Ecommerce Pulse

After losing his job, David Corner dove headfirst into ecommerce, buying a business off of Flippa that was already generating income and then turning it into a profitable, location-independent, automated business.

In this episode, David and I discuss the criteria that he used to choose a business, how he went about doing the due diligence and buying the site, and how he immediately increased the business's value by automating processes and delegating whatever could not be automated.

In this episode, you'll hear the following:

David Corner's story about losing his job, buying an ecommerce business on Flippa, and transforming it into an automated, location-independent business that now supports him full-time.

The criteria that David used to evaluate his options when choosing a business to buy.

To hear the episode, click play below or download in iTunes.

Links referenced during the show:

Flippa.com - The place to buy and sell businesses online.

Zoho CRM

David's 2 ecommerce sites: QiHerbs.com and QuiltedClassics.com

Email David at info (at) davidcorner (dot) com.

Download David's free tool for evaluating business opportunities

David has put together a spreadsheet that allows you to plug in in the different critera you want to consider, assign each criterion a value, and then calculate a "score" for each opportunity. This is a powerful way to objectively evaluate several businesses you are considering purchasing.

Download the file now (Excel spreadsheet)

Quote of the week:

“Fail often so you can succeed sooner.”

~ Tom Kelley

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There's a monster lurking in the shadows, waiting to eat up your precious time and prevent you from accomplishing your goals. This monster takes small bites out of each day that you live, reducing the time you have left to build your business. What's this bad boy's name?

Routine Tasks. And he's not alone--his bro Unfamiliar Tasks is waiting around the corner to pounce on any of your free time that's left over when Routine Tasks finishes chowing down on your schedule.

So what's the best strategy to beat these hungry guys? Get rid of them by hiring a virtual assistant to ward them off.

Routine tasks are anything that you can write a document or record a screencast about how to do, and then get someone else to do for you. Unfamiliar tasks are anything that would take you hours of Google research, trial and error, or a college course in order to figure out how to do yourself.

Your and my time is precious, and it's important to learn how to delegate anything that someone else could do to a VA, so that we can focus on things that only we can do. There are certain aspects of your business that only you can do, so learning how to focus on those things is one of the most powerful ways to grow your business.

In this episode, you'll hear the following:

Why you should hire a VA

Objections you might have to hiring a VA

What skills and character qualities to look for in a VA

Pros and cons of a domestic vs. an international VA

A step-by-step process of how to post a job description, interview applicants, and hire a VA

Tips and tools to help you successfully manage a VA (or several)

To hear the episode, click play below or download in iTunes.

Links referenced during the show:

oDesk.com - My favorite place to hire VAs

Effective Outsourcing Strategies with Katrina McKinnon - an episode of the eCommerceFuel podcast with some great tips for hiring VAs

Quote of the week:

"'Unreasonable,' 'unrealistic,' and 'impractical' are all words used to marginalize a person or idea that fails to conform with conventionally expected standards. My response is that the world needs more people who fail to conform and refuse to settle. Without the determined efforts of unreasonable people, most of the rest of us (including the 'reasonable' people) would be much worse off. Martin Luther King Jr. was quite unreasonable to suggest that all free men and women in America should be treated equally. Gandhi was quite unreasonable to suggest that India should shake off the chains of colonialism from Britain.

Innovation comes from entrepreneurs and others who are willing to accept risk and try new things. Improvements in social justice come from those who question authority. Being unreasonable or impractical, in other words, doesn't sound that bad to me. That's why I propose an alternative for those you're dissatisfied. Leave the 'real world' to those who are happy with it, and come join the living world. The weather's great over here."

~ Chris Gillebeau

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In this episode, we talk about business lessons that we can learn from Breaking Bad. Walter White was an entrepreneur from whom we could learn a thing or two, wouldn't you say?

Our discussion today is inspired by a blog post by Renée Warren titled "5 startup lessons from Breaking Bad." Renée draws some striking analogies from this hit TV show that teach some valuable business concepts we can apply to our ecommerce businesses. In addition to the 5 lessons that Renée has written about, I share one additional lesson for a total of 6 lessons.

I also make sure to discuss some specific examples of practical ways to apply these lessons to an ecommerce business.

