The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

We started 2018 with a list of goals, one of which is to hit a revenue of $9.7 million. At that point, that number was perfectly reasonable and achievable and we started the first few months confident and on a strong footing.

But then, some things happened in mid 2018 that changed that. These things and other factors led us to deliberately stop developing new products. This, in turn, affected our revenue numbers, and we ultimately did not reach $9.7 million.

What these things are--factors which, in a way, made us intentionally drop our revenue goal--is what people is wondering about.

This episode addresses that.

I just came back from ECF Live in New Orleans, and one of the topics people kept bringing up to me was the changes I've been making in my business for the past year.

For a bit of a backstory, we started 2018 with a list of goals, one of which is to hit a revenue of $9.7 million. At that point, that number was perfectly reasonable and achievable and we started the first few months confident and on a strong footing.

But then, some things happened in mid 2018 that changed that. These things and other factors led us to deliberately stop developing new products, which is another one of our goals. This, in turn, affected our revenue numbers, and we ultimately did not reach $9.7 million.

What these things are--factors which, in a way, made us intentionally drop our revenue goal--is what people is wondering about.

This episode addresses that.

EcomCrew Premium is open for a limited time!

Now that Dave and I are back from ECF Live, we can focus our undivided attention on Premium.

We are only opening enrolment a couple of times a year and the next reopening might not be until April. Join Premium and get one-on-one email coaching with me and Dave, twice monthly private webinars, access to our Facebook group, and a chance to be on the podcast.

Check out other EcomCrew Premium benefits here.

Thanks for listening to this episode! Until the next one, happy selling.

We received this rather dismal email from Ryan Barr, one of our Premium members:

Guys -

My business is dying. I'm getting pretty desperate. I was at 1.6M Rev in 2016 and this year I finished at 850,000. I'm not sure what to do. Seems like everything I'm doing makes things worse. Conversion rate keeps slipping. This is an awful and scary time.

Ryan

This email led to Ryan being on the podcast today. This is not an uncommon situation and I'm hopeful that the lessons in this episode will help others in the same boat.

The strong start, the plateau, then the decline

Ryan started his business around 2011. He enjoyed explosive growth in the first few years, starting from 50k in his first year, to 200k, then 500k.

In 2016, he hit $1.6 million in revenue.

After he hit his $1.6 million high, things began to plateau.

Things didn't get better from there. In 2017, sales declined to $1.3 million, and then last year, it dropped to $850k.

Reviving the business

Ryan and I start by diagnosing the problem. We talk about what worked for him before and trace where things started to go wrong.

We talk about actionable advice that he can implement immediately to recover from the slump:

• Firing his ineffective SEO and PR company which are only costing him money with zero returns
• Going back to doing PR himself, then transitioning the process to a Filipino VA
• Dealing with negative emotions brought on by the decline
• Increasing margins to have more advertising dollars
• Creating a referral program and building a hand-curated list of referral accounts to avoid bottom feeders and coupon sites
• Reaching out to influencers
• Taking advantage of paid ads, specifically Google Shopping ads
• Getting to know his customer and creating a customer avatar

This is a special Under the Hood with a Premium member. If you want to be in your own Under the Hood episode for free, click here to sign up.

Thanks for listening! Check out our Youtube channel for more content.

Until the next one, happy selling!

We received this question from Brenna Olsen for our Under the Hood segment:

My product is pre-launch so my biggest questions are what plan of action would somebody put into place if they were starting from zero? No email list, no following, first physical product.

While this is Brenna's first time launching a physical product, she is not a stranger to entrepreneurship.

She started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2009 when she left corporate to start her own freelance graphic design business. From there, she created a subscription design service aimed at the restaurant industry.

She did all this while starting her family.

Born out of necessity

Like all moms, Brenna lives by the rule of thumb that kids should have an extra layer of clothing on them to keep them warm.

But on cold days, how do you keep a blanket on a squirming little kid? This dilemma gave birth to her patent-pending brainchild, the Chilly Child.

The Chilly Child is a special kind of blanket that keeps kids warm without restricting their movement. Kids can round around in the park and the Chilly Child would stay on.

Launching an original product

In this episode, Brenna and I address the issue of how to best sell a product that's original, that no one has ever sold before.

Here's a highlight of the key topics we discussed:

• How to build a following from zero
• Reaching out to influencers
• How to deal with very large MOQs
• Effectivity of Kickstarter campaigns
• Instagram ads
• Where to focus on, Shopify or Amazon?

We hope this episode will help you, especially if you are in the same situation as Brenna.

If you want to be featured in your own Under the Hood episode, sign up here.

Thanks for listening! Until the next one, happy selling.

Amazon or Shopify? For established entrepreneurs, it's not really a matter of choosing which one to use as both platforms are necessary for business growth.

But if you're just starting out and have limited time and capital, trying to grow both at the same time can be immensely stressful, if not destructive.

So if you have a Shopify store and also sell on Amazon, which one do you prioritize to achieve maximum growth?

Amazon or Shopify? For established entrepreneurs, it's not really a matter of choosing which one to use as both platforms are necessary for business growth.

But if you're just starting out and have limited time and capital, trying to grow both at the same time can be immensely stressful, if not destructive.

So if you have a Shopify store and also sell on Amazon, which one do you prioritize to achieve maximum growth?

The Entrepreneurial Itch

Yolanda Suyemoto is the owner of Umizato, a company that sells hand crafted blue light filtering eyeglasses that are perfect for people who stare at computer screens for hours on end every day.

Before founding Umizato, Yolanda has been unkowingly scratching the ever-present entrepreneurial itch. She got into the events space, and also into app development with her husband as they both have a programming background.

Yolanda joined EcomCrew Premium because she wanted to grow Umizato to $750k - $1M in revenue this year.

One of her dilemmas, which is the focus of this episode, is to know which platform to focus on to achieve her revenue goal. Growing both at the same time will spread her resources too thinly which could be detrimental to her business.

We also discussed the following:

• How to increase testimonials using Stamped.io
• The danger of having too many SKUs that compete with each other
• How to get rid of excess inventory
• Qualities we look for when hiring a VA

EcomCrew Giveaway

Do you want to be a part of EcomCrew Premium? Click here to join our giveaway and get a chance to win 1 year EcomCrew Premium membership.

Until the next one, happy selling!

It's goals time. Before I go into this year's list, revisiting the 18 goals I've set up for myself and my company is definitely a must.

These were meant to be BHAGS (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) for myself personally and for the company. And in this podcast, we're going through each of them of them - the ones we achieved, the ones we didn't, and the ones where we got halfway.

Before reading through this latest and final goals update, here are the links to all the previous ones to get you up to speed.

E109: My 2018 Goals

E134: 2018 Goals Quarterly Review

E162: 2018 Goals – The Half-Way Mark

E193: 2018 Goals – The Home Stretch

2018 was a mix of ups and downs. While there were many challenges, there were plenty of wins as well. We may not have reached our target revenue due to a number of factors but we were still able to grow by 40% and start the year with a healthy cash balance.

So, here goes.

1. Develop 50 new products

We were on our way to hit this but current market conditions made it necessary to change course and put a halt on more product development. We ended up with over 25 new products instead of 50.

2. Launch on Amazon Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and eventually, Australia

We did this but it did not go nearly as well as we thought. We will continue doing this as everything's already set up. If we sent that time doing something else, we probably could have yielded more from our business.

3. Optimize our Amazon listings to increase sales by 50%

We did this for all of our tops listings. We've put in the effort to bring our listings to the next level by having better photography. We've yet to find out if we did achieve a 50% sales increase.

4. Improve PPC

This is a huge win. We lowered our ACOS down to 7% and saving 5-figures a month. It has really helped our net margins. We'll definitely be doing more with this to take full advantage of Amazon PPC's new features.

5. Implement the concepts in the book Traction in our business

Another win. We got the company better organized and have everybody be on the same page.

6. Reach $10 million in revenue with a 10% net profit

We threw out the $10 million goal because the growth we projected that would help us reach this number was tied to launching new products and sales coming in Amazon Canada.

In the end, we made 6 million dollars, a 40% increase from the year before.

7. Lose 12 lbs

I achieved this at one point but the holidays happened so by the end of the year, I was down 10 lbs.

8. Record 100 episodes of the podcast

Another goal achieved. For 2019, I'm thinking along the lines of 75 because I want to do some more journalistic type pieces, which will generally take more time to do.

9. Launch a new version of ecomcrew.com

We did this early in the year with major help from David Couillard. Dave's also been improving the content on the website.

10. Launch 4 new courses

Ended the year with 5 courses.

11. Hike 80 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail

I was not able to do this in March. However, I did some other hiking though. The most significant one being a hike to Mammoth Lakes.

12. Take an epic 2-week vacation

We accumulatively accomplished this by taking a few days off at different times during the year.

13. Visit the Philippines office at least once

We did this and we'll be doing it again this year in April. This time for a full two weeks.

14. Read a book a quarter

This is done too. I read Traction, Ready Player One, Not Dead Yet (Phil Collins's autobiography), and The One Thing.

15. Handoff my Facebook ads to other people within the company

I had already done this. Unfortunately, the person I handed the job to left the company.

16. Come up with at least one new tactic that no one else is doing

We came up with a free downloadable calendar for Colorit but it feels more like a cop-out because we are using the same process and strategies to create a new product.

17. Never lose sight of the bigger picture: create 5-star products that people will truly love and continue to enjoy what I'm doing

I think we're on track with this. We have certainly done the products part and I also believe that our employees enjoy coming to work. However, I'm a little bit worried about myself because we're past the exciting stage of starting a business. In 2019, I will certainly be focusing on coming up with ways to remain inspired.

Want to ask us anything in real time? Do not miss our live Q&A webinar on the last Tuesday of the month, January 29 at 10 AM PST. Register here.

Registration to EcomCrew Premium is closed indefinitely. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You'll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business.

Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

It's the start of a new month and a whole new year, so Dave and I bring you some of the latest from the marketplace we all know and 'love'.

The title is a good indicator of what we're covering in today's show. But there are some, like Amazon Product Targeting, that we introduced in the previous updates. You can listen to them by clicking on the links below.

E185: Amazon News, Updated Review Policy, Minimum Wage Hike, Increase in Storage Fees, etc.

E201: Amazon Update – Black Friday, Review Throttling, PPC

Here's a summary of the updates we covered.

• Amazon Fee Updates - the biggest (and best) change is the removal of long-term storage fees for anything under a year; storage fee for hazmat increased significantly. Read all about the new FBA fees in 2019 on this in-depth blog post.
• Amazon will be collecting sales tax for third-party sellers in two more states - Iowa and Alabama
• Results of product targeting campaigns
• PPC ads portfolio
• A win for EcomCrew's fight against nasty tactics of Amazon - Dave was quoted in a relevant article on The Verge
• Amazon photography service - accessible by going to 'Manage Inventory' in Seller Central and selecting an individual image in the image column

Registration to EcomCrew Premium is closed indefinitely. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You'll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business.

Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Our second podcast of 2019 is a different take on our usual Under the Hood. On today's show, we have a Premium member recount his ecommerce journey - from the early struggles to the successful present. And typical of this segment, our guest will also be able to ask me questions and advice.

A Veteran-Owned Business

Victor Delacruz is the owner ChristianPlanner.com, a company that sells daily planners with a religious theme. A US Air Force veteran, he has gone through a multitude of challenges as an ecommerce entrepreneur including legal disputes with a former business partner and overcoming mental health issues resulting from stress.

In just over two years, ChristianPlanner.com has grown to become a million-dollar startup ready to make the transition into a bigger brand with a more diverse set of product offerings.

Under the Hood is a segment where we do an hour-long coaching call with one of our listeners. We take a look at their businesses, provide honest feedback, offer our best business advice, and answer whatever questions they have. In exchange for the free coaching, we will turn the call into a podcast episode so that our community can benefit as well. It's a win-win!

Registration to EcomCrew Premium is closed indefinitely. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You'll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business.

Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Happy New Year!

I'm here with Dave to bring you our very first episode in 2019. I wanted to start the year on a strong foot, so for this podcast, we're doing something different.

Today's podcast will focus on an email sent by one of our EcomCrew Premium members. His concern, I'm sure, reflects that of so many ecommerce entrepreneurs. In this world of unscrupulous Chinese sellers, does private labeling still make sense? Is there still a viable business for it in Amazon in 2019?

Is private labeling dead?

Dave and I both agree that private labeling is still very much alive. But we do go back and forth to expound on our answer. Here are some of the highlights of that discussion.

• There are many trends that impact private labeling today. For one, competition in this particular space has increased and gotten more intense.
• The Amazon marketplace is still rife with opportunity for new sellers.
• A sustainable launch strategy is critical for a private label brand.
• High-quality product imagery is another important factor because, in many cases, it can be what differentiates your product from all the competition out there.
• Complexity is the opportunity. The more effort you put into your product, it becomes more defensible.
• Creating and building content around your product will put you in an advantageous position over everyone else in your niche.

Resources Mentioned:

• E132: DROPSHIPPING VS. PRIVATE LABELING – A FRIENDLY DEBATE
• E129: HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT PRODUCT TO SELL IN ECOMMERCE
• HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT PRODUCT TO IMPORT FROM CHINA AND SELL ON AMAZON

Registration to EcomCrew Premium is closed indefinitely. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You'll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business.

Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!