The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Most ecommerce startups follow a similar startup story. We didn't do that great in school, so we didn't follow the traditional college degree path. We were hungry to survive so we jumped into the workforce right from a young age, which we were unhappy with and then discovered the opportunity to sell products online through Amazon or eBay.  You guys may or may not know it, but I'm actually speaking from some of my own personal experience. However, today's guest comes from the other side of the coin, building an amazing ecommerce business with the experiences he got from getting his Bachelor's Degree.  Today's guest is Ryan Popoff, the founder and owner of Popov Leather.  Ryan and I met through a mutual friend, JP, who I did an episode with a few months back (which you can check out here!) and from there, I just found Ryan's start up story just incredibly fascinating. Ryan used the experiences that he learned from school and his art degree to build a masterpiece of a product that he ultimately produced and now sells worldwide. This just goes to show you how far creativity can really take your business.  Here's a list of topics (with timestamps!) that we go through:  Ryan's background: who he is and what he does –– 4:41 Why Ryan chose to dive into the Wallet industry –– 5:51 Quitting his job and diving in full-time –– 7:05 At present: revenue and growth –– 8:12 Challenge #1: Growing Pains –– 9:10 How Ryan learned about his financials, and what you can do to learn about them too –– 10:15 How lowering Ryan's free shipping threshold affected profitability –– 12:09  The sacrifices taken when growing your business year over year –– 13:43  Achieving success within a crowded niche –– 18:38 The idea that started Popov Leather –– 22:18  Expanding the product portfolio –– 23:35 Challenge #2: Saving money by exercising creativity –– 24:40  Challenge #3: Hiring and Training your first employee –– 28:08 The challenges in the future for Popov Leather –– 31:41 Making the product speak for itself –– 34:00 Want to access our Secret Sauce video classes but you’re not a Premium member? No problem! We’re opening access to 10 of our most popular Secret Sauce videos for just $99. We want you to see one of the best EcomCrew Premium perks without paying the Premium price. Click here to see the 10 videos you get in this $99 bundle. Thanks for listening to this episode! Until the next one, Happy Selling and stay safe out there.

Most ecommerce entrepreneurs make their debut in the industry as start ups who ordered their products in China, had them shipped over and started selling them on Amazon.  But not for Jaryd.  Jaryd Krause's story and how he made his way into ecommerce was an interesting one. He started off his own online business as an entrepreneur, but realised that juggling so many things at one time maybe wasn't the best idea. With a blog and a home-based business on his hands, the online business suffered and ultimately failed within the first 12 months.  But Jaryd didn't let this failure stop him. He came across a statistic that said 90% of all start-ups fail and so, he got an idea. Instead of building up his own business, why not buy a business that has succeeded through its first 12 months, and one that's established itself well enough in the industry? That's exactly what he did.  A few years later, Jaryd is juggling 3 online brands in his hands while also teaching people how to successfully replace their income by buying a business for their own. He's here today to share that experience.  Want to access our Secret Sauce video classes but you’re not a Premium member? No problem! We’re opening access to 10 of our most popular Secret Sauce videos for just $99. We want you to see one of the best EcomCrew Premium perks without paying the Premium price. Click here to see the 10 videos you get in this $99 bundle. Thanks for listening to this episode! Until the next one, Happy Selling and stay safe out there.

It's been awhile since we've done another one of these, but today's episode is an Under the Hood with our friend Nadine from ProHorse!  If you guys don't know, Under the Hood is a segment where we do an hour-long coaching call with one of our listeners. We take a look at their businesses, provide honest feedback, and answer whatever questions they have. In exchange for the free coaching, we will turn the call into a podcast episode so that our community can benefit as well.  Nadine started her business selling products in the equestrian niche, which I feel like is a great niche to get started in because the industry is very affluent, and owning a horse isn't cheap. There's a lot of products that you'll need to take care of your horse properly, and so the fact that she took advantage of her hobby really put her on the right track.  In today's episode, we go over some of Nadine's troubles that she's facing in her business. She's in the process of changing her business model; moving from a dropshipping-only business to a private label business, and that process brought up a few more questions about hiring, using 3PLs vs. having an own warehouse, and lastly, expanding into Amazon and the US market.  There's definitely a little bit of everything here for everyone, so I think there's definitely some key take aways here that you can use in your businesses.  Want to access our Secret Sauce video classes but you’re not a Premium member? No problem! We’re opening access to 10 of our most popular Secret Sauce videos for just $99. We want you to see one of the best EcomCrew Premium perks without paying the Premium price. Click here to see the 10 videos you get in this $99 bundle. Thanks for listening to this episode! Until the next one, Happy Selling and stay safe out there.

