The Unofficial TikTok Shop Podcast with Jordan West

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Having a person who is the right fit for your company will save you a lot of resources. The right people will continuously develop their skills and improve their performance as they work for your brand, and they are the key to your company’s growth.

In this episode, Jordan interviews the CEO of Lume Cube, Riley Stricklin. They talk about his creative team and the importance of hiring the right people to build your business.

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Understand your numbers. Know what cash flow means and how you can fund the business.
• Seek mentors and peer groups of other people in the space and use that collective learning.
• No matter how good your product is, if you don't have the right people to help you build your company, you are not going anywhere.
• You don't always need to shoot for new content. You can create unique variations from your old ones and test them out.
• You don't know what the algorithm will like or not like, so throw in as much content as possible.
• Having the right team or not having the right team can be the difference between make or break.

Recommended Tool:

Peel Analytics

https://www.apps.shopify.com/peel-insights 

Recommended Podcast:

How I Built This with Guy Raz

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297 

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEz 

Today’s Guest:

Riley Stricklin is a  co-founder and the CEO of Lume Cube.

Lume Cube is a personal lighting brand for photo and video devices such as phones, cameras, and GoPro.

Connect and learn more about Riley and Lume Cube here:
Website:  https://www.lumecube.com
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rileystricklin 

This month’s sponsor is OneLab Group, an Oracle NetSuite Partner who specializes in DTC companies.   They simplify the complex when it comes to building a scalable digital operations platform.  Visit www.onelabgroup.com to connect with them now. 

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Influencer seeding is the most effective way to succeed in influencer marketing. It can potentially minimize your costs and help your brand achieve long-term success in your campaigns.

In this episode, Cody Wittick of Kynship talks about all things influencer marketing and why everything that you know about influencer marketing is wrong. He shares a new influencer marketing framework with proven results.

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• You can change the system by doing something vastly different.
• There's a proper way to start with influencers, and that's letting them rally around the brand and the product and let that be the focus, not money or a contractual obligation.
• Just because you're sending out free products doesn't mean you don't have strict criteria for the people that you’re looking for.
• Look out for great video content creation ability and all the quantitative metrics that match up with your brand DNA.
• Reach out for content rights to be able to repurpose the contents on other platforms.
• TikTok is completely free and you can discover influencers there and work with them.
• Stop overthinking things and just go for it. When you move quickly, you learn faster.

Recommended App:

Mighty Scout
https://mightyscout.com/ 

Flow Chat

Recommended Podcast:

The Joe Rogan Experience
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-joe-rogan-experience-experience/id1441095668
https://open.spotify.com/show/4rOoJ6Egrf8K2IrywzwOMk 

Today’s Guest:

Cody Wittick is a co-CEO at Kynship, an influencer marketing agency.

Connect and learn more about Cody and Kynship here:
Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/cody_wittick 

This month’s sponsor is 8fig, an eCommerce funding and planning platform that gives entrepreneurs the freedom to scale their store to new heights through continuous, equity-free capital and supply chain planning. Find out more about how 8fig is helping sellers grow through adaptable funding at 8fig.co.

Promo Code: upGrowth (mention upGrowth during sign up for 5% off the cost of capital of an 8fig Growth Plan)

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In any business, it is important to understand the market and always maintain a bond with your customers. Your brand must always have things that people can relate to and also continuously offer them something new while sustaining the key values of your brand. 

In this episode, Jordan interviews Steven Dennis of Givelo. He shares some of the amazing things about their learnings in the apparel and cycling business, how they run their operation out of Colombia, how they never had to fall into the trap of just running sales, and his insights on what is working in marketing right now.

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Make a great business by understanding what is happening in the market right now and what you want to change.
• Launch when things are ready and continuously offer something new.
• Keep yourself moving, not just in innovations but also in what you are selling at the moment.
• You can create limited collections and grow them sustainably
• Educate people on what it is that you are selling and the reason behind everything.
• People are latching themselves onto brands that have something they can connect to personally and it's going to be very hard to make a bond if you don't translate what you are selling into something that they understand and can relate to.
• Bonding with the customers is more important now than ever.
• Marketing should be based on educating customers on the value behind the product, not necessarily focused on acquiring the transaction.
• There's a big difference between the measurement units that you use to make decisions and the ones that just let you know that you're doing the right thing.
• Concentrate on a couple of things that are key to your brand and sustainably grow them so that you can continuously repeat a valuable message.

Recommended App: Size Watch

Recommended Podcast:
No Stupid Questions Stephen Dubner
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-stupid-questions/id1510056899
https://open.spotify.com/show/6Z49m4VQ4TfQ28Cnl42yiT 

Today’s Guest:

Steven Dennis is the Brand Manager at Givelo.

Givelo is a cycling clothing company focused primarily on textile engineering, and textile technology, and applying them to the sport.

Connect and learn more about Steven and Givelo here: 

Website:  https://www.givelo.cc
E-mail Address: [email protected] 

This month’s sponsor is 8fig, an eCommerce funding and planning platform that gives entrepreneurs the freedom to scale their store to new heights through continuous, equity-free capital and supply chain planning. Find out more about how 8fig is helping sellers grow through adaptable funding at 8fig.co.

Promo Code: upGrowth (mention upGrowth during sign up for 5% off the cost of capital of an 8fig Growth Plan)

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You already know your goals for your business. All you need is a strategic partner to help you scale with confidence.

In this episode, Jordan West talks with Emma Borochoff from one of this month’s sponsors, 8fig. They talk about supply chain and inventory management and what makes a good partner in optimizing your cash flow.

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• It’s easier to update things once you create a plan.

Common Inventory Management Mistakes

1. Not having a plan
2. Under-ordering
3. Not having multiple vendors
4. Not building flexibility in your supply chain

• Recording can help you learn from your mistakes.
• The more you know about the things that affect your supply chain and cash flow, the faster you can react.
• Focus on brand building outside the major platforms. You can't be owned by the platform you are on.
• 8fig has the proprietary technology to understand the risk that certain sellers are taking. They take a lot of risks by working with their sellers but they also see the opportunity there for them.
• Focus on a brand and a voice and consistently get your message out there.

Today’s Guest:

Emma Borochoff is the Head of Marketing at 8fig.

8fig has the platform to plan and pinpoint where you’re going to lack money the most. They help optimize your cash flow by funding you at those moments.

Connect and learn more about Emma and 8fig here: 

Website:  https://www.8fig.co
E-mail Address: [email protected] 

This month’s sponsor is 8fig, an eCommerce funding and planning platform that gives entrepreneurs the freedom to scale their store to new heights through continuous, equity-free capital and supply chain planning. Find out more about how 8fig is helping sellers grow through adaptable funding at 8fig.co.

Promo Code: upGrowth (mention upGrowth during sign up for 5% off the cost of capital of an 8fig Growth Plan)

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People these days prefer to see real customers who use your product and see how they use these products in their everyday lives. It is a big help to establish a good relationship with your customers and give them the best experience possible with your brand.  

In this episode, Corinne Crockett of Outer talks about an incredible and unique way that they set up 1000 physical retail locations without putting up much money which resulted in exponential success.

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• One of the biggest secrets to Outer's success has been its neighborhood showroom program.
• Brands can partner with outer and showcase their products in their neighborhood showroom.
• User-generated content (UGCs) are important for people these days. They don't want to hear from a salesperson who's paid a commission, they want to hear what people think from real people.
• Building a strong community of people who love your brand can be a huge help for your business.
• Business owners need to be agile and okay to leave behind the strategies and tactics that worked yesterday but don't work for them today. 

Recommended App:

Impulse
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/impulse-brain-training/id1451295827
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cyberry.impulse&gl=US 

Recommended Podcast:

Acquired
https://www.acquired.fm/ 

Today’s Guest:

Corinne Crockett is the SVP of Marketing at Outer.

Outer is a sustainable outdoor furniture company.

Connect and learn more about here:
Website:  https://liveouter.com/
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinnecrockett 

This month’s sponsor is 8fig, an eCommerce funding and planning platform that gives entrepreneurs the freedom to scale their store to new heights through continuous, equity-free capital and supply chain planning. Find out more about how 8fig is helping sellers grow through adaptable funding at 8fig.co.

Promo Code: upGrowth (mention upGrowth during sign up for 5% off the cost of capital of an 8fig Growth Plan)

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Acquiring a business is better and easier than starting a new one. It’s also important to remember that when you acquire a business, it is better to not be in too much of a rush.

In this episode, Jeremy Harbour, founder of Unity Group, talks all about why you should be looking at mergers, acquisitions, and roll-ups right now and why buying a business is better than starting a business.

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• An effective way of doing deals is through bond programs.
• When you are a public company, if you do something that materially affects the business, you have to have a way of notifying your stakeholders that a change has happened.
• Don't be in too much of a hurry to rinse out the synergies. Buying a business and pretty much leaving it alone for a little while is not a bad thing.
• There are ways to structure a deal with no leverage or a very small amount of leverage in them instead of just throwing tons of money into it such as the use of deferred payments and stocks or bonds
• A big mistake that people make is that they treat the acquisition as a procurement process. It is not a procurement process, it's a sales process.
• Joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, and exits add tons of shareholder value to your business and grow the value of the business.
• What holds a lot of entrepreneurs back is that they are in the weeds too much. 
• Entrepreneurship is moving away from competition and towards collaborations. There's so much leverage in working with your competitors instead of against them.
• There are three levers that you could use to control your business -- sales, marketing, and your team.
• The secret to scaling is buying a company.
• Most startups do very well in the first three years in terms of growth, but then growth plateaus. Eventually, it gets harder and harder to move the dial as you get bigger.
• A lot of people do not realize how much time they can get back when you sell a company.

Recommended Apps:
Whatsapp 
https://www.whatsapp.com
Zoom
https://www.zoom.us 

 
Today’s Guest:

Jeremy Harbour is an M&A expert and the founder of Unity Group

Unity Group actively invests in and purchases businesses in the $1-$15M turnover range, across just about any sector.

Connect and learn more about Jeremy Harbour here:
Website: https://www.jeremyharbour.com/
LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/jeremyharbour
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harbour.jeremy/
Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/jeremyjharbour 

This month’s sponsor is 8fig, an eCommerce funding, and planning platform that gives entrepreneurs the freedom to scale their store to new heights through continuous, equity-free capital and supply chain planning. Find out more about how 8fig is helping sellers grow through adaptable funding at 8fig.co.

Promo Code: upGrowth (mention upGrowth during sign-up for 5% off the cost of capital of an 8fig Growth Plan)

We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:

upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Join our community and connect with other eCommerce brand owners and marketers!

Send us a text

Once you find your gap in the market and start something that solves a problem, the next step is to learn, grow and adapt to changes that will inevitably occur through your business journey. 

In this episode, Jennifer Long from Shop Noble talks about her journey over the last eight years building Shop Noble. She shares how she started, the strategies that worked for her at the time, and what is working now in 2022, as well as what she thinks is going to work in 2023.

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Influencer Marketing is still working in 2022. 
• Shopify Collabs is an amazing new feature that Shopify rolled out.
• A big driver for growing a business is learning what things you are not great at and then delegating to people who are experts in those things.
• Focus on being profitable.
• Hire smart people to work with you and focus on what is moving the needle for your business. Try not to get distracted by shiny objects.

Recommended Tools:

Klaviyo
https://www.klaviyo.com 

Stamped.IO
https://www.stamped.io  

Recommended Audiobook:
Profit First by Mike Machalowicz
https://profitfirstbook.com/ 

Recommended Podcast:
Second Life Podcast
https://www.secondlifepod.com 

Today’s Guest:

Jennifer Long is the founder of Shop Noble.

Shop Noble is a lifestyle brand for women and kids focusing on clothing that is fashionable, functional, and sustainably made. 

Connect and learn more about Jennifer and Shop Noble here: 

Website:  https://:www.shopnoble.com
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/shopnoble 

This month’s sponsor is 8fig, an eCommerce funding, and planning platform that gives entrepreneurs the freedom to scale their store to new heights through continuous, equity-free capital and supply chain planning. Find out more about how 8fig is helping sellers grow through adaptable funding at 8fig.co.

Promo Code: upGrowth (mention upGrowth during sign-up for 5% off the cost of capital of an 8fig Growth Plan)

We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:

upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Join our community and connect with other eCommerce brand owners and marketers!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretstoscalingpodcast

Send us a text

Not knowing your numbers and focusing on the wrong metrics can make you lose sight of the big picture. If you are losing money or making a lot of it and you don’t understand your numbers, you won’t be able to scale.

In this episode, Jordan West and Joe Putnam talk all about the kinds of numbers to monitor in your business and why your ROAS can be a horrible metric to focus on.

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• If you don't know your numbers, you won't be able to scale.
• Separate your variable cost and your fixed cost and keep an eye on them.
• Paying too much attention to return on ad spend can be a pitfall.
• ROAS doesn't tell you how much money you're making and your profit.
• Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) tells you more of the picture than just the ROAS itself.
• Brands that invest in their branding and storytelling are winning long-term.
• Jordan: Google is the unsexy place that will probably make you a lot of money.
• Put the time to know your numbers and wrestle with them until you understand them.
• The best decision any business owner can make to scale successfully is to find somebody who's already accomplished what they want to do and work with them. 

Recommended App:

Notion
https://www.notion.so/ 

Triple Whale
https://www.triplewhale.com/ 

Recommended Book:
Myth Revisited
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_E_Myth_Revisited.html?id=HHJVIpbpSgsC 

Buzzmarketing by Mark Hughes
https://books.google.com/books/about/Buzzmarketing.html?id=0o1x0gumuBMC 

Today’s Guest:

Joe Putnam is the founder of Conversion Engine.

Conversion Engine helps eCommerce brands use highly effective paid ads and e-mail and SMS marketing to grow and make more.

Connect and learn more about Joe and Conversion Engine here: 

Website:  https://theconversionengine.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-putnam-8935052
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JosephPutnam 
E-mail Address: [email protected] 

This month’s sponsor is 8fig, an eCommerce funding, and planning platform that gives entrepreneurs the freedom to scale their store to new heights through continuous, equity-free capital and supply chain planning. Find out more about how 8fig is helping sellers grow through adaptable funding at 8fig.co.

Promo Code: mention upGrowth during sign up for 5% off the cost of capital of an 8fig Growth Plan!

We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:

upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Join our community and connect with other eCommerce brand owners and marketers!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretstoscalingpodcast

Send us a text

After auditing over 75 brands in the last year and onboarding more than 25 brands it was clear brands don't have a complete picture of their numbers as they invest into paid ads. Dashboards show great results, revenues are increasing, yet, you have less money in the bank. If this sounds familiar, you probably don’t know the numbers you need to know. 

In this episode, Jordan West talks about the six numbers you must know as a marketing leader, founder or CEO of your company to scale profitably!

Listen and enjoy this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

The 6 Numbers that Matters

1. Burn Rate 

What is the minimum fixed operating expenses each month, regardless of your monthly sales volume? Do you know how fast you are going through your money.


2.  Cost of Goods Sold 

What are the total variable costs for that product to be sales ready? Calculate this by sku!

3. Loaded Cost of Delivery 

What are the costs associated with fulfilling and delivering that order to a customer?

4. Contribution Margin Before Marketing Spend 

Do you know what your sales volume needs to be to hit break even? 

5. Revenue Mix

What percentage of sales comes from new versus existing customers?

If it's too much on existing customers, then you probably need to focus more on acquisition. 


6. Contribution Margin After Marketing Spend 

What is the maximum that you can spend to acquire customers profitably?

You need to understand your customer's LTV to know what you can spend to acquire a customer.

Connect with Jordan here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-west-marketer/

This month’s sponsor is 8fig, an eCommerce funding, and planning platform that gives entrepreneurs the freedom to scale their store to new heights through continuous, equity-free capital and supply chain planning. Find out more about how 8fig is helping sellers grow through adaptable funding at 8fig.co.

Promo Code: mention upGrowth during sign-up for 5% off the cost of capital of an 8fig Growth Plan!

We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand to help you find your 6 Must Know Numbers! To learn more and how we can help, click here:

upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Join our community and connect with other eCommerce brand owners and marketers!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretstoscalingpodcast

Send us a text

Now that the eCommerce space has grown so much, to succeed you have to create something different. Otherwise, you are just going to spend a lot more money to capture attention and acquire a customer. You have to stand out.

In this episode, Jordan West and Jason Wong talk about what's working and what is not in the current landscape. Jason shares his journey in the eCommerce space since he was a teen and the lessons he learned from it now as an investor in numerous successful companies!

Listen and learn in this episode!

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• A lot of success comes down to timing, the right opportunity showing up, a little bit of luck, and some skill.
• Even a silly idea should have contingency plans for it.
• Every founder needs to think through the consequences of doing a certain thing, how they can minimize their risk exposure, how they can make their life easier down the line, or how they can make more money by doing this one thing.
• Brands should be innovative.
• If you're just making something mediocre, you're not going to stand out.
• Only brands that have that wow factor in their product are going to survive.
• Beyond the IOS 14 level, the algorithm has changed how people consume content, driving a different landscape for what kinds of products survive and what don't.    
• Media buyers nowadays aren't the media buyers that you're seeing years ago. 
• Hiring the right people to bring your visions to life makes a huge difference to your business.

Recommended App: Bounty
https://www.bounty.co 

Recommended Book: Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/10321016 

Today’s Guest:

Jason Wong has been an eCommerce founder since he was 14 and now owns multiple brands and consults on some of the fastest growing DTC and technology companies in ecommerce.

Connect and learn more about Jason Wong here: 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eggroll
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pug 
Podcast: eCommerce Building Blocks
https://open.spotify.com/show/10CBUCOefYMW1daDnzNBnn
https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/ecommerce-building-blocks/id1609342466 

This month’s sponsor is Parker, the first card built exclusively for eCommerce. Free up cash flow and grow your business with Parker by getting net-60 terms on every transaction. 

Parker is currently offering a $1000 sign-up bonus for Secrets To Scaling Your Ecommerce Brand listeners. Go to getparker.com to chat with the team today - and make sure you mention where you came from! 

We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here:

upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Join our community and connect with other eCommerce brand owners and marketers!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretstoscalingpodcast