the session since he, De'Vannon: He was, he is open to that and he wanted to schedule a follow up, but [00:11:00] I, and I can reach out to him if I want to, Emily, but I, I was ready, you know, like writing my blog and my books in the show and I see a, a social worker every week anyway.I see a licensed family marriage, the. A couple of times a month for me and my boyfriend, and then I see a hypno therapist once a month. And so I'm always professing and manifesting the change that I want. I went into it already. I didn't really embody to do too much handholding, and I'm all like, I'm ready to let this shit go.Like we talk about it, but it's already done . Emily: That's great. And this is the thing that allowed you to do that. Like you're just like, I just need that final push to get it out. Right. I love that there's a guy. Oh yeah. Sorry. Keep going. De'Vannon: You go, You're the guest girl. Oh, Emily: no. I'm just saying there's someone so I live right outside of DC in Tacoma Park, Maryland, and which I think I've said already but.There's this doctor who just moved here and [00:12:00] started a practice where he's doing exactly that. He's using Ketamine though. And so he's doing these like lead ketamine therapy sessions. And then afterwards he offers sessions to, I'm trying to remember like the verb he used. It wasn't like aggregate, but it was like to sort of like digest the experience.So you have this experience with ketamine that will hopefully release in the patient, the same kind of things that released in your experience. And then he would kind of provide the counseling or the, the therapy sessions to help sort of bring, make, make manifest the effects. And I thought, Oh my God, like, here it is.It's, it's, it's here. You know, like sort of this pro, this ability to access these drugs in a therapeutic. You know, private, like obviously like , you know, industrial way, but it's here. And God, that is like 10 years ago. I think experiences like yours are like the one that this doctor is offering would've been like [00:13:00] unimaginable.And yet now they're here and they're moving into all these communities. You know, it's not just Portland, Oregon, it's like here in, right outside of DC it's everywhere. And that to me is a totally fascinating aspect of like drug policy in the United States. It's wild. Totally. De'Vannon: I'm so happy to have it here too.But as you warn in your book grassroots that we're about to get into you know, these things tend to come and. At times. Yeah. Because this wasn't the first time that we were on the border of finding therapeutic uses for drugs before the drug war on drugs. Shut it down. Right. And so we're happy to have it back.And towards the end of the interview, I was most intrigued with the, the six lessons that you have for grassroots advocate for people at the end. And so I really gotta let you give that advice because I really feel like people need to hear that because people. Are feeling really grass rooty these days.It'll be . Emily: That's true. ,De'Vannon: it would be great for them to to to hear, hear [00:14:00] your advice so that they can be helped. Emily: I had to go get my copy. I haven't looked at that in a while. That's right. I forgot. I had like six little lessons in the back. Yeah. The one I remember, the Yes. Make your argument as sympathetic as possible was lesson one.Mm-hmm. . Because the more you center like a really sympathetic identity in the middle of your campaign, the more likely people are to. Feel bad for you and generate empathic warmth and support, right? Which is why you always see like puppies, like with their ribs exposed cuz they're starving in the rain, chained to a box and you're like, Please take my money to save the puppy.Lesson two. It's all about the money, which is exactly what we were talking about. Money buys influence. Lesson three, Be prepared to watch your progress disappear. Lesson four, don't rely too heavily on the White House. Lesson five, Respect your opposition and lesson six, keep a sense of perspective.Wow. I forgot I wrote these. That's so interesting. Yeah, [00:15:00] like, you know what's, Sorry, De'Vannon: keep going. No saying. So. We'll talk about those towards the end, cuz I thought those would be cute. Okay. So you can just kind of like, you know, peruse over that while we're going through. And and then of course people go by the books.So if you're a grassroots person and you wanna figure out. How to escape some pitfalls and things like that. I think this is a really good book and if you wanna have insight cause we're all also passionate about this, you know, this resurgence and everything. But I think that your book, you know, is like so evergreen, you know, in the, in the sense that, you know, it's an ongoing battle in this country because as you say, it's the rise, the fall, the rise, you know, it goes back and forth.There's no reason for us to be so arrogant as to assume that it can't fall again, because as you lay out in the book, every time we have. Arise for decriminalization. There's an opposing force that wants to fight that. Right. And so, and it was no different then. It's the same way now. So you wanted to give a warning though, for Halloween candy.I [00:16:00] wanted to be sure that we have time for that, because that was something you specifically requested. And so tell us your, this is, this is Emily's warning about this Halloween came to y'all. Oh Emily: my God. It's less of warning and just more of like a. I, I just every year, Well, this year in particular, I feel like there have been a lot of news stories about the rainbow colored fentanyl that apparently is going to show up in children's Halloween staes nationwide.And I love it because like, it just goes to show how. Drugs. The concept of drugs, right? When we talk about drugs, we're never just talking about drugs, right? We're always talking about larger issues and larger questions and larger ideas. And I feel like this, like the new fear of 2022, Halloween, 2022 of Fentanyl being dispersed widely in like Halloween candy is just, it's a really convenient vehicle for like political mud slinging, right?And. [00:17:00] You know, so the right can mud sling at the left by saying, Oh, it's the liberal's open border policies that is allowing Mexican cartels to funnel this rainbow colored fentanyl across the borders. And now it's gonna, now my kid's gonna eat it thinking it's a sweet tart and die. So that's how, like the right is mudslinging the left and then the left mud slings the right in return by saying, right.You're so stupid. No drug dealer is going to give away drugs for free. That is not how drug dealing works. . So there's just this and like, you know, so whenever we're talking about drugs, we're always talking about so much more than just drugs. Like there, like the concept of drugs is weighted with all of these other topics that we like, press upon it.And it becomes something that's like, kind of like a football, right? It's just always being thrown back and forth, you know? People are always going to use the concept of drugs or the concept of punishment or the concept of treatment as a political vehicle to achieve [00:18:00] other ends, right? Whether those are financial or moral or law enforcement, whatever.But I just feel like the Halloween candy saga that we go through every year is like kind of a good sort of visual entry point on to this topic that like, Drugs are always much more than just drugs, right? There are ways for us to discuss as Americans and as human beings, concepts that are obviously like much more complicated and oftentimes more complex than just like fentanyl or pot or whatever else itself.So I guess that's like my opening concept for conversation . De'Vannon: Yes, as a former drug dealer, I can attest to what Mr. Mrs. Dustin is saying is true. We don't to run around giving away drugs for free honey, especially not to little children who don't have money to come back and buy any once they get addicted.That's . Emily: It's, it is a profoundly bad marketing plan. No one [00:19:00] benefits from it. No one benefits . De'Vannon: But you know, just like, you know, as you state in your book You know, the fear mongering, you know, the fear mongering is like a big deal coming from the left. And so, I mean, coming from the right and so Emily: and sometimes the De'Vannon: left , it can, it can, mm-hmm.it pains me to say, but it's just so true. You know, Emily: sometimes we have to be honest about our own, you know, . De'Vannon: You know what? I don't, I don't, I don't want, I don't want a political party. I just wanna be like me. I just wanna be like me. I know. Whatever makes free to be you and me. What do you think about what Biden did though with the rolling back the the, the, the legal, the, the cases against people with the marijuana charges?Emily: I mean, it was really interesting, right? It was kind of came out in nowhere, right? He hadn't talked [00:20:00] much about. Marijuana policy at all on the campaign trail or during these first two years? I remember Kamala Harris during the Vice presidential debate was the very first presidential or vice presidential candidate to ever say during a debate, like, Yes, I support decriminalization.And she said that. So Kamala mentioned it, but like Biden never did. So he comes out and he makes this announcement and. Like it's immediate effect is going to be relatively small because the only marijuana convictions he's allowed to overturn are ones that he can control and he can only control federal convictions for possession.And that's not the, like that many it's about 6,500 nationally and it's, I don't know the number. No one would gave it. No one would give it. But it's also convictions for possession in DC because DC is federal. So that actually, that number might be more considerable than 6,500, but like I have not seen [00:21:00] a news outlet give it yet.But anyway, like that's pretty small compared to the millions of people who have been arrested. It's kind of a drop in the bucket. But what he also said was he was going to talk to eight, the Department of Health and HHS Health and Human. Services. He's going to talk to the FDA and he is going to talk to the DEA for the three federal agencies in charge of drug policy and talk about, and he wanted to talk about descheduling cannabis.So right now, pot is a schedule one drug and it's been a Schedule one drug since 1970. And, Being schedule one, that means that the federal government considers it to have no medical utility and a high risk for abuse, which is of course very silly. Since 1996, it became medical marijuana. So of course it has some medical utilities.Schedule one placement has been kind of nuts for at least since 1996. [00:22:00] He wants to talk about descheduling it, taking it outta the schedules completely. And if you deschedule a. That means it can become a legitimate legal marketplace item like cigarettes or alcohol. It could become a commercial product, and that is a really big decision.It's already kind of becoming a commercial product, but those industries are like very cottage still. Like there is a huge medical marijuana industry and there is a growing recreational cannabis industry, but there's still like, In the span of things, right, Like along the spectrum of, of products, it's still fairly small.So to deschedule it completely and turn it into a commercial product that would transform the cannabis industry in the United States and ultimately worldwide. So it's a huge decision. It's a huge, it's this, this the beginning of a huge conversation. So like right [00:23:00] after he made that announcement it was right before last weekend.People were like, I didn't really know what to make of it, honestly. But the more I've read, like things on Twitter from people I respect and some articles, the more I realize he's launching like a pretty huge conversation. And now would be the time for activists who are interested in creating, as, you know, equitable and kind.Fundamentally good natured and industry as possible, like now would be the time for them to really get involved because, you know, conversations about, about descheduling are happening and those are, those are important. And you know, the time to influence the marketplaces now cuz it's starting to take shape, which is crazy.I mean, it's like the same thing we were talking about before where like now you can go someplace and have like ketamine treatment, like these things are available. So it's time to figure out what, like we actually want the industry to look. De'Vannon: [00:24:00] Hell yeah. Something to tap into that energy and push it forward.I feel you on that. So, so, so in your book, you, you take us from like prohibition back in the first part of the last century, you know, all the way up to the day and I thought it was very artfully done. So I wanted to read a little excerpt about about the way. Marijuana was viewed back then from way back in 1917 from, from your book, if I may.And so those said, the 1917 report from the Treasury Department noted that in Texas only Mexicans and sometimes Negroes and lower class whites smoked the marijuana for pleasure and warned that that drug crazed minorities could harm or assault upper class white women. I felt like this, you know, that sort of thinking still informs policy today and I felt like when movies like The Terrible [00:25:00]Truth and Reefer Madness, which you mentioned, the book came out, I felt like that was like media's way of locking arms with the government and echoing what they're saying.And you don't really get into too religion deeply. But I feel like the church also. Touched and agreed. Yes. Emily: So, so the church was responsible for paying for the production of the movie Reef for Madness. I don't which church it, it was, I don't remember, but it was funded by Evangelical Christians. There you go.There's your connection. Mm-hmm. . De'Vannon: And see, I don't know, like, I, I hate the fact that the church. I would've rather the church stand up and say, You know what? It's not for the government to enforce morality because God is not forced. He's always gave the children of Israel a choice. He never came down here and mandated things in the way that we're trying to mandate them.So why don't we back off and leave this whole morality [00:26:00] thing to the church instead? The church was like, Well, we like to control people. The government likes to control people, so why don't we see if we can control them all together? Hmm. So I Emily: collaborate. Oh my God, it's so true. And it's been so powerful, like for so long, for so long.But it's true, like can you legislate morality? I mean, like, that's just this eternal question and you know, you really, you really can't, you can't punish someone until they're good. It just doesn't work that way. You. De'Vannon: No, nobody responds to that. You know, our children don't. And I love that your kids are like, pretty much the same age as my two kids, which happen to be like Maine Coon mixed cats.You know, My oldest boys about is about to be six in March, and then my girl is threeOh, Emily: we have babies the same age. That's so funny. That's crazy. Wild. But it's true, like you can't make them be good through [00:27:00] fear or punishment like ever. Ever and . And then it just always makes things worse. It always makes things worse. And that's why like, I mean, that's why it's so hard oftentimes to have like rational discussions about things like drugs or religion because like people just get too emotionally involved and you kind of think like, you're gonna, you're gonna believe my way or I'm going to hurt you.Like I'm going to defend this to the point of violence. And it's just like, that's why I , some people get mad at me. Grassroots because they felt like I didn't take a firm enough stand, you know, either way. And some people also like seem to have a really hard, a hard, they seem to have some difficulty with differentiating between smoking pot and writing about pot as like a historical phenomenon.So like a lot of people just like make these really dumb jokes, like yeah, I bet you're using a lot. Grass when you're writing grassroots or whatever. And I was like, No. I was writing like a [00:28:00] deeply researched, like historical book based off of my PhD dissertation. Like, no, I wasn't high the whole time. Like, that's ridiculous.But people were upset with me because I wasn't taking firm enough stand. Like I wasn't coming out like very strongly as an activist for legalization or, or alternatively against it. I didn't make my, my political position clear enough. And I don't know if. Like in the same way you're saying like, Well who should legislate morality?You know, in the same way, I don't feel like history books necessarily have to be legislating morality, right? Like I don't feel like I needed to tell people what to believe. I just wanted to tell them what happened and how we got here. So that as things move forward and as we continue to watch this really like unique historical period evolve, we'll be more prepared to understand.The potential downsides that might occur or the potential benefits that might occur, and like try to maybe guide the process [00:29:00] more toward the benefits, like rather than the downsides. So it's, you know, I do feel like there's a real need to understand drugs in like a non-emotional, non hot take, non, like just understanding them as like a historical artifact where.Certain things have happened from 1917 to today to create the world we live in, and we should probably understand how we got here. And so I wrote a book about it, , and now we're talking about it. All right, , De'Vannon: just bring it full circle. I love it. And you're right, your book is very energetically neutral. It is very energetically like neutral.Yeah, I did pick up on that. And you know, most of you know historians, they just tell what happened and so I, you know, I was interviewing somebody else and I was, and he had gotten some reviews that kind of roughed his feathers and I was telling him, You know what, I'll tell you the same thing. Like Amazon and all these different book places don't.Perform mental health test [00:30:00] on people who go in there and leave reviews . So there's no tell on what you're gonna get, so Emily: please gimme the most recent report from your therapist before you post on this review. . Oh my God. The best review I got was someone was really mad that I was mean to Nancy Reagan, and they were like, it's not like she committed tax fraud.Nancy Reagan's not that bad. And I was like, Is that your bar? Like tax fraud? Or? So that was everyone else's reviews on Amazon are almost all from my friends, so those are all nice that Perfect. They're all the friends. I ask like, Please leave an Amazon review for my book. Thank you. De'Vannon: Hey, nothing like that inner circle chosen family, baby.Oh baby. That person commented on the tax fraud, though, probably commits tax fraud and they were projecting that. Oh my Emily: god. 100%. De'Vannon: Yeah. . So I wanted to talk about Atlanta 1976 because. [00:31:00] I felt like Miss, Miss Marsha Sard, and I have to admit when I read that name immediately, Andrew DeMar Shinard from Rent from the MusicalOh my God. It came to my mind and I had to go look it up. I was like, Is there a relation here today, tomorrow for me? What's going on ? So, but there is no relation. So it's, it's Emily: inside a gay boy. No, I can't unsee it. I can't unsee it. De'Vannon: and Atlanta especially. Cause my boyfriend is from Atlanta, you know, from that area.And so Hills, well todo neighborhood. Marsha is you know, she's walks into like her teens having this party and everyone's. you know, paring it up. Her and her husband go out fine, like the weed butts and everything like that. And, and then she goes run snitch to all the other parents because of course there was other teenage there.And we all know [00:32:00] snitches get stitches, y'all. And so what I documented was the parents' reactions usually that the parents' reactions ran the gamut from shock, confusion, indignation, concern, denial, and hostility. Now in the book, you, you know, this woman is like, Slated to be a Democrat. Mm-hmm. . And so that really, really shocked me.And and her, her emotions. I don't feel like those emotions have changed over the years. I feel like that's the same way people react to Dave. Would you agree? Emily: Yeah, I think, I think you're onto something there. Yeah. Like it, it was her, her politics are really interesting. So Keith, she goes by Keith, which again is kind of.You have to get, wrap your head around this woman, this like mom of three who goes by Keith. And then it's hard cuz I'm also writing about Keith Strop, the founder of Normal, the National Organization for the reform of marijuana laws, which are like, you know, going gangbusters at this time. [00:33:00]So there's a lot of Keith's, you know, so keep the Keiths straight in your mind.But so Keith Shart is this mom She has a PhD in British literature. She's not teaching, but her husband is at Emory, and so she's like home with these kids. So like I see her as being really smart. probably pretty bored, right? Being home with kids, like when you have a PhD and you're clearly like a life of the mind kind of person.Being home with little kids can be like really boring and you can have like maybe a lot of leftover energy. And so she throws this like backyard birthday party for her 13 year old daughter. And like the kids are acting weird and she's kind of freaking out and she sees like they're up in their bedroom, like looking out in the backyard, her and her husband and they see the lighters flicker in the bushes, but they assume it's cigarettes.But the kids are like really acting funny. And so once everybody leaves, they go into the backyard and they're searching around and they [00:34:00] find. Roaches. And they also find like, like alcohol containers, right? So the kids aren't just smoke smoking pot, they're, they're drinking too. , The scandal, the scandal 13, I mean 13 is young.Like for, like, I was not, I was not playing those games at 13, but I understand that my experience is not the experience of everyone. And, and now I'm like, as a mom, I'm kind of like, Oh, if I caught Henry doing that, like I'd be probably be pretty pissed. But but anyway, so she. She goes into like hardcore activist mode, like right away, you know, she was like, Boom.And she is buoyed by the concepts of. Second wave feminism that are like really prominent at the time where you do consciousness raising groups and you get together with people who are sharing your same experience and you talk about it, right? Because the personal is political and you try to figure out a way to change society for the better.Like that is very much like the kind of social [00:35:00] milu that shoe hard is coming from in, in 76 in Atlanta. Because remember, like Atlanta's pretty liberal at this time. Like Jimmy Carter is governor and he is running for president. You know, like it's the bicentennial. Everybody's like super patriotic, right?It's an interesting time. So she gets together with all the other parents and she's like, Our kids are smoking pot. This seems to be an issue like this. This. This is, this is something we should probably pay attention to. And she kind of blames it on the fact that for the past three years, more and more states had steadily been decriminalizing marijuana possession.So it started in Oregon in 73, but by 76, I think there were probably like,Probably like six, five or six states by that point that had decriminalized, right? Georgia wasn't one of them, but others did. And so there's this burgeoning drug paraphernalia industry, like basically just like today, this was happening in the mid, the early [00:36:00] 1970s where like. A semi-legal cannabis marketplace was taking shape in America.And when a marketplace builds and expands, more people tend to utilize it. So more people were using pot, more people were smoking pot, and then it was trickling down and it was getting to kids. So like Keith Shoe hard's, daughter 13 found some pot and was smoking it at her birthday party. And like that made shard really upset.So even though she was a Democrat and she was a liberal, She was really opposed to what the liberal agenda had pushed, which was decriminalization. So she starts basically a nationwide grassroots army of parents to overturn decriminalization laws and kind of stop the burgeoning paraphernalia industry.And it just so happens that in 1984 years later, when Ronald Reagan gets elected, he takes their concept. Nationalizes [00:37:00] it further and then turns it into federal policy. So it was the parent movement that gave us basically the entire concept of just say no. So yeah, the 1980s were birthed in the 1970s in Atlanta, Georgia in 1976.De'Vannon: Right. And right. Thank you for breaking that down so beautifully. And I, and I felt like from, from the way that you wrote, you really, really wanted people to know the importance that small community groups like this actually, the impact that they have on federal policy, not as, so that we don't undervalue this or underestimate.Totally. Emily: And so it's amazing. Well, when you tap into a zeitgeist like that, like, like what, what Shoe hard and other people in Atlanta tapped into was something that And ended up people were feeling nationwide. And that's the exact same thing that was happening with medical marijuana laws. And it's the exact same thing that's happening with legalization laws now.I mean, people are tapping into like it's a zeitgeist straight now. You know? Like more like I think Maryland, where I live is, I think we're [00:38:00] voting to legalize this. I think we're voting to legalize next month. Like it's movement, baby. It's movement. De'Vannon: May the force be with you? May Emily: the force be, I think it'll pass pretty easily.I think it'll pass pretty easily. Now it's just a matter of what the market will look like, what we'll actually do with it in the. Which is crazy. It's a De'Vannon: step. The thing that stood out to me about Mrs. Manas, was she, she, she kept saying like, it was like, for the children, you, the children, half of the children, you know, I'm getting like flashbacks to one division, you know, for Disney when they're, you know, her and vision, you know, Wanda Envision, you know, wanting to max him off.Yeah. Marvel, you know, I'm like, geeking out right now. But , they kept saying that thing for the children and there weren't any fucking children. Because she had, she had put 'em all to sleep, but she, I, I was like, Okay, I wonder if she asked the children what they want or was she just using them to enforce her agenda every time?I see like a [00:39:00] politician, especially like, I mean, you know, especially like the Republican and stuff like that, wanting to enact negative policies on behalf of veterans. For instance, me being a military veteran, I always, I'm like, I don't want you to do that. Like everything you're doing, I don't want you to do.You didn't ask me . So, but they're like, Our veterans wouldn't want my choice. Yeah. no. And so, I don't know. That stood out to me like right, like the children, but they don't. I don't know what to call that. What do you call that when people do that? Are they, are they calling themselves doing it in the name of righteousness?Are they getting, Now you're a parent now, so you have this feeling. Would you go and do something this adverse on behalf of your children without consulting their opinion FirstAnd I don't understand Emily: that they prefer that. Right. They would love to, they'd love to gimme their opinions. Right. But you know, I. I think you're to a really important question, right? Which is like, [00:40:00] where do the rights of children end and the rights of adults begin, right? So like when, when Keith, Shar, and every and everybody else in the parent movement is saying, Oh my God.We have to repeal decriminalization laws because of the children. Like do it for the children. The children are being harmed by these drugs. But then that transforms from like, we have to have these laws for the children to, We have to excessively punish. Adults for drug possession or dealing or whatever else excessively punish them.Like especially after the 1986 Drug Abuse Act, right? When you're getting mandatory minimums of 5, 10, 15 years when we're locking up millions of people for drug possession. Like where does the rights of children end And like the range of adults in and the pushback to that. But what about the children line of thought did finally start to come in the nineties, right?[00:41:00] When marijuana legalization efforts dovetailed with the gay rights movement in what I think is just one of the most fascinating, like historical co ever, right? So in California, in San Francisco, as AIDS is starting to. Decimate the gay population. You have a couple of activists, including Dennis Perran and Brownie Mary Rath Fund, whose real name is Mary Jane, which is crazy.They're using marijuana to like give to these aids patients who, like doctors don't wanna touch, nobody wants to get near them. No one knows what to do. No one knows how to treat hiv. It's brand new. Right? And Brownie Mary and Dennis Perran are. Have a, have a pot and infuse brownie, like you're gonna get your appetite back, Your nausea is gonna chill out.You're gonna feel pretty good. You're gonna have some energy. You can like go to the [00:42:00] bank. You can do like an errand right before you die. A horribly of aids like my God. Right? So they're saying, where did the rights of children end? Yes. We kept children so safe from pot that like by the early eighties, like no one is smoking pot anymore and we're locking.Tens of thousands of people, right? Like every month, right? Okay, great. We've done it. We won the drug war. But now it turns out this substance does have some medical utility for a patient group that is increasingly becoming like really sympathetic. You know, like cuz you have, I mean Arthur Ash contracts, hiv God, that little boy got it through like a blood transfusion or something.So you start to like have like really sympathetic feelings towards, Oh, Princess Diana visits the HIV clinic in the San Francisco General Hospital. Right? Like suddenly it becomes really sympathetic and laws start to change, right? Suddenly adults rights, especially like adults dying of AIDS and cancer, like their rights become much more important than protecting children from pot.And then, [00:43:00] Can kind of move like fast forward into the two thousands. 2010, the legalization movement joins with the social justice movement. So in 2010, Michelle Alexander publishes her book The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness, which is canonical at this point. Canonical, I tell you, and like it is all.The effects of locking up nonviolent offenders, the vast majority of which are black men. Like, well, what have we done in America By locking up millions of people, more people, more black people are incarcerated in the United States than in South Africa at the height of apartheid. Like what effects does that have culturally, socially, economically?It has effects. And she lays them out and we're all like, Oh my God. Now we know. And laws started to change right after that, right? In 2012, you have the first states legalized Colorado and Washington by combining legalization [00:44:00] with calls for social justice, right? If cannabis is the source of massive amounts of black incarceration, legalized cannabis, right?That's one way to like act on social justice, and it was also legalized through. Outright calls for generating tax revenue, right? Like here is something that we can legalize and tax the be Jesus out of. And not only are we like doing good on social justice initiatives, but we're also gonna make a boatload of money.Like it's a total win-win at the moment. And that's basically, again, arguments for the rights of adults, right? Should we, should we incarcerate X number of million of people, millions of people for cannabis possession? So again, like. Argument for its children's rights, which was like so immensely powerful in the 1970s and eighties has now I would say, really been pushed to the back burner by almost three decades of really concerted and very powerful and very influential activism for adults rights to access cannabis, [00:45:00] for medical, and then social justice and economic initiatives.De'Vannon: And that's the tea. Y'all, Y'all have it? Emily . Emily: There's, there's 50 years of cannabis history guys. Woo. . De'Vannon: And, you know, I work with you know, so many people right now, and I, and I, I love how you, I feel like your book is almost like a, a user's manual for people who wanna get into this fight. You know, you're giving historical context, you're giving advice and everything.And so You know, I'm thinking about, you know, a friend of mine if her name is iFit Harvey, she runs the people of Color Collective. People of color, Psychedelic Collective, which is based out of New York City. And you know, and I, and I work with them, you know, I just did an interview, you know, for, I gave them an interview the other day and we were talking about like you know, marijuana, you know, the way it's, you know, criminalized here in Louisiana where I live versus where one of their.[00:46:00]Satellite locations is in Oregon, in Portland. And so, you know, things like this are very helpful you know, for young people cuz these people are really, really like young who have started this, you know, psychedelic collective and everything like that. And so I think, yeah. Right. I think books like this are so like, useful.So we're nearing the end of our hour and so I just wanted to mention. You mentioned normal earlier. I wanna tell people that stands for the I think you said, at the National Organization for the Reform rather than repe of marijuana laws. And then we'll go right into talking about like your your lessons and things like that.And, and we may just pick like one or two that that's important to you. But and so another little, a final ex sweep from the book. I'm channeling my inner Bugs Bunny, so an ex. From the book, it says normal, you know, or ML argue that marijuana smokers or consumers not deviance and deserve the same rights to protection and [00:47:00] safety as any other group.Including access to the drug without pollutants or contaminants. A competitive marketplace free from monopolies and conglomerates, and especially freedom from harassment by the poll lease. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. felt like a, a Southern Sunday. GodEmily: I love it. I want you to record the audio book. That's great. I love it. . De'Vannon: Oh, I'll do it. I love getting on this microphone right here and do it. I did my own audio book. Oh, that's awesome. And so I wanted to bring that up because like you had normal fighting for it. You had Miss, Miss Minnaar fighting against it back then.Like you say in the book, we have the same thing now because I don't want people to wrestling their laurels and get so comfortable thinking that it's a home run. It's a clean slate. You know? We must stay vigilant. Emily: Mm. Yes, totally. I think that's, I mean, it, it does [00:48:00] feel like to me, I feel like. Pot becomes the scariest drug around when there's no other boogie in.So in like the 1970s, early 1970s when the first decriminalization laws were being passed, we're also kind of going through a heroin epidemic, right? And right now we've been going through the opioid epidemic for like, whoa, 30 years or so, . But it's kind of coming to its natural. At the same time that the legal cannabis marketplace is really starting to heat up and when opioids become like, when there's no like, like meth was a boogieman for a while.Crack was a boogieman for a while, but opioids have been a bo the boogieman for like 30 years. And if that starts to tamp down, if we start to feel less scared about that and there's like sort of like a void in like the drug boogieman cuz you know, we always need a drug boogieman. We're America, we need a drug boogieman and.Pot. Well sometimes I think come back and fill that [00:49:00] role. Like there, there could be widespread rejection of the legal marketplace. I mean, in certain places, right? Like in Massachusetts that legalized. However long ago, some communities don't want it, and they are allowed to say within that state's jurisdiction.We do not want any cannabis marketplaces within our community borders. So there's gonna be some nimbyism and there's going to be some nimbyism like, yes, in my backyard to it. But again, it's, you don't know what's like, we don't know what's going to happen. This is a brand new marketplace that could bust its boots like.I mean, it's been around for a decade now, which is amazing. But things are gonna get big fast and if people don't like it, it could very well turn, turn back around. I mean, that's not impossible. It's not, it's improbable, but not impossible. Mm-hmm. . De'Vannon: So what I'll do in the interest of time, I'll just read the title of each of the six letter , then people can go and buy the book to get the advice that you have in there.Do it. I think that and after I [00:50:00] read the titles, and I'll let you have our last word. . Which is a, which is another a page I borrowed from the book of Joy read because she she always gives her guests, you know, like the last word and everything like that. And so I thought you a good idea. I'm very inspired by that woman, and so, oh, I love it.So, lesson one, make your argument as sympathetic as possible. The lesson two, it's all about the money. lesson three. Be prepared to watch your progress disappear. That's the most shocking one for me and in my inten, in my opinion, the most sobering, less than four. Don't rely too heavily on the White House, and she means over multiple administrations.And then less than five, respect your opposition, less than six. Keep a sense of perspective, which is also a statement of humility. So her website is emily din.com, Social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, India, [00:51:00] Instagram, medium. Oh podcast. You can listen to Emily conduct interviews, new books.Networks has a Drugs Addiction and Recovery podcast. This book is grass Roots. And then she already mentioned the other one she has coming out. So with that, I'm gonna shut my cock up. And any last , anything that you would like to say and just take it away, darling. Emily: Oh, My gratitude is to you for, for having me, but also for bringing your message and your love, and your light and your spirit to the people.I am grateful to you and for all the work you do. So thank you very much. De'Vannon: All right. Thanks everybody for tuning in. Happy Halloween. Happy Halloween. Emily: Don't eat Fentanyl Candy .De'Vannon: Thank you all so much for taking time to listen to the Sex Drugs in Jesus podcast. It really means everything to me. Look, if you love the show, you [00:52:00] can find more information and resources at Sex Drugs and jesus.com or wherever you listen to your podcast. Feel free to reach out to me directly at DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com and on Twitter and Facebook as well.My name is De'Vannon, and it's been wonderful being your host today. And just remember that everything is gonna be right. 