This episode mentions a ton of links to interesting articles and tools, so check them out below.

To hear the episode, click play below or download in iTunes.

Links referenced during the show:

Screencast-O-Matic.com - Create screencasts and instantly upload them to Google Drive or Dropbox

5 Startup Lessons from Breaking Bad

Onboardly.com - PR and content marketing for startups

5 ways to test demand for a product

Breaking Bad (IMDB)

FeedbackArmy.com - Cheap usability testing (pay $20 to get 10 people to give you feedback on your website)

The Science of Virality - The facts behind why things go viral (and how to increase your chances of going viral)

Dollar Shave Club

Hyman's Seafood - This restaurant does a great job of using "virality" to promote their business. Their owners and managers are incredibly personable and appreciative (plus their food is great!)

Diamond Candles - A business who "breaks the rules" to market their products

Break the Rules - An article from Lifehack.org on breaking the rules in business and in life

Using virality to promote your ecommerce business - with Dollar Shave Club

This video has over 11.7 million views on YouTube. It's a great example of an ecommerce business using humor to promote themselves virally.

Quote of the week:

“You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”

~ Sir Richard Branson

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In this episode, I have a conversation with Shabbir Nooruddin of BootstrappingEcommerce.com about how to build backlinks to your online store. If you're not familiar with what backlinking is all about or how to go about doing it for your ecommerce website, Shabbir does a great a job of breaking it down to the basics and giving some practical advice.

To hear the episode, click play below or download in iTunes.

Links referenced during the show:

BootstrappingEcommerce.com - Shabbir's blog

50 Actionable Ways to Build Links to Your eCommerce Store - the blog post that Shabbir and I discuss during the show

Rapportive.com - Free browser plugin to view detailed profiles of people who email you right in your Gmail inbox

Fiverr.com - Get a variety of tasks done for $5

Shabbir's designer on Fiverr who does infographics

Additional resources

How to Get Backlinks with Guestographics

The Backlinking Strategy That Works - by Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income

Another resource I wanted to share with you is the video interview below between Pat Flynn and Alex Becker about how to effectively use backlinking in 2013. Alex provides some free link-building resources as well that you can download by clicking the links below the video.

Alex's Medium Competition Strategy (PDF)

Alex's Tough Competition Strategy (PDF)

Quote of the week:

"An MBA has become a two-part time machine. First, the students are taught everything they need to know to manage a company from 1990, and second, they are taken out of the real world for two years while the rest of us race as fast as we possibly can.

I get away with this heresy since I, in fact, have my own fancy MBA from Stanford. The fact is, though, that unless you want to be a consultant or an i-banker (where a top MBA is nothing but a screen for admission) it's hard for me to understand why this is a better use of time and money than actual experience combined with a dedicated reading of 30 or 40 books.

If this is an extension of a liberal arts education, with learning for learning's sake, I'm all for it. If, on the other hand, it's a cost-effective vocational program, I don't get it."

~ Seth Godin

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One of the most common questions I get from listeners and readers is how to choose a niche. If you're anything like me, then the prospect of choosing a niche for the business that will dominate every spare moment and thought you have for the next few months (or years) is just a tad intimidating, isn't it?

What makes one product a better prospect for an ecommerce business over another? What are the different factors you should consider? Are there any pitfalls to watch out for?

Never fear--in this episode, I talk about 8 criteria to consider when choosing a product to sell online. However, there are many other factors you should also consider, so these 8 points are just a starting point to help you begin the process of analyzing your various and sundry niche prospects.

The main points I cover are based on a blog post about How to Find the Perfect Product to Sell, written by Richard Lazazzera and published on the Shopify blog. I highly recommend that you read the full article after listening to this episode.

To hear the episode, click play below or download in iTunes.

Links referenced during the show:

WorldWideBrands.com

ABetterLemonadeStand.com - Richard Lazazzera's blog about ecommerce

How to Find the Perfect Product to Sell - the full blog post by Richard that was discussed in this episode

Google Keyword Planner - You'll need a Google Adwords account to use the planner (although you won't need to actually buy any ads)

ManPacks.com

Ecommerce Entrepreneur's Toolkit (free PDF download)

Quote of the week:

“If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise.”