Last week I sat down with Andrew Youderian to talk about his new investment venture called ECF Capital. You might also recall me mentioning that I’m on the lookout for my next ecommerce business. If you own an ecommerce business, the Covid-19 crisis probably made you feel uneasy as many ecommerce entrepreneurs surely do. And hearing about these investment and buyout ventures might have led you to think that it might be a good idea to sell your business these days. But is now really a good time to sell? Or would it be worth it to wait out the storm, do your best to stay alive, and then sell when things settle back down and you have a shot at a better multiple? This episode with Joe Cochran could give you some insights.  Joe had entertained the idea of selling for years and he almost pulled the trigger a year ago. But even though he’d been having panic attacks and multiple sleepless nights, he ultimately decided to postpone the sale. A year later, Joe finally sold his business for 7 figures, and he’s here today to share that experience. Want to access our Secret Sauce video classes but you’re not a Premium member? No problem! We’re opening access to 10 of our most popular Secret Sauce videos for just $99. We want you to see one of the best EcomCrew Premium perks without paying the Premium price. Click here to see the 10 videos you get in this $99 bundle. Thanks for listening to this episode! Until the next one, happy selling and stay safe out there.

Happy Monday! I hope that you’re doing well and staying safe in these crazy times.  Keeping an ecommerce business afloat while also going through a pandemic is quite the challenge. With the borders closed, Amazon FBA services delayed and most 3PLs either closed or working at low capacity, it’s definitely a challenging start to the year for most, if not all of us entrepreneurs.  One thing that’s going to help some of these businesses stay afloat is looking for investors.  So in today’s episode, I sit down and talk to Andrew Youderian, a friend of the show who just recently launched a new project: Ecommerce Fuel Capital, and how it can help some businesses stay afloat in these hard times. We talk about what Ecommerce Fuel Capital exactly is, the people who’ve partnered up with Andrew, and specifically, the characteristics that Andrew’s looking for in a business to invest in.  I’ve done an episode on the Podcast before about the criteria I’m looking for, but in this episode, Andrew and I discuss in-depth about the several factors that both of us chose.  I think that today’s episode will definitely be insightful. People who are new to the industry will know about the characteristics that their businesses should strive for, while seasoned entrepreneurs can take a peek into what Andrew and I are thinking of when looking at businesses to acquire.  If you’re looking to sell your business, and you feel like your business fits these categories, feel free to message me at support@ecomcrew.com.  Are you an ecommerce seller that’s hit the million dollar revenue mark? Through Ecommerce Fuel, you’ll be able to find and talk to several other experienced sellers to discuss strategies, share Amazon woes, and learn several tips to edge out your competition. Find out more here!  Keeping track of your Amazon business doesn’t have to be difficult. Through JungleScout, you can find everything you need in one place! JungleScout is the all-in-one tool to use when keeping track of your brands, and is something we still use today. You can learn more about JungleScout in this course where Greg Mercer and I go over product, keyword AND supplier research for all of those that wish to start entering a new niche, along with so much more. Sign up to learn more. Thanks for listening to this episode! Until the next one, Stay Safe!

An online service business can be very different when compared to an ecommerce business. Each can offer some valuable selling experience, but they're not really 100% alike. With that being said, there's so much to learn about when first going into selling on Amazon.  Today's guest is just about to make that same transition. Gerard Noonan has been an online service entrepreneur for 8 years now, but after reading the 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, he's ready to start selling on Amazon Australia.  Since Gerard's just about to start, we jumped in immediately into the actionable advice. This isn't a typical Under the Hood episode since its geared more towards the people who are maybe considering selling on Amazon and want to see what it's like (and how much work it actually is).  So in this episode, we talk about the various advantages of having a VA right out of the bat and why I'm such a big advocate for that, the importance of building a relationship with your suppliers, and so much more.  Struggling to keep track of your Amazon business? Learn about the industry standard tool that we use to keep track of all our brands, JungleScout! In this course, Greg and I go over product, keyword AND supplier research for all of those that wish to start entering a new niche, along with so much more. Sign up to learn more. Under the Hood is a segment where we do an hour-long coaching call with one of our listeners. We take a look at their businesses, provide honest feedback, offer our best business advice, and answer whatever questions they have. In exchange for the free coaching, we will turn the call into a podcast episode so that our community can benefit as well. It’s a win-win! If you've got an ecommerce business, I'd like to ask you: what are some tips that you wish you knew before you started your ecommerce business? Leave a comment down below or contact us at support@ecomcrew. Happy selling!

