Are you one with a business idea but could not start due to lack of capital? Could you still begin an Amazon business or any business at limited capital? The answer is YES, for Steven Shashen who started Xero Shoes at a very humble capital of $40. Find out how in this episode where he tackles the hard times in starting small and how his product evolved and grew. While coming up with his very own product idea to start has already been challenging and the road to selling them has not been easy, St...
Sep 07, 2020•52 min
They say that when you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Augustas has definitely worked his way to where he is now but his passion is his determination. Time and budget pressure, and unexpected things that could happen on events are what organizers face on their jobs and that probably is also the driving factor for Augustas. The thrill and fulfillment he gets by serving people that being a computer programmer did not satisfy him. What does it mean to live your dream as what...
Aug 31, 2020•37 min
When an idea strikes, you best not miss it and that has been the case for Captain Robb Kessler who came up with a brilliant product after a sloppy collared shirt ruined his wedding pictures. Three years after the wedding, a product was born and launched on Amazon. Robb Kessler, inventor of Million Dollar Collar talked about how he was not able to get Kickstarter funds when he was starting and how it turned into his favour. He built the brand through learning from influencers and from people that...
Aug 24, 2020•32 min
For Jeff Lieber, the answer is yes when a team asks for help to sell on Amazon . He shared his five-step framework for building the most profitable Amazon store possible. He’s here to share that framework and chat about all the changes Amazon has seen. Jeff has spent the last several years creating Amazon strategies that scale businesses on Amazon. He takes your products and listings and helps you to tweak and promote so that you sell more than ever. He’s open, honest, and ready to help you grow...
Aug 17, 2020•53 min
What do you do when you’ve known you were going to be an entrepreneur your WHOLE life? You sell on Amazon. Sharon Even was raised by two entrepreneurs who gave her the choice to stay in New Zealand when they moved back to Israel. She was already well versed in how to sell, so she took the opportunity and never looked back. At 15 years old she started her first online store and made enough money to pay her rent, stay alive, and then some. She started all over when she moved to Israel at 21 and no...
Aug 10, 2020•44 min
Are you paying too much to source your products? You may be losing money that you aren’t even aware of. This is why I’ve brought on Norman and Afolabi of Honu Worldwide to talk about all things sourcing and why it should correspond with a holistic view of your business. Both Norman and Afolabi have been in ecommerce for several years so they know what they’re talking about when it comes to the pitfalls of sourcing. They’ve both experienced their own huge setbacks and are using their knowledge an...
Aug 03, 2020•1 hr
If you don’t have a book written to help you launch your products, you should. I’ve been using Amazon KDP to help launch my products for years and today I’m sharing exactly how I do it. If you’re ready to dig into the why, how, when, and who, then keep reading. (or listening!) First off, I decided to start doing this because no matter what type of product you’re selling, there is likely a book that shares why it’s important or how to use it properly. Everything that is made or sold has an instru...
Jul 27, 2020•33 min
If you have been in business for any amount of time and have not begun to create systems and processes for you and your team, this is a must-listen episode. Trent Dyrsmid, the founder of Flowster, joins me to share how Flowster came about and why his processes have been instrumental in his business growth. Trent has been starting and building businesses for over a decade now. While they haven’t all been profitable, he’s learned one very important secret to success. Create systems and processes a...
Jul 20, 2020•40 min
Believe it or not China is not the only country you can source products from. In fact, depending on the products you want to sell, it may not even be the best option to source from. Lokesh Parahsar of ADK India is joining me to share the inside scoop on Indian factories and why it may make more sense to source in India! One caveat for a newbie seller is that there is no central online hub for factories and sellers to communicate within the Indian market. If you’re looking to DIY your factory sea...
Jul 13, 2020•35 min
First things first, I’m sorry this episode has taken me so long to get to. Things have been crazy with Covid and all the changes that Amazon has been making. That being said, had you received this episode four months ago as promised, I wouldn’t have as many amazing things to tell you. Let’s just hop in. I’m not talking about the basics of Amazon Live Video here. This is an episode dedicated to the live video tactics you should be using in your business now. Have you seen the Amazon created “Foll...
Jul 06, 2020•36 min
Jesse Wolfe has never sold on Amazon, but the information he has to share about approaching big box stores is invaluable. He is one of those people who has always been an entrepreneur. From starting his own lemonade stand to starting his own business at the age of 19, he loves serving the world through entrepreneurship. He is now the founder of O’Dang Hummus and has appeared on Shark Tank with his new ways of using hummus in salad dressings. He started off showing his wares in farmer’s markets a...
Jun 29, 2020•51 min
For many eComm sellers, venturing into the Walmart Marketplace seems daunting. Zach and Corey, founders of DotCom Partners, have worked on the inside of the Walmart platform and are here to share their knowledge on how to start selling profitably with Walmart. The first thing you have to know is that Walmart is looking to fill assortment gaps. If you can show how your product performed and also filled one of their gaps, then you’re a shoe in for the best selling tier. Which brings me to the next...
Jun 22, 2020•46 min
No matter how many Amazon reviews you have on a product, you always need more. Colleen Quattlebaum of eComEngine joined me to chat about the power of Amazon reviews and why you shouldn’t be complacent once you’ve reached a high number. Now Amazon reviews versus buyer feedback are two different things and affect your listings in different ways. Reviews help boost your visibility and inspire others to buy when they are recent, well written, and come from a trusted source. Reviews once given also c...
Jun 15, 2020•32 min
It only took 33 episodes, but I finally got one of the leaders of the Meetup group, Gabe Cossio, on the show to chat about the group and of course… selling on Amazon. We’ve been working to have Gabe come on since the beginning of the podcast and the stars finally aligned. Gabe has been an avid entrepreneur since he was a young child. He grew up in a household with a single mom who was also an entrepreneur and simply loved to work. That drive was passed to him and he started several of his own bu...
Jun 08, 2020•35 min
Podcast advertising is becoming a widely used avenue for many businesses to increase their visibility and make more sales, but how does one get started? Stephen Pickens with AdvertiseCast joins me to share just how easy it is to launch a podcast advertising campaign. AdvertiseCast is a one-stop, premier podcast network for buying and selling podcast advertising. They have an entire suite of shows that they’ve vetted who have high listener counts and download rates. What does this mean for you? Y...
Jun 01, 2020•25 min
Have you been looking to branch out and sell somewhere other than Amazon? Alec Valencia of Rakuten is here to share more about this platform and how you can benefit from selling on it. Amazon is an amazing platform to sell on, but don’t discount other platforms designed for diverse markets. Rakuten was specifically designed to service the Japanese market but has branched out from there. The platform allows for a lot of a store customization and detailed product descriptions because these feature...
May 25, 2020•43 min
Getting reviews for your products is essential for your sales success, but other than hitting up friends and family members to do your reviews, what other ways can you obtain them. There are actually several, but one of my favorites is using Foursquare. What is Foursquare? It’s essentially another form of Yelp! but better. With Foursquare you can search for reviews on certain products in any number of locations. You can then scope out the profile of the reviewer to see how many they’ve left on F...
May 18, 2020•22 min
Why should you consider automating more of your processes in life and business? Dillon Carter of Vendrive is here to share that answer with you. He is the king of automation and creating business efficiencies and he’s sharing his best tips on how to streamline your processes. First, why are you NOT using your keyboard shortcuts? There is no reason you should be populating your email address or the date or any of those other rote bits of information each time you send correspondence. You need Key...
May 11, 2020•1 hr
You’ve probably heard this “well-kept” marketing secret a bunch over the past year or so, but Facebook is pushing hard for more people to join and create groups. That’s where a lot of the algorithm is focusing the crawl. Arne Giske is here to share how he created an insanely profitable group and why you should do the same. Now Arne does not sell physical products. However the process he follows to grow his group and to increase his own notoriety works just as well for those in different spaces. ...
May 04, 2020•35 min
Over the course of the last several years, there has been an exponential increase in the number of fake counterfeit claims. Joining me today is Chris McCabe to discuss how you can prepare for the inevitable time that this happens to you and what it looks like on Amazon’s side. The most important part of being prepared is making sure that you have all of your documentation in order and available when a claim is made. If you’re a wholesaler and a brand comes after you, make sure you keep your rece...
Apr 27, 2020•41 min
At this point you’re probably tired of the word coronavirus, but what if there was a way to properly strategize so that you come out on top? Rick Watson is an ecommerce strategist and overall strategy genius. He shares his views on Amazon as a whole as well as why he wrote his recent article about Amazon and what the data reveals. This was a really fun conversation. Rick is full of personality as well as knowledge. Having been raised by entrepreneurs he has always had a different view of how bus...
Apr 20, 2020•37 min
Yamaris Diaz is back with Virginia Vich to share all of their knowledge on the CARES Act, Payroll Protection Program, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan. There is so much information to go through and things are changing daily. If you have to, listen to this episode more than once. We start off with the CARES Act, what it is, who it’s for, and what you can get. The CARES Act is the bill that was passed into law to help stimulate the economy in this time. There are two arms to that stimulus, o...
Apr 13, 2020•36 min
There’s a difference between differentiating and developing a new products versus simply changing the details of an existing product. Zack Leonard of Gembah shares the difference here as well as why you need to look at developing your own products. Rather than trying to move into a space by offering another version of the same thing, or a “me-too” product, consider innovation. When you develop your own product and submit for a patent, you’re protecting your product and listing. For instance, if ...
Apr 13, 2020•29 min
Price gouging is a real concern these days. Not just from the perspective of the buyer but also of the seller. Chris McCabe is a former Amazon Compliance employee who has a pre-recorded episode coming out later this week, and is back (for the show) to discuss price gouging and its importance. First, you can’t be angry with Amazon for being overzealous. They are required to comply with 50 different state laws regarding monopoly and price gouging. Essentially, they are going to take the hard line ...
Apr 06, 2020•29 min
We are in uncertain times. You’ve likely heard that daily for several weeks at this point (or as of this recording.) However, there is a lot of misinformation regarding the logistics of manufacturing and transportation in China and abroad. Burak Yolga of Forceget Logistics joins me to discuss what’s going on, how this may impact your business, and how to make the best of a terrible situation. First things first, it’s good to know that at least 80% of China is back up and running. One of the bigg...
Apr 06, 2020•38 min
Now is the time to thrive, not just survive. I know that you’re being bombarded with negative information on all sides, so I wanted to address how you can look at ways to adapt your business during this time. Your mindset, now more than ever, will be the deciding factor in whether or not your business succeeds. So many people feel betrayed by Amazon choosing to prioritize essential items for shipping, thereby cutting into their sales. This is a good thing. How many more people are now on Amazon ...
Mar 30, 2020•27 min
No matter what business or industry you’re in, finding work-life balance is one of the most difficult endeavors you will take on. Building a business takes time and effort and all of that time and effort is taken from your family and friends. Listen in as Bradley Sutton of Helium 10 chats about being a driven entrepreneur, a family man, and how he has managed to find a small semblance of work-life balance. For Bradley, it wouldn’t be uncommon for you to find him sleeping at the office so that he...
Mar 23, 2020•24 min
As of this recording, I recently got back from a whirlwind couple of weeks spent at tradeshows and conferences. I wanted to take a minute and share why you should be attending conferences and then how to get back in the saddle when you get home. Listen in to hear why conferences that aren’t directly related to Amazon selling are still important and my methods for jumpstarting productivity. It has been a crazy beginning of 2020 and March has been full of events. I went to Seller Growth Summit, So...
Mar 16, 2020•27 min
Miro Posavec is no stranger to hardship in business. After building up a very successful business in real estate and physical stores, the Great Recession swept the rug out from underneath him. He went from successful business owner to single father struggling to keep the lights on. He realized he had to get another business up and running as soon as possible. He sourced a healthcare product and started selling it to doctors and health stores in his area. When someone asked him about selling on A...
Mar 09, 2020•31 min
Amazon is diving back into the world of live videos but this time around it promises to be much more effective. The first go-round consisted of Amazon employees creating live videos on their main home page but the results were terrible. Now if you have the right credentials, you can go live to help build awareness of your brand. You need to have an Amazon Influencer account along with Amazon Creator studio and you’re set. You can create paid and organic videos that have a couple of different pla...
Mar 02, 2020•25 min