~ Robert Fritz (author of Path of Least Resistance: Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life

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I know from personal experience that writing product descriptions for your ecommerce business is a daunting...

In this episode, I go into detail about how to craft your very own Unique Selling Proposition (USP). A USP is essentially what makes you different from your competitors--it's the reason why people buy from you rather than someone else.

It's important to carefully plan your ecommerce business's USP and then communicate that to your potential customers. But how can you figure out what your USP should be? Sit back, relax, and listen to find out!

Here's a preview of what we discuss in this episode:

The 3 main types of Unique Selling Propositions for you to choose from

2 real-world examples of awesome USPs

4 questions to ask yourself to figure out your USP

To hear this episode, click play above or download in iTunes.

Links referenced during the show:

The Ecommerce Entrepreneur’s Toolkit (free PDF download)

ManCrates.com

Toms.com

SurvivalKnifeExperts.com

Blog posts and resources used to research this episode (that you just might benefit from reading)

The Ultimate Guide to Finding Your Unique Selling Proposition (ThinkTraffic.net)

6 Ways to Define Your Unique Selling Proposition and Differentiate Yourself (InboundPro.net)

What a Unique Selling Proposition Really Means & Why Your Business MUST Have One (KissMetrics.com)

10 Examples of Killer Unique Selling Propositions on the Web (ThinkTraffic.net)

How to Stand Out When You're Drowning in a Sea of Competition (HelpScout.net)

5 Unique Selling Proposition Examples We Can All Learn From (InboundPro.net)

Quote of the week:

"An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he'll quickly learn how to chew it." ~  Roy Ash

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In this episode, I interview Travis Phipps, who started an ecommerce business in 2009 and built it to do almost a million dollars in revenue in just 4 years marketing it primarily with PPC. Travis explains exactly how he grew his business using PPC advertising, and how he runs the business from home. Like any entrepreneur, he faced challenges and difficulties along the way, and in our conversation he shares the lessons he learned through overcoming those challenges.

To hear this episode, click play below or download in iTunes.

Links referenced during the show:

CherryLoop.com - Travis's ecommerce website, which sells figure skating apparel.

The 4-Hour Workweek - The book that inspired Travis to start his own business

Google Adwords for Dummies - Travis's recommended resource for newbies to learn how to grow your business using PPC

Quote of the week:

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." ~ Bruce Lee

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In this episode, I interview Bill D'Alessandro, a guy who developed his own consumer product to sell while working a job in investment banking. Bill started selling the product out of his garage, and then built an automated system that ran the business on autopilot--a true 4-Hour Work Week-style business.

Since his first success, Bill has launched and bought several other brands, integrating them with his automation platform. In Bill's words, his goal is "to build a company that’s one part Proctor & Gamble, one part Berkshire Hathaway, and one part 4HWW."

If you're interested in a behind-the-scenes look at how Bill runs his business on a daily basis, how he handles fulfilling orders for his multiple brands, and some big lessons he's learned along the way, hit play below or download in iTunes.

Links referenced during the show:

Appixia.com - Create a mobile app version of your ecommerce site that users can download in iTunes and the Google Apps Marketplace

Zendesk.com - Customer service software

Trada.com - Crowdsourced PPC management

RebelCEO.com - Bill D'Alessandro's blog

Quote of the week:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

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In this episode, I interview Billy Murphy of ForeverJobless.com. Billy is a highly successful ecommerce entrepreneur and blogger, and I'm very excited to share his experience with you. Specifically, we'll talk about how Billy buys ecommerce sites on Flippa and then outsources the management of them. We'll also hear Billy's take on how to create an ecommerce authority site for a particular niche.

Here's a rundown of this episode:

2:05 - Free giveaway announcement: I'm giving away a free, 2-hour consulting, design, and development session with me. Listen to hear how you can win this 2-hour session.

 4:08 - Quick Tip: Boomerang

7:30 - Interview: Billy Murphy

Links referenced during the show:

Leave a review for Ecommerce Pulse in the iTunes store

Boomerang - Have your emails come back to you later

Flippa.com - Buy and sell websites

EcomLab.com - Billy's new video training site for all things ecommerce

Quote of the week:

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

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