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On today’s show, Mark shares a conversation that he had with Chad Rubin. Chad is a very large Amazon seller and the founder of Skubana which automates inventory for ecommerce stores. Inventory management is critical when selling a business. We talk about finding the parts of your business that are a grind and then figuring ways to make those things easier.

We also talk about how to grow an Amazon business the right way. Chad sees a lot of big stores and sellers, so Mark wanted to delve into the habits Chad has seen from these higher end sellers. Where are they putting their time, and how are they automating and delegating? We also talk about private label products, how much time should be put into product creation, and how much work do you have to do after purchasing an Amazon ecommerce business.

Episode Highlights:

• Chad started selling online in 2007, and now he has created software to manage and automate his business.
• Chad used to have 30 employees and now he only has 2 employees thanks to Skubana.
• Chad has 950 skews. Other brands will copy and replicate your process. You have to continue creating useful products.
• When buying an Amazon business look at the cost of the sale, trends, a revenue analysis, and market conditions.
• When Chad started he was a reseller. He wondered what value he was adding, so he built his own brand.
• There is a difference in competency between being a private label brand and being a reseller.
• To understand demand is go to Amazon and search for what people are searching.
• Skubana is a good fit for larger scale more complex Amazon businesses.
• If you have a large business, your time is better spent having a good system and working on strategic moves and finding skews.
• Bundle like items to increase your average order value.
• There is also a ton of marketshare off of Amazon. People need to stop and see other channels.
• Think about the big picture and off Amazon growth and diversification.
• Your own website can be your second biggest channel. Some people start search on Amazon and Google and now facebook.
• It’s important to pick the right channel and social channel for the market you are targeting.

Resources:

• Ecommerce Renegade
• Prosper Show
• Chad Rubin LinkedIn
• Crucial Vacuum
• Chad on Twitter @EcommRenegade
• Cheaper Easier Direct: How to Disrupt the Marketplace and Create Your Own E-Commerce Empire
• Skubana