In this episode of the eCommerce Evolution Podcast, I sit down with Dean Brennan, CEO of Heart and Soil Supplements, to unpack the meteoric rise of this innovative health brand. From zero to $50 million in just three years, Heart and Soil has disrupted the supplement industry with its focus on nutrient-dense organ meats and regenerative farming practices. Dean shares invaluable insights on building a brand with passionate customers and maintaining profitability during rapid growth.

Key topics discussed:

• The power of organic growth and building an engaged audience before launch.

• How premium packaging and high-quality ingredients can actually protect profit margins.

• Strategies for creating compelling content that inspires and guides customers.

• Structuring your week as a CEO to balance deep work and management responsibilities.

• The importance of psychological barriers in health transformations and plans to build an ecosystem similar to Dave Ramsey's approach to personal finance.

This episode is packed with actionable advice for eCommerce entrepreneurs looking to build a brand with 'staying power' in today's competitive landscape. Whether you're just starting out or scaling rapidly, Dean's journey with Heart and Soil offers valuable lessons for sustainable growth.

In this fast-paced episode of the eCommerce Evolution Podcast, I sit down with Neil Twa, co-founder and CEO of Voltage, to discuss the future of Amazon selling. Neil, a brand owner, investor, and podcaster himself, shares invaluable insights on how to navigate the evolving Amazon landscape in 2024 and beyond. From AI-driven changes to brand-building strategies, this episode is packed with actionable advice for sellers looking to stay ahead of the curve.

Key topics covered:

• The impact of AI on Amazon's search algorithm, including the upcoming Cosmo engine and how it will revolutionize product discovery
• Amazon SEO strategies for 2024, focusing on optimizing images, titles, and overall listing quality
• The importance of building a true brand on Amazon, moving beyond just being a seller
• Strategies for profitable growth, including Neil's 20% EBITDA target and minimum $12 net profit per unit rule
• The future of Amazon selling, including the potential need for design or utility patents to defend against competition

Whether you're a seasoned Amazon seller or just starting out, this episode provides critical insights to help you thrive in the ever-changing world of e-commerce. Don't miss Neil's expert advice on building a sustainable and profitable Amazon business in 2024 and beyond.

I love disruptor stories, and Kevin Lavelle, the founder of Mizzen+Main (and now Harbor), has an overlooked but incredibly inspiring one.

Kevin revolutionized the men's dress shirt industry with performance fabrics. Under his leadership, Mizzen+Main grew from a great product idea into a company that has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of shirts and is now available in 500-600 stores, including 10 Mizzen+Main stores.

Now, he's tackling a new challenge by creating a more secure and stress-reducing baby monitor solution with Harbor. His journey provides a blueprint for innovative product design and successful company building.

Here are a few key takeaways from the interview:

• Kevin Lavelle shares his entrepreneurial journey of founding Mizzen+Main and the inspiration behind launching Harbor, an innovative baby monitor solution. 

• Discover how Mizzen+Main leveraged influencer marketing, including a highly successful sponsorship on the Tim Ferriss podcast, to scale the business rapidly. 

• Learn valuable lessons about building and managing teams, giving feedback, and recovering from mistakes as a first-time founder. 

• Harbor's unique approach to creating a more secure, reliable, and stress-reducing baby monitor system with remote night nanny services. 

• Understand the importance of building genuine relationships and providing value to your target audience when launching a new venture.

I’ve never met anyone quite like Miki Agrawal.

She’s incredibly creative. No really. She once hosted a “funeral for a tree” at an old cathedral in NYC hosted by comedians and actors. It drew a crowd of thousands, generated millions in free press, and helped shed light on the toilet paper waste that her company TUSHY can help solve. 

She understands trends in marketing. She knows how to grab attention. So much so that she was banned by the NY transit authority from running subway ads. Which led to a PR fight that she won…and in the end, got more press and attention than if they hadn’t been banned. 

She’s also warm and kind and FUN. 

She’s created multiple 9-Figure businesses and has garnered some pretty incredible recognition. She was named "Fast Company's Most Creative People", “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum and INC's “Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs”.

She’s also the author of #1 best selling books Do Cool SH*T and Disrupt-HER.

In this episode we unpack Miki’s wacky, impossible-to-forget and wildly successful marketing strategies and tactics.

Here’s a look at what we cover:

• How Miki was banned from advertising on the NYC subway and turned that into a huge PR win for her brand THINX.
• How to use Accessible + Relatable language. 
• How to create ads that are both effective and “fridge worthy”.
• How iteration is perfection.
• How to start with play to create great ideas.

Today we’re going Old School. We’re not talking email. We’re not talking TikTok, Facebook or even YouTube. 

We’re talking Snail. Mail. The gold old USPS. Physical mailboxes. 

Why? 

Because this is an untapped opportunity for DTC brands.

My guests today are two legends in the eCommerce space - Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein. Drew and Michael most recently ran and successfully exited Auto Anything a multi nine figure eCommerce brand. Now they are helping DTC brands grow through direct mail marketing. And while that might not sound sexy, it’s incredibly effective. 

Why postcard and direct mail marketing? 20-50% of your customers don't have a good email address on file. And email open rates are only 20-30% at best. So you’re missing a lot of your current and past buyers if you’re just relying on email and SMS.

Here’s a look at what we cover in this episode:

• How should brands use direct mail?
• How to build a great postcard
• What postcard campaigns to start with
• How Ezra Firestone turned $1,400 into $4,000 using a simple postcard
• How to make direct mail part of your email and SMS flows

In this episode we discuss top email and SMS mistakes Ecommerce store owners make, what strategies are working now, and what the future holds for these channels.

Here’s a look at what we cover:

• The top 3 automations you need to build right now.
• How relying on templates could be dragging down performance.
• What to do now that open rate isn’t a thing anymore.
• Utilizing push notifications and tap cart - what you need to know.
• Top email strategies - what’s changing and what isn’t.
• Real World email examples.
• Plus more! 

• Law of Quarters - and how it should help you think about margins, product pricing, and operations.
• How failing to introduce successful 2nd, 3rd, and 4th products can spell death to a brand.
• How to structure a successful Ambassador program that will become a new content engine for you.
• Tips for building a real community around your brand.
• Knowing your numbers and your MER (Media Efficiency Ratio).
• How to generate an unending supply of amazing User Generated Content. 
• Plus more!

 Kim and Tim Lewis are truly an inspiring success story. They’re happily married with 3 kids. They run a business that just raised $4 Million in crowd-funded equity. They’ve been on Shark Tank and they were featured as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things. They have huge goals for the future. So what is their brand Curl Mix? It’s a line of hair care products formulated for curly hair…and it has a raving fan base. 

In this merchant success episode we unpack some key lessons including:

• How Curl Mix got started and how doing FB lives from the shower helped their products go viral
• How they got on shark tank and tips for doing the same
• The definition and explanation crowdfunded equity 
• 3 tips for raising $4.5 million + of crowdfunded equity
• How CurlMix plans to become a black-owned P&G
• How to increase recurring revenue
• Plus more!

Cody is a former college hoop star turned influencer marketing pro. His resume of influencers he’s partnered with is pretty impressive.  He’s worked with the likes of Lebron James, Mike Trout, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and more. His passion is helping great eCommerce brands scale with simple, effective influencer marketing. And he believes that most brands approach influencer marketing all wrong. 

Here’s a look at what we cover in this episode. 

• What’s changed in the last year in influencer marketing?
• What mistakes are ecomm brands still making?
• How do you work with people like Lebron and Mike Trout?
• What’s the solution to tracking in a post iOS 14.5 world. 
• Tips for getting started and executing an effective influencer marketing program.
• Plus more!

Supply chain and logistics. When everything is running smoothly, it’s a breeze. When there are problems, inventory issues can cripple an eComm business. Inventory, and supply chain management has been struggle city in 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, 2022 isn’t looking much better. 

In this episode I interview Chelsea Cohen of So Stocked and we unpack some super smart inventory and supply chain strategies. This content is a MUST if you want to remain competitive (and avoid pulling your hair out from supply chain pain). 

Here’s a look at what we cover:

• The Golden rule of logistics - don’t let anyone have all of your stuff - and how to apply it.
• Container optimizations - with the cost of containers rising, container optimization can have a big impact on your overall profitability. 
• Carton optimizations - This is a next-level tactic that can save you big. Especially when you combine it with container optimization. 
• 4 points that impact your restock limit with Amazon 
• 3 triggers to pull to avoid restock limit crashes during out of stock periods

The market for eCommerce businesses has never been hotter. Now dozens of brand aggregators have war chests of $100s of millions of dollars with one mission - buy and grow eComm brands. We’re now seeing valuations in the 5-6x of EBITA where just a few years ago we were only seeing 3-4x multiples.  

Now is a great time to sell an eCommerce brand. And, if done right, it’s still not a bad time to buy a brand.  

Chris Yates is co-owner of Centurica a company that offers buy-side due diligence for digital businesses. He’s also the founder of Rhodium Weekend - a vetted community of digital entrepreneurs and investors. 

Here’s a look at what we cover.  

• Mistakes when going through due diligence
• Most important steps/tips when going through due diligence 
• Mistakes when evaluating your own business
• As you hit different vacation tiers - types of buyers and buyers wants and needs change 
• How aggregators are changing the landscape of DTC M&A
• What is Rhodium weekend? Mastermind and speakers. Real in the trenches stuff and fun activities

Josh Martin is fearless. At age 24 he’s winning contests, designing new products, building communities and partnering with some real movers and shakers in our industry. In this episode I grill Josh (pun intended) on his success with his BBQ company and his experience in the wine business. There are tons of lessons in this episode whether you’re running an 8 or 9 figure business or just getting started.  

• How Josh won the Million Dollar Brand Scholarship Award
• Influencer marketing mistakes to avoid
• Keys to $.25 email list opt-in strategies
• How to run good customer surveys and getting useful data
• Understanding the “why” behind your product and how that influences marketing and future product launches
• Plus more!

The holy grail right now for online advertising is to be both funny and persuasive. To be relevant and engaging. Funny videos that sell are rare. Mostly because most people don’t know how to create them. In this episode Joseph walks us through his 8-step process for creating funny videos that sell without hiring an expert. 

Joseph Wilkins has a rich background in creating videos that convert. He launched his career in the infomercial business while working on the launch of Little Giant Ladder. That infomercial went on to sell hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ladders.  

I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Joseph on a mutual client - Tru Earth. Joseph and his team created videos for Tru Earth that have now racked up over 100 million views! More than that, though, they are driving new customer acquisition.  

Here’s a look at what we cover:

• Why having a crystal clear picture of your customer in your head is a must before you do anything else. You wouldn’t write a letter without knowing who you’re writing it to, would you?
• How Joseph assembles a team of people to write scripts and why this is more important than fancy editing skills.
• How to find talent for videos
• Why you should probably forget about going viral
• Getting your pace right and testing before you go live with a video
• How and when to add humor to your ads
• How to think about production quality

In this episode of the E-commerce Evolution Podcast, Brett Curry sits down with Emmett Kilduff, co-founder and CEO of the Fortia Group, to discuss the current M&A climate for e-commerce brands and how to prepare your business for a successful exit. Emmett shares his insights from 25 years of experience in the M&A space, offering valuable advice for entrepreneurs looking to maximize their brand's value.

Key topics and lessons discussed:

- The current M&A climate for e-commerce brands and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on valuations

- Understanding the three main types of buyers (strategics, private equity, and aggregators) and tailoring your exit strategy accordingly

- The importance of focusing on bottom-line EBITDA margins and subscription-based revenue to increase your brand's attractiveness to potential buyers

- Common red flags and discount factors that can negatively impact your brand's valuation, such as poor manufacturing facility scores and supply chain issues

- The value of seeking mentorship and advice from experienced professionals who have successfully navigated the M&A process in your industry

Tune in to learn how you can prepare your e-commerce brand for a successful exit and maximize its value in the current M&A market.

1. Getting found on Amazon by improving your organic rankings or paying for ads.  
2. Getting more people to click on your listings once they see it.  
3. Convincing more shoppers that your product is the one for them.

• How to maximize your SEO efforts for launching new products on Amazon
• How to integrate and tweak existing listings that already rank to get them to rank HIGHER
• Leveraging your 6 images for maximum conversions
• What to do with A+ content to make your product nearly irresistible 
• How Yes Bar gets it right with their listing optimization and storefront optimization
• Top Amazon listing mistakes sellers make and how to avoid them

If you’re thinking about selling now or anytime in the next 5 years, you need the info in this episode.  

In the first half of 2021 alone, $2.5 billion in capital has been raise by brand aggregators all looking to acquire eCommerce brands.  

Currently there are over 100 aggregators just in the eCommerce space. A few months ago, I met Dave Bunch at Ezra Firestone’s Blue Ribbon Mastermind in Miami. We were both speaking there and when I heard his story, I knew I wanted him to be on the podcast. Dave is the President of Growve a $250 Million dollar aggregator with close to 25 brands under one roof.  

So why the rise of aggregators? What makes that business model so attractive? Why are brands selling to aggregators? Those are all questions I wanted to ask Dave.  

Here’s a look at what we talk about:

• Why right now might be a good time to take some chips off the table
• The benefits of rolling equity vs. full buyouts
• Why you should be weary of large offers
• When deals go bad - how to better prepare for the issues that always arise when closing deals
• What’s the end game for aggregators including going public through SPACs, selling to Private Equity and selling to strategic investors

• Missing the connector of brand and strategy that make your team and your agencies to be successful
• The story of an awesome DTC product that never fully figured out who they were
• The power of Vision and commanders intent
• How to be a visionary that integrators love to work with
• What “knowing your numbers” really means and really looks like
• How to avoid being a “genius with a thousand helpers”

​​Most of the high growth eComm companies I know are all building to sell. Some want to sell once revenue hits $5 million, some $25 million and some $100+.  Regardless of what your target number is or regardless of if you even have a number, this interview with Chad will be super helpful.  

Hear how Chad built his pet brand business and sold it for 7-figures in under 3 years. 

Here’s a look at what we’ll cover:  

• Tips and advice for sellers 
• Maximize EBITA as you prepare to sell
• Practical tips to “think profit first.”
• Tips for prepping to sell your business
• Learning from successes and failures
• Understanding how self-imposed limits are holding you back!

KetoBrownie (now rebranded as Sinless Snacks - https://www.sinlesssnacks.com/) started where a lot of great food brands start - in the founder’s kitchen.  Nick Raccuia’s story is a great one, full of insights and inspiration, successes and failures.  It includes nailing product development on a few products and failure with other products.  It covers periods of near burn out followed by the power of partnerships and strategic investors.  

Now Nick’s company produces two of my favorite sinless and guilt-free snacks: the original Keto Brownie and the Sinless Snacks cereal bar.  

Here’s a look at what we cover:

• Knowing your customer is the key to product launches. Learn from NIck’s product successes contrasted with a few painful flops.
• The benefits of a strategic investor and how to find them
• Not launching on Amazon soon enough
• Packaging and transit issues
• How obsessing over your customers and products leads to wins

While getting free PR for your brand isn’t easy, it’s not impossible. And the rewards can be huge.  Great companies and CEOs have always understood this. From Steve Jobs to Walt Disney to Richard Branson and others. Free press can be worth millions to your brand.   And you don’t have to be as dynamic as Richard Branson to get free PR.

Ali Karsh is the co-founder of LVPR, a PR company that works exclusively with cool DTC brands like NATIVE, Cloud Paper, Everyday Humans, and many others.  

In this episode, we condense Ali’s 15+ years of PR experience into a power-packed interview.  We cover the most important topics so you can start getting free PR now for your brand.  Here’s what we discuss:

• When’s the best time to engage with media?
• How to craft a compelling founder story that the media is eager to share?
• How the pandemic has made getting PR easier (and harder)
• LVPR’s 5 Rules for brands it works with
• What is commerce/affiliate PR and how it’s changing the PR game.
• Plus more!

Justus Murimi is a guy that once you meet him you’ll likely never forget him. Why? Justus is one of the best askers of questions that I’ve ever been around.  I first met Justus at Ryan Daniel Moran’s lake house in Austin Texas. It was a meeting of eCommerce investors. I was part of a group discussion with Justus and he was asking insightful question after insightful question. Then I had a chance to spend some time with him and we immediately hit it off. He has a knack for understanding entrepreneurs and helping them get unstuck.  He’s the Community Manager for the One Percent with Ryan Daniel Moran.  He’s also the head coach of the Incubator.  Every week he’s coaching, teaching, and mentoring eCommerce businesses at every stage of growth.  

I LOVE this topic.  While we don’t get super tactical, I believe this episode could prove to be one of the most helpful we’ve ever published.  

As entrepreneurs, we're all prone to getting stuck. And it’s not just a one-time deal. Depending on the stage or growth your business is in, you could get stuck for a variety of reasons. In this episode, I turn the tables on Justus and fire probing snd insightful questions his way. Here’s a look at what we cover. 

• How early-stage entrepreneurs are most likely to get stuck. 
• How to overcome overthinking and gain a new frame on failure
• Where growing businesses get stuck and how some entrepreneurs develop a messiah complex. 
• Where business owners fall short when preparing for an exit. 
• What role does fear play in getting stuck and getting unstuck

Who doesn’t love eating cookie dough with a spoon?  Having a tasty product that customers crave is helpful. That’s part of the reason DoughP (pronounced like dope) has been so successful.  But for the real reason behind DoughP’s amazing growth, look no further than the co-CEO team of Kelsey and Is.  Not only are they co-CEOs, they’re also married.  And they produce some addictively good cookie dough that’s shipped directly to your door 

There’s a lot we can learn from DoughP both from a branding and eCommerce growth perspective.  

Here’s a look at what we cover:

• When you get your branding right, marketing becomes easy
• How to detach and make unemotional decisions
• How to be fun, relevant and also have a serious mission side to your business
• How and when to pivot 
• How to scale operations from $50k per year online to over $350k per month in one year.

Amazon has always been a jungle for sellers.  Battling sabotage from unscrupulous competitors, protecting yourself from listing takedowns, and avoiding account suspensions are all enough to keep you awake at night.  So how do you protect your Amazon business from all the forces trying to kill it?   My advice is to learn from and get to know former Amazonian Chris McCabe. Chris used to work at Amazon in the policy enforcement team. Now he works daily with sellers to mitigate issues and fight suspensions. 

He’s been so effective at helping sellers that he’s been awarded the nickname ECommerce Chris. He’s also the host of the podcast, Seller Listing Solutions, and speaks at leading Amazon events like the  Prosper Show.  Chris is a guy you need to know. 

Here’s a look at what we cover:

- Top reasons listings get taken down and what’s in your control.  

- Reasons for listing takedowns that most sellers don’t know about. 

- What it was like working at Amazon 

- The leading reasons for account suspensions and how to protect yourself 

- Top strategies for brand defense and fighting sabotage. 

- The best strategies for preventing problems and getting listings and accounts reinstated.

Tom Worcester is a tremendous success story.  Grit, determination, and the ability to pivot he has in spades.  He started his eCommerce business lunchboxpacks.com in 2018 to cater to the festival and event-going crowd.  He hustled and used in-person marketing at events to help his theft-proof hydration backpacks (think a camelback, but with security features).  The products took off.  Then the pandemic hit.  No festivals. No in-person events.  But Tom knew his customers still craved community.  So he continued to build community and he helped build another business - Create with Carousel that helps eComm brands build great video content.  

Here’s what we dive into:

• How to build community online for an ecomm brand in record time with a unifying topic 
• How to positively create echo chambers for your brand
• What hooks you need to use to build community
• Creating incentives to grow your community
• 3 layers of a product to consider when you craft a video ad…most people only think about the first two layers
• How assuming you’re wrong can help you get it right with video ads
• When and how to best use CTAs in your video ads

We've all dreamed of quitting Amazon. And it's hard to argue with 800% growth in 4 years. 

That's why I was so excited to sit down with Sean Reyes, founder of ShockSurplus.com. I wanted to discuss Sean's journey of growing his business by 800% in just four years, his decision to break up with Amazon despite it accounting for 70% of his revenue at the time, and the importance of thinking like a media company.

While most brands should NOT quit Amazon, some should. And his thoughts around margins and building content are valuable for all eComm brands. 

Key topics and lessons from the episode:

-Sean's strategies for managing margins and advertising costs in a highly competitive environment with intense margin pressure.

-The value of creating authentic, informative content on YouTube to build trust and authority with customers.

-The decision to move away from Amazon due to high fees, lack of customer interaction, and increased competition on listings.

-The importance of thoroughly understanding sales tax nexus laws to avoid costly mistakes and legal issues.

-Sean's advice for eCommerce store owners looking to diversify their revenue streams and uncover new opportunities for growth.

Quotable moments from the episode:

"We've got to be more like a media company that sells parts rather than a parts company that does media. Because I always felt like once you have the experience of producing valuable content, you could direct it anywhere."

"You need to get behind the product, use it to drive proper recommendations, and create a customer experience that no one else can give."

We’re all but guaranteed to see another record holiday season on Amazon this year. But that does not guarantee that you will have a banner holiday season. This year is sure to be challenging for online sellers. More shopping will take place in stores than last year during the height of the pandemic. Ad cost are also on the rise. Combine all of that with increased competition and you see why success this holiday season won't be easy. Getting the most from the Cyber 5 and beyond will really boil down to three things:

1. Covering the basics. Proper inventory levels. Understanding  key selling dates and Amazon’s deadlines. Getting the right badges. Having listings optimized.  Without the basics in place, you’ll be seriously behind this holiday season. We’ll help you get ready.  
2. Getting an edge. This year is sure to be uber competitive for Amazon sellers. Do you have your lighting deals and coupon strategies ready? How’s your storefront, A+ content, and Amazon posts?  Is your Amazon ad strategy primed and ready? We’ll uncover the tips you need to get an edge.  
3. Going full-funnel and leverage what’s new. This is the year to go full-funnel with your Amazon advertising efforts. It’s also the year to fully leverage new offereinces from Amazon including new sponsored brand video targeting, Amazon’s customer engagement  beta, new display options and more. Plus, it’s time to consider a few off-Amazon strategies that only a tiny percentage of sellers are leveraging.  

We cover it all in this episode. Check it out and then share this with your team and other sellers you know who might find it helpful. 

Are you fully prepared for Holiday 2021?  This year is sure to be unique.  While eCommerce is still growing, it’s growing at a slower rate than last year.  Stores are opening, and, for now at least, shoppers are spending more money on experiences than they were during the height of the pandemic.  So how can you maximize your online holiday sales this year?

In this episode, we listen in to the recording of the recent webinar we hosted that covers 7 ways to have a record holiday season including:

• How to leverage the latest YouTube ad formats to get more exposure and more conversions at a lower cost.
• What you’re likely missing with your current search and shopping ad structure and how to fix it.  
• Why now is a great time to consider Google Smart Shopping Campaigns
• How to deliver the right holiday message at the right time
• How to combat rising ad costs
• Plus more!

With iOS 14 and privacy updates throwing advertisers for a loop and increased ad costs making reaching your ad goals harder than ever, scale on Facebook may seem illusive. 

On today’s episode, I wanted to hear from an up-and-coming Facebook ad manager and co-host of the Rich Ad, Poor Ad podcast Dyland Carpenter.  Dylan specializes in eComm media buying and is fanatical about testing, experimenting, and finding ways to scale ad accounts.  Here’s a quick look at what we cover in today’s episode:

• Common mistakes keeping you from scaling with Facebook ads
• Why creative is everything and how to approach creative testing
• Finding the winning campaign formula - learn how Dylan uses controls and tests to always be leveling up.
• Thoughts on iOS 14 
• Budgeting for scale and how to be aggressive without breaking the algorithm 
• Plus more!

Are you ready to crack the YouTube ads code?  Ready to learn how to win now and into the future even as privacy issues are causing media buyers to pull their hair out?

Here’s the Audio from a recent, wildly popular webinar I presented at.  We had just over 2,000 people attend to hear our Winning Formula for Scale for YouTube ads for eCommerce.

This presentation is fast-paced and full of practical tips and examples.  Here are 3 reasons to listen:

• Learn how top eComm brands are profitably spending $500k per month on YouTube ads.  Many were spending $0 on Google ads just a few months or years ago.

• Diversity.  In a world of tracking issues, algo updates, and constant uncertainty - you need to diversify your customer acquisition channels.
• Understand how creative, campaign, and audience strategies work hand-in-hand to deliver stellar results.

Several of my successful eComm friends are selling all or a portion of their businesses right now.  It makes sense.  Ecommerce valuations are at an all time high.  Also, when you consider that entrepreneurs make 50% or more of all the money they will EVER make from their business when they sell it - you have to be thinking about when and how you want to sell your business.  

In this episode I interview my friend and expert M&A advisor, Joe Valley.  Joe is a partner at Quietlight Brokerage, one of the leading online-focused M&A advisory firms in the world.  Before joining the team in 2012, Joe sold his own business through Quiet Light. Since then, he has helped facilitate nearly a half billion in online exits and now is the author of the bestselling book, The EXITpreneur’s Playbook - How to Sell Your Online Business for Top Dollar.

Here’s a look at what we discuss in this episode: 

• What is an EXITpreneur and why it pays to think and operate like one
• Why you should start “training” for an exit now
• What if someone says - I love my business…I don’t want to sell.  
• Top mistakes to avoid when selling your business
• Real life business selling horror stories
• Plus more!

I do highly recommend Joe’s book. You can get your copy today at EXITpreneur.io and begin to understand the true value of your business - and how to get maximum value for it whenever and however you decide to exit.

Nearly every day we have eCommerce companies reaching out to us wanting to know how to grow their eCommerce brands using YouTube ads.  YouTube ads are both exciting and mysterious to most store owners.  

In this episode, I’m bringing you insights from some of the best and brightest minds at OMG Commerce. This is the audio recording from a recent YouTube ads expert panel that I moderated.  This was a really fun panel for me because it was made up entirely of my team.  I brought in 6 of our top YouTube ad specialists from team OMG to answer your burning YouTube questions.  I think you’ll really learn a lot and enjoy this format.  Here’s a look at the questions we dive into:

• What are the best YouTube audiences to launch with and what are the best audiences to SCALE with?
• How are YouTube ads different from Facebook and IG ads and different from ads on other platforms?
• How long does it take to start reaching your CPA or CAC goals?
• What kind of scale is possible with YouTube ads
• When things go wrong on YouTube - what’s usually the cause? 
• How important is production value to the success of your campaigns
• What new YouTube features are you most excited about?