The Coronavirus is probably one of the biggest topics that everyone's talking about right now, and for good reason. It's affecting everyone's mentality, health, and for us e-commerce sellers, it's attacking our own livelihood. Supply chains in China have been disrupted, Amazon has paused its fulfilment services, slowing down delivery times to a crawl for customers.  It's a frustrating time for all, but know that you are not alone. In this episode, Dave and I will be talking about how the Coronavirus has affected us personally and we'll be giving out a few tips on how to keep your business afloat during this unforeseen 'dry' season, including using government assistance and Amazon loans to your advantage.  We've actually covered the Coronavirus in an earlier episode where Dave spoke with our friend Cameron Walker, who is also an ecommerce entrepreneur and was in China before this virus became a global pandemic. At that point in time, we didn't really know how big this would get, but it's definitely interesting to hear firsthand of what daily life is line in a city forced into isolation. You can find it here. If there's anything that you need help with, feel free to contact us through email at support@ecomcrew.com.  Struggling to keep track of your Amazon business? Learn about the industry standard tool that we use to keep track of all our brands, JungleScout! In this course, Greg and I go over product, keyword AND supplier research for all of those that wish to start entering a new niche, along with so much more. Sign up to learn more. If you think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes. Stay safe out there, and happy selling. 

Today, we're joined by Lianna Patch of Punchline Copy and SNAP Copy. Lianna was one of the speakers during ECF Live this year, and even though I didn't really have an initial interest in the subject of copywriting, her presentation easily became one of my favourites because of how funny and entertaining it was. So, after hearing her talk, I knew I had to get her on the show.  In this episode, I specifically requested if Lianna could share some copywriting tips that we can use to take home and really just implement right away and so, today's episode is just full of that – actionable advice, entertaining stories, and proof that shows that these things really work.  So grab a pen and paper, and take notes. This is going to be an episode full of just educational tips and advice. 

Welcome to the Ecomcrew Podcast, and greetings again from California! It's been a rough couple of days with the news of the virus becoming a global pandemic now, but I can't help but think that this was just really good timing for us to finally settle down before the news of the virus started coming around.  On today's episode, it's a returning guest! We have Kelcey Lehrich from 365 Holdings on the podcast today. Doesn't sound familiar? Kelcey and I have actually recorded for the Ecomcrew podcast before but due to some technical difficulties and issues, we weren't able to release the episode. But since then, Kelcey told me that a lot has happened so I thought it was a great time to take another go at it.  Kelcey is a partner at 365 Holdings – an ecommerce conglomerate in the making, with an impressive portfolio under their belt and a really unique background behind them. It's actually quite funny how this idea came to be, but I'll save that one for the podcast.  If you weren't part of last week's webinar where we talked about Importing from China in 2020, don't fret because we're extending the offer to you too! We've recently partnered up with JungleScout to offer a year of JungleScout for 65% off of their usual offer with an added bonus. We'll also be throwing in our Importing from China like a Pro course for free when you purchase a year's worth of subscription to JungleScout. Learn more about it here!  If you’ve got any questions or any comments, feel free to leave us a comment down below. We’d love to hear any of your feedback, especially with the new format of the show. And as always,  Happy Selling and stay safe!

Welcome to the Ecomcrew Podcast and greetings from Irvine, California! We're still here, establishing some roots and it's very different compared to last year where we were all over the place, doing our travelling but now that the new year's come, it feels really good to be able to stay in one spot for a while and leave the hectic travelling lifestyle behind us for a bit.  For today's episode, I was actually emailed by today's guest about buying his business when I put out an episode listing the criteria of the next business I was looking to buy. And all of that back and forth has led to today's episode where I'm with Joonas Gebhard of KawaiiBox -- a subscription box brand that sells cute toys from Japan.  Joonas is a Finland native, and his path to becoming an online seller is definitely one of the most interesting. From being a concert organizer, Joonas transitioned into being a local seller with a brick and mortar store in Finland before suddenly jumping ship, and taking everything online. This path definitely isn't the most common, so listen in and hear about the lessons he's learned from running a brick and mortar store to transitioning everything into online.  Before I forget, Dave and I are hosting a free webinar on March 11th, 10am PST where we'll be talking about Importing from China in 2020. We'll be talking about how the Corona virus is definitely going to affect your business, Amazon Dragonboat, and the new updates on tariffs in 2020. Register now!  If you've got any questions or any comments, feel free to leave us a comment down below. We'd love to hear any of your feedback, especially with the new format of the show.