Money Lost, Lessons Gained: Carlos Alvarez Reveals the Mistakes Behind His $16M Business Mistakes!

Carlos Alvarez is the Founder and CMO at Wizards of Ecom, a Miami-based global e-commerce academy educating entrepreneurs on how to leverage Amazon for financial freedom. Carlos is a 15-plus-year veteran in the Amazon space who has scaled his brands into a nine-figure entity. Additionally, he is the Founder and CEO of Blue Bird Media & Marketing Solutions, a digital marketing agency specializing in product sourcing, brand building, Amazon vendor management, PPC, and lead generation. Carlos also hosts the world's largest free-to-attend Amazon Meetup group where participants discuss e-commerce, self-publishing, advertising, and selling on Amazon.

In this episode…

Scaling a business to seven figures and above requires a strategic roadmap that includes designing a vision, diversifying and expanding, and extending market reach. Boosting market coverage can also involve community building. Why is community essential to brand growth? 

Carlos Alvarez, an entrepreneur and experienced marketer, asserts that he will only launch a product if there is a demand for it. Many Amazon sellers use pay-per-click advertising to raise brand awareness. Unfortunately, PPC prices have increased by over 30% since 2021 and will continue to rise. Carlos explains that having a devoted community of customers who trust you as a vendor can lead to customer advocacy, word-of-mouth recommendations, and positive reviews. Building a community can be as simple as creating social media accounts. However, Carlos advocates for in-person groups like Meetup. Face-to-face interactions allow for open conversations, brainstorming, and real-time surveys and opinions.

On today’s eComm Breakthrough Podcast, Josh Hadley interviews Carlos Alvarez, Founder and CMO at Wizards of Ecom, about strategies for building a community and brand. Carlos shares his passion for building community, explains his strategies for managing a portfolio of businesses, and discusses his business ventures.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Josh Hadley on LinkedIn
• eComm Breakthrough Consulting
• eComm Breakthrough Podcast
• Email Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.com
• Hadley Designs
• Hadley Designs on Amazon
• Carlos Alvarez on LinkedIn
• Text Carlos Alvarez: 305-902-1283
• Wizards of Ecom
• Wizards of Ecom Podcast
• Wizards of Ecom app
• Online Seller Cruise
• Salsa Kings

Special Mention(s):

• Kevin King
• Howard Thai on LinkedIn
• Michael E. Gerber on LinkedIn
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• Chris Ducker on LinkedIn
• Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
• Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want From Your Business by Mark C. Winters
• The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup by Noam Wasserman
• Slicing Pie Handbook: Perfectly Fair Equity Splits for Bootstrapped Startups by Mike Moyer
• Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim
• Headspace
• Jeffrey Cohen on LinkedIn

Related Episode(s):

• “Kevin King’s Wicked-Smart Tips for Building an Audience of Raving Fans” on the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast
• “Unlocking Entrepreneurial Greatness | Insider Secrets With E-Myth Author Michael Gerber” on the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast
• “Mastermind Level Strategies From a Former Top 50 Amazon Seller With Howard Thai” on the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast