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The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

An eCommerce podcast for store owners, hosted by 7-figure store owners Mike Jackness and Dave Bryant. We cover everything in eCommerce from Shopify, to Amazon FBA. From email marketing, to Facebook Ads. Never before has there been a podcast with store owners who are so candid. Subscribe to the Ecomcrew podcast today!
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Now displaying: Category: general
Jun 5, 2023

The first Under The Hood episode of the year is finally here! Today I'm joined by Gary Guenst, one-half of the founders of ToothShower, a water flosser powered by your own shower. 

 

If the brand sounds familiar, you might’ve heard it from one of my previous Under The Hood episodes where I chatted with Gary’s wife, Lisa. 

 

Here are some of the questions me and Gary went back and forth with from this episode:

  • Does the MFN inventory automatically back up FBA inventory if current FBAs run out? - 5:14

  • Is there a general rule of thumb for running coupons? - 9:25 

  • What's a realistic ROS on Amazon? - 14:10

  • Are there more businesses leaving Amazon? - 19:48 

  • What kind of businesses should list their products on Walmart? - 21:41

  • What are the best platforms to find keywords? - 24:18 

  • What companies benefit most from using Helium 10 and Jungle Scout? - 26:26

  • What is the best way to leverage selling eBooks on Amazon? - 29:29 

  • Which generates higher conversions? Driving customers through listings or to a brand store? - 32:27 

  • How frequently should businesses update backend keywords, brand content story, listings, and a+ content? - 34:37 

  • How do you set a budget for the performance of Amazon ads? - 36:27 

  • Why should a business care about B2B customers in transaction downloads when Amazon sends updates on the number of B2B customers? - 39:39 

  • Is 14 days enough time to generate reasonable data on Amazon ads? - 42:03 

  • How often should a business post on Amazon? - 42:15 

  • Are there any updates on Amazon's liquidation program? - 43:46 

  • Do you have any tips for businesses in the process of launching a downsized product? - 45:27 

 

Gary and I also went over how ToothShower has done since last appearing on the show and their plans to scale their business in the future by using ads and automated tools, on top of their main goal of downsizing some of their products 

 

As mentioned in the episode, here’s a link to one of the best tools to find keywords on Amazon.  

 

If you want a free hour of coaching to help you navigate all the hiccups you’ve been experiencing in ecommerce, we’d love to have you on our next Under The Hood Episode.



If you liked this week’s episode, we would appreciate it if you leave us a review on iTunes. As always, happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Mar 6, 2023

Mike and Kevin talk about the value of your time and setting priorities as an ecommerce influencer, the reward of being able to help other people out, and what the endgame is for recognized personalities in this space. 

 

Being a recognized personality in ecommerce takes a toll, whether it be on your time, your energy, or even just struggling to manage your relationships with people. In this episode, we’ll talk all about the value of amplifying your time as an ecommerce influencer, why we do what we do, and where this niche industry is heading—joining me for this one is a legend in the space, Kevin King. 

 

Kevin is a highly regarded figure in the ecommerce ecosystem who’s built a solid following for things like the Freedom Ticket Course and the Billion Dollar Seller Summit. He is also now the host of the AM/PM Podcast, which is among the best listens I can recommend to ecommerce sellers of all stripes. 

 

Timestamps:

  • The value of multiplying your time as an ecommerce influencer – 0:55
  • How I handle ecommerce consulting requests and other gigs – 5:30
  • Some perks and struggles of being recognized by people – 6:49
  • The rewards of helping ecommerce sellers and making a difference – 10:44
  • Kevin’s experiences as a well-known figure in ecommerce – 13:05
  • What’s the ideal endgame for ecommerce influencers? – 15:10
  • How Amazon and the ecommerce industry in general is shifting  – 20:24
  • Why government intervention is good for Amazon sellers – 24:55
  • What made Mike decide to move to Vegas – 28:06
  • What the Billion Dollar Seller Summit is all about – 30:15
  • How to get a hold of a replay package from the Summit – 39:44
  • Growing a podcast in the ecommerce space – 42:18

 

I want to thank Kevin for taking the time to do this episode with me and giving some invaluable insights all of us can reflect on. Check out some of the awesome stuff he’s doing below:

 

That’s it for this episode. Happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon! 

