The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Today, I'm excited to be doing another Under The Hood episode, which, for new listeners, is an hour-long coaching call with a fellow ecommerce business owner that we turn into a full-fledged podcast episode to help other sellers that might have the same questions and pain points.

My guest is John Terry, who is one half of an interesting mom-and-son business, Ketonia. Their company is a thriving online keto bakery that sells products like a delicious Keto Coconut Macaroons mix.

In this episode, John picks my brain on how to scale his business further, including managing traffic between an Amazon store and a brand site, the value of outsourcing tasks to a VA, and even strategies as the ecommerce space becomes more inflationary.

Timestamps:

• How John got into ecommerce - 1:18
• Why you want to have traffic coming into your own website - 16:53
• Which things to optimize if you're a smaller online business - 26:22
• Which tasks entrepreneurs can outsource to virtual assistants - 31:00
• How to measure the success of your influencer outreach - 36:08
• Mike's main strategies in this current inflationary environment - 50:19
• The potential of selling your brand to a rollup down the road - 54:00

I had a great time talking to John, and I hope he and his mom can come back for a sequel episode so we can learn how far their business has come along in a year or so.

Before we go, don't forget that if you're an Amazon FBA seller based in Canada, you can get a chance to win a 1-year EcomCrew Premium membership absolutely free by just completing a quick 2-minute survey. Just head over to ecomcrew.com/poll2021. Good luck!

If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to iTunes and leave us a review. Until the next one, happy selling!

Mike and Melanie of AVASK talk about what sellers need to know before expanding their ecommerce businesses to Europe and other markets abroad.

Many sellers think that selling or expanding into the EU is a nightmare, what with the language barriers and different compliance requirements. I myself have done it in the past and found it quite difficult.

That being said, my guest today, Melanie Shabangu, will help me debunk common myths all of us might believe about selling in the EU, and she'll explain exactly how to keep an ecommerce business profitable when expanding abroad.

Melanie is a tax expert and ecommerce accountant for AVASK, an accounting firm that specializes in helping ecommerce sellers expand their businesses into Europe, the UAE, and even Australia.

In this episode, I have the pleasure of picking her brain about what selling in the EU is like, especially for those who have little to no experience with it. We'll be talking about myths that might be putting off a lot of US sellers from selling in the EU, VAT and other compliance requirements, and the overall economics of selling in markets abroad.

Timestamps:

• Introduction - 0:00
• Introduction to Melanie and AVASK Accounting - 1:35
• Myths you might believe about selling in the EU - 2:35
• The basic economics of selling in the EU - 4:46
• How much it costs to translate an Amazon listing - 13:54
• What is Value Added Tax? - 26:53
• What your costs could look like with VAT - 27:56
• Standard compliance requirements when expanding into European markets - 32:45

I want to thank Melanie for all the valuable stuff she shared today. I definitely wish I knew all of these before trying to sell abroad—I hope it motivated you to give it a shot as much as it did me.

If you want to learn more about what we discussed in this episode, shoot Melanie an email at [email protected] or contact their expansion team at [email protected].

On the topic of selling across borders, we're running an exclusive giveaway for our friends in Canada. By answering our quick 2-minute survey over on ecomcrew.com/poll2021 you get a chance to win a full year's worth of EcomCrew Premium membership absolutely free! This grants you access to all our courses, past webinars, and direct email support from Dave and myself. Good luck!

As always, please leave us a review over on iTunes if you haven't already. Until the next one, happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

John Li and Mike talk about the newest trends that PickFu has observed over hundreds of thousands of AB Tests done on their platform.

PickFu is a customer insights platform that acts as a digital focus group for ecommerce sellers who want to run tests, say A/B testing a product image, and get customer feedback on product listings.

My guest for this episode is John Li, who is a Co-Founder of PickFu and knows the ins and outs of customer research.

I'll be picking his brain about the key insights that he's gotten from the thousands of tests that sellers have run using PickFu, including the testing strategies that big ecommerce rollups use to optimize their listings.

Throughout the episode, he'll be showing me specific examples of optimized listings and we'll be breaking down which elements have the most impact on sales and conversions. If you're tuning in through an audio-only channel, be sure to check out this episode over on the EcomCrew YouTube Channel and our new dedicated EcomCrew Podcast Channel for clips and episode highlights.

Timestamps:

• Introduction - 01:00
• John's insights on how sellers have done testing over the years - 02:50
• Actual examples of optimized listings - 07:25
• Why you should test early - 21:17
• The different responses you get for running consumer insights tests - 26:15
• Using open-ended ways to get feedback - 29:37

I want to thank John for the strategies and actionable stuff he shared in this episode. We'll definitely have him back for more insights as the market develops. If you want to learn more about customer research or run your first test using PickFu, head over to their website and use discount code: ecomcrew to get 50% off your first poll.

By the way, if you're selling on Amazon out of Canada, we're currently running a giveaway exclusively for you. By answering our quick poll over on ecomcrew.com/poll2021 you can get a chance to win a full year's worth of EcomCrew Premium membership, which is valued at $1499, absolutely free!

If you haven't already, please leave us a review over on iTunes. It helps more than you know. Happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

Mike sits down with Allan Fisch, Co-Founder of Moonshot Brands, an ecommerce aggregator that buys Amazon and Shopify companies.

As more ecommerce aggregators are joining the fray, we're continuing our mini-series on rollup companies to peel back the curtain and really give you an idea how acquisition companies operate, so that you feel confident striking a deal with one of them in the future without leaving money on the table.

Today's guest is Allan Fisch, Co-Founder of Moonshot Brands, a company that aggregates Amazon and Shopify businesses and aims to be among the biggest ecommerce companies in the world.

One thing that separates Moonshot Brands from other aggregators is that they offer a deal where entrepreneurs can sell some equity, get additional upfront capital, and join Moonshot as it grows and acquires more ecommerce companies.

We'll learn about all that and more in this episode, so stay tuned.

Timestamps:

• Introduction to Allan and Moonshot Brands - 1:16
• How Moonshot structures deals with ecommerce sellers - 3:32
• What a deal with Moonshot Brands looks like - 7:50
• Moonshot Brands's best selling points as an aggregator - 17:20
• A glimpse of Moonshot Brands's portfolio, acquisition history, and endgame - 20:54

I want to thank Allan for coming to the show and sharing his valuable insights on buying and selling ecommerce business. If you want in touch and learn more details about his company, head over to moonshotbrands.com or email them at [email protected].

By the way, if you're selling on Amazon out of Canada, we're doing an exclusive giveaway just for you! By answering a quick 4-minute survey, you'll get a chance to win a 1-year EcomCrew Premium membership worth $1499 absolutely free. All you have to do is accomplish the survey over on ecomcrew.com/poll2021. Good luck!

As always, don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you haven't already. Happy selling!

Mike talks about his experience with 75 Hard, a transformative program where you do various physical and mental development tasks for 75 days.

One of the best things I did over the summer is something called 75 Hard.

It is a transformative mental toughness program designed to help you take control of your life and just be a better version of yourself after completing it.

Today, I'll be talking about how I discovered 75 Hard and why I got into it (Hint: friendly bet). Then I'll go over the various tasks that you'll be required to do throughout the program and share my own experiences with them overall.

A lot of entrepreneurs often overlook their own physical and mental toughness, so I hope this solo episode will inspire you to take care of yourself as you grow your business.

Timestamps:

• Introduction - 0:00
• Why I did 75 Hard - 1:32
• Working out twice a day - 5:28
• Reading at least 10 pages a day - 11:39
• Drinking one gallon of water a day - 20:36
• Following a diet and no alcohol - 24:54
• New tasks introduced in the program - 29:15

Download the 75 Hard app at:

• App Store

• Google Play

Books mentioned:

• The Psychology of Money

• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Completing 75 Hard was unbelievably satisfying for me, and I definitely felt a whole lot better with the tasks and routines I had to do. I'm looking forward to giving it another go, and I'm excited to share what that experience would be with you guys in the future.

Before you go, make sure to check out EcomCrew's FBA for Canadians Facebook page, where sellers based in the Great White North exchange ideas and strategies about growing their Amazon business. We'll see you on the inside!

Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you haven't already. Until the next one, happy selling!

