The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Whether you’re just starting out or are looking to scale your business, capital is a problem. Things change fast in ecommerce and getting your hands on cash can be difficult.    My guest today is Don Henig, a tried-and-true finance guy who has found a rather fresh way of financing Amazon businesses through his company, AccrueMe.    AccrueMe is an investment company that offers funding to Amazon private labels and wholesalers in return for a small temporary share in profits. Its goal is to help Amazon sellers grow without worrying about the usual burdens of typical financing options—there’s no interest to worry about, no required monthly payments, and they don’t take any ownership over your business.    In this episode, we’ll get to know Don and the interesting story behind AccrueMe. He’ll also walk me through the process of how their financing model works, with real-world examples to boot.    So, if you’re pressed for cash or are planning to take your business to the next level with additional capital, you’ll get a lot out of this episode.   Timestamps:  Why and how Don started AccrueMe – 3:41 How AccrueMe financing works – 12:39  Some important points I like about the AccrueMe financing model – 18:28 Real-world examples of AccrueMe financing – 22:33 How you can apply for funding – 31:58 The minimum requirements for approval – 35:53   I’d like to thank Don for coming to the show and sharing his creative financing model with us. If you have any burning questions about AccrueMe, you can connect with him over on LinkedIn or email him at don@accrueme.com.    In case you haven’t already, now is your last chance to sign up for EcomCrew Premium this quarter! Some perks our Premium members love most are the unlimited email support from myself and Dave Bryant, our monthly Secret Sauce Webinars delivered by industry experts, and our entire library of courses and Q&A webinars where like-minded entrepreneurs share their pain points and strategies.    Premium won’t be open for a few months after today, so make sure you don’t miss out.   Lastly, if you enjoyed this episode, please head over to iTunes and leave us a review.   Until the next one, happy selling!

In this edition of our Amazon PPC series, Dave explores advanced tactics that worked for his own brands which coincidentally, everyone else seems to be ignoring.   Do your Sponsored Products campaigns suck? Has your ACoS gone through the roof?   Today, Dave will address those problems and talk about Amazon’s Sponsored Products.    This episode kicks off with a breakdown of the most basic strategy that everyone is using for this advertising campaign method—the peel-stick-block technique.    Then, Dave will talk about some of our advanced tactics and how we are using them for our own brands. He will cover topics like placement bids and why you’re probably doing it wrong, the effective ways to do dynamic bidding, and when to take advantage of category targeting.    Whether you’re looking to improve your Sponsored Product campaigns and keep that ACoS at a manageable level or just learning about Amazon’s bevy of advertising options, there’s a lot in this episode for you.   Timestamps: Peel-stick-block and the basics of Amazon Sponsored Products - 4:17 Our advanced strategies for Amazon Sponsored Products - 5:40 Placement bids and how most people are doing it wrong - 7:25 Which placement performs best for Mike and Dave’s brands - 11:59 Dynamic bidding - 14:09 Category targeting - 19:20 Why category search doesn’t work for most people - 20:19   If you loved this episode, stay tuned for future editions of this Amazon PPC Overhaul series, where we’ll talk about the other advertising campaign options on Amazon, the best software to manage all your ad campaigns, and how our PPC experiments impacted our own brands.    By the way, EcomCrew Premium is open this week only! This will give you access to our deep-dive Secret Sauce Webinar on Amazon Sponsored Products, where we really get down to the nitty gritty and share our three secret targeting campaign strategies.    Premium also gives you perks like unlimited email access to Dave and myself for all questions that you may have, 6 up-to-date ecommerce courses in glorious HD, our entire library of past webinars, including other Secret Sauce editions with industry experts. See you on the inside.   Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes. It helps more than you know.   Until the next one, happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!

Mike and Dave break down how Gino Wickman’s best-selling book, Traction, helped them grow their ecommerce companies. They also announce the giveaway winners of Gino’s new book, Entrepreneurial Leap.   Ever struggled as an entrepreneur but can’t quite put your finger on what the problem is?    I know I have.   One of the biggest things that helped me get past that and level up my entrepreneurial game is Gino Wickman’s best-seller, Traction. Matter of fact, I did an entire podcast series on how I used his practical methods with my own business.    In this episode, Dave and I talk about how the book impacted not just EcomCrew but also our separate ecommerce brands, from capturing our company core values, to building an awesome offshore team, to nailing down our long-term goals.    By the way, Gino himself was on Episode 376 where we talked about his new book, Entrepreneurial Leap. In that episode, we kicked off a giveaway of three signed copies of his book, and we’re happy to announce the three lucky winners today!    Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated!    It’s definitely fun having Dave around more often on the podcast. You’ll catch more of us during our upcoming free public webinar on Sending External Traffic to Amazon, where we’ll be teaching you how free organic traffic can help you sell and rank on Amazon without wasting money on paid advertising.   Mark the date: May 19 at 10 AM (PST) Sign up here.    If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to iTunes and leave us a review. It helps more than you know.    As always, happy selling and we’ll talk to you soon!

