The Ecommerce Influence Podcast

In this episode we have a handful of quick and easy wins that have been tested and proven to increase revenue. If you're looking for a win that also saves you time - it's in here.

Lisa Byrnes is a marketing and business coach. She's also a member of the Coalition, our community of 250+ eCommerce business owners and experts.

After 17 years managing multi-million dollar brands, Lisa left her corporate job and started her own marketing business to support emerging eCommerce business owners (specifically women) build their marketing strategy and fulfill their own dreams.

We're talking tactical easy wins for emerging brands ($10k - $50k) and this episode is filled with great action items that won't take much time but could have a big impact on your business.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights:

• 4:47 Why Lisa started her coaching business and her focus on female entrepreneurs
• 7:33 The biggest mistakes emerging brands make
• 10:10 Strategy: marketing towards a persona instead of a demographic
• 13:17 Common website mistakes that are easy to fix
• 16:00 How to tell your authentic brand story & and the marketing power of a founders face
• 18:50 Brands who successfully showcase the founder as the face of the brand
• 22:12 Easy things to do to engage with customers
• 25:26 How to focus and not immediately dive into the next new and exciting marketing idea
• 29:09 How the Coalition has helped Lisa grow her business
• 29:57 Voice of customer copywriting technique
• 31:36 One thing to take away from this episode and implement this week

Resources:

• Lisa's Website
• @lisabyrnemarketing on Instagram
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

There Are 2 Directions Your Ecomm Brand Can Go - You Can Be A Brand That Scales Up, Or You Can Flop. In This Greatest Hits Episode We Share the Secrets We've Seen Behind The Brands That Make it Big.

Some eCommerce brands make it big while others stall out, it's a fact. But there's really no big mystery behind why this happens.

Today we're revisiting an interview I gave on the Ecommerce Evolution Podcast by my good friend Brett Curry. We break down what separates eCommerce brands that scale up versus those that plateau.

Brett and I talk about a variety of things, including average order value and lifetime value, and how that directly impacts your ability to scale up. We talk about demand generation versus demand capture: which is "better" and which lends itself to being able to scale. We talk about the roadmap to building a team and scaling up your business, how your role as a CEO changes as you grow, and much, much more.

This is a great conversation with a lot of tips from Brett and me. I hope you enjoy!

Episode Highlights

• 5:54 Why I'm so passionate about dissecting why some brands scale and others don't.
• 7:25 The KPIs that separate the businesses that can scale from those that can't.
• 8:47 Demand capture vs. demand generation and which one will allow you to scale.
• 12:20 Factors I look for when evaluating a product's potential for growth.
• 14:22 How a passionate market can contribute to success.
• 18:32 Why having competitors in your market is a good thing.
• 19:13 Average order value and lifetime value: why they're important and what to look for if you want to scale.
• 22:17 How to evaluate CPA across different channels and the other metric I recommend examining.
• 24:59 It's OK if your business doesn't scale -- and this is why.
• 27:57 Growing your business by expanding your product line.
• 31:49 A true entrepreneur falls in love with their customers, not their product.
• 33:16 Great founders know when to ask for help.
• 34:46 Why business founders need to become experts at their marketing channels before handing over the reins.
• 38:52 How a CEO's role shifts as the company grows.

Links And Resources

• ECommerce Evolution Podcast
• Business Lunch Podcast
• 2PM
• Episode 189: What's Actually Working In SEM And On YouTube In 2019 (with Brett Curry)
• Profit Summit Intensive Workshop
• The Ecommerce Coalition
• Training: What's Working With Google Ads Right Now
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Raising capital can go two ways - it can help you reach your goals faster or be disastrous and destroy your business.

Karen Howland is the managing director at Circle Up, an investment platform that uses technology to invest in early-stage businesses (mostly health and wellness CPG companies). She's been investing in companies for the last eight years, and in this conversation, we go deep into early-stage investing, what entrepreneurs need to know about raising capital, and the mistakes she sees entrepreneurs make along the way.

Karen also shares what opportunities are out there right now and what she's most excited about.

If you're considering raising capital for your business or are interested in investing this episode will give you the tips and tricks to get started.

Episode Highlights

• 4:12 How Karen first got excited about investing
• 5:35 The mission of Circle Up and what makes them different from other investment firms
• 8:32 What's hot right now in the health and wellness space
• 12:47 Why it's so hard for large CPG companies to incubate and develop their own new products
• 15:21 How Covid may have created the opportunity for CPG companies to innovate right now
• 17:43 The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when raising capital
• 24:14 Investing in CPG companies vs. investing in tech companies
• 28:10 Patterns in companies that have massive success
• 30:24 How Amazon, retail, and DTC companies can exist together
• 36:05 What the future of protecting your brand on Amazon will look like
• 40:44 From raising capital to strategic exit - where entrepreneurs have the most challenges
• 43:55 Areas that Karen is excited about investing in

Resources:

• Circle Up Website
• Email Karen: [email protected]
• Karen's LinkedIn
• @karenhowland2 on Twitter
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Buffy was one of the first brands to crack paid social. As today's Facebook advertisers scramble to adjust to changes on the platform we revisit this Greatest Hits episode to learn from one of the best.

What started as an idea to disrupt the bedding industry has grown into a multi-million dollar business.

This summer we're re-releasing some of our top episodes of all time, and this week we're bringing back this incredibly relevant show with Buffy co-founder Shoaib Kabani.

We talk about everything from product development, to the importance of testing, how landing pages can improve your funnel, and what performance KPIs you have to be thinking about as you scale on paid social.

Whether you're a business owner or an ecommerce marketer, you're going to get a lot out of this episode.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

• 5:55 How a desire to change the bedding industry led to the creation of Buffy.
• 7:27 The training Shoaib got from his start in consulting that's helped him as an entrepreneur.
• 8:41Developing the initial idea and concept for Buffy: providing value and values.
• 10:35 The process of validating the concept online, on social, and in person before going all in.
• 13:33 How do I make this a no brainer for the consumer?
• 15:20 What's worked for Buffy from a creative perspective and changes they've made as they've scaled.
• 19:42 Some of the unintended consequences of having a free trial offer.
• 21:01 Unique KPIs Shoaib looks at on a daily basis.
• 23:03 A funnel analysis tool that's been a game changer as Buffy's scaled up.
• 24:16 The materials and brand values that make Buffy stand out in the bedding industry.
• 26:27 How Buffy uses landing pages to enhance its sales funnel.
• 29:11 Addressing customer lifetime value when you have a limited number of products.
• 33:15 Shoaib's approach to launching into new ad channels, specifically with affiliates and podcasts.
• 37:59 How the Buffy founders set their budget for testing new channels and concepts.
• 40:13 What you, the ecommerce business owner, need to be thinking about to be successful.
• 42:48 Exciting insight into what's next for Buffy.

Links And Resources

• Buffy
• Heap
• Shoaib on Instagram: @ShoaibKabani
• Foxwell Digital
• Brand Growth Expert
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Are you winging it when it comes to processes and systems in your business? Today's guest will help you stop before you spiral out of control.

Joshua Uebergang is a master of processes and systems. He is the director of Digital Darts, a Shopify agency based in Australia, as well as a certified Shopify Marketing Expert. He is also a member of the Coalition.

In this episode, we get an inside look into an ultra-organized mind. We talk hiring process, the importance of SOPs (and how to write them), iOS 14 mistakes and opportunities, and tools and resources to create your own processes and systems.

Leave this episode with direct actions to get more organized and build a business structure so stable "a fool could run it."

Episode Highlights:

• 4:19 What Joshua is most interested in right now post-iOS 14 apocalypse
• 6:00 How Joshua got into eCommerce and the shift from Magento to Shopify
• 8:39 Key processes and systems that helped Digital Darts grow over the last 6 years
• 10:42 Why you need a step-by-step hiring process
• 12:01 The tools Joshua uses to manage processes
• 15:00 Defining the "why" in SOPs - not just the how
• 16:40 Comparing project management tools
• 17:45 How the Coalition helped Joshua level up in his business
• 22:17 Thinking about systems not only in business but also in your relationships
• 24:05 Common mistakes from the front lines of iOS 14
• 26:57 iOS 15 - how concerned should you really be?
• 39:18 Books that have helped Joshua on his journey
• 31:05 Is it easier to run a business with 8 people or 2 people?

Links and Resources:

• Digital Darts
• @digital_darts on Twitter
• Digital Darts on Facebook
• Joshua Uebergang on LinkedIn
• Book: Traction by Gino Wickman
• Book: The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
• Book: Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! by Greg Crabtree
• Asana
• Monday
• Airtable
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

What Would Pura Vida Do? From Start-Up to Multi-Million Exit We Talk Strategy With One of The Top Ecommerce Brands Today.

When someone asks about eCommerce best practices, we always hear, "well, what's Pura Vida doing?" and in this episode we're talking with Pura Vida CEO, Griffin Thall, to get an inside look at their strategies, how the company's grown over the last several years, the way his role has evolved, and what it's actually like to prepare your company for a multi-million dollar sale. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Pura Vida's exit strategy.

Interested in the Coalition training with Griffin? You can join the Coalition membership here for access to this and many other great trainings and resources.

Episode Highlights:

• 7:00 What got Griffin and Pura Vida to where they are today.
• 8:03 How Griffin's role has changed as the company's grown.
• 9:33 Pura Vida's unique influencer strategy and how it started.
• 13:23 Relentless innovation and how Pura Vida continues to increase customer lifetime value.
• 15:53 The moment Griffin realized the brand was going to be a success.
• 17:09 How Pura Vida's growth strategy has changed over time.
• 18:32 The challenges Griffin's faced over the years as CEO.
• 20:47 Where Griffin's seen the most success in hiring.
• 22:47 How Pura Vida's ambassador program started, and where it's at today.
• 22:56 A day in the life of the Pura Vida CEO, and the value of growing a team.
• 25:00 Why you've got to stop wearing all the hats in your business if you want it to scale up.
• 28:49 What you should be focusing on as a founder, instead of getting enticed by the newest Shopify app.
• 30:03 A key approach for brands launching today vs 6 years ago.
• 32:28 Lessons learned about managing cash while scaling up.
• 34:22 Pura Vida's exit - how they ended up making a deal with Vera Bradley, and the process of finding and securing that kind of partnership.
• 38:42 Griffin's biggest takeaway from meeting with investors.
• 40:15 The expansive value Pura Vida's gained from their partnership with Vera Bradley.
• 42:14 What Griffin's excited about right now and some things in store for Pura Vida in 2020.

Links and Resources:

• Pura Vida
• Attentive
• Griffin on LinkedIn
• Griffin on Instagram
• [email protected]
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

In a world full of varying attribution models, collecting and using data is critical to understanding your customers and running a successful business.

Kevin Hillstrom is President of MineThatData, a consultancy that uses data to help executives better understand the relationship between their customers, advertising, products, brands, and channels. Kevin supports a diverse set of clients, from internet startups, to billion dollar multichannel retailers and previously held various roles at major retailers like Nordstrom, Eddie Bauer, and Lands' End.

In this episode, we talk about the myths of eCommerce, how using data can help boost repeat purchase rate, when and where to discount and how to deal with the attribution problem of running multi-channel marketing. Kevin's been the influence for a lot of what I've done in my own business, and I know you'll enjoy the conversation.

Episode Highlights:

• 4:24 How (and why) Kevin consistently publishes daily blog content
• 6:47 Kevin's background from working in analytics to starting his own business
• 9:15 The biggest challenge business owners face around their analytics and using data
• 12:08 Approaching the attribution problem
• 17:21 Identifying low-cost and no-cost acquisition channels for your brand
• 21:04 Using data to retain the new customers you acquired in 2020
• 27:06 Building a solid foundation that will pay back in conversion dividends over time
• 31:42 When to start investing in the "welcome program" mentality
• 35:46 Looking at repeat purchase rate data
• 41:24 The biggest mistake business owners make when evaluating data
• 45:14 The discount challenge - when & where is the place for discounts
• 48:13 Everyone thinks their customers are loyal - why they're actually not
• 52:04 Where to go to learn more about Kevin

Links and Resources:

• Kevin Hillstrom's Blog: MineThatData
• Book: Total Package
• @minethatdata on Twitter
• Intentional Wealth
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Imagine the insights you'd glean if you could get a behind-the-scenes look at five different brands at once. Lucky for you today's guest is pulling back the curtain.

Andrew Faris is the host of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast and CEO of eCommerce holding company, 4x400. After helping grow one brand from $0 to $20MM in less than 2 years, Andrew founded 4x400, where he supports five different eCommerce brands.

In this episode, Andrew shares the challenges he's faced and how his mindset has changed while running multiple eCommerce businesses simultaneously. We discuss the shift he anticipates we'll see in how brands reach their audiences in the near future and the channels he's investing in as a result of this.

If you're an eCommerce operator, you won't want to miss this episode.

Episode Highlights:

• 4:13 The meaning of 4x400 and how it relates to business growth.
• 6:11 Andrew's beginnings in the eCommerce world.
• 10:20 The challenges of operating multiple eCommerce businesses at once and the depth of learning that comes with it.
• 15:57 What Andrew's team at 4x400 looks like.
• 19:03 Metrics Andrew regularly looks at to track brands' success.
• 21:34 Impacts of the iOS 14 update across five different brands.
• 24:57 Channels Andrew is investing in as a result of Facebook's volatility.
• 29:45 The mindset shift entrepreneurs need to make around attribution.
• 32:37 Why you should take a cautious approach to your 2021 projections, especially if you crushed it in 2020.
• 33:59 How Andrew measures success and the difference between his free cash flow and EBITA goals.
• 37:15 Recommended resources for eCommerce entrepreneurs.
• 40:10 Lessons Andrew's learned as he's grown into a leader in his business.
• 45:25 Things that are making Andrew's life better right now.

Links and Resources:

• 4x400
  • Bambu Earth
  • Slick Products
  • 31 Bits
  • Genuine Canine
  • Modern Fuel
• QALO
• Agency Partners
  • Kynship
  • CTC
• Community Resources
  • eCommerce Fuel
  • ADmission
• Podcasts
  • Ecommerce Playbook
  • eCommerce Fuel
  • Generous Giving
  • Planet Money
  • Freakonomics
• Klaviyo
• Twitter
  • Andrew Faris
  • Taylor Holiday
  • Web Smith
• Related Episodes
  • 211: From Seminary To Shopify Plus: A Conversation About Brands with Aaron Orendorff
  • 306: What's Next In Ecommerce: The Future Of Amazon, Facebook Sustainability, And Emerging Channels With Andrew Youderian
• Intentional Wealth
• The Coalition
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Think you need to sacrifice everything to have a successful business? You're wrong.

When you get to a certain point in your business' growth, sacrificing your relationships and your health is the worst thing you can do for your ongoing success.

We help you scale up without sacrificing everything or feeling overwhelmed. Today, I'm walking through our current programs so you can determine which one is the right fit for you.

Episode Highlights:

• 3:37 A coaching community with tools to help you scale up
• 6:41 Building connections with established eCommerce entrepreneurs
• 10:02 Accelerating your growth without adding more to your plate
• 12:03 Expanding your network and keeping yourself accountable
• 14:21 Where to go if you're ready to level up in your business

Links and Resources:

• Coalition
• Intentional Wealth
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes

Most people start a business because they dream of freedom. But in reality, they build themselves a prison.

Having 7 or 8-figure revenue only does so much good if your entire business is dependent on you. I see so many business owners with more stress and less free time.

The good news is, it doesn't have to be this way.

In this episode, I'm sharing the 7-step roadmap for how to build a self-managing company that brings you joy and gives you the freedom you've always desired.

If you're ready to get more freedom in your business, without sacrificing your health, personal life, or family, you need to check out Intentional Wealth. It's an 8-week accelerator for eCommerce business owners that kicks off July 7. The enrollment period is open now, and the program is filling up quickly. Get the details here.

Episode Highlights:

• 3:05 Step #1 for building a self-managing company: Change your mindset about what's possible.
• 5:07 Step #2: Understand what you're really selling.
• 7:11 Step #3: Start thinking like a general manager, not a coach.
• 9:37 Step #4 for building a self-managing company: Share your intent, not your outline.
• 12:21 Step #5: Narrow down your metrics and give your team autonomy.
• 14:43 Step #6: Embrace delegation as a competitive advantage.
• 17:01 Step #7 for building a self-managing company: Find your mentors.

Links and Resources:

• Intentional Wealth
• Strategic Coach
• Book: The Art of Selling Your Business
• Book: Traction
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes