The Asian Seller

On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, we talk to a few inspiring women entrepreneurs from the Amazon and ecommerce world.

They share what drives them, what inspires them, the challenges they have faced, and lots more.

They also talk about their presentations at the Branded by Women conference.

The Asian Seller founder, Meghla Bhardwaj is also a speaker at the conference, and will be sharing some of the lessons learnt in 2020.

Episode highlights:

• Introductions
• When did the entrepreneur bug bite them?
• The biggest challenge they face as woman entrepreneurs
• What they do for encouragement or to stay motivated
• Tips for other women who would like to start their own businesses
• Rapidfire - Answer in one sentence:

• Favorite thing to do in their free time
• What mantra do they live by
• Biggest regret if any
• Biggest achievement
• What's the dream
• Advice to their younger self

• Their topic at Branded by Women.

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When she was in school, she painted stones and drew cartoons to sell to her classmates. She sold keychains from her father's store and her pre-loved toys.

It was evident she had an entrepreneurial spark in her from the time she was in school.

When she started working, she started feeling restless in her 9-to-5 and wanted to do something more challenging that would give her freedom of time and creativity.

She discovered the business of ecommerce and Amazon, and knew this is what she wanted to do. Despite the limited ecommerce opportunities in her country, she is determined to build an Ecommerce Empire.

On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, winner of Spark Ecom Scholarship, Farah Zaidi from Brunei shares her story and her lofty plans for her Amazon business.

Hear her story, be inspired.

Watch Farah's video that she sent as an entry for Spark Ecom Scholarship.

🌟 WHAT IS SPARK? 🌟

Spark is a US$2,000 scholarship to help one seller start and scale their Amazon business 🤩 📈 👨‍🏫

The scholarship recipient will receive training from Jason Tay, one of the top Amazon sellers from Singapore, and consultation calls with Margaret, Kevin and Meghla.

The winner will also get 6 months free access to Helium10, access to in-depth PPC and listing optimization workshops, and more - ALL FREE, all part of the scholarship 🙌 🎓 🎉

Spark is awarded by Jasontayonline.com​, The Asian Seller, and India Sourcing Network.

Episode highlights:

• Introduction
• Farah's entrepreneurial spirit growing up
• Her other scholarship
• How she felt winning the Spark eCom Scholarship
• How she discovered Amazon
• What appeals to her the most about selling on Amazon / ecommerce
• She put in a lot of effort into creating the Spark video. What was her motivation
• Where is she in her Amazon journey now, and plans for the future

Follow Farah on Instagram

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On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, Nate Ginsberg from Seller Plex and Dream Team Machine shares a blueprint for an Amazon FBA dream team.

Nate stresses that entrepreneurs should strive to be the best they can be, have the biggest impact, receive the biggest impact and focus on being the visionaries for their business. And if they continue to "donkey work" or repetitive, low-value tasks, they are limiting themselves and their business.

Nate also talks about a "hiring funnel" that he has developed to help him make the hiring process more efficient.

Nate is an entrepreneur, investor, writer and world traveling yogi. After selling his FBA business in 2017 Nate dedicated himself to helping other entrepreneurs unplug from and scale their business.

He now supports other FBA entrepreneurs through his agency SellerPlex, his Podcast Ecom Exits, and his Dream Team Machine Training.

Nate believes in pursuing win/win collaborations with good people. So connect with Nate on Facebook or IG @nateginsburg and say Hi to explore any ways to collaborate or work together.

Episode highlights:

• Introduction
• Why is it important for founders to unplug from "donkey work"
• Why have an org. structure
• What does the team look like - there are four buckets to focus on in an FBA business:
• 1. Amazon bucket
  2. Supply chain: Supplier relationship management / inventory management / logistics
  3. Finance
  4. New product development
• Why it is important to get the right people in place earlier - even when you're a small business
• What is a hiring funnel
• Relaunch of Nate's course

Nate's services:

Seller Plex

Dream Team Machine

Contact Nate:

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On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, Davide Nicolucci from Growth Hack Consulting talks about key trends in the Amazon space in 2021 based on a comprehensive article he has published recently.

We also talk about crypto currency, and why he thinks digital currencies and blockchain are going to be increasingly important with potential e-commerce applications.

Here are some of the trends he talks about:

1. Amazon is upping their game with advertising. There will increasingly be more opportunities for showcasing your products via video and other pay-to-play means
2. Being brand registered is extremely important
3. Amazon Live is picking up
4. Look into influencer marketing on TikTok and other platforms
5. Buyer and supplier messaging may become stricter
6. Amazon exits will be a huge opportunity as more investors look to buy profitable businesses
7. Amazon Singapore is expected to pick up
8. Amazon India is a growing opportunity
9. Facebook Shops is gaining traction
10. E-commerce with Facebook Live

Read Davide's article: Amazon Trends and Predictions for 2021 by Industry Experts

Contact Davide: [email protected]

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On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, I talk to Felix Law, a Singapore-based e-commerce seller who quit his full-time engineering career and is now focused 100 percent on e-commerce.

Just three years ago in early 2018, Felix quit his job because he was unhappy working a 9 to 5, and started exploring entrepreneurship.

He started working as a delivery boy for Ninja Van and Amazon Prime Now, which is how he was exposed to e-commerce. The high volume of parcels he was delivering made him realize the potential of selling online.

His first product was coffee cups, which didn't really sell well. Even though the product was a failure, it was a learning experience for Felix and helped familiarize him with the process. He also learnt valuable lessons about product research and PPC.

The second product was a glass-based item, which had many breakages and he dropped it altogether.

The third product he launched on Amazon was more consistent and it's still selling.

As of now, Felix is selling on Amazon US and also has three Shopify stores for his various brands.

Recently he has been appointed as an Ambassador by the Amazon team in Singapore, and he has been hosting meetups trying to help other local sellers.

Felix is currently a 6-figure seller, and aiming for 7 figures this year.

Episode Highlights

1. How and why Felix quit his R and D and engineering job to focus on e-commerce
2. How Jason Tay's course helped Felix get started
3. His first few products, why they failed, how much he invested and lessons learnt
4. About Felix's brands and which marketplaces he sells on
5. The process of launching new products
6. Mistakes he made when starting out
7. Which aspect of the business does he find most challenging and which is his favorite
8. How Felix does influencer marketing on social media
9. How does he deal with cash flow
10. Being an entrepreneur can get lonely. How he keeps himself motivated
11. Advice for new sellers

Contact Felix on Telegram: felixlaww

Learn more about Jason Tay's live Amazon Training

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On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, I share the story of my life on Seller Sessions with Danny McMillan.

Life hasn't been easy for me, but the experiences have shaped me into who I am today. I had a not-so-fun childhood, but that's what instilled in me a strong desire to be independent, financially stable and strong.

I've had a successful corporate career working for an amazing company, Global Sources for over 19 years in 4 countries. I moved up the corporate ladder quickly with my dedication and hard work.

But then life gave me a big blow when my husband suddenly and unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack in 2017 leaving me to raise my then 6-year-old son. A year later, I was made redundant from my cushy corporate job, and had to search for a new path.

I decided to venture into entrepreneurship in 2019, and I'm so glad I did!

I'm extremely lucky and thankful that I found my tribe in ecommerce and Amazon FBA. The Asian Seller, and India Sourcing communities are what drive me today.

My mission in life now is to build my own ecommerce business, and help others achieve their dreams of creating profitable, sustainable businesses.

Wishing you best of luck in your ecommerce endeavours, and hope our paths will cross someday.

Contact:

Reach out to me if you want to connect: https://www.facebook.com/meghla.bhardwaj

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On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, Jason Tay, Margaret Jolly, Kevin Oldham, Meghla Bhardwaj and Baptiste Porzier get together in a virtual meetup and share what they believe are the top e-commerce / Amazon FBA trends for 2021.

Some of the trends discussed are more like strategies you need to continue emphasizing as we head into the new year, while others are specific shifts we're seeing on Amazon and in e-commerce.

Here are 10 Amazon FBA and E-commerce Trends for 2021:

1. Continued E-commerce Growth: Online shopping is becoming more mainstream and e-commerce sales will continue to grow globally.
2. More Competition - The growth in ecommerce means more sales but also more competition. Be ready for more competition as more entrepreneurs jump on the bandwagon, and big brands invest more in e-commerce.
3. Focus on Product Selection: Increasingly more important to focus on product selection to ensure you have the right keywords, and profitable products.
4. Diversification: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify for products, keywords, sourcing, sales channels, and traffic funnels.
5. Continued Logistics Disruptions: Expect continued disruption in supply chain and logistics when shipping from Asia. Also anticipate issues with FBA including inventory restrictions. It is critical to have a 3PL warehouse in place in the US.
6. Video Content: Video PPC ads on Amazon are doing really well currently, and will continue to be popular in 2021. In addition, product videos on listings will
7. Social E-commerce: Amazon Live is gaining traction, and will continue to be enhanced and given more exposure on the website. Plus, livestream shopping on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and services such as Talk Shop Live will be more popular.
8. Influencer Marketing: We're seeing the rise of micro influencers on social media, and they can provide an incredible platform for product promotions and launches.
9. Exit and Acquisitions: A huge opportunity for entrepreneurial sellers is cashing out on their business. In 2021, companies such as Thrasio and Alpha Rock Capital will continue to buy more businesses. Make your business profitable and investor-friendly.
10. New Ways to Network: Networking and learning from each other will continue to be super important for Amazon sellers. New apps such as Clubhouse, and Voice Chat in Telegram will give us new ways to collaborate and learn. Join a mastermind, find your tribe and grow together.

Contact:

Jason Tay: www.facebook.com/jasontayonline

Margaret Jolly / Kevin Oldham: www.facebook.com/margaretjollybrightdezigns

Meghla Bhardwaj: www.facebook.com/meghla.bhardwaj

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On this week's The Asian Seller podcast, Raja Hamza Rasheed, CEO of eCom Managers talks about how to find, vet and work with Virtual Assistants (VAs) in Pakistan.

He shares how these digital marketers are being trained on Amazon-related tasks, what types of tasks they are good at, and ways to test and judge their skills.

Raja is a marketer and consumer behavior analyst. He holds a degree in consumer behavior & marketing from the University of Punjab in Pakistan. Along with his own Amazon selling business, he is also a consultant and trainer.

His main area of expertise includes product research, launching, ranking, branding, marketing, advertising and merchandising. Raja has worked on various Amazon marketplaces including USA, UK, Canada, Germany and India.

Episode Highlights

1. Background and intro
2. We've been seeing a lot of VAs from Pakistan specializing in Amazon FBA. What is driving this? Are there also many FBA agencies emerging?
3. Are sellers from Pakistan also selling on Amazon globally themselves, or mostly focused on providing services?
4. What are the types of ecommerce tasks they are good at? How are they different from VAs in other countries, such as the Philippines?
5. What is the best way of finding VAs, and how much does it cost? What is the best way to test / judge their skills before hiring them?
6. Are they good with other digital marketing tasks as well such as SEO, social media, website development, etc?
7. What are some ways that you do product research at your agency?
8. What are some of your launch strategies that are working right now?
9. Are women in Pakistan working in ecommerce too?

Contact Raja Hamza:

Email: [email protected]

WhatsApp: +923328547961

Website: eCom Managers

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What a year 2020 has been!

While there have been tons of challenges, ecommerce sellers have also been presented with many opportunities. We are in fact lucky to be in one of the few industries that are growing during the pandemic.

On this podcast episode, India Sourcing Trip coaches, Tim Jordan, Chris Thomas, Gary Huang, Margaret Jolly, Kevin Oldham and Meghla Bhardwaj reflect on 2020, and gaze into their 2021 crystal balls.

They share:

the biggest lesson they learnt in 2020

what are they most looking forward to in 2021

their one piece of advice for 2021

On this episode of The Asian Seller podcast, Michael Michelini, founder of Global from Asia, and ecommerce SEO agency, Shadstone, talks about ways to build a community around your brand.

Michael shares best practices to start, develop, engage, maintain and grow a community. He gives tips on leveraging various mediums such as social media, emails, bloggers, and the like.

Michael is an American social media, e-commerce, and SEO specialist who has lived in China since late 2007. He is a passionate business connector who helps companies do business in China as well as Chinese companies to work in overseas markets.

Episode highlights:

• Why invest in off Amazon content and community
• When is the right time to start building a community
• Starting a community - and the strategy behind a Facebook group for your community
• Email collection - ways to build an email list with inserts
• Email promotions - what to do with the emails you do collect (hint - use it or lose it!)
• Maintaining the community - similar to email lists, you need to engage or it will lose effectiveness
• Growing the community - segmenting - make a VIP list, VIP group, brand vs industry naming
• Making a blog - put content on your brand site, or make a separate blog site
• Making an influencer gift bag / onboarding - what to do with your VIP
• Launching a new product with this community - how to leverage this to grow your sales

Contact Michael:

Email: [email protected]

Websites: www.globalfromasia.com

www.getfrenzi.com

www.shadstone.com

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