I bought an exciting new ecommerce business last year!   I’ve talked about how that opportunity came about with my business partners, Andrew and Bill, back in Episode 366.    Now, several months into this venture, there’s a bunch of new questions to be answered and a lot more stuff to be explored, all of which I’m happy to share with you guys.   In today’s episode, Dave is back on the show to ask me some of those burning questions:   Was it wise to have bought the company during the pandemic year? What are the top 3 things I’m focusing on to grow the business? How am I dealing with the increased cash flow needs as the business grows?   We’ll be talking about all that and much more in this episode. Whether you are looking to buy an ecommerce business yourself or are developing your business to sell it in the near future, this episode definitely has a lot in it for you.    It’s always a fun time having Dave come on the podcast. Be sure to check out all the awesome stuff he’s putting out on the EcomCrew Blog.   If you enjoyed this episode as much as we did, leave us a review over on iTunes. It helps more than you know.    Until the next one, happy selling!

Check out our article here for more information into our PPC overhaul and investigation.   Over the last year, Amazon has rolled out a bunch of new advertising options alongside a trend of rising ACoS.    While my offshore team has done an amazing job with PPC and keeping everything in check, I’ve found that a few competitors have caught up to us by taking advantage of these new ad formats.   All this can get overwhelming for new Amazon sellers and has a lot of us scratching our heads as to which methods to use, how much to spend, and which software works  best.    This is why we’re doing an Amazon PPC Overhaul series.    In this 6-part series, Dave and I will re-examine the current advertising campaigns we use for our own 7-figure brands and bring you a breakdown of our actual numbers to answer all your questions about PPC and Amazon’s hoard of ad formats.    For this pilot episode, we’ll be talking about why PPC can be the biggest driver of profit in your ecommerce business. We’ll also be giving an overview of our current account performance and the goals we want to achieve after our investigation.    Timestamps: Why we’re doing this Amazon PPC podcast series - 1:01 How my early PPC tests are turning out - 7:35 Current PPC baselines for our own brands and our 3-month goals - 9:38 Should you just turn off PPC during the off season? - 13:34 Our thoughts on how AI plays into PPC and ad campaigns - 19:10 Some key questions we want to answer in this series - 22:21   Be sure to check out Dave’s Amazon PPC Overhaul article, which is the perfect companion to this podcast episode, and all the other good stuff we have for you over on the EcomCrew Blog. Also, if you haven’t already, grab your free copy of our book, Import From China Like A Pro now. From finding products to import, to working with suppliers, to getting your inventory shipped, this all-in-one guide will help you avoid the mistakes we ourselves have made when importing from China.   And again, the book is free, just pay for shipping.   If you like this episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast, tune in to the rest of this series, and leave us a review over on iTunes.   Until the next one, happy selling!

Episode 301 with Dave Alexander was a memorable one. We talked about his failures in venturing into the world of ecommerce (including his hilarious first ecommerce idea) and how perseverance eventually got the ball rolling for him.   Since then, Dave has found success with his brands, Bushy Box and Lazy Leash.   Hungry for more growth, Dave is back for a second Under the Hood session where I answer his biggest questions on how to level-up his ecommerce game.    Some of the things we talk about in this episode include the best ways to get traffic into your own ecommerce site or Shopify store, why reaching out to influencers can help you get more visibility to relatively unique products like pocket-sized dog leashes, and how to start selling your product on Amazon.    Whether you are only just launching your first product or are looking to scale your business, I’m sure there’s something valuable here for you.   Timestamps:  Getting traffic into your own website or Shopify store - 3:12 How to reduce your workload and avoid burnout - 13:38 Why you should reach out to influencers and media platforms - 16:59 The benefits of hiring a full-time PR person - 23:11 My advice on selling on Amazon - 26:03 Basic principles in crafting a killer Amazon listing - 28:52   I’d wanna thank Dave for finding the time to do this episode with me, and I’m definitely looking forward to Part 3 with him several months down the road. Be sure to check out his awesome products on Bushy Box and Lazy Leash—who knows, they might give you some inspiration to develop your own unique ecommerce product.   Finally, if you haven’t already, be sure to join our giveaway of 3 autographed copies of Gino Wickman’s Entrepreneurial Leap, which will run until April 30. To enter, simply leave us a review over on iTunes and email us a screenshot of your review at support@ecomcrew.com with the Subject Line: Entrepreneurial Leap. Good luck!   Happy selling, and we’ll talk to you soon!

Shipping and logistics has become a nightmare (If it wasn’t already). Between sea freight rates soaring 300%, massive delays in getting your shipments from China into Amazon warehouses, and Amazon making sellers bear the brunt of its inventory limits, a lot of ecommerce sellers are struggling to foot the bill.   In this episode, Dave and I break down this nightmarish sea freight situation and how it’s affecting us personally in terms of margins and inventory management.    We also talk about some useful tactics and strategies we are putting in place to stay ahead of the curve and keep our businesses afloat (pun intended). Finally, we share our predictions on where this whole thing is going and why you should definitely be placing your entire holiday order right now.   Timestamps:  Breaking down the current mess that is shipping and logistics - 00:57 How much freight transit times and costs have soared - 05:02 It’s actually impact to our margins - 8:11 Managing your inventory and taking advantage when your competitor runs out of stock - 13:26 How Amazon’s capacity issues is putting the screws to ecommerce sellers - 16:30 Our predictions moving forward - 27:09   It’s always a blast having Dave come on the podcast. Be sure to check out the EcomCrew Blog to read up about things like sea freight, why costs have basically tripled in the past year, and other burning ecommerce topics.   Also, in case you missed it, we’re giving away 3 autographed copies of Gino Wickman’s new book, Entrepreneurial Leap, which answers all the questions you’re ever going to ask yourself before taking the leap into entrepreneurship.   For a chance to win 1 of these 3 copies, simply leave us a review on iTunes and email us a screenshot of your review with the Subject Line: Entrepreneurial Leap. If you’ve already given us a review in the past, you can take a screenshot of it and send that over.   Entries will be accepted until April 30, and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter here on the podcast. Good luck!   Until the next one, happy selling!

Launching your very first product and managing inventory can be tough. Fortunately, many of our community members have had great success using the tips and tricks that we share here at EcomCrew.    In this Under the Hood episode, I’ll be breaking down some of those exact strategies.   For those who are new to the podcast, Under the Hood is a segment where I do an hour-long coaching session with one of our listeners, where I answer all their burning questions and give them some actionable advice.   My guests for today are David and Connor, a father-and-son duo who started out by buying content sites and, at the time of recording, were on their way to launching their very first product on Amazon.    Some of the good stuff we talk about include my personal steps to successfully launching products on Amazon, how to manage your inventory, and how to put niche-specific content sites to good use in order to drive conversions.   I also give my advice on how you can optimize your Amazon listings to make your products stand out, especially if you’re selling in a highly competitive niche.    Timestamps: A background on Connor and David’s business - 4:10 The best practices to launching new products on Amazon - 6:33 What strategies to implement when offering different product sizes - 13:37 How low can you let your inventory go before shipping more units in? - 16:11 When and how to adjust your strategies according to Amazon’s storage promos - 18:39 Securing conversions using your content site and putting non-converting pages to good use - 21:54 Which lead magnet software you should be using - 28:59 How strict should you come down on your suppliers for delays? - 33:18 Crafting an effective title for your listings - 38:07 Must-have elements that make your main image stand out - 43:51 My general tips for PPC - 51:36 The effect of Cookies being removed by Google on the Affiliate Industry - 54:04   I want to thank David and Connor for taking the time to do this episode with me. It’s an awesome feeling hearing how my own strategies are helping others succeed.   If you want to get featured in an Under the Hood episode like this one, you can sign up over on ecomcrew.com/underthehood.   Also, in case you missed it, we’re giving away 3 autographed copies of Gino Wickman’s new book, Entrepreneurial Leap, which answers all the questions you’re ever going to ask yourself before taking the leap into entrepreneurship.   For a chance to win 1 of these 3 copies, simply leave us a review on iTunes and email us a screenshot of your review with the Subject Line: Entrepreneurial Leap. If you’ve already given us a review in the past, you can take a screenshot of that and send it over.    Entries will be accepted until April 30, and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter here on the podcast. Good luck!   Until the next one, happy selling!

Gino Wickman, a bestselling author known for his influential book, Traction, joins for an inspiring discussion. He introduces his new work, Entrepreneurial Leap, outlining essential traits every entrepreneur should possess. Gino explains the 'entrepreneurial range' and reassures that not meeting all traits isn't a failure. He shares insights on the three stages of entrepreneurship: Confirm, Glimpse, and Path, and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and effective communication in navigating challenges. Plus, don't miss his free resources for aspiring entrepreneurs!

Crafting an ad campaign that actually helps your ecommerce business can be quite tricky.   Luckily, Ilana Wechsler of Teach Traffic has come up with an effective approach to working out a paid campaign strategy tailored to your business—the Paid Traffic Puzzle.    Just as you would do with an actual puzzle, Ilana explains why the four corners are great starting points to crafting an effective ad campaign, and how they reveal what the next puzzle pieces are. This eventually helps you build your puzzle all the way into the middle and come up with the full picture.   The four corners are: Google Search Google Display  YouTube Marketing Facebook/Instagram Marketing   In this episode, we also talk about what you should do when your retargeting campaigns are not working, which data to look for in order to craft an effective campaign, and a bunch of other good stuff you don’t wanna miss.    Timestamps:  Ilana’s experience in running a PPC agency - 1:20 What the Paid Traffic Puzzle is all about - 3:12 Things to do if your site has little to no organic traffic - 7:12 Building towards the middle of your puzzle when you have a profitable retargeting campaign up and running - 12:59 Examples in implementing the Paid Traffic Puzzle approach - 21:30 Why it’s important to make an offer that converts - 25:28 Crafting an effective lead magnet - 26:32   I’d like to thank Ilana for coming on the show and sharing some valuable insights that you can definitely put to good use for your ecommerce business. If you’re looking to solve your own traffic puzzle, you can check out Ilana’s training materials and services over on teachtraffic.com.    Also, don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoyed this episode. It helps more than you know.   Until the next one, happy selling!