Ivan of SellerPlex talks about the specifics of the current supply chain mess and how sellers can minimize its negative impacts on their businesses.

As if we don't say it enough already, a strained supply chain is the ecommerce story of 2021.

Between the pandemic, ships stuck in shipping lanes, and a global container shortage, the whole supply chain mess has affected a lot of ecommerce businesses negatively.

My guest today is someone who knows a thing or two about minimizing these negative impacts on your business and even boosting its value despite the supply chain crisis.

Ivan Torlopov is Partner and Head of Supply Chain at SellerPlex who has years of experience in logistics and supply chain management. Since 2018, he's devoted a lot of his time helping ecommerce sellers resolve high-level supply chain issues.

Timestamps:

• Intro about Ivan and SellerPlex - 1:18
• What the supply chain mess looks like from the logistics side - 3:25
• How to save on shipping costs - 8:00
• Strategies for avoiding running out of stock - 14:58
• The value of shopping for rates - 20:49
• Rerouting your shipments to cut costs and transit time - 22:14
• Choosing your 3PL location wisely - 34:46

I want to thank Ivan for all the valuable recommendations he's shared in this episode. If you want to get a hold of Ivan and learn more about what they do, you can head over to SellerPlex and explore all their content and even schedule a consultation. Make sure to mention that you're coming from the EcomCrew Podcast so they can hook you up with a discount!

By the way, a topic we touched a little bit in this episode is boosting the value of your ecommerce business. If you're interested to learn more, we'll be going live with a free public webinar on Selling Your Ecommerce Business for Top Dollar.

That's going to be on October 5, 2021 at 10 AM (PST). Head over to ecomcrew.com/webinar to reserve your slot.

Also, don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes. Happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

Today, we'll be talking to Philipp Triebel, who is the Co-Founder of SellerX, one of the big names in the rapidly growing ecommerce aggregator ecosystem, with over 30 closed deals at the time of recording.

FBA businesses are hot right now, some might even say now is the perfect time to be selling an ecommerce business, because of all the big rollup companies getting in on the action.

In this episode, I get to pick Philipp's brain about why FBA businesses are very appealing to investors, what rollups look for (and what they avoid) in a potential acquisition, and what the endgame is for all these big rollup companies.

If you're a thriving seller and are starting to think about your exit event, hearing about all these things from a buyer's perspective is definitely a must.

Timestamps:

• How Philipp got into ecommerce aggregation - 00:37
• What makes FBA businesses so appealing to investors - 4:24
• How SellerX finds businesses to acquire - 9:31
• What distinguishes SellerX from the competition - 15:21
• How a deal with SellerX is structured - 20:56
• Philipp's outlook on the aggregator space in the coming year - 28:12

I had a great time talking to Philipp today. If you're interested about a potential deal with SellerX, you can hit him up directly via email at [email protected].

While we're on the topic of selling FBA businesses, we've had quite a few Premium members who've secured their graceful exits in the past quarter, and we're happy that all the perks of Premium helped them get there.

That's why we're excited to announce the EcomCrew Premium is open again today! Premium not only gives you access to 1-on-1 email support from two 7-figure sellers, it also lets you view our entire library of webinars and full-length video courses, not to mention being part of a community of like-minded entrepreneurs.

Registrations are open this week only, so be sure to register at ecomcrew.com/premium asap!

Until the next one, happy selling!

Mike talks to Bill D'Alessandro about the oncoming supply chain issues as Christmas season starts to roll around.

It's still September, but if you're in ecommerce, the holidays are right around the corner. With all that said, a lot of us are concerned about how to deal with Q4 as we're still wrestling with this perfect storm of supply chain issues.

My guest today is Bill D'Alessandro, and I think he's the perfect guy to talk to about all these things.

Bill is the CEO of Elements Brands, an ecommerce rollup company that focuses on acquiring and scaling consumer products brands.

He's involved in a lot of stuff in ecommerce, which makes him the perfect guest to talk to about dealing with longer lead times going into the holidays, higher costs, and the general unpredictability in ecommerce heading into Q4.

We also talk about ecommerce inflation and the ways that you can keep your business profitable.