Amazon's leadership principles (Core Values) have been the most critical element in their unprecedented success. Value alignment first, and skills second. So why is this not a standard practice among all up-and-coming startups?  The reason I believe is that leaders then become accountable for their actions when they misbehave.  Without values, it is easy to hide. It is easy to rationalize bad decisions and easier to deflect blame when the shit hits the fan. This is why 9 out of 10 startups fail. Without the right people, your company will not be able to execute.  And the right people are attracted to more than just money. They want growth, structure, and purpose.  When your company demonstrates that none of these elements are present, the A-players run!  And what you are left with are the people who are willing to take the job.  Guest Bio: Steve Anderson is the CEO of Catalyit. He has spent decades shaping the insurance industry through a deeper understanding of emerging technologies and how businesses today can best integrate and leverage them.  Steve is a sought-after speaker and influencer. He is also the author of the widely-anticipated book The Bezos Letters, where he reveals 14 principles for business growth based on the ideas and patterns that emerged when he examined Jeff Bezos' 21 annual letters to Amazon shareholders.  TODAY WE DISCUSS: Balancing need with patience to get the right hire How to put the right structure in place to land them HIRING STORY: Hired an operations manager, who seemed like a good fit. Terminated after 3 months. Hired too fast! Pressure to move fast from start to offer in 3 days. The person already had an offer. He didn't follow his own advice.   Challenge? Balance need with hiring the right person Miscasting a hire Don't hire when you rushed to fill a position The interview process is not intentional.  Not having a hiring process, hiring questions (winging it) Rick's Nuggets:  Problem: Pacing is determined by the candidateClue that the person just needs the money Mitigated by disclosing your hiring process & timeline  Intention: purpose of the interview? How do we solve the problem?  Structure Have a good job description Have a good hiring & interview process Intentional interviews Amazon  Will you admire this person?  Will this person raise the average level of effectiveness of the group  Along what dimension might this person be a superstar Don't cave into the pressure  Candidate pressure Own need pressure Find short term solutions while the interview process is moving along Be willing to fire fast Not fully committing or fully focused Not understanding urgency  Rick's Nuggets: Evidence trumps assumptions Pacing determined by the process, not the person No need to fire, when you have hired the strongest person Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value): Process is key to success Need a place to start - Use Amazon's hiring questions Culture fit might be more important than skills.  Guest Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetn/ Personal: https://thebezosletters.com/ Company: https://catalyit.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/catalyit/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteveTN Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveAndersonNetwork/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steveanderson/ Host Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/ Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ Authored:  "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre Startup: www.intertru.ai HireOS™ inquiry: rick@stridesearch.com Show Sponsor: www.intertru.ai www.stridesearch.com

The Don't Quit Podcast looks at how professionals work and how you can learn from them. This week's guest is John Rossman, the author of The Amazon Way book series, a former Amazon leader, and writes a weekly newsletter titled The Digital Leader Newsletter on Substack.   Website: https://the-amazon-way.com/ Book: https://the-amazon-way.com/the-amazon-way/ Newsletter: https://thedigitalleader.substack.com/ — Email the Host, Nick Mann, at Nick@TDQPodcast.com Check out the official The Don't Quit Podcast: TDQPodcast.com Follow the show on Instagram: @TDQPodcast Follow the host on Twitter @MannDesigner If you enjoyed this episode, please give a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you for listening!

