The new world of post-pandemic work offers businesses all sorts of options to expand and grow.

 

On this episode, host Mike Jackness speaks with Dave Kerpen, Serial Entrepreneur.

 

They discuss:


- 8:55 Values and skills of great employees.
- 17:39 How the new world of work is shaping up.
- 28:13  The role of courage in innovating.
- 32:57  The competitive advantage of mastering fear when it comes to embracing change.
- 34:34 Why you shouldn’t only choose price when picking a supplier.

 

You’ll also hear Mike jump in and share his perspective on the pricing question.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information visit Alibaba.com buyer central at https://buyer.alibaba.com/ 

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

The pandemic accelerated changes that were already happening across buying channels and supply chains. More and more buyers are expecting a seamless experience when dealing with suppliers and, increasingly, companies are taking a customer-centric approach to their ecommerce strategy.


On this episode, host Mike Jackness speaks with Brian Beck, B2B Ecommerce Expert Advisor & Author at Beck Ecommerce. Brian has been in ecommerce since 1999, both as a business owner and executive. He has also gone on to be an influential thought leader and author in the space.


Mike and Brian discuss some interesting topics on the subject, including:

- 5:02 Why a B2C experience is now expected even in B2B situations
- 7:57 Are physical sales relationships dead?
- 17:58 Why 65% of consumers trust a marketplace enough to buy from an unknown brand
- 20:14 How efficiency is most important for B2B buying 


You’ll also hear Brian talk about why it’s important for companies to use digital tools to streamline their workflow.


If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-Star review. For more information visit Alibaba.com buyer central at https://buyer.alibaba.com/ 

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

You are listening to the Alibaba.com Ecommerce Academy podcast. The official podcast from the team at Alibaba.com.

Each week on the show, we bring you conversations with industry leading experts who are using Alibaba.com to build and scale their businesses.

These conversations help you understand the state of the global trade industry, the challenges we face today, and how to thrive amidst changing times.

Subscribe and be sure to check out our website for more resources at Alibaba.com

This episode is brought to you by Alibaba.com, the B2B global sourcing marketplace that aims to make it easy to do business anywhere. Alibaba.com’s services cover all aspects of commerce, including helping buyers discover products, find suppliers, and place orders online fast and efficiently. Try our platform out today at Alibaba.com

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

The global supply chain model has increased the affordability and accessibility of products manufactured all over the world. Sourcing products in this environment has become a much more complex task than before, and having a handle on the logistics of international trade has never been more vital.

On this episode of the Alibaba.com Sourcing Insights podcast, host Kunle Campbell, Co-Founder of Octillion Capital Partners, speaks with Mike Jackness, President and CEO at Terran LLC, about some tips and tools for staying on top of increasing supply chain complexity.

Some valuable insights from their conversation include:

- 7:15 Coordinating logistics to make the most of suppliers’ geographical locations
- 17:26 Ways to secure lasting relationships with suppliers through clear communication
- 26:15 Coordinating pricing to maximize profit, despite global market volatility
- 29:10 Diversifying sourcing to create built-in resiliency
- 32:33 Ensuring quality control at the supplier level

Beyond managing complex logistics, there are other important takeaways, such as:

- 5:41 The ways that perceived value can impact manufacturing decisions
- 14:15 How to protect intellectual property from competitors seeking to copy design concept
- 31:15 Taking the time to create quality products with noticeable market differentiation
- 32:24 Taking advantage of Alibaba.com’s RFQ feature for pro buyers

Coordinating international complexity is key to maximizing profit and creating a sustainable sourcing model.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

To attract repeat customers, businesses should source their products according to changing trends. 

Tom Samiljan, Editor in Chief of Dealerscope, joined host Mike Jackness, President and CEO of Terran.com, on Alibaba.com Sourcing Insights. They discuss some of the trending electronics products Tom has written about, and how important it is for ecommerce businesses to pay attention to these trends.

A few products gaining popularity, and sourceable through Alibaba.com, include:

- 3:04 - The increasing affordability of true wireless earbuds
- 6:01 - Ebikes and escooters, which are becoming far more accessible and available in urban areas
- 11:39 - Outdoor appliances and tech, as hosting and entertaining outside is gaining popularity
- 15:18 - Wearable tech, whose uses are expanding for both health and entertainment purposes
- 19:12 - HDMI 2.1 cables, keeping in step with better high fidelity TVs and game consoles
- 22:47 - Cell phones, with ever-expanding options and better affordability
- 29:16 - Virtual Reality systems, which have gained immense popularity in the last year

Tom also explains some ways business can take advantage of the latest technology:
- 37:55 - Website optimization and making use of digital optimization tools
- 41:59 - Sourcing the latest tech through Alibaba.com
- 43:27 - Attending consumer technology trade shows, such as the Alibaba.com’s Online Trade Shows

By sourcing the most popular new tech, businesses can turn one-time purchases into repeat business.

 

Note: All mentions of ‘CTA’ in the episode refer to the Consumer Technology Association

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

It’s one thing to get a sourcing business up and running. It’s another thing entirely to optimize and scale your business across multiple markets and suppliers.

 

Suuchi Ramesh, Founder and CEO of Suu.chi, Inc. comes from a data analytics, supply chain, and venture tech background, with a Masters in Computer Science driving her eye for optimization. As the guest for this episode of Alibaba.com Sourcing Insights, Suuchi gives thoughtful insights into how the best sourcing businesses grow and scale. She joins host Mike Jackness, who has worked with Alibaba.com for many years and who also has extensive knowledge and expertise in creating and launching e-commerce brands.

 

Suuchi and Mike discuss:

- 00:04:32 The importance of spreading execution risks
- 00:09:34 Not being short-sighted about costs
- 00:12:00 Understanding that supplier relationships can change over time
- 00:13:05 Considering having different sources for successful products
- 00:14:08 Digitizing as you grow
- 00:28:22 How Alibaba.com can help you onboard your suppliers
- 00:31:06 How to get suppliers to be more compliant with your systems

There’s plenty more to hear in the episode. Enjoy!

 

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

For every brand that seems to be doing everything right, there are companies behind it, coaching it through every step of the process to get to those best practices.

 

Adam Weiler is the founder of one of those companies, performance-based marketing agency Sunken Stone, which has been helping brands perform on Amazon and other platforms since 2007.  Host Mike Jackness has worked with Alibaba.com for many years, running a very successful sourcing business. Mike also has extensive knowledge and expertise in creating and launching e-commerce brands.

 

On the latest episode of Alibaba.com Sourcing Insights, Adam and Mike talk about important factors in a sourcing journey, including:

- 00:03:40 - 1. The danger (and distraction) of “too much opportunity”
- 00:06:16 - 2. Staying focused in niches rather than being all over the place
- 00:08:11 - 3. The importance of knowing the lingo
- 00:11:30 - 4. Different order goals at different stages of growth
- 00:17:24 - 5. The advantages of digital sourcing
- 00:20:22 - 6. How to negotiate favorable payment terms
- 00:23:15 - 7. Why you should grow a relationship with a factory

Anyone curious about getting started (and staying focused) in building a successful sourcing business with resources like Alibaba.com, should listen to this episode.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

While there are more opportunities than ever to grow in ecommerce, there’s also a lot of ways to miss the mark when trying to reach new customers.

 

Dillon Carter, Co-Founder and VP of Operations at Vendrive, is passionate about connecting retailers and customers.  He recently appeared on Alibaba.com Sourcing Insights and shared his expertise on:

 

- The opportunities in serving B2B customers

- How crises drive innovations in brands

- Adaptability and agility is key for brands facing challenges and competition

- Adding new employees too soon and chasing efficiency before finding effectiveness. 

 

We also had a chance to discuss:

- The challenge of many small retailers not having websites (and why they soon will)

- The importance of matching your offerings with what your targeted retailer is offering already (and why this will drive sales)

- The importance of saving for a rainy day… like supply chain interruptions (and why sometimes those interruptions help drive needed changes in a brand)

The episode is packed with thoughtful insights, and any aspiring wholesaler will want to go back and re-listen to some parts several times.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Strong product differentiation could be the difference between a hot seller bringing in millions or a dud that just sits on the shelf. David Bryant, the owner of OFR Brands, has over a decade of experience in sourcing successful products. In this debut episode of Alibaba.com Sourcing Insights, he will share tips on battle scars to avoid and tips for success, including: 

 

• How product differentiation—making a product special, unique, and valuable—is the difference between success and failure today
• How sourcing digitally and globally from suppliers that provide customization and modification services through platforms like Alibaba.com is the key to business success

 

We also discuss:

• A technique for better communication during the current supply chain disruption and the value of “verified suppliers” on Alibaba.com
• What timelines to aim for when sourcing
• The value of supply history when dealing with a new supplier

You’ll also hear David’s old-school method for making changes to his products and why it remains effective ten years later...

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• How to Simplify your Sourcing on Alibaba.com: Insights from Ciara Cristo
• Kickstarter Confidential: Insider Tips from the CEO - Live at CoCreate
• Crowdfunding Success Secrets: LaunchBoom's Strategies for Product Ideation and Marketing with Will Ford

 Previous guests include Rudy Mawer, CEO of Mawer Capital; Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and Founder and President of Infinity Nine Group; Mike McClary, CEO of Amazing.com; Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Media; Kia-Shun Voltz, Chief Executive Officer of ShampooTime; Matt Jones, Founder of The Crease Beast; and Julianna Dahbura, Founder of Deco Beauty. 

B2B Breakthrough Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so