Timestamps:

• Things you should be thinking about going into Q4 - 1:58
• How Bill is handling increased timelines, additional costs, and unpredictability - 5:05
• Ecommerce inflation - 7:52
• The value of having safety stock - 13:45
• Dealing with unpredictability in ecommerce - 17:22
• What shipping during the holidays will look like - 22:05

I want to thank Bill for the enlightening conversation. I can't wait to hear more of his insights and have him back on the podcast in the near future.

Despite all these challenges ecommerce sellers are currently facing, now is a good time to be selling an ecommerce business, because more and more rollups are joining in on the action.

If you're thinking about that graceful exit, we're inviting you to a free public webinar on October 5, 2021 at 10 AM (PST) about Selling Your Ecommerce Business for Top Dollar, where Dave and I will be walking you through the entire process of preparing your business for sale all the way to closing the deal.

Save yourself a free slot by going to ecomcrew.com/webinar.

As always, don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. Happy selling!

Marketing is part and parcel of doing ecommerce, and it's becoming more and more difficult to make your products stand out from the competition as the marketplace becomes more saturated.

For this episode, we'll be talking about some pain points shared by many ecommerce sellers on the marketing front and provide some actionable tips to address them.

Joining me is Emma Schermer Tamir of Marketing by Emma, a company that helps clients boost conversions through engaging content and other creative marketing solutions. She is a copywriter by trade and she has over a decade of experience in marketing and customer psychology.

Whether you're just starting out or are already an established seller, this episode will show you that there's always something you can tweak to make your product pop out even more—and that even tiny, unrelated details can have a meaningful impact.

Timestamps:

• Pros and cons of focusing on keyword optimization - 4:58
• Using language that convey what your product is all about - 8:08
• Crafting kickass photos to showcase your product - 17:49
• Why you should build out your dream customer avatar - 23:40
• Understanding the competition and how to contrast yourself from them - 27:08
• Speaking in terms of benefits, not features - 33:53

Even mentioned: Rhodium Weekend

I wanna thank Emma for coming on the show and sharing her marketing expertise with us. I'm sure you found as much value in it as I did. If you're interested to learn more about her company, head over to marketingbyemma.com.

By the way, something else you don't want to miss is our upcoming free public webinar about selling your business for top dollar, where we'll be breaking down the entire process of exiting an ecommerce business—from nailing down an exit strategy to post-deal terms. Head over to ecomcrew.com/webinar for details.

As always, leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. It helps more than you know.

Happy selling!

Doing ecommerce as a parent and as a grandparent can be challenging, but our guest today has done just that.

For this Under the Hood episode, I'll be talking to Cherie Drennan, who we consider in our community as one of the Grandmas of Ecommerce and just a delight to sit down and have a chat with.

In this episode, we'll be talking about how she started out as an Amazon seller, what her pain points are, and how she can grow her business further.

Some of the interesting topics we cover include why we always say revenue is vanity and profit is sanity, how to boost traffic and conversions through a content site, and what things your first hire should be able to do.

Timestamps:

• How Cherie got into ecommerce - 1:24
• What to do in case Amazon can't get your inventory checked in - 9:10
• How I think this Christmas season will go - 12:14
• How to get Amazon customers into your mailing list - 16:04
• What you should look for in your first hire - 26:30
• Sponsored Products vs Sponsored Brands campaigns - 37:48
• Mike's outlook on ocean freight for the next year - 45:17

Websites mentioned: onlinejobs.ph

I wanna thank Cherie for the value-packed conversation today, and we'll definitely keep this mini podcast series with the Grandmas of Ecommerce going.

If you want to get featured on an Under the Hood segment like this one, be sure to head over to ecomcrew.com/underthehood to sign up. We're excited to hear about your ecommerce journey!

Speaking of ecommerce journey, Dave and I would not have gotten this far without all the help from the amazing people we met along the way. In fact, we launched EcomCrew Premium to foster a community of like-minded sellers who are ready to help each other succeed.

To make sure that all our members get their money's worth, Premium is only open for a limited time every quarter, but you can sign up to our waitlist as early as now and get notified when it opens again! Head over to ecomcrew.com/premium to learn more.

Don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. Until the next one, happy selling!