Prime Day 2021 was a year of firsts.  It was the first year Prime Day took place in the 2nd quarter.  From 2015 to 2019 Prime Day was in July.  In 2020, due to the pandemic, Prime Day was moved to October and became the de facto kickoff to holiday shopping.  

This year was also the first year that Prime Day experienced year-over-year growth of 10% or less.  But when the 2-day event brings in $10-11 billion in sales, any year-over-year growth still represents HUGE growth in real dollars.  

For this episode, I brought in OMG’s Amazon Director Chris Tyler to help unpack what we experienced with our clients this year during Prime Day.  Here’s a look at what we discuss:

• Some surprises we saw in the OMG client sales data
• How advertisers may have been more excited than shoppers this Prime Day
• Prime Day may not be a great fit for every seller - some categories crushed it during Prime Day, other categories were “meh.”
• Why inventory issues for many sellers influenced the prevalence of deep discounts and likely took some of the urgency out of Prime Day shopping.  
• The strange shopping behavior we saw during day 2 of Prime Day. 
• How to maximize Prime Day or holiday shopping by thinking Full Funnel with your ad approach
• Plus more!

You want low CPMs (like the early days of Facebook)?  You want massive engagement from eager shoppers?  Are you looking for a little virality to go with that?  Then you need to consider TikTok and SnapChat ads.  I’ve had more clients and other agency friends ask about TikTok and Snap ads in the last few weeks than I can ever remember before.  Both platforms are still in their infancy from an ads standpoint (with SnapChat being more established than TikTok).  Both still offer tremendous opportunities for first adopters who are willing to learn the platforms.  

Today I’m bringing on two experts, Madison Grover VP of Social from Pouch, and Anders Piiparinen CEO from Wallaroo Media.  They’re giving us a crash course on what we need to know about TikTok and Snap ads.

• Why you should build TikToks and NOT ads
• How creating consistently great content on TikTok can have a compounding or “resurfacing” affect
• How to repurpose TikTok content on other platforms
• Why you can’t repurpose YouTube or IG content on TikTok
• Understanding key TikTok metrics
• The basics of a solid Snap ad
• How to drive conversions from TikTok and Snap

Every website is leaking sales and conversions somewhere.  While I love talking about driving more traffic, sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is improve your conversion rate.  In this episode, I interview the founder of Conversion Crimes, Quinn Zeda and we discuss the most common eCommerce conversion crimes she sees.  If you fix even a few of these you’ll see a meaningful improvement in your website performance.  Here’s a look at what we discuss:

• Understanding visual hierarchy and the metaphor of volume knobs
• Creating a process of testing and iteration vs. launching a full site overhaul
• Using customer intel to create marketing breakthroughs
• Keys to better navigation and menu structure
• How to not confuse or overwhelm your visitors
• Using action colors
• Plus more!

Ryan McKenzie is doing what he can to help save the planet.  His super-effective laundry detergent strips are keeping millions of plastic laundry jugs out of landfills each year.  He also wants to save your brand from bad video advertising.

I invited Ryan on the show again because his approach to video advertising is just awesome.  Here at OMG Commerce, we have the privilege of running all of his Google and YouTube ads so we’ve seen firsthand their rocket ship growth.  They were Canada’s 2nd fastest growing start-up and have grown from 7 employees to 200 in record time.  In this episode, we break down Ryan’s  7-step framework behind his video ads that are fueling $100k/day in ad spend.  Here’s a look at what we cover:

• What is a powerful pattern interrupt and how to use one.

• Why having a villain in your ads is a good thing.  Hint: Your villain probably isn’t a person.

• How many and how to most effectively use Calls to Action.

• Biggest surprises on what works and what doesn’t.

• How to use logic and emotion.

Are you ready to make this year's Prime Day your biggest and most profitable yet on Amazon? 

In this episode, Amazon experts Christine Shiloni and Jonathan Finkes join the podcast to share insider strategies and actionable tips to help you crush your Prime Day sales goals. From deal strategies to advertising tactics and inventory planning to post-Prime Day momentum, this episode covers everything you need to know to come out on top during Amazon's massive annual event.

Key topics and lessons include:

-Understanding the different Prime Day deal types (Lightning Deals, Best Deals, Prime Exclusive Discounts, Coupons) and how to select the right ones for your products.

-Aligning your discount strategy with your margins and inventory levels to maximize profitability.

-Crafting an aggressive but targeted advertising approach for Prime Day, including budget pacing, placement focus, and bid adjustments.

-Leveraging increased traffic post-Prime Day to gain new-to-brand customers and drive long-term growth.

-Preparing for a successful Q4 by capitalizing on learnings from Prime Day and gearing up for October Prime Day and holiday sales.

If you think the Amazon marketplace is wild right now, you should have seen it in 2003.  My guest today is Jason Boyce.  Jason is a former Top 200 Seller on Amazon - a spot he held for 10 years before selling his company.  Now he’s frequently interviewed and quoted in the media on all things Amazon.   He was recently interviewed for a PBS Frontline Documentary called Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos.  We discuss some hot takes on broader Amazon topics, plus dive into specific tips for sellers.  

Here’s a look at what we discuss:

• How big is Amazon really…and why it’s actually BIGGER than you think
• Amazon and antitrust and what it means for sellers
• How little improvements to CTR and conversion rate create a compounding effect
• Owning the digital shelf - what it means and what you should be focusing on
• Controlling your brand.  How to proactively control and protect your brand
• Lessons from Jason’s new book - The Amazon Jungle

The death of email has been boldly proclaimed and then retracted so many times I’ve lost count over the last 10 years.  Finally, I think most people agree that email marketing is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.  

