eCommerce Momentum Podcast

This is the second in our Women in eCommerce interviews and I think I hit the jackpot with this one too! Get ready to understand more about Amazons systems and more importantly how you need to manage your account and inventory in Amazons database. (Frankly we are not doing a good job and need Karen's help!) She offers ungating services, listing creation (does large volumes), and mostly Amazon Account Management. Think of your time and how limited it is now, now add managing suppressed inventory, managing stranded inventory, managing shipping reconciliations, fixing feedback, getting inventory sold before long-term storage fees and getting you reimbursed for returns that you are not responsible for. (Think you were busy before all of this!) This is a big step for some, but hiring a contract worker is always less expensive than hiring an employee. Take the step and look at your inventory health and see if you could use the help.

Karen Mentioned:

This is the first in a series of Women in eCommerce interviews I am doing. It's a great one to start as: Robin is not making a statement about Women's inequality, rather she is here to tell you: "Amazon is a level playing field" for all. She credits her life's experiences as preparing her for her eCommerce business. She makes the point, everyone's experience they bring really has prepared them for eCommerce if you look at the good and bad experiences in a positive way. (Yes even the bad ones) So this is a "pick yourself up, dust yourself off, straighten-up and get ready to take action, you are ready...you have been prepared for this...Success!"

Sam is definitely a Big Dreamer! You can't help but be drawn into his large visions (we're talking way out there stuff). He is always testing ideas, always questioning, bouncing ideas off you constantly trying to figure out the next "Big thing". Be certain whatever it is, it will be bigger, bolder and he will be out in front of his competition. What I really like about Sam is his ability to master a topic, very quickly, and more importantly his ability to ACT very quickly on the new idea. He has scaled-up liquidation buying, Retail Arb, Online Arb, wholesale, large group buys all while building a large coaching group (100 members)....while helping to raise small children, be a good husband and remain true to his faith!

His coaching program is second to none as they will help you open an Amazon account, he will help you get ungated, he will allow you to come to see their operation, he will help train your staff, he will help train your VA's, he will give you buying opportunities, he will help you get discounted gift cards and on and on.  Again I say, they are over-delivering! If you really want to jump ahead many steps, this might be the right program for you.

This is the second of my "Triple Threat" interviews with sellers that will/did sell $5 million+ (hint one will likely hit $10 million!-maybe this one???). Wow oh wow, get ready for a wide-swath discussion...it had to be! He (and he is quick to credit his team) are into everything, and his setup allows (and is designed to) for segments to work together and compliment each other well. Imagine a team sourcing for Ebay , bringing it back to a centralized photo studio, then off to specialized Ebay listers (better known as the "Eboys"), then into the centralized inventory system, then into the centralized shipping department. Or a division where the 5 Ladies! source clothing, model the clothing, sell on a centralized-run website, then send the inventory into the centralized inventory system, then when it sells into the centralized shipping department. Get the picture, this modular departmental system allows for the like/similar duties to be shared (similar to Corporate Shared Services Departments) which allows quick entry to a market, even quicker ability to scale up, and a very cost efficient (think variable costs versus fixed costs..ie..time gap fillers) model.

This is a very detailed walk-through the common sourcing categories, the way to manage a large (independent) staff, etc.. This "Dude" knows his stuff, yet is so humble. We are all very lucky to get this deep with Brett.

Get ready for the "Triple Threat of Sellers" That is the three sellers that have been or are involved in an ecommerce business selling more than 5 Million and likely one might very well hit 10 Million this year! Will is one of the most confident (and friendly) sellers that I have met, he has it figured out, and he knows it. Its his youthful exuberance and his willingness to fail (trust me he will not fail) that helps him grow so fast. He has to grow, he has planned vacations and travel to do....he has a non-location specific mindset. He is going south for a while! Think if you were his age and knew what he knows, you too would be getting ready to go to South America for Winter. (Vicarious thoughtful drifting off right now!)