Oct 24, 2022

Our guest, Tomer Rabinovich, is a magician-turned-entrepreneur. Without any formal training in sales, he was able to launch and scale multiple e-commerce brands. But aside from running his own business, Tomer is passionate about helping other sellers through mastermind classes and his live lectures. This time, he’s gone a step further and wrote a book for beginner sellers called Ride the Amazon Wave.

 

In this episode, we talk about the book, how Tomer got started with e-commerce, and the lessons he learned along the way.

 

Timestamps:

  • 2:31 - How it all started for Tomer
  • 5:28 - Failures in e-commerce
  • 11:00 - Difference between Amazon and Shopify and why it’s okay to focus on one platform
  • 13:03 - Why it’s hard to build brand loyalty on Amazon
  • 15:05 - Applying the 6-star experience to land 5-star reviews
  • 21:33 - Not going after the shiny new objects
  • 23:16 - How to scale and systemize your business

Tomer's book, Ride the Amazon Wave, is a great read for Amazon third-party sellers of all levels. You can purchase the book through Amazon, and if you want to reach out to our guest, go to jointopdog.com.


Check out other episodes from the podcast on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a review.

Feb 14, 2022

With our businesses fortunately well and stable, we thought it was high time we worked on a new project – this time, as business partners!

 

Dave and I have always talked about working on a business together, but we never really came up with anything concrete.

 

That is until we stumbled upon this hidden gem of sorts: Knitting.com. Although we absolutely have zero expertise on the subject matter, we saw potential in it and the audience it has.

 

We weren’t on the same page initially, but after a trip to Palm Springs (and a shot or two), we eventually agreed that this was a good move and a worthy investment.

 

We’re starting – or should I say ‘stitching’ – a new chapter in our careers and we couldn’t be more excited. We hope you’ll join us along for the ride.

 

Video Timestamps: 

  • Why we decided to buy a business together - 3:10
  • Buying versus building a business - 4:40
  • Serendipitous moments in our e-commerce journey - 8:30
  • Why hobbies are worth pursuing in e-commerce - 11:47
  • The big announcement - 16:17
  • Challenges of seasonal businesses - 20:36
  • Getting the right domain name - 23:00
  • First hire for the new brand - 29:05
  • Our vision for this business venture - 32:15

 

New year, new business venture. We hope you’re just as pumped as we are about this exciting project of ours. We can’t wait to officially launch the site and products later this year. For now, check out Dave's blog post on how we ended up choosing this domain name.

Don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this week’s episode. Also, make sure to tune in to the podcast as we’ll be revealing more details about our new business in the coming months.

 

Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Feb 7, 2022

As the pandemic continues to drag on, running a successful ecommerce business is not without its challenges. 2021 may not have been the COVID-free year Dave and I wanted for our businesses, but that’s not to say it was all bad.

 

It wasn’t an easy year, but looking back, there were plenty of reasons to celebrate too, which we will talk about in this episode – and we may or may not discuss a little bit about our new but still secret new business. 

 

Timestamps: 

  • Was 2021 a good year? - 1:47
  • The year in numbers, starting with IceWraps - 5:24
  • Offroading - 8:45
  • Mike’s forecast for IceWraps - 12:36
  • How freight rates could affect business - 13:52
  • Wild Baby - 18:26
  • TAC9ER - 23:40
  • Mystery brand (to be announced) - 31:00
  • Mike’s wins and losses - 37:52
  • Dave’s wins and losses - 43:20

 

2021 was quite the year, huh? There were some moments of adversity there, but we persevered. Now that we’ve begun a new year, we’re looking forward to better days for business and an auspicious launch of our new brand, which will come very soon.

 

That’s a wrap for this week’s podcast. You guys know the drill: leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Make sure to tune in to next week’s episode as it will be quite a special one. Happy selling!

Jan 31, 2022

WallCharmers co-owner Viktor Morosov talks about how his company has grown and evolved since quitting his office job, and the struggles he encountered during the pandemic.

 

Juggling a nine-to-five job and an e-commerce start-up is no easy feat and is certainly an exhausting set-up to maintain. 

 

So when Wall Charmers’ numbers hit an all-time high in April 2021, Viktor and his business partner Lance took a leap of faith, resigned from their main jobs and decided to run their e-commerce baby full time.

 

Growing their company during the Covid crisis–what with all the delays and restrictions–proved to be a challenge. But Viktor took everything in stride, gaining invaluable lessons and experiences along the way.

 

Timestamps: 

  • Mike and Viktor’s first meeting during the EcomCrew roadshow in 2019 - 0:33
  • How Wall Charmers has evolved since then - 2:57
  • Maintaining a warehouse versus tapping 3PL - 6:00
  • Decision fatigue and the importance of the ‘less is more’ approach - 8:45
  • Challenges in logistics and inventory during Covid era - 11:45
  • Viktor quitting his job to focus on Wall Charmers - 17:05
  • Taking the time to pause and be grateful for the big and small wins - 26:00
  • Running an e-commerce business while traveling around the world - 30:00
  • Valuable lessons Viktor learned over the years - 42:55

 

And just like that, we’ve come to the end of episode 431 of the podcast. Viktor, thank you so much for always accepting our invitation to be on the show. It’s always a fun conversation with you.

 

As always, feel free to leave us a review over on iTunes if you had fun tuning in to this week’s episode. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Jan 24, 2022

Mike and Lazada founder Pierre Poignant talk about the differences in ecommerce philosophies between the East and the West.

 

Born out of the digital revolution, Lazada is one of the largest ecommerce platforms in Southeast Asia.

 

In this episode, I sit down with Lazada Co-Founder and former CEO, Pierre Poignant, to talk about how he saw a massive opportunity for digital retail in Southeast Asia, how Lazada operates smoothly across international borders, and how they scaled the company after being acquired by Alibaba. 

 

Pierre also shares some valuable insights on the ecommerce principles in the East that could work for many sellers in the West, as well as how he’s helping sellers grow their brands through his new company.

 

Audio Timestamps:

  • Intro - 0:00
  • How Pierre got started with building Lazada - 2:43
  • How Lazada was founded - 5:41
  • How Lazada manages logistics all over Southeast Asia - 9:59
  • Being acquired by Alibaba - 12:56
  • Leaving Lazada and starting a new venture - 15:29
  • Ecommerce philosophies in the east that could work in the west - 17:09
  • Branded’s business model and core philosophy - 18:37
  • The next ecommerce revolution - 22:03

 

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Pierre as much as I have, and I definitely can’t wait to have him back a couple of years from now to see how far Branded has come along. If you want to learn more about their services, head over to their website, joinbranded.com or connect with Pierre on LinkedIn.

 

Don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our content, and as always, happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Jan 17, 2022

Mike and Dave discuss the most popular ecommerce tools out there, giving their two cents on which seller software are better than others.

 

Last month, we ran our yearly community poll to find out which among the myriad of seller software our EcomCrew community predominantly uses.

 

The poll was aimed at determining the most popular Amazon software in 5 categories:

  • Product Launches and Giveaways
  • Keyword and Product Research
  • PPC Management
  • Reimbursement Management, and
  • Pricing Management

 

THE RESULTS ARE IN! We’ll be discussing the winning software for each of the categories and why they edged out the competition.


We’ll also be sharing some insights compared to last year's numbers, on why and how you should be using these tools to grow your ecommerce business—and why you’re leaving a lot of money on the table if you don’t!

 

Timestamps

  • Introduction - 0:00
  • Holiday catch-up with Dave - 0:25
  • The Typhoon in the Philippines delaying our podcasts - 1:32 
  • Overview of our Best Amazon Software of 2021 poll - 4:23
  • The most used tool for Product Launches and Giveaways - 4:58
  • The most popular Keyword and Product Research Tool - 8:09
  • The best software for PPC Management - 13:03
  • The best Reimbursement Management Tool - 19:24
  • The most popular Repricing Tool - 24:45
  • The lucky winner announcement - 30:54
  • Mike and Dave's all-time favorite software - 32:36


We’d like to thank everyone for taking the time to cast their votes, and congratulations to the lucky winner of a full year of EcomCrew Premium membership! 


If you like this episode, don’t forget to help us out by leaving us a review over on iTunes so we can help more e-commerce sellers with our content. 

 

’Til the next one, happy selling!

Jan 10, 2022

Mike and Dave look back at 2021 and reveal the year’s Top 10 EcomCrew Podcast episodes.

 

Throughout 2021, we’ve had some great conversations with a lot of interesting people about all things ecommerce—from tips and strategies to taking your business to new heights, to peeling the curtain back on aggregators, to analyzing the latest market trends and Amazon policy drops. 

 

Would you believe that our first episode of the Ecomcrew Podcast was released on October 20, 2015? 

 

In this episode, Dave and I will unveil the Top 10 EcomCrew Podcast episodes of 2021. We’ll take a deep dive into what makes these episodes great and why you should definitely go back and give them a listen if you haven’t already.

 

Audio Timestamps:

 

 

Did your favorite episode make the list? 

 

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to the podcast last year. We couldn’t have gotten this far without you! We promise more awesome content for you in 2022. 

 

Happy holidays and, as always, we’ll talk to you soon!

Dec 13, 2021

Mike and Greg have a fireside chat about how they are applying the 4-burner theory as ecommerce sellers to not lose sight of other meaningful things in life.

 

Being an ecommerce entrepreneur means wearing many hats and oftentimes being so busy that you tend to lose track of other meaningful things in life. 

 

Today, Greg Howlett and I will be talking about the 4-burner theory and how we are applying it to balance our priorities in business and in life. This theory helped me out a lot in my journey towards a balanced entrepreneurship, and I’ve talked about it in greater detail back in Episode 290.

 

Greg is a friend I met through Ecommerce Fuel, a community of 6 to 7 figure ecommerce store owners dedicated to helping people build and grow Amazon and other ecommerce businesses. 

 

Today, Greg and I will have a fireside chat about how we balance work, family, friends, and personal health using the 4-burner theory, which can be a struggle for most ecommerce sellers. 

 

Timestamps:

  • Introduction - 1:18
  • Greg’s current Amazon business - 2:50
  • Balancing life when the work burner is cranked up - 6:30
  • Managing family matters as an ecommerce seller - 21:16

 

I wanna thank Greg for a very insightful conversation, and I can’t wait to hear a lot more from him down the road. 

 

By the way, in case you missed it, our traditional software poll is currently accepting entries! This yearly survey helps us discover trends in the industry and which software and tools sellers are really finding useful in running their ecommerce business. 

 

This year, one lucky person will win a full year’s worth of EcomCrew Premium membership absolutely free! Just head over to ecomcrew.com/softwarepoll to participate. 

 

Until the next one, happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!

Dec 9, 2021

Amazon sellers use various software as tools to help grow their businesses and make processes smoother. If you’ve ever wondered which ones are used by most sellers, you’re not alone.

 

To settle this matter, we’ve decided to bring back last year's survey that will give us a list of the most popular Amazon seller software. We’ve created a total of four categories, which we discuss in detail in this episode.

 

The good news is that you can take part in this survey, and after answering just 5 questions, you can get a chance to win a full year of EcomCrew Premium subscription!

 

Just head on over to ecomcrew.com/softwarepoll, and don’t miss your chance to enjoy EcomCrew Premium for free!

 

For more details about the survey and the software tools we feature, head on over to the EcomCrew blog page and read Dave's article.

 

If you like this episode, please don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes. It helps our channel a lot and also allows us to reach more e-commerce sellers who can benefit from our content.

 

Until the next one, happy selling!

Dec 6, 2021

Mike and Josh talk about an ecommerce business acquisition from a seller’s perspective—from finding the right buyer, structuring the deal, and taking care of employees.

 

 

We’ve done a whole series with ecommerce and Amazon FBA aggregators throughout the year, so I thought it would be a good idea to hear from someone who’s been on the other side of the transaction. 

 

Josh Dittrich is an entrepreneur, exit advisor, and the founder of Branded Seller, a company that helps small-scale businesses raise their valuations and find the right aggregator to work with. 

 

In this episode, Josh will be sharing his recent experience of going through the whole process of selling one of his businesses to an ecommerce aggregator. We’ll talk about how he ended up deciding to sell the business, how he found the right aggregators to reach out to, and how he took care of his employees during the transition.

 

Near the end of the episode, Josh will also give some specific and actionable advice on things you should do if you’re looking to secure that profitable exit in a few months or in a couple of years down the road. 

 

Timestamps:

  • Introduction - 0:30
  • How Josh found the aggregators to reach out to - 3:15
  • What the offers looked like and how they structured the deal - 7:18
  • How the transition works out for his employees - 14:02
  • Josh’s specific advice for sellers looking to exit in the near future - 22:47

 

Resources mentioned: hahnbeck.com 

 

I want to thank Josh for doing this very insightful episode with me. You can reach him directly by visiting brandedseller.com or emailing him at josh@brandedseller.com.

 

Before you go, don’t forget to answer our quick 2-minute Amazon Software Poll for the chance to win a year’s worth of EcomCrew Premium membership valued at $2000 absolutely free! Just go to ecomcrew.com/softwarepoll.

 

As always, please leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. Until the next one, happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!

Nov 29, 2021

Mike and Fortunet Co-Founder Yael break down a survey of 42 aggregators to show what they really look for when evaluating ecommerce businesses.

 

Fortunet, an ecommerce investment and banking firm, just came out with a very insightful report surveying 42 ecommerce aggregators. The report sheds light on what aggregators really look for in businesses and which things have the most impact on buying multiples. 

 

Joining me today is none other than Fortunet’s Co-Founder and Partner, Yael Cabilly. We’ll be breaking down the report’s Executive Summary, which confirms some visible market trends and also debunks some misconceptions you might have about aggregators. 

 

You can access the full report over on Fortunet’s website.

 

Audio Timestamps: 

  • Introduction to Fortunet - 0:38
  • Which categories aggregators prefer most and which ones they exclude - 3:59
  • Why buyers don’t acquire solely wholesale businesses - 11:07
  • Aggregators generally require a minimum operating history of one year - 13:17
  • Roughly half of aggregators require at least a 15% SDE profit margin - 15:24
  • Most aggregators buy businesses with a minimum purchase price of $500K-1M - 16:37
  • 90% of aggregators purchase or prefer to purchase the assets only - 18:01
  • 61% of aggregators prefer full acquisition - 20:02
  • Preferred deal structures - 22:26
  • Some buyers offer some equity in the holding company - 24:44
  • Most aggregators do not value additional sales channels, they value patents - 25:13
  • Most buyers seek to grow the brand (not flip them) - 26:43 

 

I want to thank Yael for taking the time to break down these findings with me. These definitely add value to anyone listening, especially if you’re currently preparing your ecommerce business for sale. If you want to know more about Fortunet and their services, feel free to connect with Yael over on yael@fortunet.net.

 

Before we go, don’t forget that our limited-time offer of 50% off EcomCrew Premium ends tonight! If you think that unlimited 1-on-1 email support, a wealth of ecommerce courses and resources, and exclusive expert-led webinars will help you take your business to the next level, head over to ecomcrew.com/premium right now to sign up. Use code: ECOMCREW50 to apply the discount. 

 

Happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!

Nov 25, 2021

There are a lot of marketing channels outside of the marketplace that you can take advantage of. One of the most popular ones? YouTube.

 

Today, we’ll be talking about how you can optimize your YouTube channel to boost your brand’s visibility and keep that flywheel going, and we’ll use actual before-and-after data from our own channel to demonstrate how much these strategies work. 

 

I’m excited to be joined today by one of our very own team members from the Philippines, Hannah. She has been doing great work with us for a couple of years and she now leads our writing team as well as our prepping and survivalism brand. 

 

Hannah will go over the specific techniques that they used to optimize our own Tactical YouTube channel, with some real-world metrics to boot. 

 

If you’re currently doing YouTube or are planning to use it as a content and marketing tool in the future, I’m sure you’ll find this episode to be very insightful. 

 

Audio Timestamps: 

  • Doing a video analysis - 10:22
  • Nailing down your keywords - 11:32
  • Creating a keyword-optimized titles - 14:54
  • Writing an SEO-friendly description - 16:52
  • Adding Info Cards and optimized video tags - 23:47
  • Having an eye-catching thumbnail - 27:22
  • Our actual before-and-after stats - 31:56

 

I’d like to thank Hannah for doing this episode with me. I’m excited to have our other team members come on the show to give you valuable insights into various aspects of running an ecommerce business.

By the way, don’t forget to sign up to our Black Friday waitlist to avail of EcomCrew Premium at 50% off (Discount applies to all plans). Premium is about solutions and actionable advice to help ecommerce sellers not just navigate, but dominate the marketplace. 

 

We offer unlimited 1-on-1 email support from two 7-figure sellers alongside a wealth of ecommerce resources you won’t find anywhere else. Take your business to the next level and join our waitlist here.

 

Until the next one, happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!

Nov 22, 2021

This episode is an addition to our mini series with different ecommerce aggregators who are always on the lookout for potential brands to acquire.

 

Andrew and Alaina are the CEO and Head of Brand Marketing of Suma Brands, respectively. Their company focuses on buying and growing Amazon FBA and direct-to-consumer businesses.

 

Today, I get to pick their brains on the biggest things that ecommerce aggregators look for in a brand, as well as the things that they consider huge red flags when evaluating potential acquisitions. 

 

If you’ve ever courted with the idea of selling your ecommerce business or are planning to sell a couple of years from now, this episode will add a lot of value to you. 

 

Timestamps:

  • Introduction to Suma Brands - 4:19
  • Suma’s core philosophy and their deal structures - 6:13
  • What Suma Brands looks in businesses - 16:08
    • #1 Brand magic
    • #2 Product reviews and social proof
    • #3 Opportunities and brand evangelists
    • #4 Proven history of growth
    • #5 Opportunity
  • The value of a having a repeat customer base - 21:30
  • Which things turn ecommerce aggregators off - 23:59
    • #1 Fake reviews and suspicious metrics
    • #2 Not having a differentiated product
    • #3 Low margins 
    • #4 No lifetime value
  • Why work with Suma - 36:24

 

I hope you learned as much as I have from Andrew and Alaina. I definitely can’t wait to have them back on the show perhaps a year from now to discuss how much their company has grown. If you’re interested in starting a conversation with them regarding your brand, feel free to shoot them an email on:

 

 

Speaking of brands, now is as good a time as any to start thinking of differentiating your products and developing your brand identity. EcomCrew Premium can help you with that. 

 

For a limited time only this Black Friday and Cyber Monday (November 26-29), we’re offering EcomCrew Premium at 50% off. Slots are limited, so be sure to sign up to our active waitlist so you don’t miss a beat. 

 

As always, happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!

Nov 15, 2021

Mike and Dave talk about the end of off-Amazon rebates and coupons and what they think sellers across the white-hat-black-hat spectrum will be doing moving forward.

 

You really can’t predict what Amazon will do next these days. One minute I make a prediction that they won’t ban rebates because it makes them money, the next minute they’re bringing the hammer down on RebateKey.

 

In this episode, Dave and I will break down Amazon’s latest policy drop regarding off-Amazon rebates and coupons, what the next white-hat and black-hat tactics are likely going to be, and how you can still succeed on Amazon moving forward. 

 

Timestamps:

  • Why the FTC might consider rebates as review manipulation - 5:22
  • What the Amazon policy update means for sellers - 7:09
  • The future of RebateKey and rebates in general - 12:19
  • How much data Amazon has on its users and which data it tracks - 19:50
  • Will Amazon start banning sellers for using rebates? - 25:29

 

EcomCrew blog articles mentioned: 

 

If you’re interested in building reliable outside assets like content sites, email lists, and influencer partnerships, our book, Amazon Domination, is the best place to start. If you get your copy now, the book is on us for free (just pay for shipping).

 

Fun episode with Dave as usual, and there’s a lot more where that came from. For a limited time only this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we’re treating our podcast listeners to EcomCrew Premium at half-off. That’s 50% off all EcomCrew Premium plans available only between November 26th-29th. 

 

The waitlist is currently live and the limited slots will be on a first come, first served basis. Head over to ecomcrew.com/blackfriday to secure your spot!

 

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Nov 11, 2021

Mike looks under the hood of Michael Simpson’s niche ecommerce business to determine his biggest growth opportunities.

 

Growing an ecommerce business can be daunting, especially when you’re looking at a number of angles to grow, but you have limited physical and financial capacities. 

 

In this edition of our Under The Hood series, Michael Simpson picks my brain about how he can grow his thriving ecommerce business despite the limited bandwidth. 

 

Some of the opportunities we look at are transporting his website into Shopify and expanding into Amazon FBA, building a team to re-optimizing listings and handle day-to-day operations, and developing his brand. These strategies apply to most ecommerce businesses, so this episode should help you focus on the right growth opportunities as you scale your business. 

 

Courses mentioned: From 0 - 100: FBA For Absolute Beginners

 

I hope you found a lot of value in this episode, and we’ll definitely have Michael back on the show down the road to discuss how far his business will have come along then. 

 

In case you missed it, our EcomCrew Premium Black Friday/Cyber Monday waitlist is already live! It’s only going to be open from November 26-29, so if you’re down for some heavy discounts to join Premium, head over to ecomcrew.com/blackfriday to sign up.

 

Lastly, don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. Until the next one, happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!

Nov 9, 2021

Mike, Dave, and Steve take a break from attending the Indian Wells to talk about the future of Amazon and how the ecommerce landscape is changing.

 

Greetings from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden!

 

On this rare occasion that Dave, Steve Chou, and myself got together, we decided to sit down and talk about all the things that have been going on in the world of Amazon and what it means to be an ecommerce seller today. 

 

In this episode, we talk about Amazon’s huge policy drops on rebates and giveaways. We also give our personal takes on the current review and ranking system and why sellers and brands use rebates in the first place. 

 

We then move on to discuss Amazon’s future direction in broad strokes, particularly with regards to it being both a marketplace and a seller at the same time, and how it tends to give itself an unfair advantage over third-party sellers on the platform. 

 

If you’re looking to just relax and listen to a fireside chat between three ecommerce sellers who’ve been in the game for a while now, this is the episode for you. 

 

Timestamps:

 

  • Why Amazon shut down Elite Seller and RebateKey - 7:42
  • The current review and rating system on the Amazon marketplace - 19:48
  • How Amazon creates an unfair advantage for itself over third-party sellers - 22:36
  • What the landscape looks like for new Amazon sellers moving forward - 32:03
  • The perks of having your own website - 37:25
  • How we deal with Amazon issues and seller support - 45:48

 

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Dave and Steve as much as I have. Be sure to check out Steve’s other awesome content over on My Wife Quit Her Job, and we’ll definitely have him back on the podcast soon.

 

On the topic of Amazon, we’re still giving away free copies of our book, Amazon Domination, which is a non-nonsense, step-by-step guide to launching your next #1 Amazon Best Seller. Again, the book is free (just pay for shipping and handling). Grab yours here.

 

If you haven’t already, leave us a review over on iTunes and let us know what you think of this episode. As always, happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!



Oct 28, 2021

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!

Oct 25, 2021

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 melanie@avaskgroup.com or contact their expansion team at expansion@avaskgroup.com.

 

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!

Oct 18, 2021

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!

Oct 14, 2021

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 info@moonshotbrands.com.

 

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!

Oct 11, 2021

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:

 

Books mentioned: 

 

 

 

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!

Oct 4, 2021

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!

Sep 27, 2021

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 philipp@sellerx.com.

 

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!

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