The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Launching your very first product and managing inventory can be tough. Fortunately, many of our community members have had great success using the tips and tricks that we share here at EcomCrew.

In this Under the Hood episode, I'll be breaking down some of those exact strategies.

For those who are new to the podcast, Under the Hood is a segment where I do an hour-long coaching session with one of our listeners, where I answer all their burning questions and give them some actionable advice.

My guests for today are David and Connor, a father-and-son duo who started out by buying content sites and, at the time of recording, were on their way to launching their very first product on Amazon.

Some of the good stuff we talk about include my personal steps to successfully launching products on Amazon, how to manage your inventory, and how to put niche-specific content sites to good use in order to drive conversions.

I also give my advice on how you can optimize your Amazon listings to make your products stand out, especially if you're selling in a highly competitive niche.

Timestamps:

• A background on Connor and David's business - 4:10
• The best practices to launching new products on Amazon - 6:33
• What strategies to implement when offering different product sizes - 13:37
• How low can you let your inventory go before shipping more units in? - 16:11
• When and how to adjust your strategies according to Amazon's storage promos - 18:39
• Securing conversions using your content site and putting non-converting pages to good use - 21:54
• Which lead magnet software you should be using - 28:59
• How strict should you come down on your suppliers for delays? - 33:18
• Crafting an effective title for your listings - 38:07
• Must-have elements that make your main image stand out - 43:51
• My general tips for PPC - 51:36
• The effect of Cookies being removed by Google on the Affiliate Industry - 54:04

I want to thank David and Connor for taking the time to do this episode with me. It's an awesome feeling hearing how my own strategies are helping others succeed.

If you want to get featured in an Under the Hood episode like this one, you can sign up over on ecomcrew.com/underthehood.

Also, in case you missed it, we're giving away 3 autographed copies of Gino Wickman's new book, Entrepreneurial Leap, which answers all the questions you're ever going to ask yourself before taking the leap into entrepreneurship.

For a chance to win 1 of these 3 copies, simply leave us a review on iTunes and email us a screenshot of your review with the Subject Line: Entrepreneurial Leap. If you've already given us a review in the past, you can take a screenshot of that and send it over.

Entries will be accepted until April 30, and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter here on the podcast. Good luck!

Until the next one, happy selling!

If you've been tuning in to the podcast for a while now, something I've said quite often is that Gino Wickman's book, Traction, had a tremendous impact on me and my business. So much so, that I've done an entire podcast series documenting how I applied his principles in running my own company.

This is a big reason why today's episode is special, as my guest is none other than Gino Wickman himself.

A bestselling author and entrepreneur that needs no introduction, Gino is here to give us a sneak peek into his new book, Entrepreneurial Leap, which answers all the difficult questions you have to ask yourself before making that big leap into entrepreneurship.

In this episode, we break down the essential traits of an entrepreneur and why these innately human traits make four percent of all people cut out for entrepreneurship.

We also talk about why falling short of these traits is not the end of the world and the plethora of alternatives available to you. Gino also gives his author's insights into the three stages to successful entrepreneurship, which are also the three main parts of the book : Confirm, Glimpse, and Path.

Timestamps:

• The six essential traits of every entrepreneur - 6:11
• The entrepreneurial range and why falling short of the six traits is not a death sentence - 16:11
• Gino's free Entrepreneur-in-the-Making Assessment - 25:04
• Living the proverbial nightmare of entrepreneurship - 26:32
• An overview of Path and what hiring an integrator can do for you - 32:59
• Preventing your business from getting away from you - 41:22
• Why frequent communication with your employees matters - 45:28

Books mentioned:

• Traction, by Gino Wickman
• Entrepreneurial Leap, by Gino Wickman
• Rocket Fuel, by Gino Wickman and Marc C. Winters

By the way, we're giving away three autographed copies of Entrepreneurial Leap!

If you want the chance to win one of these three copies signed by Gino Wickman himself, simply head over to iTunes and leave us a review! Then, take a screenshot of your review and email it to us at [email protected] with the Subject Line: Entrepreneurial Leap. If you've already left us a review, don't worry, just take a screenshot of your old review and follow the instructions above.

Your email qualifies as your entry and we will be selecting three lucky winners randomly.

Entries will be accepted until April 30, 2021 and we will announce the winners shortly thereafter on the podcast. Good luck!