It's Season 2, Episode 2 of The Retail Razor Show and we're tackling one of the biggest trends you need to understand in retail today – Retail Media Networks!Our Retail Avengers team has been eagerly anticipating this topic and recently held the discussion in our Clubhouse room, to uncover the truth about retail media networks and why retailers should (or should not) care about them. Is it about top line revenue? Margin? First-party customer data? Or all of the above? To help cut through the clutter we invited the industry's leading analyst and expert on the topic – Andrew Lipsman, principal analyst for retail & ecommerce at Insider Intelligence, to give us the scoop!Your hosts, Ricardo and Casey, are then joined by Andrew one more time to dig into what's happened since the Clubhouse recording and consider the reality retailers and brands should think about when evaluating retail media networks. This episode is tailor-made for retailers, brands, marketing and advertising agencies – there's something for everyone, and you'll want to take notes during this one!News update! We're sitting at #21 on the Feedspot Top 60 Best Retail podcasts list, so please keep those 5-star reviews in Apple Podcasts coming! With your loyal help, we'll move our way up the Top 20 in no time! Leave us a review and we'll mention you in a future episode! https://blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/Meet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Influencer for 2022 & 2021, RIS News Top Movers and Shakers in Retail for 2021, a Top 12 ecommerce influencer, advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation, and director partner marketing advisor for retail & consumer goods at Microsoft.Casey Golden, CEO of Luxlock. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech!Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, including E-Motive, and Overclocked, from the album Beat Hype, written by Hestron Mimms, published by Imuno.The Retail Razor ShowFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/TwRRazorConnect with us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/LI-RRazorSubscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/RetailRazorShowRetail Razor Show Episode Page: https://bit.ly/RRShowPodHost → Ricardo Belmar,Follow on Twitter - https://bit.ly/twRBelmarConnect on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/LIRBelmarRead my comments on RetailWire - https://bit.ly/RWRBelmarCo-host → Casey Golden,Follow on Twitter - https://bit.ly/twCaseyConnect on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/LICaseyRead my comments on RetailWire - https://bit.ly/RWCaseyTRANSCRIPTS2E2 The Retail Avengers & The Power of Retail Media Networks[00:00:00] Pre-Show Intro[00:00:00] Casey Golden: So Ricardo, there are two kinds of people in this business, those that love and depend on ads and those that can't stand it and strategize to avoid it. Which one are you?[00:00:11] Ricardo Belmar: I admitted I am of two minds here on the one. The marketer in me loves talking about advertising when it comes to creating messaging and finding the right mediums or reach your audience. But then on the other hand, I'm also a consumer and I can't help, but consider advertising to be just like what professor Scott Galloway puts it attacks on the poor, who can't buy their way out of it.[00:00:31] Casey Golden: Okay. That's like cheating. You have to pick one. You can't be in both camps.[00:00:36] Ricardo Belmar: Why not? You know, the world of commerce is very gray. It's not black and white.[00:00:39] Casey Golden: Hm, you have to pick one. I will die on my sword. You have to pick it's either one or the other. You can't be on both teams. [00:00:47] Ricardo Belmar: But what? So now there are teams?[00:00:48] Casey Golden: There's always teams There are only two kinds of people and you went and created a third person.[00:00:55] Ricardo Belmar: I I'm just expressing thoughts on this topic. I didn't realize I was choosing which team I'm on or creating an entirely new person. I mean, I don't know what kind of podcast starts the show by creating new kinds of people and putting everyone into one bucket or another.[00:01:08] Casey Golden: Who said anything about buckets?[00:01:10] Ricardo Belmar: Okay. Fine. Not, not buckets. How about different brands of vodka?[00:01:12] Casey Golden: different brands of vodka have nothing to do with this. [00:01:16] Ricardo Belmar: It's a metaphor. [00:01:17] Casey Golden: are you sure? I have a feeling you're just making us run out of time to intro your topic.[00:01:22] Ricardo Belmar: Well, you brought up advertising and then we branched off into buckets.[00:01:26] Casey Golden: No really buckets of vodka have nothing to do with this week's show with all this talk of buckets. We're not going to have time to talk about retail me....[00:01:36][00:01:36] Show Intro[00:01:56] Introduction[00:01:56] Ricardo Belmar: Hello, and welcome to season two, episode two of the Retail Razor Show. I'm your host Ricardo Belmar.[00:02:02] Casey Golden: And I'm your co-host Casey Golden. Welcome. Retail Razor Show listeners to our unapologetically, authentic retail podcast for product junkies, commerce technologists, and everybody else in retail and tech alike.[00:02:14] Ricardo Belmar: So Casey, here we are second episode of the new season coming right off our strong opening with the Metaverse, which by the way is quickly becoming a very popular episode.[00:02:23] Casey Golden: It's an important topic. I'm not so sure it's popular. I mean, there's so much hype out there about the metaverse. If there was one topic that needed someone to cut through the clutter. This is it. [00:02:33] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, no doubt about it. Well, if that's the number one, I have to say this week's topic is pretty darn close if not tied right up there with the metaverse plus it's one of my favorites.[00:02:42] Casey Golden: That can only mean one thing. This must be the week we're covering retail media networks. [00:02:47] Ricardo Belmar: You got it! Yes. This week is all about retail media networks. One of our top 10 predictions for 2022 back in season one, episode four. And it's another hot topic that our Retail Avengers crew had been anxiously waiting to cover for so long. And we go pretty deep on this one.[00:03:03] Casey Golden: That's right. But when we cover a topic, we really, really cover a topic. We bring in the big shots to dive in, bring it home. We had an awesome special guest that joined us on clubhouse for this topic.[00:03:18] Ricardo Belmar: And when you want a big shot to step in and talk, retail media networks, who ya gonna call?[00:03:21] Casey Golden: I'm guessing it's not Ghostbusters, but yeah, I see what you did there. Um, you're really gonna try to get this back into referencing eighties, pop culture.[00:03:31] Ricardo Belmar: I am all in for that challenge. Indeed but, but no, of course it's not the Ghostbusters it's even better. We brought in none other than Andrew Lipsman, principle analyst covering retail, and e-commerce at e-marketer insider intelligence.[00:03:44] Casey Golden: Andrew has done so much research and forecasting into retail media networks. This was such a good session on clubhouse. We of course, had to bring Andrew back to talk with us again for an update. So after we listen to clubhouse, which was recorded a few months ago, we'll come back and chat with Andrew to see what the latest happenings are in the world of retail media[00:04:06] Ricardo Belmar: It'll definitely be worth the wait. So with that said, since this is a topic that needs no further introduction, let's dive right in and listen to the Retail Avengers and the Rise of Retail Media Networks. [00:04:23] Clubhouse Session[00:04:23] Ricardo Belmar: And welcome everybody. Welcome back to the retail razor room. We've got a great topic today. The room title says the Retail Avengers and the Rise of Retail Media Networks, which is absolutely one of my favorite topics lately.[00:04:35] And as anyone who's following along in our podcast knows it was one of our top 10 predictions for 2022. I'm thrilled to have someone I consider an expert in retail media networks, Andrew Lipsman, and Andrew. I'll let you introduce yourself in just a moment. For those of you who might be new to our rooms, I'm gonna let each member here of the team introduce themselves quickly. And Casey, why don't we start with you? [00:04:58] Casey Golden: Hi, I'm Casey golden. I'm the founder of Luxlock, a retail experience platform.[00:05:04] And I have spent my career on the fashion and supply chain tech side of the business building Franken stacks, and now I'm slay ' em [00:05:12] Ricardo Belmar: fantastic. And Jeff, [00:05:14] Jeff Roster: hi Jeff Roster, former Gartner and IHL retail sector analyst. Now serving on several boards, including the Center for Retail Transformation at George Mason University and the host and producer of This Week in Innovation[00:05:27] Ricardo Belmar: All right. Great. Thanks, Jeff. And Brandon. [00:05:29] Brandon Rael: Good afternoon everyone, Brandon Rael in the New York area. I've been in around the retail industry, my whole career, and lately I've worked abroad with fortune 100 companies to drive business and innovation transformations and really to adjust their operating models to the current consumer and digital trends and behaviors.[00:05:48] Happy to have to be back on this platform. [00:05:50] Ricardo Belmar: Thanks Brandon. And Andrew to introduce yourself as well to the audience here. [00:05:54] Andrew Lipsman: Thanks Ricardo. So I'm Andrew Lipman, the principal analyst covering retail and e-commerce at e-marketer. So retail and e-commerce is a, is a pretty wide purview, but I'd have to say in the past year or so 70% of my time has gone pretty exclusively to retail media. It's just become such a hot topic. I do have a background in digital advertising as well. So the fact that commerce and advertising have intersected so nicely in the form of retail media has just become a, a coverage sweet spot. So I have leaned into it.[00:06:25] I I've been a part of the forecast that we've done at e-marketer to help round out the picture of the space. But I, I often say that I, I think, you know, we're just getting started. I mean, we're really in the second or third inning of what I think is just one of the biggest trends that we will see in digital advertising and commerce.[00:06:41] So I'm excited about where we are and, and also what's next. [00:06:45] Ricardo Belmar: All right. Great. And I, I gotta say, I, I share that enthusiasm for this space. It's also one of my favorite topics and we've been saving this one for the room. So I'm glad to see that we have some loyal fans here that are joining us in the audience.[00:06:59] And so really quickly, I'm Ricardo Belmar. For those of you in the audience that don't know me, I host the retail razor room here and also co-host with Casey golden, the retail razor podcast. So if you're not to subscribe to that, I encourage everyone to check that out. You'll hear some of our favorite past clubhouse sessions there, as well as some other interesting interviews and other topics that we're, we're bringing to that medium. I'm currently lead partner marketing advisor at Microsoft for retail and consumer goods. And let's go ahead and jump into this topic and I'm gonna lean over to you, Andrew, cuz as, as you just kind of nicely put, you were spending so much time on, on retail media networks.[00:07:37] It was one of your, I think top five trends you, you gave for 2022, right at the end of last year as well. Can you kind of set the stage for us? Tell us a little bit about where retail media networks stand currently in terms of, ad spending, what, what are you forecasting as growth for that?[00:07:54] And also give us a definition of what you would call a retail media network. What is it? What is it not. [00:07:59] Defining Retail Media Networks[00:07:59] Andrew Lipsman: Sure. So let's maybe start with the definition. I mean, I think of a retail media network as any sort of an ad network that exists on a retailer's owned and operated assets, which historically really has, has kind of met in store.[00:08:13] More recently it's been on e-commerce sites and apps. But I'd also widen the definition a bit to include any media that is powered by retailer first party data. That's a, a reasonable slice of what we're seeing in retail media ad spend today. It's about 10% of the market. But it's a part of the market that's only gonna grow as you start seeing that first party data kind of connect into all sorts of inventory, whether that's display and video online, increasingly connected TV and then other digital media assets.[00:08:45] So that's kind of how I, I define the space our definition of, of digital retail media ad spend for 2022 in the us showed just under 41 billion in spending growing in about 30, over 30% for the year. This year that's down in terms of growth rate from the previous years were, were upwards of 50% growth.[00:09:05] But it's actually about the same amount of incremental spending coming into this market every year. In fact, if you go from 2020 on it went from about 21 billion to 31 billion to 41 billion, 2023, we're projecting 51 billion and then 61 billion. So it just sort of lands nicely that way, where it's about 10 billion in incremental spend every year to date and then also what we're projecting for the next few years going forward. So that's a big reason why this is such a, a big emerging opportunity. And, and just to put that, those numbers in context, cuz you know, you hear a big multibillion dollar number. You don't just have the context for it.[00:09:42] By the end of that period, when it's 61 billion, that will be about one in every five digital advertising dollars, obviously an enormous very profitable market.[00:09:52] Ricardo Belmar: So that was going to be my next question, when you look at that growth, as you said, it was going to be one in five of every ad spend dollar. If you're a brand, how are you deciding where to put that spend? What's the appeal to be spending your money with these retail media networks. And maybe even before that question, let me make this a two parter question and then I'll turn to some of the other speakers up here for their thoughts, but for the retailer themselves, cuz it does seem like every week we hear of yet another retailer who's launching their new retail media network.[00:10:22] I think Ulta beauty was the most recent that that comes to my mind. What's the appeal for the retailer? Is it really just the incremental revenue and margin from this ad spend that they're getting from brands? Or is it about getting more data? Is it a combination of both? [00:10:36] Andrew Lipsman: So everything that you mentioned is true, but just to get right to the heart of the matter, it's the margin. In most cases, the incremental revenue is, is gonna be pretty modest.[00:10:45] There's not that many retailers that have the potential to grow their top line in a huge way from this. But if you're a retailer who's treading on, you know, modest to thin margins and you, all of a sudden can introduce a new revenue stream that maybe drives 30 or 40% net margins, it changes the whole profit profile for your company.[00:11:06] So that's what everyone's chasing. They've seen what's happened to Amazon. Maybe, the last two quarters, not withstanding, if you pay close attention to Amazon's earnings, you would've noticed that amid the pandemic as their ad revenues really grew. And for a few quarters, I think it was growing 60, 70, 80% year over year.[00:11:23] All of a sudden Amazon was just blowing its profit expectations out of the water by like multiples by two or three times what, what wall street was expecting. So everyone's seeing that and they're paying attention to it and realizing that it can totally transform the bottom line of, of their business.[00:11:38] But the big question is whether they can get there. And as you've said, everyone's a media network today. They've all flooded into the space. And the question is realistically how much incremental revenue and margin can they drive at the end of the day? [00:11:51] Ricardo Belmar: So I, do have a follow up to that, but before I get to it, I want to ask the other analyst on stage, Jeff, what are your thoughts on, everything Andrew just described about where we're at with retail media networks. [00:12:02] Jeff Roster: Well, it's, it's [00:12:03] really such a fascinating area typically. I mean, it's not a, an it spend area, so it's, it's something I haven't really studied and we knew about it. We, you know, the Walmart radio network we've always talked about.[00:12:14] And when I saw Andrew numbers, I I almost had almost fainted. I mean, it's just, you know, incredibly large and growing. So as somebody that understands how retailers operate, I mean, incremental revenue , is, dang good at revenue. And so I can see them clearly trying to not only just continue to expand this, but I think also add some power into their negotiations with, with their brands, people that wanna market with them.[00:12:40] I mean, we've always talked about slotting fees. Now we have, media advertising fees. So somebody that's always championing the innovation. I love seeing it. I love the experimentation. I love the, the growth, the, the exploitation of a new market, new opportunities.[00:12:52] Ricardo Belmar: Thanks. And Brandon one are your thoughts.[00:12:54] Brandon Rael: Yeah, I think it's amazing to see the the vertical integration where the retailers and brands can controlled the experience , and the media and the marketing. So it's they're controlling, what's communicated their customers and what's proprietary to them. So this is another channel, another opportunity, like to where there can be revenue growth and less dependency on third party media companies.[00:13:13] So I think it's a fascinating development [00:13:14] Casey Golden: Yeah, I think that's a really good, point's just really about them managing their own proprietary content and, and that distribution I think it's, it's gonna be interesting to see how the third party ad networks adjust over the next few years. [00:13:28] Jeff Roster: So Andrew, could I ask a question to better understand the numbers?[00:13:32] Andrew Lipsman: Absolutely. [00:13:32] Jeff Roster: So really before Ricardo and Casey started talking about this as a major trend. I mean, I, I knew it and I understood sort of what it was. I just always assumed what we were talking about or just the Walmart radio network, just music and ads playing inside their physical stores. Certainly high value for, for them.[00:13:50] And then all of a sudden, now we're talking about selling ads. Could you maybe just unpack what it means, or an example of where these dollars are coming from who's who's paying and who's receiving those dollars. [00:14:00] Advertising Spend vs Retail Media[00:14:00] Andrew Lipsman: Sure. So let me start by just kind of defining the space. So the, the, the vast majority of the numbers I referenced.[00:14:07] Almost about 75% of it actually is Amazon like sponsored product ads on Amazon. When you search on e-commerce sites, Walmart, eBay, Instacart, all of those players are driving the bulk of the market. The in-store media that you're speaking to is, is frankly a pretty modest sliver piece. That said, I think it's going to be transformative.[00:14:32] I think you're gonna see all sorts of digital media entering the stores. And there's a lot of innovation that's gonna happen in both digital you know, display, video and audio. So it's all of that. Where are the budgets coming from? So it's, I would say, a big thing that spurred the growth of this market in the last two years was the pandemic and obviously the, the boom and e-commerce, and those ad dollars started to follow commerce dollars.[00:14:54] You know, obviously Amazon was a big part of drawing those dollars online. So those dollars largely were incremental budgets. There's a lot of incremental budget during the pandemic as you know, T and E budgets were held back. So there, a lot of that got poured into advertising. Obviously consumer demand came back, so everybody wanted to spend ads into that.[00:15:17] But the big question really is as the market rationalizes, the advertising market rationalize, where do the budgets in the future come from when it's not gonna be so heavily dependent on incremental dollars? There it's, there are a few places. I mean, there's really three. So the first one is other digital ad spend Facebook and Google.[00:15:37] And I would say right now Google's holding up pretty well amid the deprecation of third party, identifiers Facebook, not so much. So you will start to see some budgets shift. Away from Facebook and in the direction of retail media. There's not a ton of overlap though in the specific types of advertisers and the types of advertising today.[00:15:56] So it's not kind of a, a direct line between one and the other. The next big bucket of ad spend that it will pull from his TV. These TV dollars have just been sitting there for years and years. Viewership continues to decline and those dollars don't have anywhere better to go. Now that said those TV dollars still wanna chase TV like inventory, they want video.[00:16:17] So the, the opportunity for retail media is either in store video, or I mentioned connected TV. Like Amazon is, is powering more and more of that. You're gonna see a lot of those TV dollars go into those formats. And the last one that if, if you're coming from, physical retail world is shopper and trade dollars huge, huge budgets starting to shift.[00:16:38] We saw a big pronounced shift from between 2020 and 2021 from those budgets specifically. There's a lot more to come. Now, the interesting aspect of that is that the brands will pull from shopper and trade marketing and put it into retail media. But retailers don't necessarily want that because it's just, you know, taking out one of their pockets and putting it in another.[00:17:00] So the brands in many, in most cases would much prefer that those dollars come from the other buckets that I mentioned, basically Facebook and TV. [00:17:08] Casey Golden: I think it's really interesting the opportunity here we have to essentially hold those retailers accountable for the distribution of the funds. When I was at Ralph, I would negotiate the margin agreements as well as a bucket of ad spend for our brand.[00:17:26] And I would just blindly write a check. I wouldn't get any KPIs back. I wasn't deploying it to a specific medium or. A specific location necessarily. We just had to blindly write a check to say here's a few million dollars for ad spend for you. Great. So I think that it really just empowers a lot of the brands to be able to hold accountability to the retail media networks.[00:17:50] If they're, they're gonna start doing that. I think it's a win-win for both sides. A lot of companies have been doing it without any insights in return. [00:17:58] Ricardo Belmar: And Andrew question for you on, on Casey's point here, I mean, are, are the metrics there? What are you finding brands are, let's say pleased with the kind of reporting they get on the, the performance of their dollars on these retail media networks, or are they struggling to find the ROI and the return on ad spend.[00:18:14] Andrew Lipsman: No, they're, they're really not struggling. I can talk, there is a little bit of friction that I can mention in a moment, but let me talk about the, the bigger picture first here. Casey's point is right. They were spending these dollars anyway but there wasn't accountability. My, my thesis before this, this space exploded a few years ago, I actually wrote my first report on retail media networks in 2019, when this was bar barely a blip on people's radar.[00:18:37] And my thesis was essentially that measurement makes markets, especially digital advertising markets. If you think about digital ad dollars that got pulled online in the early days, it was Google because people could see that closed loop on performance. You put, you know, dollars into Google. You could see that you got a, a dollar 25 out.[00:18:56] Then the social era happened and Facebook built an amazing apparatus of targeting and measurement. And when you just see, and when brands large and small, see that you put dollars in and you get more dollars out. They keep pushing spend in that direction. So it was it's kind of obvious or, or, or that we would see this parallel in retail media because it links so directly to e-commerce and that measurement is gonna move those budgets and, and certainly brands like accountability.[00:19:25] Now I mentioned a, a couple minutes ago that retailers may not necessarily like the fact that if it's just pulling from shopper and trade spend, it's not necessarily a net benefit for them. But in some sense, it is if those dollars are moving from not being accountable to accountable because of how that can unlock incremental dollars.[00:19:44] Right. I, I mean that, that is what's gonna fuel the biggest portion of this growth going forward still. Maybe not quite as much as it did here as, as it's rationalized, but there's still a lot of incremental spend. That's gonna come into digital advertising over the years and it will disproportionately move into retail media for, for exactly those reasons.[00:20:03] As far as the, the friction points, what you hear is that the, the ROAS right, the first metric that everyone looks at return on ad spend for Amazon in particular, it's, it's coming down as ad prices go up. But it's still proving really strong. And if you just cross compare it to other digital advertising channels, it still looks better than, than most of them.[00:20:22] I think the friction that's happening is with so many networks and with Amazon as the default buy starting to see that return on ad spend going down. I think there's a lot more questioning of how do I allocate my budgets within and across different retail media networks. So, so there is some handwringing going on and trying to figure out where is the best place to allocate that next dollar.[00:20:43] But broadly speaking, I think brands feel really good about putting their, their dollars into the bucket of retail media. And they're pretty happy with networks across the board and the metrics that they're getting.[00:20:55] Ricardo Belmar: One thing I wonder a lot about this, is there a opportunity for agencies that manage ad spend for brands as they interact with more and more of these retail media networks to help them with that allocation? Is, is that helping on the agency side or is it more, more of an indifferent kind of change. [00:21:12] Andrew Lipsman: You know, agencies are getting really involved and they have to be because th this is in, in our research and other, other third party research has, has shown similar things. Brands can only manage so many platforms, right? They're already managing a bunch of different digital advertising platforms outside of retail media.[00:21:27] And then now they have to go into new walled gardens and try and understand the idiosyncrasies of each one of those. And most of them are basically saying I can put my dollars in two to three retail media networks, and, and then it gets too hard. I'm spread too thin. So that's where agencies can help them spread it a little bit further into four or five, six different networks. But yeah, I think they need that, that handholding, if they're gonna be able to allocate it most appropriately.[00:21:54] Ricardo Belmar: So, as we mentioned earlier, that we've seen so many additional networks pop up every week. I'm curious if you, are you keeping track of how many of these and I'll use the word official? Maybe there's such a thing as an unofficial retail media network, but are you tracking how many there are to date?[00:22:09] Andrew Lipsman: Loosely. I, I would say if, if you asked me to, to write down as many as I could, I could knock out a fair amount of them. It's it's definitely dozens and dozens. There's, there's probably not really room for all of them. So I, I think the space is getting crowded now, in some sense, there's surprisingly more space than you would imagine because you have kind of the networks that cut across a lot of categories, thinking Amazon, Walmart, target Costco, a few of those ones.[00:22:33] But then you have some category specific ones that are just highly, highly relevant to their categories that a best buy or a home Depot. So they have really viable, healthy, strong networks for their advertisers. It's it's, once you get out of that kind of category leadership position, you see the second and third players within a category, trying to start a network where you start to question the, the opportunity.[00:22:55] I will say for everyone, if they have enough traffic on their sites and apps, there's kind of the low hanging fruit of just monetizing that search. And you can partner, with some platform partners the Criteo's and Citrus ads of the world to, to do the basic monetization that would be kind of low lift.[00:23:10] I don't know if it's gonna add up to a lot, but I, if it's minimal effort and you can get something out of it, It may be very well be worth it for all these networks. I just don't think most of them will kind of ultimately emerge as having this more, walled garden status, where people are coming in, hands on keyboard, analyzing the data, doing different types of ad buys beyond just basic sponsored product listings.[00:23:35] One RMN To Rule Them All?[00:23:35] Jeff Roster: Well, Andrew, if, there's 600 tier one retailers, which , by my definition is greater than a billion dollars in revenue. And if we're assuming e-com is anywhere from, 10 to 20% of those that you know, that revenue there's a fair amount of traffic in all those websites. Wouldn't each one of those, players be wouldn't it be worth them to have some kind of a, network set up? If they have enough traffic, it's gotta, they obviously have to have traffic, but if they do?[00:23:59] Andrew Lipsman: Yeah. Like I said, if, if it, if it's minimal investment and you can get something out of it, I just think most should not expect it to add up to a whole lot. So you mentioned, how would you say 600? [00:24:10] Jeff Roster: Well, it's between four to 600 retail, north American retailers that are graded a billion dollars in revenue.[00:24:15] Andrew Lipsman: So I, I shared data that said it's about a 40 billion dollar market this year, next year, 50 billion. If you have a half, a percentage point of that market, that's 500 million in I'm sorry, if you have a full percentage point, that's 500 million in revenue. Not that many are gonna get to a full percentage point of that market. If your name isn't Amazon. It's a small handful. So let's say 0.1% of the market. Now you're talking about 50 million in revenue. If you're a billion dollar company is 50 billion in revenue, a big deal. [00:24:45] Jeff Roster: It's not moving though. It depends on if it's driving value to what you're trying to accomplish. And I guess that may be where, where we get into the definition of what we're, what we're actually doing.