This episode is a double-header in terms of topic but still delivered in the same amount of time as usual.  It’s a “two topics for the price of one” special! Itay Paz is an online marketing veteran of 25 years.  He’s also the publisher of the Morning Dough newsletter and an SEO expert.  

Morning Dough is one of my favorite newsletters.  It’s one of the few that I open regularly.  In this episode, we talk about how and why eCommerce brands should be using email marketing beyond just transactional emails.

We also talk Web Core Vitals and how Google is going to use certain core performance metrics to score your site.  How your site scores in Google’s eyes will have a direct impact on both your SEO and your paid ad performance.

• How to land on a newsletter strategy that fits your personality and your brand.
• Tips for getting your emails opened and read.
• How often you should send emails and how to avoid spam and promotional folders.
• What are Web Core Vitals and why you should care.
• How to test your site in 60 seconds to see how it performs what Google’s Web Core Vital.

Andrew Morgans is a true OG when it comes to success on Amazon.  Andrew is the founder of Marknology (think marketing combined with technology) an Amazon brand accelerator and the host of the Startup Hustle podcast.  He’s been helping brands grow on Amazon for 9 years.  Needless to say, a LOT has changed on Amazon in 9 years and Andrew has seen a little bit of everything.  In this episode, we go deep into what successful brands are doing right now on Amazon and where things are headed on the platform….

• Andrew’s philosophy of “if your product can’t sell with your photos and videos alone, you need to go back to the drawing board.”
• How your copy and photos should flow
• How A+ content, storefronts and copy really come down to just 2 things
• Andrew’s favorite tools that he uses daily…but when he doesn’t use them to make decisions.
• How to view Amazon ads in light of how the advertising industry is shifting
• Going international - Amazon is doubling down on international growth…why now is the time to consider it for your brand

• Why Austin is so excited about subscription businesses and who’s running them well
• How different business models could be your next growth evolution
• How privacy could create a renaissance of sorts when it comes to the value of good ad creatives
• How pricey changes will impact audience building and audience targeting
• Formulas for creating high-converting content
• Shifting your role in business to greater growth

Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year.  We now fully expect Prime Day to land in June of 2021 (at the time of recording this podcast we were still uncertain of whether it would be June or July).  OMG’s Amazon Director, Chris Tyler and Amazon Specialist Amber Norell join me for this week’s episode to break down what we’re expecting for this year’s Prime Day and what you need to do to get ready.  

If you do nothing as an Amazon seller, you’ll likely see some lift in sales for Prime Day.  If you use some of the tactics we discuss in this podcast, you could generate some record sales days for your brand.  Here’s a look at what we cover in this episode.  

• Prime Day discounts and coupons - which is usually better and how to structure your offers.
• Amazon Live! - a perfect complement to your Prime Day deals
• Lightning Deals
• Amazon posts
• How to maximize your storefront for Prime Day
• Does and don’ts to get your listings ready for Prime Day

Plus more.  Listen to the full episode or read our complete Prime Day Blog here.

Matt Clark knows what it takes to scale a business.  He’s the CEO of Amazing.com the creator of the most successful information product of all time - Amazing Selling Machines.  

He’s also the co-owner of Lifeboost, a company that he and his business partner Charles Livingston have grown from just $17k per month in sales to over $2 million in monthly sales in just a few short years.  So that begs the question - How did they do it?  That’s what we dive into in this episode.  We discuss their keys to scale both from a marketing and a product development standpoint.  Here’s a snapshot of what we cover:

- How focusing on the hook, headline and offer in their ads allowed them to scale from a few thousand in spend to over $400,000 in monthly Facebook spend.

- Their simple approach to testing and optimizing that doesn’t require any fancy software or split testing tools.

- How they are building their business to sell to the right investors

- How they forecast and measure to make sure they are constantly improving and hitting targets

- Mistakes they made while expanding their product line and their new approach to developing products

- How to better listen to customers

- More!

Myth: marketing texts are annoying.

Truth:  bad marketing texts are annoying.  Good text messages foster customer loyalty and drive sales.  

Ready for the 4 Keys to powerful text marketing right now?  While text marketing isn’t overly complex, there is certainly a right way and a wrong way to approach it. 

81% of all shoppers have signed up for text messaging from a brand.  Customers are clearly open to receiving texts from you.  If you approach text marketing strategically, your customers will even welcome your texts.  Arri B is here to show you how to effectively do that.  Here’s what we cover in this episode.  

• Choosing the right text platform

• No list, no bueno.  Learn the most effective ways to build a list fast.

• Using your text list to build community

• What to text?  Learning an effective content strategy for your text campaigns

• Optimizing and split testing 

• Plus, more!

How would you like to generate a whopping $250k in sales on a new product launch without running Facebook ads and without offering deep discounts?  Sound impossible?  It’s not.  It’s the magic of Gated Launches.

So what’s a gated launch?  It’s a product launch that’s only available to VIPs or top customers.  While it may sound complex, it’s really not.  It does take some work to build a VIP community. But, if you do it right, it’s actually pretty easy to maintain.  In this episode Jordan West, founder and CMO of Little and Lively, a children’s apparel brand, breaks down how his gated launches have generated as much as $120k in sales in the first two hours after going live.   

Here’s a look at what we discuss in this episode:

• The psychology behind gated launches and why they are so powerful
• How to build a healthy, vibrant VIP group that is low maintenance
• How to foster the proper buying mentality in your VIP group
• How to harness VIP feedback for new product development
• The secret of using personalized 1-to-1 videos
• Plus more

If you’re like me, then you're fascinated by the stories of “tech geniuses.”  I never get tired of hearing the origin stories of great tech startups and geniuses behind them (The Social Network is still one of my favorite movies).  In this episode I interview Shawn Livermore, author of the new book Average Joe: Be the Silicon Valley Tech Genius.

Shawn’s new book uncovers some of the magic behind blockbuster tech products like Gmail, Dropbox, Snapchat, Ring, Bitcoin and more.  We bust some long-held myths and underscore how you can learn from the success of tech icons.  Here’s a look at what we cover:

• How moving slow is the new fast in some key areas
• How believing you have to be a genius to succeed in business (even tech)  is a myth
• How to properly incubate ideas and allow your brain to work the way it works best
• The story of Gmail and it’s creator Paul Buchheit 
• The story of Polaroid and how to innovate

How quickly can you find the following key metrics from your business?

Contribution margin. 

Inventory turn ratio.  

Return on inventory (the other ROI).  

If you struggled a bit finding those answers (or if you just want to go to the next level), you need to listen to this episode with John Canetta.  This episode was super fun for me and the content is what separates eComm companies who just get by vs. those who thrive (and end up with big exits).  It’s a must-listen for serious store owners.   

You HAVE to know your numbers.  And your P&L may be lying to you and you don’t even know it.  

• How his hedgehog concept allows him to consistently hit 80% margins vs. 40-50% like some of his competitors.
• His piggybank metaphor and how it shapes his decision making
• Marketing is fun, but operations are where your profits are
• Understanding your numbers and making it SIMPLE - 
• How to look at and use Post Aggregate Gross, Contribution Margin, and Return on Inventory to hit his goals
• John’s 3 keys to business success

I first heard Dave Kline speak at E-commerce Fuel Live in New Orleans a few months ago. It was an awesome event, and Dave's talk was a highlight for me.

Dave is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience working with teams at Bridgewater and Moody's. Dave shares his candid take on how to level up our leadership skills, spot great talent, hire the right managers, and build a team that drives business growth and success.

Key topics and lessons discussed:

-The importance of simplifying processes and avoiding unnecessary hiring by focusing on the most critical problems in your business.

-How do you identify the right roles to hire for and avoid compromising on character when bringing in new talent?

-The benefits and challenges of promoting from within versus hiring external candidates for management positions.

-Strategies for maintaining a flat, collaborative culture while introducing a management structure to support business growth.

-The significance of setting clear incentives and codifying cultural values to encourage desired behaviors and decision-making processes.

-Creating rituals and intentional moments for feedback and idea-sharing to counteract the potential drawbacks of a hierarchical structure.

-Balancing the measurement of managers' performance based on team output and the sustainability of the team they lead.

-Embracing the concept that being a good manager now requires leadership skills, such as being kind, direct, developmental, and coaching team members to reach their full potential.

Here are a few insightful quotes from the podcast:

"Leading is just being kind and direct. Leading is being developmental and coaching. Leading is helping people be better than they, maybe themselves, even believe they can be."

"People will cut a lot of corners for short-term gains, and you end up eroding the long-term  sustainability of the team."

Brennan Agranoff was building spreadsheets at age 13.  He learned a little HTML in High School.   Growing up playing club basketball in Oregon with Nike HQ in his backyard, Brennan saw the appeal of custom socks as a young teen.  So he launched his first eComm brand called HoopSwag at age 13.  Brennan is a master of creative growth ideas.  He combines that with an intense focus on product and process development and automation.  We talked about both growth ideas and process automation at length in this episode.  

• How creative gifting has opened up his Micro-micro influencer approach
• How to go from VA to automation
• Always asking “how do I remove myself from this?”
• How Brennan shares a similar philosophy to Amazon to automate anything repeatable
• The comparison of good code to good process development
• The power of good mentors
• Plus more

If you sell a great product, then no doubt you’re getting referrals.  Referrals are great, but just waiting for them to happen on their own is NOT a formula for rapid growth.  Referral programs are a proven, but underutilized strategy for growing eCommerce brands. In this episode, I interview Arlen Robinson, referral marketing specialist, podcast host, and co-founder of Affiliate Software. We dig into some powerful points to help you take your referral marketing and affiliate marketing to the next level.  Here’s a look at what we cover:

• What’s the difference between referral, affiliate, and influencer marketing and how they each impact your business.
• To incentivize or not to incentivize?  Understanding the when, why, and how of referral incentives.
• Creating a viral loop to get customers into your referral program
• Tools and approaches to make it easy
• Plus some real-world case studies

This eCommerce power couple is ON FIRE.  They are cranking out AMAZING products on Amazon and growing fast.  More importantly, they’re having fun in the process.  

More surprising and impressive than the growth is that they’re married, work together and, wait for it...still like each other!  

We uncover some really powerful lessons in Amazon growth, business growth, and maintaining healthy work relationships.  I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed recording it!

Here’s a look at what we cover:

• How to pivot and grow
• How being in the right role to compliment each other is super important (whether you’re married to your business partner or not)
• Mistakes in hiring the wrong people and how to get this right
• How to know when and how to “let it go” and not get your feelings hurt
• How Tenacity and passion create the ultimate 1-2 punch
• Learning from your successes - a great tragedy is business is succeeding and not know why you succeeded.  
• Knowing your super power and using it consistently