Don't forget to check out our podcast series on Traction:

• E138: Traction Part 1 – Company Core Values
• E140: Traction Part 2 – Company Core Focus and 10 Year Goal
• E143: Traction Part 3 – Marketing Strategy and 3-Year Plan
• E149: Traction Part 4 – One Year Plan and Quarterly Rocks

I'd like to thank Gino for coming on the podcast and for all the work he's done in helping entrepreneurs like myself realize their dreams. Be sure to check out all the awesome entrepreneur-in-the-making tools that we mentioned throughout the episode, which are all available for free on e-leap.com.

Gino is also open to collaborators looking to guide budding entrepreneurs to success.

If you enjoyed this episode as much as I did, definitely let me know by leaving a review over on iTunes.

Until the next one, happy selling!

Crafting an ad campaign that actually helps your ecommerce business can be quite tricky.

Luckily, Ilana Wechsler of Teach Traffic has come up with an effective approach to working out a paid campaign strategy tailored to your business—the Paid Traffic Puzzle.

Just as you would do with an actual puzzle, Ilana explains why the four corners are great starting points to crafting an effective ad campaign, and how they reveal what the next puzzle pieces are. This eventually helps you build your puzzle all the way into the middle and come up with the full picture.

The four corners are:

1. Google Search
2. Google Display
3. YouTube Marketing
4. Facebook/Instagram Marketing

In this episode, we also talk about what you should do when your retargeting campaigns are not working, which data to look for in order to craft an effective campaign, and a bunch of other good stuff you don't wanna miss.

Timestamps:

• Ilana's experience in running a PPC agency - 1:20
• What the Paid Traffic Puzzle is all about - 3:12
• Things to do if your site has little to no organic traffic - 7:12
• Building towards the middle of your puzzle when you have a profitable retargeting campaign up and running - 12:59
• Examples in implementing the Paid Traffic Puzzle approach - 21:30
• Why it's important to make an offer that converts - 25:28
• Crafting an effective lead magnet - 26:32

I'd like to thank Ilana for coming on the show and sharing some valuable insights that you can definitely put to good use for your ecommerce business. If you're looking to solve your own traffic puzzle, you can check out Ilana's training materials and services over on teachtraffic.com.

Also, don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. It helps more than you know.

Until the next one, happy selling!

We're inching our way to four hundred episodes, but this might be the first time I've talked to someone who got into ecommerce out of desperation—and grew to seven figures at that!

Kata Phipps is a clinical psychologist by trade. She's married to a military guy, which meant, for years, having to constantly move from one place to another and not being able to settle in and practice her craft.

Out of a mix of chance and desperation, Kata dabbled in ecommerce. She eventually found out that she had a knack for it and built a 7-figure brand within only a year.

In this episode, we talk all about how she got started, how she deals with copycats in the Amazon space, and how joining the Titan Network propelled her even further. We also get Kata's psychology perspective on current consumer behavior and what trends she thinks are coming our way when lockdowns are finally lifted and vaccines are rolled out.

Timestamps

• How Kata got into ecommerce - 03:02
• The first products Kata ever sold on Amazon - 6:34
• Kata's thought process behind finding her next million dollar product - 8:59
• Investing in good karma in ecommerce - 18:43
• Why joining a seller network helps more than your know - 22:18
• How global tragedies affect consumer behavior - 29:45
• What the trends are going to be in a post-COVID world - 33:03
• How to deal with immense cash flow needs when you're just starting out - 37:23
• The value of asking your supplier questions - 42:30

I want to thank Kata for coming to the show and sharing her story. If you'd like to get in touch with her and pick her brain about the ecommerce industry, you can hit her up on Facebook as Kata Phipps or email her at [email protected].

Don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. It helps more than you know.

Until the next one, happy selling!

Ecommerce is a fast-changing industry, and people rarely ever get that holy grail experience that our guest today has.

Ben Leonard is the founder of Beast Gear, a fitness equipment brand born out of this personal interest in physical activities like crossfit and boxing. In just a span of 3 years, he grew the company to a whopping 7-figure brand and has since sold his business.

He eventually co-founded Ecom Brokers, which is an ecommerce brokerage tailored to helping other sellers follow in his footsteps and get successful exits of their own.

In this episode, Ben takes me through his entire journey in ecommerce. From discovering his entrepreneurial spark, to developing his brand and a suite of products that people talk about, to selling his business, and all the way to building his own ecommerce brokerage to help other sellers build and sell their businesses.

I wanna thank Ben for coming to the show and sharing his story. If you're looking to grow and sell your business for top dollar (just like we have), head over to Ecom Brokers. You may also reach out to Ben on benleonard.pro for even more strategic advice.

Planning to sell your business in the near future? Let us know, and don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes so we can help more ecommerce sellers.

Until the next one, happy selling!

As someone who's immigrated to another country for a few years myself, I know how tough it is to navigate, much less succeed in unfamiliar territory.

Today's guest did just that.

Ronnie Teja traveled from Mumbai to Vancouver and to so many other places across the globe during his long tenure in digital marketing. He realized he was making a lot of money for a lot of people and eventually decided to bet on himself and dive right into ecommerce.

In this episode, we learn about his long journey, the inspiration behind his watch brand, Branzio, and how he's caught some tailwind by managing a remote team to run his company.

We also dive into how his company fared during a year of COVID, why books like Traction mean so much to us, and his big plans for the future.

Timestamps:

• How Ronnie and Branzio did during the pandemic year - 2:45
• The Art of the Steal and how Ronnie got into ecommerce - 4:55
• The struggle of starting your own business - 15:37
• Why personal relationships are important in ecommerce - 19:22
• Leveling up your game by finding reliable talent remotely - 23:22
• Why Gino Wickman's Traction was a game-changer for both of us - 29:47
• What the future looks like for Ronnie and Branzio - 32:52

Here are some of the awesome books we mentioned during the episode:

• Traction by Gino Wickman
• Get A Grip: An Entrepreneurial Fable...Your Journey to Get Real, Get Simple, and Get Results by Mike Paton and Gino Wickman
• The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington

I had a blast talking to Ronnie and learning about his journey to success. You can reach out to him at [email protected] or hit him up on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Also, be sure to check out his awesome watches on Branzio.

Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone who signed up for this round of our EcomCrew Premium opening. Our community is growing fast and it definitely feels great being able to help more and more people as we go along. In case you missed it, you can sign up to get notified when we open Premium again soon.

Did you enjoy this episode as much as I did? Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes. It helps more than you know!

Until next time, happy selling!

Rocking a good old plain white shirt is cool, but a white shirt with the Nike 'Swoosh' on it? A hundred times cooler.

A great brand design means so much more than a sight for sore yes—it's the easiest way to establish your brand, drive your conversion rates, and invite 5-star product reviews.

Think Steve Job's bitten apple or the golden arches of McDonald's.

Joining me today is Miriska Harris of Outlinematic. Her company is a consultation and design firm that's dedicated to brand design, whether it be your official brand logo, lifestyle images for your products, and or package inserts.

In this episode, we'll be talking about why brand design matters, tips and best practices to make your designs stand out, and which aspects of your e-commerce business you should be infusing with great designs.

Timestamps:

• What Outlinematic does - 3:34
• #1. Your Brand Logo - 4:28
• #2. Packaging - 9:09
• How updated packaging designs drove our revenue - 12:11
• Tips in creating awesome packaging - 14:18
• #3. Inserts - 18:33
• Thanking customers and getting product reviews through inserts - 19:26
• #4. Product Images - 22:28
• Best practices for listing images - 24:25
• #5. A+ Content (EBC) - 29:46

It was great having Miriska on the show, and her insights into brand design is invaluable. Make sure to check out Outlinematic's services over on their website or shoot them an email at [email protected].

If you want to get a copy of the presentation that we were talking about in the episode, just email us at [email protected].

By the way, our next free public webinar is coming on the 14th of April. We will be releasing more details about it in the coming episodes, so be sure to subscribe to the Podcast to stay up to date.

Did you enjoy this episode? Leave us a review over on iTunes to let us know!

Until the next one, happy selling!

Wearing many hats as an e-commerce seller isn't easy, but letting someone else take over a task you've been doing for years could be much harder.

If you're looking to grow your business, though, you will eventually need to hang up some of those hats to focus on your high-level goals.

In today's episode, Kevin Sanderson of Maximizing Ecommerce joins me in breaking down some of the struggles and the rewards of offloading workload from your shoulders and fine-tuning your focus as you scale your business.

Kevin is an Under the Hood alumni. He was our guest in a two-parter, where we talked about how to stop being a bottleneck to your own business and how to delegate tasks to offshore VAs.

Today, we'll be talking about why you should never compare your Chapter 4 to someone else's Chapter 25, some clever tricks we use to filter through hundreds of job applicants, and effective ways to offload your tasks and delegate them to a team that you trust.

Timestamps:

• Why you should give your endeavors some time before giving up - 3:00
• Looking back at our first Under the Hood session - 9:11
• How to effectively offload and delegate your tasks - 12:17
• Simple and effective ways to filter job applications - 17:04
• Why most of us obsess over the tiniest tasks - 27:24
• What Kevin is up to these days - 33:54
• The value of investing in a team you can trust - 40:09
• Never put in your phone number if you're online looking at insurance quotes - 43:34

I had a great time talking to Kevin. Check out his awesome content over on Maximizing Ecommerce and tune in to his podcast and YouTube channel.

If you're interested in having me look under the hood of your e-commerce business in an hour-long coaching call that we turn into a podcast episode, head over to ecomcrew.com/underthehood to sign up.

Speaking of sign-ups, EcomCrew Premium closes tonight!

Premium membership grants you access to our community of like-minded sellers, unlimited 1-on-1 email support from me and Dave, and a growing library of HD video courses and webinars to help you grow and succeed in e-commerce. Sign up for Premium now.

Did you enjoy this episode? Don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes so we can help more sellers like you.

Until the next one, happy selling!

Finding products that actually sell can be difficult. But it doesn't have to be.

This is why Dave and I have decided to share with you the exact secrets that make our lives so much easier when it comes to finding, developing, and defending products in e-commerce.

In this episode, we discuss some effective tactics you can use to protect your products from getting ripped off, or at least make it insanely difficult for copycats—especially when securing a patent is off the table.

These include raising the barrier to entry for someone who's hell-bent on copying your products, making high-quality photographs, and producing great content that adds value to your niche.

Dave also shares his intriguing cockroach method to finding profitable products. Did you know certain item types could net you much higher profits than "perfect" products?

If you're struggling to find new products or develop existing ones, there's definitely a lot in here for you.

Timestamps

• How product development has evolved over the years - 1:36
• What patents do and do not do for your product - 4:09
• Limiting the competition by developing products with high barriers to entry - 18:47 - 14:07
• What is the cockroach method? - 19:17
• Applying the method to my new business - 22:56
• Why you should do FBA for oversized products - 24:47
• Additional tips for shipping large and expensive items - 28:37
• The benefits of developing multiple products at once - 33:32

It's always a blast having Dave come out to do the podcast, and there's definitely a lot more to unpack on this subject.

If you haven't already, sign up to EcomCrew Premium now.

Premium gives you access to perks like advanced video courses in glorious HD, including a full-blown module on product development and the cockroach method, unlimited access and coaching from us, and membership to an exclusive community of high-figure e-commerce sellers.

Premium is going to be available for a limited time only, so sign up now!

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes so we can help more e-commerce sellers start and grow their businesses.

Until next time, happy selling!

Insurance is not a fun topic. Trust me, I hate it as much as the next guy.

But you know what else is not fun? Having your business go under because of a frivolous lawsuit that has absolutely nothing to do with you or your company.

That is why today, Maggie Walden and I will be talking about one of the best things you can do to protect your business from exhausting (not to mention, expensive) lawsuits and accidents—taking out insurance.

Maggie is a Client Advisor at ECM Solutions, an independent insurance agency that offers a range of coverage options to e-commerce business owners and prepares them for when that fateful day comes.

In this episode, we talk about why an insurance policy is a must-have for serious e-commerce sellers, what different coverage options are available to you, and why insurance carriers won't be racing to insure certain product types.

Timestamps:

• Amazon's insurance requirements and why you should comply with them - 05:29
• Things you should be looking at in terms of insurance - 07:24
• What a general liability policy covers and what it does not - 09:31
• Why it's hard to find insurance for certain certain products or categories - 13:30
• Why I think getting an insurance policy is essential in e-commerce - 15:35
• What an inventory insurance policy is - 23:29
• What a business owner's policy or BOP is - 26:25

There's definitely a lot of ground to cover in protecting your business from frivolous litigation and accidents, and Maggie was just the right person to have on the show.

If you want some solid advice about what your exposure looks like and how you can go about taking out an insurance policy over your e-commerce business, be sure to check out ECM Solutions or hit Maggie up on 704-227-3130.

By the way, if you're looking to stay ahead of the competition and amp up your e-commerce game, EcomCrew Premium opens again on March 8. Don't miss out!

With Premium, you get access to a bevy of perks, from HD video courses, to exclusive monthly webinars, to 1-on-1 mentorship.

Learned a thing or two from this episode? Let us know, and don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes so we can reach more e-commerce sellers looking to grow their business.

Until the next one, happy selling!