[00:24:55] If we're just selling ads, it's probably not, but if we're somehow supporting the brand and I don't know, you know, all the good stuff may, maybe so I don't know. [00:25:03] Andrew Lipsman: Right. I, if you're, if you're able to more deeply engage your, brand partners within retail physical retail, I mean, I think this is where it starts to get more interesting is when you start to look at it in an omnichannel basis and think about the in-store impact.[00:25:16] Yes. That, that can certainly help there. And then the other thing I would say is, traffic for, online e-commerce is what you need in order to have some sort of a viable business here. Most of these retailers have way, way, way more foot traffic than they do online traffic. And if you start to think about that in-store traffic as the audience the, the calculation can change for a lot of these companies.[00:25:42] I mean, if you think, a CVS or a Walgreens, right, they may have 10 or 20 million, 30 million visitors online in a given month. They could have well over a hundred million in stores in a given month. So there are many examples where, where that in-store traffic is multiples higher than than that online traffic.[00:25:59] And, and Jeff and Andrew is all great points knowing that the customer journey is so fragmented. And, and so, so that they're disparate between digital, physical channels. Now it's, it's almost saying it's intuitive people will actually go by default code to Amazon for the search results. So it's the first thing that comes up when you Google something.[00:26:16] Brandon Rael: Amazon certainly has a foothold and it, the dominant leader in this, retail media, you know, what can a mid-level retail expect if they, when they, the foray try to compete with an Amazon or Walmart or, or target hurry as well, established in dominant? What, what can they do to branching themselves?[00:26:31] Is it something, some other methods or storytelling or authentic way of reaching customers that these larger brand are doing? [00:26:38] Andrew Lipsman: I don't think anyone's gonna be particularly successful. If Amazon is the bar, Amazon's got 75 plus percent of the market. And as the market grows, they're gonna maintain mostly that percentage going forward for at least the next several years. They're innovating faster than anyone else. They've got bigger opportunities in front of them. I mentioned connected TV. They're just getting started there. They've got NFL Thursday night football, exclusive rights. They're building out their footprint of Amazon fresh stores. I mean, that, that is the single biggest thing that nobody's paying attention to with Amazon's advertising ambitions, cuz they're getting all this first party data on what people are buying in stores using that to target ads through any platform.[00:27:18] And then they can measure the impact of those ads on on sales. Do people buy more of that once it's in store? Now Amazon is limited by their footprint in physical retail today, but they'll build it out to the critical mass needed to power that full closed loop. So I don't think anybody can really compete with Amazon.[00:27:35] The question is can they build a big enough business that it starts to make a real difference to their financial prospects? And I think the answer is a resounding yes, for a few key players. And I think for most of the rest, the mid tail and the long tail, I would say probably barely worth their effort, but still, maybe worth their effort.[00:27:53] But I think everybody's really chasing the dream of what Amazon has, which is reasonable, incremental revenue, which for Amazon is like, I don't know, five to 7% on their top line. But it, you know, crazy high margins. [00:28:04] Brandon Rael: Yeah. I think it's a losing some game to even think of competing directly with Amazon.[00:28:08] Having, you have to find a way or niche that's not dominated by that, presence. Yeah, that's a great point. There's no reason to probably go head to head with these, these goliaths. [00:28:17] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. And at the end of the day, right. They're not really in competition or are they, but I mean, I suppose if we're particularly talking about you know, as Brandon mentioned earlier, if you're like a midsize or maybe even a specialty retailer, your target isn't really to compete with Amazon's media network, is it?[00:28:31] Andrew Lipsman: No, I, I think that what you wanna do is, is court more brand dollars. And, and as I mentioned, they're gonna come from several different places. The question is, how can you do that effectively? You have to have a value proposition that's really strong. If you're a category leader like a home Depot or a best buy, right.[00:28:48] You know, you're already a destination for people who are in market for those categories. There's also, you know, different dynamics category by category where you could do something kind of interesting. The one that I'm looking at right now is so like Ulta was a recent one that you mentioned they got into the market, right?[00:29:05] Beauty is, is kind of interesting because there's the potential to layer in product sampling in that category as part of the ad network buy. So not only can you, have advertising across different touchpoints along the path to purchase, but you could also then introduce that user to a free sample of some product and then see what the purchase patterns are like after that trial.[00:29:29] And there's potentially a lot of value in that. I think product sampling is something you haven't heard a lot about in the space. Instacart and go puff have talked about it the most to this point in time, Amazon actually had a sampling initiative that they walked back a year or so ago. I think they'll probably reintroduce it at some point, but in, in consumer package goods and beauty, those are categories where I think product sampling can start to make things really interesting.[00:29:51] And we just haven't seen that come into play in any meaningful way yet. [00:29:55] Ricardo Belmar: And as you say that, that really tells me that shouldn't we see more of this in grocery. So I know Kroger, has a pretty successful media network today. And Instacart obviously in that space, but would we expect then that just about all of the large groceries should be doing this if they're not already?[00:30:11] Andrew Lipsman: Absolutely. Absolutely. They should. Yeah, it's it, it's, it's a no brainer and to me, this is like the next frontier of advertising, right. We always think about how do you formulate that brand impression, but it it's never coupled with then the product experience on the back end, right.[00:30:25] Sampling exists, but it's completely isolated. And it's from a promotions budget or it's off to the side and there's rarely if ever a link between the person who is receiving the brand messages and also then experiencing the product. I think this could be transformative and anybody who's into marketing analytics, I think would just salivate it at getting that data back to understand right.[00:30:46] How to optimize not just, trial and adoption, but lifetime value around brand purchase. [00:30:52] Ricardo Belmar: and I think what I'm really hearing is, the key here as this goes forward and grows as a medium, is the I'll use the word bundling of multiple mediums, if you will. It's not just about if I'm not Amazon, I'm not just trying to sell ad units on my e-commerce marketplace.[00:31:07] It's really more about how am I combining this with physical placements in store or, or anywhere else. It's really the, the advertising analogy to an omnichannel experience, right. For, for the brand. It's how do I, as the retailer bring the brand in, in multiple places, bundled and wrapping it around that overall shopping journey using all of these ad units, right?[00:31:27] Andrew Lipsman: Yep. From the furthest up the funnel, like TV or connected TV,[00:31:32] Ricardo Belmar: right. [00:31:32] Andrew Lipsman: Display and video online working its way down the funnel to that search or if you're in a physical store at, at the shelf. [00:31:40] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, exactly, exactly. So, coming back to how, how is a retailer gonna rate this a successful attempt, if you will, at a retail media network, they can't all be Amazon. They can't all be Walmart nor nor do they need to necessarily aspire to be that successful with, with their retail media network. What, what's good enough if you will, to, to kind of declare success.[00:32:00] Andrew Lipsman: Good enough. I, for most, I would say is don't sink a ton of investment and think that you can do it by yourself. partner, you know, pay, pay to partner, structure the deal in a way that makes sense where you're not paying through the nose just to get something basic off the ground. In most cases, there's, there's not gonna be the density of advertiser interest to make it really worthwhile.[00:32:23] You're just competing for too much attention. So as long as you can minimize your investment and take whatever happens from preexisting traffic as gravy. I think that's gonna be successful because it, you know, we'll move the needle. As I said, a little bit on revenue, but actually can, can make some meaningful and noticeable improvements on the bottom line.[00:32:43] I mentioned Amazon, obviously not everyone's Amazon, but you know, Walmart has started to see at least in the end of 2021, they were starting to see some margin expansion that they were attributing to advertising as that ad business finally started to scale for them. [00:32:56] The Consumer Perspective[00:32:56] Ricardo Belmar: So let's kind of move a little bit and look at this from the consumer's perspective, because one, one of the things, if there is a complaint or negative that I I've seen plenty of folks writing about, and we can use Amazon as the example , at what point is too many ads, just too many ads from the consumer's point of view, especially if we're talking about, and this maybe is more applicable of an argument in the digital space when we're looking at product search results. At what point is too many ads, just, just ruining the experience and hindering the shopping journey versus helping it from the consumer's perspective.[00:33:27] Andrew Lipsman: Yeah. I mean, this is a huge issue that is not talked about nearly enough. Advertising in retail environments can create a customer experience, problem, both online and in store. Now what's interesting is Amazon, the ad loads on Amazon because there's so much more density of, of a advertisers on there is way higher than everyone else.[00:33:48] I think on first page sponsored impressions is about eight to nine for Amazon. And you know, the next biggest players are between two and four at best. So there's a lot of ads. If, if you're doing searches for a lot of products in Amazon these days here, you'll see a lot of ads. What's interesting is consumers seem to be tolerating them pretty well.[00:34:07] We did research. One of the things Amazon, I think has done very well is they have improved their advertising relevance. So as long as you're putting relevant ads in front of people, it's not taking them away from what they were searching for in the first place. I think that it's gonna be well tolerated. That said I've personally had experiences searching on Amazon where using specific terms, I've gotten bad ad impressions that just did not meet the criteria I was looking for at all. And did take me further from the purchase. So it does happen. I think there's an opportunity now, as Amazon has gotten very crowded, there's higher and growing return on ad spend on other networks.[00:34:41] So this is now I, I look at this period of time as like the chance for the second wave, the second tier of retail media networks to really flourish. They've got competitive differentiation against Amazon to start to court those budgets. So I think we're in this, this phase where we are gonna start to see a lot more flowers bloom in a meaningful way.[00:35:02] Ricardo Belmar: And are there particular retail segments that you think are there are less tapped today? And one, one in particular that I, I kinda keep coming back to in my head is what about, where are luxury brands fitting into this? Is there a luxury retailer that can leverage this to become more successful that we haven't seen yet?[00:35:21] And then maybe the second part to this is if there's a category or group of retailers that maybe can use this in a, in a way to produce a better experience, maybe it's department stores, because they're kind of like that physical marketplace as it is today, but as a segment, right, let's face it.[00:35:36] They're, they're kind of floundering. But my understanding for example, is that Macy's has been seeing some success with their retail media network. So you know, should we expect that department stores will see a lot of success with this? [00:35:46] Andrew Lipsman: I, I think you hit the nail on the head with department stores as a big opportunity and Macy's is doing a good job outta the gate.[00:35:52] Nordstrom getting into the space. It makes a lot of sense there because you have categories with, healthier margins in general, you've got scale. You've got enough traffic. So I, I do think that application will work well. The luxury one depends how you define luxury, but I'll provide kind of an argument for and against the argument for is.[00:36:11] Very high margins in luxury. So this is where ads can be really valuable. And you've got more margin for error. At the same time, luxury is the category where you least want to be interruptive of the, consumer experience. I don't know that luxury shoppers are gonna enjoy being barraged with overly promotional, advertising, driven things.[00:36:31] They like, brand experience. So if you can use data from retail media to, to power, really high quality brand advertising, those applications may work really well. But beyond that, I just, you know, I can't think of like luxury and, and marketplace offerings. Like one is more commodity, one is more premium and I just don't know how well they intersect in this application.[00:36:53] Casey Golden: Yeah. I mean, I know Farfetch has been. Obviously takes dollars for ad spend from the brands. But they've also been reselling their first party, the brand's first party or second party data back to them. So a brand can buy their customer data from Farfetch, [00:37:10] Andrew Lipsman: which is interesting, cuz that's one of the things because luxury has always been so analog.[00:37:15] Right. I mean they were the last ones to, to have e-commerce sites at all, a [00:37:18] Casey Golden: amount of data on their own customers and they've been around the longest . [00:37:22] Andrew Lipsman: Yep. Yeah. Right. So that, that's actually an interesting way to kind of make it work is yes. They, they, they're sitting there with absolutely no first party data and this is a way to get access to it.[00:37:32] Audience Q&A[00:37:32] Ricardo Belmar: Hey, well this is probably a good time for me to let everyone in the audience know if you've got any questions for any, any of us up here on the stage. Now's a good time to raise your hand and we'll bring you up on stage. Yeah. And Cynthia, welcome to the stage. [00:37:44] Cynthia Hollen: Hey everybody. [00:37:45] Welcome back. [00:37:47] Ricardo Belmar: Thank you.[00:37:48] Cynthia Hollen: Hey, I have a question on retail media network that I I think you guys can best answer, which is that I'm trying to differentiate between the retail media networks that we've had for a hundred years where we've paid extra to have a different position on a shelf or paid for an end cap or cetera, cetera, et cetera, paid for a, a co-op advertising in the newspaper or something.[00:38:15] How are retailers thinking differently about that spend and why is it strategically different?[00:38:22] Andrew Lipsman: Yeah, I mean, the rise of retail media, as we talk about it today really is about digital coming from the vantage point of digital. So I think what what's kind of happened is digital budgets. E-commerce budgets started moving towards its opportunity and it wasn't necessarily the same decision makers.[00:38:40] Then as this opportunity started to mesh more in, omnichannel as, as, as retailers started to become more omnichannel in their thinking. I think that's why it created all these organizational issues and starting to wrestle over and rationalize budgets. I, I mean, I don't know that they're, that they are doing it in any uniform way or that there's consistency.[00:39:03] I think it's actually been a really messy process from everything I've heard inside of companies. And it isn't just the like migration of preexisting retail media that as you said, has been around for a long time and starting to move that into digital. It, it it's been a very indirect path.[00:39:18] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, I think I, I would come back to what we were talking earlier, right? It's this ability to bundle in so many different channels and, and mediums right into one, one collective spend that the retailer offers to the brand. I, I kind of see that as being the, I'll use the word innovation. I don't know if Jeff May argue with me on using that term in this case, but I'm gonna call it the innovation in, in all of this is that sure.[00:39:39] We've had different ways to have that advertising relationship between retail and brand before, but I think it's, it's just the ability to combine into so many different mediums and offer a more data around the, the consumer at the same time.[00:39:50] Do we answer your question, Cynthia? Or are we not getting to it?[00:39:52] Cynthia Hollen: No. I, I think that you're, you're definitely talking about both or organizationally and strategically inside the corporations it's different. And also that it allows for, that allows for different kinds of combinations or a different way of looking at it. I'm not sure that from the consumer standpoint, when we argue about is when is advertising going to be too much, if the consumer wasn't already being hit with, with all kinds of subtle and not subtle promotions in store, and if they're necessarily sensing the difference, except that they had kind of a refuge in digital for 10 years away from the barrage of, of retail media in store.[00:40:37] And now it's coming back to digital. So on the consumer side, I, I wonder if the consumer sees it as differently as we see it. [00:40:47] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. I think that's kind of what we were starting to get at to earlier. And that, at what point is it just too much from the consumer's point of view? I think you're right. That on the digital side, consumers probably didn't notice at first that they were getting more and more ads incrementally in different places.[00:41:02] I think, you know, there was an understanding and when I did that Google search, yeah. It was going to get some ad placement at the top of my search results page. And then when I got to an e-commerce site, I think everyone assumed for a long while that the search I was getting was just the results of the search, right.[00:41:15] Based on the retailer having indexed the product catalog. But then we started to see more and more ad placement by Amazon, and then other retailers saw that and all kind of snowballed into where we're at today. But it's a great question. I, I do ask that a lot is that what's too much.[00:41:29] When does it become too many ads? And maybe the answer is a lot like what we've said in this room, in, in past sessions about integration of technology in general, in that shopping experience, that the more seamless and transparent you make it. So it's not quite in your face, the less noticed it will get that it is blatantly an advertisement, right to that consumer.[00:41:49] Andrew Lipsman: Yeah. I think consumers are, are generally more tolerant of native ad units, which is what these are. The frog has been slowly boiling here and I, I think people tolerate it and have tolerated and will tolerate it. The question is what's that point at which they'll, finally, jump out. I frankly, am surprised with Amazon specifically, given what the ad loads are like today that all the research I've seen says that consumers don't have a problem with it, or minimally have a problem with it.[00:42:17] So that suggests it's, they're highly tolerant of it. They, they expect it. They've gotten used to it. I mean, go do a Google search today. I mean, it's unbelievable from my standpoint, when you see how many ads you have to scroll through just to get to a basic search result now.[00:42:33] Ricardo Belmar: yeah, absolutely.[00:42:34] Andrew Lipsman: It's just, this is what's been happening over the years.[00:42:36] So in context that, searching on Amazon probably doesn't seem any worse. Like I said, though, that the relevance is really what matters. Consumers don't care if somebody paid to put a product listing in front of you, if it's the product listing that warrants being in front of you, based on what you're searching for, if it's totally off base that's when consumers really get annoyed.[00:42:57] Casey Golden: Andrew. What are your thoughts on, you know, as we're talking about, when is enough, enough, or too much, too much, a lot of TV shows or stations, you can go ahead and pay for an episode without ads. Do you think that eCommerce will kind of move potentially to have part of that model where you'll pay for your Google engine or you'll pay for shopping on a brand like Sans ad?[00:43:27] Andrew Lipsman: There's always the possibility of something like that being introduced and it will always be a very, very tiny fragment. do that. Right. Like you can do that on Twitter today. I think right. You actually have an ad free experience there now. [00:43:41] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. With Twitter blue, [00:43:42] Andrew Lipsman: Twitter blue. Like I,[00:43:43] Casey Golden: I pay for Twitter, [00:43:44] Andrew Lipsman: not a whole lot of uptake on, on that offering.[00:43:47] Casey Golden: Yeah. It's interesting. [00:43:48] Brandon Rael: Great question, Casey. At what point does it come overwhelming? So I'm curious, what's your sense, Andrew, and where things is going from a social selling perspective like Instagram and TikTok other platforms.[00:43:57] Andrew Lipsman: Well, so I I'm, I'm comparing ads on entertainment experiences versus a shopping experience. I will say maybe I'm speaking for myself, but I think this is maybe broadly true be because shopping is often a more utilitarian experience. You're people don't have as much of a problem. It's already a commercial engagement.[00:44:15] People probably have less issue with brand impressions. Whereas with media, we're accustomed to advertising around it, but it's interrupted to the content experience. So I just don't think that the, content experience for retail is as interruptible. Which is why ultimately like I said, I, I think consumers are tolerating these ads and maybe there's a future where it gets to a point where they've had enough, but I think it's pretty far out into the future.[00:44:39] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. I think it's probably telling that Netflix is considering adding a lower ad based tier. [00:44:44] Andrew Lipsman: Yeah.[00:44:45] RMN vs Livestreaming vs Metaverse[00:44:45] Ricardo Belmar: One question I've been saving here towards the end that I wanna go around the whole group of speakers. Let's do this in like a rapid fire response. I wanna know what everyone thinks of intersection between retail media networks and live streaming and the metaverse. Andrew, let's start with you. I'm curious what you're thinking. [00:45:01] Andrew Lipsman: Yeah. So I'm more skeptical on these trends, I think, than most people. Live streaming, I just don't think the US at least is anywhere close to what China is. So where live streaming is relevant on some sites you've seen Amazon live and some other instances yes, it's natural that advertising may be sprinkled into that.[00:45:20] I don't think it's gonna be a key driver of, of those retail media engagements. Metaverse. I don't know. I just feel like this is so far out into the future and I actually don't think it's gonna be the next big platform at all. I think mobile is the next big platform. And I say that as a joke, I mean, I think mobile isn't going anywhere.[00:45:37] And if the metaverse gets enough adoption and people spend enough time and becomes an advertising paradigm, then sure. Retail media will, will be a part of that. I don't expect us to ever get there. I tend to think of the metaverse as really just the extension of gaming. So why aren't we talking about in-game advertising more?[00:45:55] that's [00:45:56] Ricardo Belmar: well, that's a good point. That's a good point. [00:45:57] Andrew Lipsman: Like that's that engagement's there today and there's been some innovation, Ricardo, you're Microsoft, you know, one of the best places to do it. I'm, I'm bullish on the opportunity for Microsoft in in-game advertising, but to me, right? Like let's, let's figure that out and, and see that ramp before we start talking about metaverse advertising. [00:46:15] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. I think to, to your point, we've, we've seen recent announcements of more and more of that in game advertising. It seems like every week I see another major brand announcing that they're opening up a, storefront in Roblox.[00:46:26] Andrew Lipsman: yeah. And that's real today. Like that's where our, [00:46:28] Ricardo Belmar: and that's happening today. No, that's a great point. Yeah. Great point, Jeff. What's your take. [00:46:32] Jeff Roster: So live streaming is really fascinating. Couldn't spell it about what a year ago. And since then really, spent a lot of time looking at what's happened in AsiaPac have done one interview with it and I have another one that's just gonna be insane.[00:46:44] We are starting to see some very legit money being put from the VC community into efforts here in the us and north America. So is that gonna explode, you know, the next 18 months? No, but I, I think in three to five year increments, so I'm very, very bullish on north America and live streaming. As an event, I think that content will, that that is generated in livestream and will also become video assets that will be deployed all across digital signage and stores and, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.[00:47:10] So we'll just get into this giant circle. So, I don't know if that turns into ad revenue, but it is going to be a major, major, major focus probably out in the next two years. The metaverse, I'm a little more bullish. If you're talking in, the three to five year window. You know, I'm a pilot, I'm multi engine pilot.[00:47:24] I've used augmented reality for, for, for 20 years. There's nothing new about that. It's just, will it become viable? I have certain dietary requirements for my wife and I would love to use augmented reality to, to see what ingredients are appropriate and what aren't, that's kind of a metaverse scenario.[00:47:40] So used correctly I'm super bullish on that. And I could validate that with a bunch of IT or a bunch of VC spend that direction, but again, that's a five year window that I'm talking about. [00:47:49] Ricardo Belmar: Okay. Okay. Casey, what's your thought. [00:47:51] Casey Golden: Live streaming and the metaverse. I'm obviously pro metaverse just for culture change for brands to be more experiential and learn how to fail.[00:48:02] And I think it's gonna be a great place for product discovery and brand discovery for engagement. That's a little bit more meaningful than a live stream, which is one to many. I'm a big fan of two way conversations and two way engagement versus one. But I think there's a heavy level of consumer education or consumer attention span that it takes to stop multitasking, to pay attention to a live stream or join the metaverse.[00:48:29] So I think it, the consumer adoption and their bandwidth and attention span will depict a lot of it on how fast or what is adopted. [00:48:37] Ricardo Belmar: That's a good point. Brendan, what are your thoughts? [00:48:39] Brandon Rael: Yes. So I'm in agreement with, Jeff and, and Casey.[00:48:41] I, I think we're looking at a long term window of opportunity with the VC spending. I also think in terms of the target audience, you know, we're seeing all the strides that the luxury brands are made, especially Louis Vitton and Gucci, and now Nike and especially space in the metaverse. So there's a significant growth opportunity in revenue opportunity, but I think the target customers using that, virtual reality world, it already exists. You know, it's our, it's the gen Z or gen alpha whatever's coming next. That's gonna be that target customer who is already in that environment and already live in, in those worlds. [00:49:12] Ricardo Belmar: Okay. And just to close that thought out, I'm somewhere , in the middle, but as far as live streaming, I do think that like, Jeff and Casey, and Brandon I guess I am a little more bullish on that one.[00:49:22] It may not be in the next year, but certainly with, I think Jeff, you said within the next, maybe one to two years or something like that, but ultimately it's just gonna become yet another sales channel and it's one that everyone's gonna take advantage of and have in their collection of sales channels.[00:49:36] So I think it has a place. Metaverse I think is just earlier in that adoption curve.[00:49:40] We're still in the experimentation phase. I think that we'll see more and more brands do it. I think Andrew, I think you're spot on, on your comment about gaming, advertising and product placement. We're gonna see a lot more of that before we see more consumer adoption and relevance in what I'll call the mainstream metaverse that everyone wants to hype up these days.[00:49:58] So that will come first cuz it's already here. It's happening. That's gonna be the stepping stone for consumers to a broader metaverse through the, through the gaming. [00:50:06] Andrew Lipsman: Can I just make one final point here? By the way, I'm, fine swimming against the grain on, both of these behaviors. One of the reasons I'm a little bit more measured or skeptical on them is because they both require immersive engagement. [00:50:18] Ricardo Belmar: Mm-hmm okay. [00:50:19] Andrew Lipsman: Right. That there there's more effort involved. Now, if you can get over that hurdle on immersive engagement on live streaming, you've got something, cuz somebody's already in, in a commercial instance, we've seen it happen in Asia.[00:50:30] We just haven't seen it move over here. That's one that I feel like I'm happy to be wrong about that I just, I haven't seen the movement on the consumer here yet. The metaverse though. I will say this all major advertising mediums, the biggest ones, TV, radio, and social media depend on ambient or passive engagement.[00:50:50] That's where you rack up time spent. Time spent is, is what drives major brand advertising. I can't ever see a point where everybody is going into VR worlds. And spend where you'll have a segment of, of the audience. Like you have gamers today. And, and some people may spend quite a lot of time, but

The podcast news team tackles the topic of quality when disruptors enter the healthcare space. Join Senior Editor Nick Hut and Policy Director Shawn Stack for a hard look at issues of safety and best practices when customer convenience reigns supreme.   Mentioned in this episode: Amazon's health ambitions sometimes clashed with medical best practices, nurses say

New podcast link: https://convocourses.podbean.com/ check out the new books on amazon and audible RMF ISSO Controls: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6QKT8DR SCA Course (early release) https://securitycompliance.thinkific.com/courses/rmf-isso-security-control-assessment Audible book: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0B4PYJ9JV/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-312685&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_312685_rh_us check out our courses at: discord: https://discord.gg/esJAz2enBW facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/719892952526379   Hey guys, this is Bruce and welcome to combo courses, podcast. This is gonna be a short one. I just wanted to talk to you guys about cyber security, it jobs, resume marketing. Now we talked about this the last time we did a live podcast, but I wanna talk about it again and go a little bit greater detail. And my purpose here is to help people to know what to put on the resume to actually get a job in cyber security. Cuz a lot of people are asking me questions about like, Hey Bruce, you know, I'm, I'm in it. Like what, what do I, I'm trying to get a level up in my job. I'm trying to make more money. Like what do I do? So I'm about to tell you exactly what I do on my resume. As matter of fact, I'm gonna go into pretty good detail about. And I'm gonna show you where you can get your own resources on how you can figure this stuff out. Now, this is what you're seeing here on the screen. If you happen to be watching me, if you happen to be listening, I'll explain everything. I'm writing a book called cyber security jobs, resume marketing, and it's gonna be a series of books. That's gonna break down exactly how to target, what category of cyber security you want, cuz it's a pretty big field and it breaks down into all these different parts. And then it's gonna talk about how to actually market yourself, how to get the keywords, how to find those keywords in that targeted market, and then put those in your resume and then how to actually write an impact, an action statement bullet in your resume. That's very powerful and it's been working for me for years. This is stuff I learned from the military when I was getting out and also just from experience, just like doing this stuff myself. So let me just get down to what I'm talking about.  now what, what you should do if you have any it experience is you've gotta put what you've done on there. As far as your cyber security, like what, and if you've done it more than likely you've done cyber security, you just didn't know it. And so I, I have evidence of that. Let me show you evidence of that. So what I do is security compliance and in security compliance, we have to know a lot of security controls are going into not only the information system, but the, the organization as a. Meaning it's not just the actual system that you're locking down and putting, you know, very complex passwords or making sure it has audit logs or making sure there's a, a whole space firewall on it and stuff like that. And anti-virus, and all those are all security controls that you're probably familiar with. If you've ever done any of those things, guess what you you've done cybersecurity, and you need to put it in your resume. So in this book, what I'm gonna do is tell you not only what keyword to put in there and where to find those keyword, but also how to word it, how to word it and explain how you, how you participated, how you conducted and enabled configurations for security controls. In secure, in in security compliance, I'm very familiar with all of the rules and all the security controls and one of the actual compliance.  frameworks that I use is N 800, but there's many others. There's HIPAA. There's PCI compliance. There's some of 'em are just laws that kind of briefly explain what you can and can't do. Some of 'em are in very great detail, like N 801 of 'em is called a CIS security control. So I use that one as an example in my book, cuz it's just a perfect it's it's perfect for what I'm trying to show you because N 800 is just, has it has over a thousand controls  so that one wouldn't be, it wouldn't be right for this particular book. Like if I I'm writing a spec, a book about that one or I'm breaking it down differently. And I actually have written, written a book on that one already, but I'm, I'm writing another, a whole series of books just on this 800 and how you can use it practically. But for the purposes of getting your work experience in what I do is I tell you, okay, here's how you put it in. Here's the format you use. That's going to help you. To get your resume in front of more people, it's called an ATS style resume. Here's how, here's how the date should look. Here's how it should look when you put your position in here's how all of that stuff's in here. But more importantly, what I do is, and there's some misspellings in here because I have, I've gotta edit it and I'm actually working on that now, but just kind of took a breather and, and took a break so I can show you guys what I'm doing here. So what I wanna show you that's important is let me see, I'm getting down. Oh, here it is right here. So here, if you could see my screen, these are all the controls that, that are in the CIS security, critical security controls. This is also known as the sand. Sand's top best practice best security practices. But these controls explain all the things that an organization needs to have in order to secure their system. If you've done any of these things as an it professional in your profession, any whatever profession you're in profession, you're in, you've done these things. You have done security and you need to put it on your resume. You need to put it up front in your resume. So let me just go through a couple here to give you an example. So I'll pick a couple here. One is here's what's a good one. Let me see if you've done. Okay. Here's here's a good one. Here's a couple good ones. One is email. Well, we'll start with audit logs. I like that one audit log management. If you've ever turn enabled audit logs, for example, if you've ever monitored audit logs, if you've ever. For EV any reason had to analyze the O audit logs. That's a security, that's a cybersecurity thing you gotta put on your resume. And audit logs. If you didn't know another name for it is event, event, viewer event logs, you know, different systems call it like slightly different names, but it's all, it means the same things. It's the logs that are in the back end of the system. That's telling you if the system is shut down or if somebody is if somebody is attempted to log into the system, but it was logged in, in unsuccessfully or, or successfully or whatever those are logs, audit logs. Another thing we'll talk about is EV email and browser protections, email and browsers is probably one of the biggest threat vectors or biggest ways that, that attackers adversaries can actually infiltrate an organization. Cuz email, think about it, fishing. Like when somebody sends a fake email with a clickable link and then, then somebody who doesn't know any better, they click on that link. And it takes into a malicious site that malicious site downloads something to their system. Yeah, that's, that's one of the main ways right now that's happening that that sites and organizations are getting infiltrated and web browser protection. That's another one, everybody interfaces with the internet. Most of the 99% of their interactions with the internet is through a browser. So it's important that that browser is up to date. It's important that it has any extensions. Those are approved in extensions, things like that. Malware defense. That's another one. This is like making sure you have anti-virus. So let me show you, how do you word these on your resume? How would you go about wording? So what I did was I broke each one of these sections down to explain how you word these on your resume. So let's go to the ones we just talked about. We'll go audit, audit, log, manage. So what, first of all, explain what it is. Audit log management audit logs are gathered on servers, end user systems routers, and other systems to prevent to detect, prevent and understand possible security incidents on the enterprise. That's what they're for. It's not just for security. It's actually for maintenance as well. So how could we word this? So one of the things we could say is that you ensured that audit logs were enabled in a mixed mode environment. Mixed mode means like you didn't have just windows, you had Mac and you had Linux or whatever. And you allowed detection of threats against assets against assets in cybersecurity. Okay. This one, I, I have to reword this one.  I did reword that one. So in my, my next draft, but let me, let me just give you another example. Conducted security, audit, log, an analysis to detect anomalies or. Abnormal events that might match adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures that are in the Mir attack framework. And the reason why I put these together, this, this sentence is, is very tactical because I put a whole bunch of keywords in here. They wanna see that, you know, the Mir attack framework. If you don't know what it is, go look it up. It's, it's really important to cyber threat intelligence. Whenever you do cyber threat intelligence, it's like a breakdown of different types of attacks. And I'm sure most of these you'll be familiar with like, how do people infiltrate a, a network via a Trojan, a Trojan horse? How do they, how do they actually infiltrate? Mir talks about things like that. Mir talks about cross side scripting, Mir talks about escalation of privileges. It breaks all these things down and kind of gives, gives you an idea of the path that an attacker and adversary takes to get into a, a network. And you use the terminology to, to.  basically establish a pattern when, and this is really good for writing reports. It's really good for your resume. It's really good for articulating what kinds of threats and what kind of vulnerabilities you have to avoid within your organization? So this is a really good key word, and I see it all over things like if you're going for a cyber security analyst, Mighter you, you need to have that on your resume. And then audit log analysis. This is another key word. So you can see that what I'm doing is I'm talking about, I'm given the action of what you did pertaining to cyber security. So if you've done it more than likely you you've done something with audit locks, you have to articulate that. So I give you several different examples here of how you can articulate and how you, how you can word your the, the bullets on your resume. And I apologize for this. This is like a rough draft. I'm actually, I have another updated one that I I'm working on. On my other computer. So let me show you another one. And here's another one right here. This one doesn't even have bullets on it. This is showing you how I'm literally working on this as we speak. So bear with me here. Let me just put some bullets on it. So it's clear to, to read. Okay. So this one is CI CIS control nine email and web browser protections. What is it? So it's protection of email and web browsers. And, and this has everything to do. What we talked about earlier, which is making sure that users are educated on things like social engineering. What is it? How do you avoid suspicious emails and clicking and opening up things that you shouldn't open? Well, how do you put this on your resume? Cause more than likely you, if you've done it for some time, you have done something with this. Now keep in mind if you haven't done this before and you're trying to get into it. If you're trying to get into cyber security, this is a great opportunity for you to. What you need to what experiences that you need to have, what things you need to study, because this is the kind of thing that employers are actually looking for. So let's just go through a couple of these. So one is updated signatures on enterprise antivirus software for proactive protection of 1500 endpoint devices and servers on the land. So we've got a couple of really good keyword here. We're talking about anti-virus software, we're talking, we gave an, an impact. Now this is another thing you use numbers to establish the impact to your actions. Cuz it's one thing to have an action, but it's a whole another to actually show the impact of what you did so that the employer, when they're reading your resume, they're like, okay, this guy does know how to do antivirus, but wow. They did 1500 InPoint devices. Okay, this person really knows what they're talking about. And another step you can do is actually name the actual software that you used. That's also a great tactic. Because a lot of times, like what I've noticed in right now, I'm, I'm actually interviewing for jobs and stuff and they keep asking me specifically, do you know semantic endpoint protection, because that was on my resume to keep asking about it and have I implemented it? Have I maintained it? Have I configured it, all those kinds of questions. So you can name the actual anti-virus enterprise antivirus that you actually use, whether it's Soho or if it's semantic or, or, or AFF or whatever it is, you can name it. So that they'll know which one you're using. And that becomes a key word as well. Let's see here set up DLP technologies like Proofpoint email. See this one. I'm I'm mentioning it. DLP and C a S B Microsoft information protection MI Microsoft security, suite defender. So I'm naming a whole bunch of, of, of, of tools here. Tools are also a are also a key word. So that's something that you should also mention on there. Okay. Let's keep going. There's a couple of other ones here, but let's go to the last one here. Malware defense. Now this is most people who are in it have done this before. So if you've done this, you've gotta mention it on your resume. You've gotta put these security features. Anytime you've interacted with a security control, you have to put it on your resume. Otherwise, the employer is not gonna know if what you've done. So, this is one of the main ones, and this is, most people have done this. If you've done it, you've put in, you've updated the antivirus software. You've, you've updated the signatures of the antivirus software. You've removed antivirus on there. So you've gotta put it on your resume. And this one actually on my, I didn't actually put the, the breakdown of the, of bullets here, but it's on my, this will be in the book. So just stay tuned for this. I just, the reason why I decided to do this book, I took a, a kind of a respite from the risk management framework series because people kept asking me the same questions, the same questions over and over and over again about like, Hey Bruce, what do I put on my resume? Like what, what do I, how can I get in? I've been doing this for 15 years. I'm working in a job. That's not, I'm not getting paid a lot, but I've been, I have 15 years of experience. And why am I not able to get six figures? Why am I not able to get a better. And then I look at their resume and they're not really talking about cyber security and I'm like, you wanna get a cyber security job, but you didn't mention cyber security on your resume. And I'm like, you gotta put it on your resume. So they'll send me their resume. I'll take a look at it. And there's nothing on there that talks about cyber. So what I'll do is I'll just put it in some keyword and I'll say, look, this is the kind of stuff you have to do. And now I'm trying to put a book form where I can just give it, basically give it it away, cuz it's gonna be a pretty cheap book. It's not gonna be expensive, but it's gonna help a lot of people out. So that's kind of what I'm going with this. And I'll I'll let me see if I can answer a couple questions here. I see a couple people join me. Thanks for watching. I appreciate you guys. I know this is not the normal time that I do this smooth virus says 1500 more like 150,000  yeah. True. True. True. Okay. So let me, let me go to, I had some stuff open here. If it didn't crash on me.  We have some questions. Let me see if I'll just answer like one or two. I won't to keep you guys too long here. And this'll, this'll actually be an audio file. If, if you didn't know, I have a, if you go to pod bean, right? If you go to pod bean combo courses dot pod bean, that's where my actual podcast is, and I've been putting 'em out daily. So go ahead and check that out. There's a whole bunch of 'em that I, that I I hadn't released. So I've been releasing those ones in podcast. Let's see. Let me see if I can answer some relevant questions here. Okay. Somebody saw, talked about the, the key challenge. I don't know if you guys knew this, but there's something's going on where people are stealing Kias using a USB cable Kia's in Hyundais, Hondas. I believe of a certain type it's called the Kia challenge. Look that up. It's pretty, especially if you have a Kia high Hyundai is what it is. Kia or hi Hyundai. Let me see, see if I can answer some more questions here. It's mostly about the Kia challenge. Somebody asked me about my book. I probably need to respond to that one. Whoa. Okay. That should have been blocked. Okay. I'm gonna go to TikTok. Let's see if there's some questions here lately. I've been getting a lot of questions on TikTok. And so I answer these one at a time directly usually, but let me see if I can answer at least one. Could I get into cyber security with just one year of help desk and one of these certs? Absolutely. You can. This is exactly what I'm talking about. So if you, if you have, if you've been on the help desk for a year, more than likely you have done cyber security. So that's that's, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You have done cyber security before you just have to put it on your resume. If you put it on your resume you, you will. You will get hits. You will get people contacting you about this. And that's what this book is all about. Let me see if I can bring that up again. Nine, which one? Which version? Okay. I've got so many. That's one. I write, I have a whole bunch of versions. I have a whole bunch of versions of my book where I'm, I'm constantly updating, updating the book and stuff. So let's see set up marketing. I tell you how to market. Once you create an awesome resume with loaded, with keywords and, and lots of action and impact statements, I show you how to market it. And this is something that's been working for me for many, many years. I've been using the same thing. And what I didn't know that I was doing right is I was using the correct format for my resume. I didn't know until recently it's called ATS style resume, and it looks a little bit like this it's very plain. It doesn't have any kind of, and that's the thing. My, I had a ugly resume. It's ugly and there's misspellings in my resume.  somebody point I was in an interview and somebody pointed that out to me and said, Hey, you know that you have some misspellings here. And they were like, I don't care about that. But you, you know, you might want to fix that. I was like, wow. And I still got that job by the way. It's crazy. Right. And it's because my resume's dope. My resume's really good. It's it's loader we keyword. It's it's highlighting all the security stuff I've done. This is what an ATS style resume looks like. It's just plain. It's just like, so this is what you'll do. If you are help desk, you've been doing it for one year. You, you have to put ATS style, resume on your cyber security resume. And then you've gotta mention all the times you've done cyber security. You can't just talk about in uploading or installing windows. It's gotta be what security patches did you put on that windows device? How did you help the organization reduce the risk? Stuff like that. And this is stuff that when you're in the weeds, when you're on the help desk, when you're, you're a system admin, when you are firewall, even firewall guys, sometimes they're not seeing the big picture of what's going on, which, which is making sure the security posture of the organization remains at a certain level, right? They're not seeing the big picture, but you gotta put that big picture on your resume. And the way that you can pinpoint that is look at the actual security. Look at the actual security controls, the best practices, the CIS controls is one that's only one you could do PC. You could look at PCI, they have a breakdown of all the security controls, and they look very much, very, very similar to CIS N 800 is really exhaustive and it goes into super great detail and stuff. You, you can also use those too. This one I found is like one of the best breakdowns, because it just gets right to the point there's only eight 18 controls, security controls in the CIS version eight. I think, I think version seven, the previous version has like 22 controls E either way. It's covering the same ground, all the best security practices. And that's the stuff you gotta put in your resume. I'm gonna do another actual TikTok of this, where I break this down. And so, so we'll, we'll cover that in greater detail. Bark says I've got lots of work to do on my fed resume. Yeah, man, like this kind of stuff right here is what you wanna make sure you put on there, this kind of stuff right here, these things, if you've done any of these things, you gotta put it on your resume. and my, my new book is gonna break down, like how you word it for each one of these controls. If you've done this before, give you an idea, like, okay, have I configured data recovery systems? Have I done that before? How do I word that in an, in an impactful way that shows that not only have I done it, but I impacted this organization, I helped them with their security bar says, by the way got your, your RMF book. Was there a part one? There's a part one and a part two to the RMF books. So let me see if I can bring that up. The RMF book has a part one and a part two, and I'm actually working on a part three, but that's gonna, that, one's gonna take me a little longer, cuz it's, it's talking about SCA or security control assessments. Let me show you. Okay. I'm gonna show you on two different platforms. I'm gonna show you on audible and then I'll also show you, cuz I've got an audible version of it. If you happen to be driving on your commute, you can actually just listen to it. Or if you happen to be jogging or something, listen to it. If you wanna know more about risk management framework and the controls and how it's broken down and stuff like that. The other one is Amazon. Let me show you. So if you go to Amazon or you go to audible and you type in just R M F I I S S O and you will find my book, both books. R M F I S S O. Okay. Let me just show you here. What I'm talking about here. It is an audible. You can listen to it right now. If you like. The one, the first one is very short. It's only like an hour long. It's a guide. It's an overview. Like if you were like wondering, like what is missed 800. If you are crazy enough to like, say, what is N 800? Like this breaks it down in one hour, I break down like what, not only what is, is it is, but how do you actually implement it? How do you as an information system, security officer, I'm hidden it from that perspective, how you actually, how you actually implement it as a, a cyber security person. And then the next book goes into greater detail about the controls. And what I do is I talk about like, here's, here's the controls and here's what you do in with each one of the control families. I don't, there's a thousand controls, so I don't go in all thousand controls. That'd be a super boring book. I also use practical. Things that have actually happened to me in each one of those families, not just happened to me, but happen to people. I know things that are going, like I mentioned, the, the I don't know if you guys remember the, the colonial pipeline, where does that fit in with the risk management framework? Where does that fit in with security controls? I use real world example. So you can get an exam, a, an idea of what that control family really means. So that that's the two books right there. One's four hours long. The second book is four hours long. So I, I think it's a really good, a really good book. I, I haven't seen anybody write it like that before. So where you are using practical stuff, and I'm kind of doing the same thing with the SCA book, the SSEA book, the SA book is going a lot deeper than I wanted. I, it's kind of like when you write, sometimes the book goes in its own direction and that's kind of what's happening with SCA. It's just getting way longer than I thought I was gonna get. I'm trying to, I gotta chop it down a little bit. Let's see. Bruce helped me. Land a federal contract job in cyber security management, man, smooth, smooth virus. I is, is the man.  this person I know. I know personally. So the advice he gives you does work, man. It really, really does work. And I only, I only mention it because I've been doing it for years. It's, it's the same tactic I've been using for years. And I, I constantly get work. I'm never, I, I don't have to worry about not having a job because I use this technique and I'm con sometimes I gotta turn the tap off. Right. I turn it on. And it's like a flood of all of these different opportunities. And I gotta turn it off. I gotta turn the taps off. So it stops. And right now I'm, I'm going through that process right now. And it's something else I'm not actually doing background checks and stuff with a job that I, that I got chosen for bar says, awesome. I have a good state level. Experience, but but new to fed. Oh, okay. That's great, man. That fits right. That fits right into the state federal stuff. It it's kind of goes hand in hand with, I, I believe state uses N right. Well, some states use the, the N 800 framework. So you'll, if, if that's the case you'll fit, right, right. In there, federal stuff does, does things a little bit different is a lot more details. I, and then smooth virus says I can't get them to stop emailing me.  exactly. Exactly. It's crazy. It's crazy. You gotta make sure all of your like monsters, you gotta be turned off, like make the, make your resume invisible. You've gotta turn off. But what happens is, so what happens? Smooth virus is that the, it works so effectively. He's talking about the, this, this method that I have, it works so effectively because, because when you, when you put the resume into their database, it stays there.  it stays in their database for years. I got people calling me from a resume that went into their database five years, literally five years ago. And they contact me and say, Hey, are you on the market? Like your resume fits this job that just opened up with Boeing or with, with whoever, right. All of these different companies. And they're calling me from five, my resume's five years old in their database. And sometimes they're like, nah, that's my old resume. Like, here's my new one. Like, here's, here's an updated resume. It really works. Like this technique really, really works. So if you, if you're like really looking for a job you're really trying to level up, then then you should be looking out for this book cuz it's coming soon. It's coming within the next 30 days for sure. And then I'll have a follow up book where I break down something called a nice cyber security workforce where I break down each category. If you're trying to level up from one. Category to another, or if you're from it and you want to target a specific genre of cyber security, cuz there's many different kinds, then, then that's gonna be the second book. And that one, I should be able to knock out pretty fast. I hope. And then I'm thinking about a third book in that series where I'm talking about either remote work, cuz I've been able to remote work remotely for, for over six years now. And then I'm thinking about doing one for entry level, cuz I get a lot of questions on that one as well. So those books are incoming. First book in the series is gonna be called cyber security jobs resume marketing, and that one's coming real soon and, and it really, really works. It's all about finding patterns, finding patterns and exploiting those patterns and putting that on your resume. It it's like you're hacking, it's like you're hacking the entire system to make sure that your stuff rises to the top every time. And it's really, really been working for me.  Okay. There's a conversation happening here. Let me see. He says, bar says he's, he's got he's in Virginia and he's got a CI S P with 18 years of experience. Holy crap, man. You're about to make some money. If you got the, the CI S P or golden. Absolutely. That's true. Let me see. And he says yeah, I would, if I would, yeah, you'd get around 200,000 or more in, in in Virginia area. Virginia pays really good, especially if you've got a, if you've got Virginia, Maryland, DC, that area, the DMV area, DC, Virginia, Maryland, D D DC, Maryland, Virginia D DMV. Yeah.  so much anyway, so that area pays really good. There's so many jobs in that area pays, pays really, really well.  and because there's just so much competition. They they're, they're the ones getting most of the government contracts and it's because there's three level, all the three letter agencies have their headquarters there. NSA, FBI, CIA, all of those. And some, some other ones DIA and all, all these other ones have it's like the hub of everything. Then you've got the senates there. You know, the Congress is there. You've got the white house. Is there everything is there. So there's all these contractors and subcontractors and there's just this, so many cyber security jobs there. So, so man, it's crazy. Okay. I got a lot of people. Wow. I got a lot of people watching me right now. Mike VI, how you doing bark? I've got a smooth virus. I've got. Lu Ludwig. Hey, thanks guys. Thanks for watching. I appreciate everybody. And if you guys didn't know if you're caught catching this late, what I'm doing is I'm talking about another book that I'm, that I'm putting out real soon, you're looking at like the rough draft, this isn't E doesn't even have the, the actual right name here, but it's gonna be cyber security jobs, resume marketing. And this one is gonna break down how you can level up using these proven techniques I've been using for many, many years. And as a matter of fact, people there's people watching me right now who use this technique that I've directly told them how to do it, or they took my course and they did it. And now they're working remotely working where they wanna work, making the kind of money they wanna make. And that's what I'm trying to help people to do to. Make a whole bunch of mini Bruces out there. So you can, you guys can reap the rewards and the benefits of cyber security that I have over all of these years and not have to worry about the recession or people saying the economy's gonna collapse or whatever, cuz no matter what happens, cyber security is necessary because all of us are relying more and more on information technology. And the more we rely on it, the more heavily rely we rely on it. The more protection is needed for your, your personally identifiable information, your private information, more more protection on your social security numbers, your banking information, your healthcare information, you name it. Every industry needs cyber security. So the, the right now, as a matter of fact, there's something like 700,000 jobs that are positions that are need be, need to be filled. That are in the government space alone. So yeah, I'm telling you like it, this is a hot, this is a perfect opportunity to strike while they really need more people. There's been a huge vacuum of people that have retired gotten outta this career field. A lot of boomers are getting out because they're, you know, they're 60 plus they're kind of getting, getting out, going retiring and stuff. So now there's this huge vacuum of people who are come, who need to come in fresh blood is needed to, to make this system work. Mike bill says I'm in school doing cyber security and cloud. That's awesome. Mike, I would, I would highly suggest getting a cloud certification. The AWS cloud practitioner is a really good one. I would come outta school with that. And then. As much as you can, Mike, if you can get some kind of experience under your belt while you're in school, that would be awesome. Get some sort of experience so that when you, you are already starting to fix your resume up, right. And the things that you need to do, the kind of stuff they wanna see on your resume. I mentioned in this book I break it down like how they wanna, how they wanna see it and all that kind of stuff. It's these controls because the name of the game was cyber security. It's all about it's all about implementation of cyber, of cyber security controls, and actually physical controls and management controls. It's actually quite a bit of different types of controls that you can, if you've ever done an example, like to, just to give you an umbrella of like what kind of controls that they wanna see, not just technical controls, not just firewalls, not just audit logs, but it's also physical. If you've ever done a physical security control assessment,  that's one. If you've ever done a wireless scan, that's one, if you've ever done inventory on a network and, and made sure that the organization has a baseline of, of all of their software and hardware, that's the first two right here. The first two are inventory. You wouldn't think this is a security control, right? But if you've ever taken accountability of all the assets, assets, meaning their computers, their servers, their workstations, their laptops, their phones, and made an inventory, a list, and you've maintained it in a database or whatever, whatever have you. If you've done that before, that's actually a cyber security controls. So you gotta put that on your resume. And before you get outta school outta school, Mike, if you can try to get work, I'm working in the college as a as a front desk. That's awesome. If you can get some cyber security under your belt, some kind of, if you help them to. For example, update their viruses, definitions, like say you, you have a desktop right in front of you. You help 'em to upload their virus definitions, put that on your resume because you can literally name the school and say I updated, you know, X amount of systems with the, or I've I up updated a critical system with the most current signature for McAfee, antivirus, whatever. Like you could put that on your resume, start building your resume before you even get outta school. Because the most important thing when you get out is gonna be your experience. Yeah. Your degree is great. Like you have a bachelor's degree, especially if you have cloud experience, another thing, build a cloud server before you get out and that's something you don't even need the school for. You can build a cloud server and get ans practitioner cloud practitioner certification, and you put that on your resume. If you can help the school do any kind of cloud stuff, put that on your resume.  I'm in the CCDC team. Yeah, man. That's awesome. What, what does that stand for? CCD C's team is that computer department? What, what does that stand for? Okay. Somebody says, how can I work as an ISSO without a clearance? So O Omo. So there are jobs and back me up. If you guys know what I'm talking about here, there are some is so jobs without security clearances, but they're, they're rare. And I personally have worked a couple a job, actually, right now I'm interviewing for a job where I already interviewed for it. I got the job. I'm just doing background check, but there's clearances that are not security clearances. I mean, not secret clearances or not Ts S E I clearances. There's one called the public trust. Public trust is like a lower level a lower level security clearance. So. You, you, you know, you, there are jobs where the is, so doesn't have to have a security clearance, but there's also jobs where the is. So can have a public trust, which is not as high level as a, a secret clearance or a Ts S sci, and it's way cheaper for them to do that particular type of clearance where they'll bring you in and, and they'll give you that public trust clearance. That's another thing. Another thing is that when you get into those jobs, what they'll do is sometimes they'll pay for your, your SS B I, your background check. And then you can take that background, check to the next job, your clearance to your next job, and then you get paid a little bit more. It's national collegiate cyber defense competition. That's awesome. Put that on your resume. Put that on your resume. Is do as much as you can, before you get out, you probably give a, get a job before you even get out. If you start right now, Mike, if you, if you, let me tell you something right now, you can put, you can list the credits that you already have from your degree on your resume. Right? Then you can put that you're on the national collegiate cyber defense competition, and then the accomplished event that you guys have done any kind of any time, you've helped them with their help desk issues, troubleshooting, adding updating patches that kind of thing. Put that on your resume. It's just a matter of wording it properly, put that on your resume and then put that resume up on LinkedIn. Now it's not gonna have a lot on it because you're just now getting into this field, but I guarantee you, if you put that on monster on dice on LinkedIn and at least 10 other sites, As you're building your resume, you will get contacted. You could have a job before you even leave the college. You hell it might even be so good that you say, Hey, you know what? I'll come back to college. I'll finish this later. I'm and I'm being completely serious. You'll get offers if you actually do what I just told you. Let me see. Okay. Focusing on the third risk management jobs, I'm focusing on the third party risk management jobs since I have no clearance. Okay. Is that pretty good? Sounds like that's pretty good money. Like risk management job, third party, risk management job. You could still get security security control assessment jobs, and those pay really good if you're doing like third party risk, risk assessments and stuff like that. That, that, that could do too really good. Now, om old, if you don't mind me asking, why don't you have a clearance? Is it, are you not eligible to get a clearance? Are you not a citizen? Because I know that. In order to be eligible, to get certain clearances, you have to be a you have to be a us citizen for certain clearances. And I don't, I think public trust, you don't need a clearance, but I could be wrong. I mean, you don't what I'm saying. So I think for public trust, you don't need to be eligible. You don't have to be a a, a us citizen, I believe, but I could be wrong about that. Let me see. Okay. And then smooth job, smooth virus, just, he confirmed what I said. I'm completing my bachelor's degree now. I got the job, even though I'm not done yet. Exact. That's exactly what I'm saying. Like one time I give you another example, Mike, when I I got outta the military, I had experience doing the work, but I didn't have all the requirements. I had a degree, but I didn't have, I didn't have a I didn't have the CISs P yet, but because I had the experience. they said, Hey, you know, I sat with, through the interview, they love me. And they're like, listen, we want to take you. But only thing is this job requires a CI SS. P can you get a CI S S P within a year? I said, I said, yeah. And they said, we'll, we'll, we're gonna send you to a bootcamp. So you can get this, this certification and we'll pay for the certification, but you gotta get it within a year. I said, yes, I'll do it. So there's flexibility. Like, even while you're in school, if you start to build your resume and market yourself, like I just told you, you can start getting a job. You could actually get a part-time job, making really good money in it and cyber security while you're finishing your degree. And actually the company, a lot of times, they want you to finish that degree cuz soon as you, you you're done with it. They'll be like, okay, you're a supervisor. Okay. We gotta pay you more. We're gonna put you over here. They'll do that from time to time because they really need people who, who know what they're doing. They really need people who, who are willing to work and do this and level up.  Let me see. Almost says I'm a citizen, man. Then what is happening? Why don't you Somo? Like if you're looking for security clearance then what you could do, one of the things you can do is especially if you live in the east, on the east coast, they have a lot of jobs that require security clearance. If you have a skill set, you said you, you work as a risk management framework person, third party, but you don't have a clearance. You could get a job, even if it pays a little bit less, right? And, but they're willing to pay for your clearance. Listen, it will be worth your time to work there for about six months, work there for about six months, have them get your clearance take as long as it needs for them to get you a clearance and then bounce, roll out and go to another place and be like, Hey, I got my clearance. And by the way, I'm a risk management framework person. They'll pay you more money. Like you'll. They'll pay you more my hell after you get the clearance, they might even, they might even update you. They might even pay you more. It says I'm doing things backwards too. I'm in the healthcare and got a security plus and plan on going to get my master's in cyber security. That's awesome, man. Like healthcare has so many great so many great opportunities because there's just such a huge need for healthcare professionals. People who are well versed in the healthcare industry to be cyber security or it people right now. And I can just give you one example of what I'm talking about. Like it's, it's so crazy right now. Let me just show you what I'm talking about. Here's my book right now. If you guys, my book's right there. If you guys are trying to learn risk management framework, it's those stuff it's blowing up. Let me see. So let me, let me just take you to this site. This is a DISA site. I'm gonna take you into a DISA dot mill site. Now you might be wondering, like, what does that have to do with healthcare? I'm about to show you, this is how crazy healthcare is. So I just typed in DISA a dot mill at 81 40. So let me just show you to this site. So 81, 40 and 85 85 70 is like it's like a breakdown of all the approved certifications that the department of defense and by proxy, some of the federal government actually uses to say, okay, these are approved certifications. So what I wanted to show you is this right here. See this right here. What's that say? You see that this is on the approved list. This is an IAM level two. I am level two means information assurance manager level two, which means it's it's, it's a fancy word for information security or Infor or cyber security for information security. Manage management and it has H, C I S S C H C I S P P. And I don't know if you've ever heard of this certification, but let me, let me show you something here. So if you type in this particular certification, I happen to know that this one specifically for healthcare and it's coming from the ISC two squared ISC, two squared is the top organization, arguably the top organization for security certifications because they, these are the guys who do the C I S S P. Now they have one called the H C I S P P, which is for healthcare security certifications. I mean, professionals. And it break. Let me show you the breakdown of this. Like, if you didn't know about this one, this is this, one's hot, this one's hot, especially if you're in the healthcare industry. So this is the kind of stuff that's on that they expect you to know as a H H C I S P P. and it's H H C I S P P is ideal for information security professionals charged with guarding protecting healthcare information. P H I protected healthcare. He protected health information, including those in the following positions. So if you happen to be in a compliance officer, information, security, privacy, officer, risk analysis analysis analyst hi health information manager. If you do any of these things, they're saying, Hey, this is good for you. And see, it's listed right up here with the, with all the big boys, all these CI S S P and the cap and all these other ones. I didn't know about that. Thanks for sharing. Yeah, this is a, this is a really, really good one. Now, recently, if you happen to be entry level, this might be for Mike right here. Entry level, the CI the ISE two square recently created this one right here. This is exciting. I think this one's gonna be listed on that approved list. It's the entry level certification for cyber security people, which is, which is crazy. They're trying to compete with security plus I think, but yeah, anyway, back to our subject. So we're talking about this one though. So this is CRA, this is crazy. So you just recently added this to that department of defenses, the list of certifications. That means this certification is about the blow up. A lot of that means a lot of contractors, a lot of recruiters, a lot of HR departments are gonna start listing this as a requirement at major healthcare facilities, so that you have this certification, you get this, something like this under your belt. And the thing is if you've been doing this and the healthcare field for some time, You might, you might just blow this test out of the water and then they have a breakdown of topics. So you gotta, I think you have to give them your, your information. They'll send this to you and, and you'll have their newsletter or whatever, but they have a breakdown of the domains, which I'd be interested in to see this right here. Oh, here it is right here. Okay. Sneak peek at the domains. Here's the chapters. Third party, risk management, introduction of healthcare industry governance, legal risk compliance. Yeah, really cool stuff. Really cool stuff. It's they're saying it's already ranking in 39th among security clearances. I don't know about that, but that came from certification magazine. Okay. Yeah. So that's, that's really good stuff. Exciting times if you happen to be in this field. It hasn't always been like this. It's it's really hot right now. There's so many, there's so many job opportunities. And I just want to show you guys this this little before I let you go. There's so many jobs that they're looking for recently. This is from July 1st, 2021 of last year, all the way till now this is from July 29th. The white house is pushing to fill 700 700. This is real. They're pushing to fill 700,000 jobs in cyber security in the United States. And what they're doing to do this is they're getting with all kinds of all kinds of private and public and nonprofit organizations to, to teach this. That's how they have a whole bunch of free courses out there. They've got a bunch of, of, of organizations that are trying to get entry level people in cyber security. Like I believe Booz Allen Hamilton did it. And they go really fast. Like as soon as they list that job, it just, they jobs just start going really fast. So the 700,000 job thing is real. Yeah, this is real, man. This is, this is coming directly from the, the, the white house, like the white house at a summit lack last month where they said there's 700,000 cyber security jobs we wanna fill across. I think what they mean not is not just the federal government. I was, I think I misspoke with that. I think they mean throughout the United States, there's 700,000 jobs. And the reason why is cuz there's heightened, there's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes. Like governments are starting to attack each other. There's a huge cyber war going on right now. And so that's why you're hearing about all these leaks and all of these. All of these hacks and stuff, because a lot of companies and a lot of banks and a lot of healthcare industry facilities and stuff, they don't really have appropriate. They don't have appropriate security measures and what's happening is they're, they're soft targets. And and they're going to these hackers. There's there's criminal gangs. There's some that are backed by, by government state state governments. There's some that are backed by you name it, criminal organizations, just that you're just trying to get money, whatever it's a free for all right now. And there's, and we are, the us is the biggest target because they're the ones holding all the money right now. So, you know, they'll go off to a bank cuz they know a they know what the healthcare industry will pay. Like if they get you, did you hear about the one in LA? Like the LA school district? Somebody tried good on LA school district. They, they were able to they were able to protect themselves, but yeah, some, some hacker group went after LA school district. Let me see if I can find that one. Let me see if I could find that one. This is crazy. So yeah, the, they, somebody went after hackers target Los Angeles school district with a ransomware attack. They tried to get 'em on a ransomware attack. This was recent. This was like yesterday or something. Yeah. Look at this. September 10th. Yeah. Okay. So four days ago, hackers target Los Angeles school district with ransomware attack. And luckily the, the school district was prepared for it. This is kind, this is what's happening. This is what's happening across the board because we're, so we've got so many soft targets and It's just, it's, it's sad to see, but that's why there's so many job openings for cyber security. And the white house is pushing this huge initiative to you know, to get more people, cyber security analysts, information system, security officers even, even things like program managers. They probably lump those, those people in there program managers are super critical to, to doing things like security and engineering. So they are part of our team. Let me see, basle says, I'm looking to get into this field. Can you let me know what I could study or brush up brush up with? Okay. So here's, here's what I, here's one of the things that I show how to that I would suggest. Okay. And this is just my 2 cents. Like some, there's some gurus out there who are, will tell you something totally different. , this is the first certification that I got from CompTIA. CompTIA has one of the best curriculums out there. Some people really hate this certification, but you know, the market doesn't, if you have the certification, you can get hired somewhere so people can hate on it all. They want just like ch people hate on ch, but you know what? That will pay you. And this one, if you're an entry level, this is where you can start. And so one thing you should know is that certifications, you can't just get a certification and magically get a job. Okay? It's not, that's not how it works. Like you can't, if you've never done any it work before you gotta put the work in to learn the material. But what I'm saying to you is that even though these these, these certifications are made to validate the skillset and knowledge that you already know, or the experience you already have, you can use it as a curriculum to learn. And, and that will get your foot in the door. Now don't focus on the prize so much as the process itself, the process of learning this material in such a way that you can level up and start to actually do this work and, and get yourself an entry level position that doesn't require all of these different high level requirements. So you go through this and you go through the curriculum of this, and it's gonna show you things like hardware, operating systems, how they work, software troubleshooting, network, networking, troubleshooting, security, virtualization, a little bit about cloud stuff, mobile devices. Those are kinds of the things that you're gonna see on this test. But bef like before you take the test, you want to actually go read the book, break it down. Learn about it, put it on your computer. You can use VMware to learn it on your own. Like you could have a virtual environment right here, right on your computer. You can set up networks in your house. What, what I did when I first started doing this, I would build computers. I would, I would buy the components, build the computer, cuz it gets you exposure to the hardware and let you know how the software works with the hardware with hands on experience, nothing beats hands on hand on hands on experience. So if you can get virtual virtual networks from things like GNS three, that's another thing you can use once you get this certification. Like what you wanna do is study there's. This is two tests. This is not an easy test by the way. Now, if you're not very proficient, if you're not very savvy on on computer stuff, what you can do is go comp tia.org and go to ITF ITF. Plus, if you wanna, this will tell you whether or not you should even take. Any of this, like you, whether you not, you wanna do this, a lot of people chase that money, chase the stability of it. So you, you might not even wanna do this. You know what I mean? Like this right here kind of dips your toe in the waters of it. So when I keep you probably I think it, Bruce, I don't care about it. I wanna do cyber security. I know, I know. I know. I understand. But I, cyber security is stands on the . You have to know it before you get into cybersecurity. I, it, cyber security. Is it information technology? All we're doing is it's. It's like one it's cybersecurity is multidisciplinary. All right. So for cybersecurity, You're you're expected to already know information technology that's basic computer stuff, hardware, software troubleshooting, things like that. So this something like this is an entry level. That's gonna tell you the terminology, the basics of information technology, how it works before you get into the hardware hardcore stuff, which is a plus certification. A plus certification is, is actually no joke. It's it it's, especially if it's your first certification, it's not easy. So it was my first one and it wasn't easy for me. So it was not easy cuz you have to learn all the terminology and they're just throwing all the stuff at you and stuff. So like now if I went back to it, I'd be like, okay, I know this. Yeah, I know this, I know this, but if you're coming on there cold, a plus is not an easy certification to take cold. It's not easy to take cold. It's so much terminology that you have to learn. So. After you take, let's say you, you got, you went through all this curriculum. You listened to Bruce's live and you like, man, this guy knows what you're talking about. I'm gonna go ahead and study for a plus. You got a book, you broke down the book, you took notes on it. You took the test, you passed it. Another thing you could do, I'm just gonna tell you three different search. You should do that. I recommend there's another one called Google. This is, if you don't know, if you don't have a degree, if you Mike is already getting his degree, he's already like he should, he could probably do go straight to professional level search if he wants, because he is about to get a degree he's in UND himself in this world and everything. But if you happen to have no degree, you're doing us all from scratch. Here's another one you can do. And you can do this one. If you're in college too, it's no big deal, but here's one called the Google support. It certification. The reason why I would recommend this one is because a lot of people are taking this certification with no degree going in. And, and making and making this kind of salary right here. This is what people are telling me. This is what my users. Now this is anecdotal information. I do not personally have experience with this. This is all new to me. In my experience. You, you can't get into these fields without experience, but I stand corrected cuz several people have contacted me and said, yes, I got this it support certificate and I'm making X amount of dollars. So this is another one you can do. If you're trying to bypass the degree programs and stuff. I, this is no guarantee that you're gonna get anything. Okay. But I'm just telling you anecdotal information of people contacting me saying I took certification. I'm now making X amount of dollars, not a hundred thousand, but it's pretty good money. And it's entry level. They're doing entry level work by the way, another certification. Here's the hottest. One of all this one, whether you're in, whether you are in a degree program, whether you are have five years of experience. Whether you have a CIS S P, whether you're coming in off the street, you used to be a sanitation engineer, and now you're doing this. I recommend every person take this one. Every person, every man, woman, and child dogs, cats living together, all of everybody should take this one. Okay. It's called the eight. If I could type cloud certification practitioner. So there, and let me, I'll just explain why this is, this one's so important. Okay. And I went to the wrong site here, went to the wrong site. I'm trying to go to actual TMY is a good, good place to actually learn this stuff. I don't teach cloud yet. So TMY is a good place to prac. But anyway, here it is right here. AWS cloud practitioner. This is why this one's so important. Everything is going to cloud. If you use Google, any Google services you use in cloud, Gmail's using cloud YouTube's using cloud services. All streaming uses cloud Netflix uses cloud everything's on the cloud right now. Everything is on the cloud. And AWS, Amazon is the leader in this. So Amazon's the leader in this. Amazon is killing it. Like Amazon owns something like 30% of the total market share for a cloud. They, they own most of the government stuff in cloud. They, they they're their only competition really that's that's close is Azure from, went from Microsoft and, and Google Google itself. So this, this certification is not hard and, and everybody should know at least this level of knowledge and here. And here's the reason why I say this. I just had I'm in the process of getting a new job. Okay. And I, I. L literally hundreds of screeners contacted me and it's just annoying. And I need to turn that crap off. But out of those hundreds of screeners people calling me, you know, really quickly, like it's like a quick interview, not even in interview. It's like let's see if you qualify for this. Anyway. So out of those hundreds of screeners, I had five interviews. I had five interviews. Two out of those five, I have two that are potential one and one I'm act. I actually, they gave me an offer. They gave me a job offer. I said, yes. And now I'm going through the background process. I say all this to say, going back to the cloud thing is that out of those five interviews, four of them ask me about cloud. And some of them went pretty deep on.  and you gotta know cloud. So if, if you happen to be in an environment where you can learn more cloud stuff, learn it. Because I, I regretful my last job. They were trying to force cloud down my throat and I didn't wanna do it. And I just kept dragging my feet about, and I wish back looking back. I wish I would've just done it. I wish I just would've at least taken this AWS cloud because they were asking me a lot of cloud questions. And I really didn't know. I'm really, I really didn't know 'em you gotta learn cloud. So I would. And another thing about this AWS practitioner is that look at this it's a hundred dollars is 90 minutes. How hard does this? This can't be hard is 65 questions, multiple choice. I mean, Pearson peer view. It's this has gotta be easy. And I I'm gonna take this test, period. I, they, they ask me way too many questions about it. It's getting way too ridiculous. I need to know more about cloud stuff. I need to be able to speak on it. And I was not able to do that. And so four interviewers asked me about freaking cloud stuff and I, and I'm like, damn, like I really should have,  got more information on this. I don't even do cloud. I'm doing information system, security officer type stuff. That's the jobs I was going for. And they keep asking me about cloud. I'm like, damn, like, can you ask me risk man, refr more questions? Like why what's cloud? Like, I mean, I have some exposure to it, you know, like Fedra and stuff like that. But they were asking me like, like, how do you set it up and stuff? I'm like, what?  what, what's the difference between a P a, a S and a and a S a, a S I'm like, oh my what? That kind of stuff. Basic really basic stuff, you know, cloud, but I didn't know it. So so yeah, check this one out. Somebody asked me, do you have a resume template? I do. So if you go to my site I'm, I'm working on breaking down.  if you I'm working on having like a complete breakdown of several different resumes and resume samples and stuff and ATS format, but it's gonna take me a while to do I gotta get off this call so I can go do it. But if you go to my site combo courses.com and you go to all courses, here's some of my stuff, books, new stuff that I put out free stuff. What you're gonna do is you're gonna go to resume marketing. I have a course on resume marketing, the stuff that I'm writing in a book. I already have a course for it. And it works really, really good, but if you want the template, I'm making it free for now. Okay. So if you happen to be watching this, you are, you are in luck because I'm, I'm telling you free stuff. That's out there right now that I'm probably gonna make. Not free. So if you go to this right here, just sign up is free. Okay. So number one, you can sign up right now and it's free to sign up. When you sign up for free, there's a ton of free stuff. You can download, you gotta go search for it. There's like, see this free preview stuff like that. You gotta go through there and it'll have free stuff. This, this one has a downloadable for, for my resume has an actual down here it is right here. See this right here. I don't know if you, I don't know if you can see this. So all you have to do is, is if you sign up, you'll get that one for free. You'll get that one for free. That's the template. Not always gonna be free. Some of the stuff I'm gonna I'm I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make it paid, but for now it's free. So yes, the answer is yes, I do have a resume template. I'm gonna make a lot more. They're gonna be linked from the book a pipe. I don't know if I'll make 'em free or not. I'm not sure.  Probably, maybe initially, I, I don't know, but stay tuned for that, but in the meantime, there's an ATS style resume that's out there. And thanks a lot smooth virus for your testimonial.  I appreciate that. Okay. That's it guys for this one. Thanks for watching a lot. I got 15 people watching me here. I'm knowing how many people watching me on Facebook, but thanks for watching. Anyway, I'm gonna make this into a podcast. So stay tuned for that one. If you wanna listen to this again or whatever, it'll be out there. If you didn't know, I've got a podcast site it's on convo courses, dot pod bean been, I gotta get used to saying this combo courses.podbean.com. Here it is right here. Here's everything. Here's all my podcasts. If you're interested in just listening, I got more coming out. I've been trying to crank these out every day. Not easy to do but here. Somebody said I'm sorry, can you show me where to navigate? Okay. Go to con courses.com. Convo courses.com. courses.com. I'm go. I'm working on making this its own separate link, but for now I'm I gotta focus on writing this book. Okay. So go to all courses and then go to the course where I talk about marketing, cyber security marketing that breaks down what you do on a resume. And on here, I have a free resume. If you sign, you can sign up for free. You can sign up for free. Okay. This says $145, but you can sign up for free, totally free. And then what you're gonna do is go, if you sign up for free tons of downloadable, see this one. See, this is free. You'll see this free stuff happen. I mean popping up if you go to resume here, that's where it is right there. ATS resume sample. I've got a whole bunch of other stuff coming, but I'm just I'm right now, currently working on it. Like, obviously I'm, I'm in this live right now, so I can't do that while I'm in this live. So I really gotta let you guys go. Thanks a lot for watching. I appreciate everybody. Tony long time. No, see I'm outta here guys. Thanks everybody for your questions. Thanks for.

Welcome to The Profit Talk! In this show, we're going to help you explore strategies to help you maximize profits in your business while scaling and creating the lifestyle that you want as an entrepreneur. I am your host, Susanne Mariga! I'm a certified Mastery Level Profit First Professional. Let's dive into strategies to maximize profits in your business! In this episode, I interview Steve Anderson. Today, Steve talks about The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon, which has become a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and an international bestseller. He also talks about the concept of risk and growth and how Bezos can help you achieve greater results. To know more about Steve, connect with him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetn/ and to grab a copy of his book, go to https://thebezosletters.com/    Visit my FREE Facebook Group, The Profit First Masterclass, where I'll be sharing additional exclusive trainings to members of the community.   If you're excited about what's next for your business and upcoming episodes, please head to our itunes page and give us a review! Your support will help me to bring in other amazing expert interviews to share their best tips on how to powerfully grow in your business!  DISCLAIMER: The information contained within these videos is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute, an accountant-client relationship. While we use reasonable efforts to furnish accurate and up-to-date information, we assume no liability or responsibility for any errors, omissions, or regulatory updates in the content of this video. Any U.S. federal tax advice contained within is not intended to be used for the purpose of avoiding penalties under U.S. federal tax law. 

Gamer Rage. It's real. How to spot it in someone you live with. How Disney is planning to be more like Amazon. I Love my Job Week -- tell us what you DO, & why you LOVE it.

There's a really strange line in Amazon's terms and conditions! You know the way we never ever read the T&C's when purchasing something or agreeing to anything on the internet? Well, maybe we should start. For Dave's World, Dave showed us this very strange line that's in one of Amazon's T&C's. Let's all hope they're just having the craic! Click Play to find out the line.

Andy Baryer, Technology and Digital Lifestyle Expert at HandyAndyMedia.com & a weekly contributor on The Shift with Shane Hewitt tells us what this new tax means for our online shopping  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover why copying the branding approach behind the global goliath that is Amazon.com is a horrible idea - and what you should be doing instead!EPISODE LINKSFree Training - How To Stand Out From The Crowd Online: https://linkedinriches.com/stand-out-crowd/ FREE RESOURCESThe Ultimate LinkedIn Profile Template -- Get the EXACT words, phrases and formatting hacks that turn your LinkedIn Profile into a lead-generating, client-attracting piece of content: https://nemomediagroup.pages.ontraport.net/ultimate-profileWant to Get More Business Using LinkedIn? Grab a Free Digital Copy of My Bestselling Book: https://linkedinriches.com/WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirejohnnemo"Done For You" LinkedIn Lead Generation: https://nemomediagroup.com/Free Tips, Trainings & Resources: https://linkedinriches.com/free/

The latest Seattle City budget forecast anticipates a $35 million gap for 2023, and council member Teresa Mosqueda said future deficits are expected to be even worse. “It's actually a longer-term revenue gap that we are needing to close,” she said. And Mosqueda said new taxes are needed.

John Rossman (Rossman Partners, Managing Partner) is the author of The Amazon Way book series, a former Amazon leader and Managing Partner at Rossman Partners. Mr. Rossman is an expert leveraging the Amazon leadership principles to help others innovate, compete and win in the digital era. One of the leading innovation speakers, John delivers practical techniques and strategies the audience can apply in their business. John advises leaders on strategy, leadership and digital transformation. John was an executive at Amazon.com where he played a key role in launching the Amazon marketplace business as the Director of Merchant Integration, and went on to have responsibilities for the enterprise business at Amazon. Mr. Rossman's blog is www.the-amazon-way.com. He writes a weekly newsletter titled The Digital Leader Newsletter on Substack.

For the full show notes and transcription checkout: https://www.superpowers.school/ Watch episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/paddydhanda?sub_confirmation=1 ★ BUY ME KO-FI ★ If you enjoy the podcast, then you can donate a small amount here as a token of your appreciation: https://ko-fi.com/paddydhanda Contact Paddy at: pardeep_dhanda (at) hotmail.com Steve Anderson has spent his 35+ year career helping the insurance industry understand, integrate, and leverage current and emerging technologies. From business management systems to social platforms, Steve analyzes what's happening now and explain its implications for the future. He has spoken in all 50 states, and internationally, and addressed companies like SAFECO, AAA, and Nationwide. He is on the faculty of credentialing organizations teaching thousands of professionals annually and is a writer/contributor to multiple publications. Steve has a Master's Degree in Insurance Law, and was personally invited to be an original LinkedIn thought leader/influencer where he now has over 340,000 followers. He also is a Top 20 Global InsurTech Influencer. Steve's first book, The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon, (Morgan James Publishing), will be available in September 2019. In the book, Steve deconstructs Jeff Bezos' 21 years of personal letters to Amazon shareholders through his unique lens of risk, providing readers with a guide on the key takeaways and principles that Bezos leveraged in turning an online bookstore into a trilliondollar company in just over two decades. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/superpowers-school/message

For the full show notes and transcription checkout: https://www.superpowers.school/ Watch episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/paddydhanda?sub_confirmation=1 ★ BUY ME KO-FI ★ If you enjoy the podcast, then you can donate a small amount here as a token of your appreciation: https://ko-fi.com/paddydhanda Contact Paddy at: pardeep_dhanda (at) hotmail.com Steve Anderson has spent his 35+ year career helping the insurance industry understand, integrate, and leverage current and emerging technologies. From business management systems to social platforms, Steve analyzes what's happening now and explain its implications for the future. He has spoken in all 50 states, and internationally, and addressed companies like SAFECO, AAA, and Nationwide. He is on the faculty of credentialing organizations teaching thousands of professionals annually and is a writer/contributor to multiple publications. Steve has a Master's Degree in Insurance Law, and was personally invited to be an original LinkedIn thought leader/influencer where he now has over 340,000 followers. He also is a Top 20 Global InsurTech Influencer. Steve's first book, The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon, (Morgan James Publishing), will be available in September 2019. In the book, Steve deconstructs Jeff Bezos' 21 years of personal letters to Amazon shareholders through his unique lens of risk, providing readers with a guide on the key takeaways and principles that Bezos leveraged in turning an online bookstore into a trilliondollar company in just over two decades. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/superpowers-school/message

Thank you for listening to this episode of Unfiltered Brothers. In this episode, we have a special guest, Aaron Barksdale. Make sure you check out his podcast, "WOKE". We discuss the slap talked about around the country (Will Smith and Chris Rock). Then, we get into light controversial topics. Part 2 of this may come.... Listen to our podcast and follow us on social media: linktr.ee/unfilteredbrotherspodcast Subscribe to our Patreon www.patreon.com/unfilteredbrothers Follow Us On Instagram Derek Robertson - https://instagram.com/_djr20?igshid=1eudavj1symhx Joseph Toney - https://instagram.com/josephdt21?igshid=dgb5cph8mltu Durand Watson - https://instagram.com/musicians_life__?igshid=17u02ime2etdt DaShawn Ford - https://instagram.com/iamdashawnford?igshid=1khw7l1lntfmp

Gareth Soloway joins me today to look at the current economic environment and what we might expect moving forward. We look at the predicament that the Fed is in right now, the impending crash of bitcoin, and the similarities to Amazon over 20 years ago.   Follow Gareth Soloway on Twitter https://twitter.com/GarethSoloway   Join my private community on Locals https://heresyfinancial.locals.com 

In this episode of the Local Crown our host Antonia Hanlon talks with Steve Anderson about his business growth knowledge. Steve shares all the insight he learned from being in business himself and reading Jeff Bezos letters to his shareholders. He then wrote the book, The Bezos Letters, to help explain to others the key factors in growing a company like Amazon. Tune in to hear about the key principles applied to great companies such as Amazon. Want to learn more about our hosts? https://treycarmichael.us/ (https://treycarmichael.us/) Djemilah Birnie | Author, Digital Designer, Podcaster, and Founder of Becoming the Big Me https://djemilah.com/ (Djemilah Birnie | Author, Digital Designer, Podcaster, and Founder of Becoming the Big Me)https://antoniahanlon.com/ (https://antoniahanlon.com/) Want to learn more about Local Crown, LLC? https://thelocalcrown.com/ (https://thelocalcrown.com/) Want to check out our publication? http://insidetheempire.com/ (insidetheempire.com) Did you want to get featured in the publication alongside Jayson Waller, Sharon Lechter, Jim Kwik, and Dan Caldwell? https://thelocalcrown.com/becomeacontributor (https://thelocalcrown.com/becomeacontributor) Want to learn more about Steve Anderson? https://thebezosletters.com/

Speaking with a leader like John Rossman was such an honour. If you would like to hear more podcasts like this then please remember to subscribe to our podcast and keep an eye out for us leading up to Christmas.John Rossman is the author of The Amazon Way book series, a former Amazon leader and Managing Partner at Rossman Partners. Mr. Rossman is an expert leveraging the Amazon leadership principles to help others innovate, compete and win in the digital era.  One of the leading innovation speakers, John delivers practical techniques and strategies the audience can apply in their business.  John was an executive at Amazon.com where he played a key role in launching the Amazon marketplace business which Jeff Bezos called “one of his magical businesses”, accounting for over 50% of all Amazon units sold and shipped. Rossman also served as Director of Enterprise Services at Amazon.com under CEO Jeff Bezos, where he managed worldwide services to enterprise clients such as Target.com, Marks and Spencer, and the National Basketball Association (NBA).Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/LLPodcast)

I share personal details of what my expectations have been lately for marriage, kids, etc. and how I tried an experiment to change my reality by changing my expectations. www.hopethepa.com

Today we discuss smells that trigger a memory.  Adventures in middle school parenting.  The Amazon experience.  Scott is starring in a commercial and now he thinks he is a big shot!  Big announcement about a guest on Friday's show!  (Please note Scott's audio had technical difficulties throughout the episode, we are trying to correct by Friday.....Sorry!) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/scott-maffei6/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scott-maffei6/support