The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

 It’s goals time. Before I go into this year’s list, revisiting the 18 goals I’ve set up for myself and my company is definitely a must. These were meant to be BHAGS (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) for myself personally and for the company. And in this podcast, we’re going through each of them of them - the ones we achieved, the ones we didn’t, and the ones where we got halfway. Before reading through this latest and final goals update, here are the links to all the previous ones to get you up to speed. E109: My 2018 Goals E134: 2018 Goals Quarterly Review E162: 2018 Goals – The Half-Way Mark E193: 2018 Goals – The Home Stretch 2018 was a mix of ups and downs. While there were many challenges, there were plenty of wins as well. We may not have reached our target revenue due to a number of factors but we were still able to grow by 40% and start the year with a healthy cash balance. So, here goes. 1. Develop 50 new products We were on our way to hit this but current market conditions made it necessary to change course and put a halt on more product development. We ended up with over 25 new products instead of 50. 2. Launch on Amazon Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and eventually, Australia We did this but it did not go nearly as well as we thought. We will continue doing this as everything’s already set up. If we sent that time doing something else, we probably could have yielded more from our business. 3. Optimize our Amazon listings to increase sales by 50% We did this for all of our tops listings. We’ve put in the effort to bring our listings to the next level by having better photography. We’ve yet to find out if we did achieve a 50% sales increase. 4. Improve PPC This is a huge win. We lowered our ACOS down to 7% and saving 5-figures a month. It has really helped our net margins. We’ll definitely be doing more with this to take full advantage of Amazon PPC’s new features. 5. Implement the concepts in the book Traction in our business Another win. We got the company better organized and have everybody be on the same page.  6. Reach $10 million in revenue with a 10% net profit We threw out the $10 million goal because the growth we projected that would help us reach this number was tied to launching new products and sales coming in Amazon Canada. In the end, we made 6 million dollars, a 40% increase from the year before. 7. Lose 12 lbs I achieved this at one point but the holidays happened so by the end of the year, I was down 10 lbs. 8. Record 100 episodes of the podcast Another goal achieved. For 2019, I’m thinking along the lines of 75 because I want to do some more journalistic type pieces, which will generally take more time to do. 9. Launch a new version of ecomcrew.com We did this early in the year with major help from David Couillard. Dave’s also been improving the content on the website. 10. Launch 4 new courses Ended the year with 5 courses. 11. Hike 80 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail I was not able to do this in March. However, I did some other hiking though. The most significant one being a hike to Mammoth Lakes. 12. Take an epic 2-week vacation We accumulatively accomplished this by taking a few days off at different times during the year. 13. Visit the Philippines office at least once We did this and we’ll be doing it again this year in April. This time for a full two weeks. 14. Read a book a quarter This is done too. I read Traction, Ready Player One, Not Dead Yet (Phil Collins’s autobiography), and The One Thing. 15. Handoff my Facebook ads to other people within the company I had already done this. Unfortunately, the person I handed the job to left the company. 16. Come up with at least one new tactic that no one else is doing We came up with a free downloadable calendar for Colorit but it feels more like a cop-out because we are using the same process and strategies to create a new product. 17. Never lose sight of the bigger picture: create 5-star products that people will truly love and continue to enjoy what I’m doing I think we’re on track with this. We have certainly done the products part and I also believe that our employees enjoy coming to work. However, I’m a little bit worried about myself because we’re past the exciting stage of starting a business. In 2019, I will certainly be focusing on coming up with ways to remain inspired. Want to ask us anything in real time? Do not miss our live Q&A webinar on the last Tuesday of the month, January 29 at 10 AM PST. Register here. Registration to EcomCrew Premium is closed indefinitely. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You’ll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business. Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

It’s the start of a new month and a whole new year, so Dave and I bring you some of the latest from the marketplace we all know and ‘love’. The title is a good indicator of what we’re covering in today’s show. But there are some, like Amazon Product Targeting, that we introduced in the previous updates. You can listen to them by clicking on the links below. E185: Amazon News, Updated Review Policy, Minimum Wage Hike, Increase in Storage Fees, etc. E201: Amazon Update – Black Friday, Review Throttling, PPC Here’s a summary of the updates we covered. Amazon Fee Updates - the biggest (and best) change is the removal of long-term storage fees for anything under a year; storage fee for hazmat increased significantly. Read all about the new FBA fees in 2019 on this in-depth blog post. Amazon will be collecting sales tax for third-party sellers in two more states - Iowa and Alabama Results of product targeting campaigns PPC ads portfolio A win for EcomCrew’s fight against nasty tactics of Amazon - Dave was quoted in a relevant article on The Verge Amazon photography service - accessible by going to ‘Manage Inventory’ in Seller Central and selecting an individual image in the image column Registration to EcomCrew Premium is closed indefinitely. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You’ll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business. Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Our second podcast of 2019 is a different take on our usual Under the Hood. On today’s show, we have a Premium member recount his ecommerce journey - from the early struggles to the successful present. And typical of this segment, our guest will also be able to ask me questions and advice. A Veteran-Owned Business Victor Delacruz is the owner ChristianPlanner.com, a company that sells daily planners with a religious theme. A US Air Force veteran, he has gone through a multitude of challenges as an ecommerce entrepreneur including legal disputes with a former business partner and overcoming mental health issues resulting from stress. In just over two years, ChristianPlanner.com has grown to become a million-dollar startup ready to make the transition into a bigger brand with a more diverse set of product offerings. 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! Registration to EcomCrew Premium is closed indefinitely. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You’ll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business. Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Happy New Year! I’m here with Dave to bring you our very first episode in 2019. I wanted to start the year on a strong foot, so for this podcast, we’re doing something different. Today’s podcast will focus on an email sent by one of our EcomCrew Premium members. His concern, I’m sure, reflects that of so many ecommerce entrepreneurs. In this world of unscrupulous Chinese sellers, does private labeling still make sense? Is there still a viable business for it in Amazon in 2019? Is private labeling dead? Dave and I both agree that private labeling is still very much alive. But we do go back and forth to expound on our answer. Here are some of the highlights of that discussion. There are many trends that impact private labeling today. For one, competition in this particular space has increased and gotten more intense. The Amazon marketplace is still rife with opportunity for new sellers. A sustainable launch strategy is critical for a private label brand. High-quality product imagery is another important factor because, in many cases, it can be what differentiates your product from all the competition out there. Complexity is the opportunity. The more effort you put into your product, it becomes more defensible. Creating and building content around your product will put you in an advantageous position over everyone else in your niche. Resources Mentioned: E132: DROPSHIPPING VS. PRIVATE LABELING – A FRIENDLY DEBATE E129: HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT PRODUCT TO SELL IN ECOMMERCE HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT PRODUCT TO IMPORT FROM CHINA AND SELL ON AMAZON Registration to EcomCrew Premium is closed indefinitely. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You’ll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business. Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Time flies so fast and before you know it, another year gone! As 2018 comes to an end, we decided to look back into the year and round up our 10 most downloaded podcast episodes: 10. E169: Building Your Facebook Audience with Dave Huss 9. E158: Using Amazon PPC and Giveaways to Create an Effective Launch Strategy 8. E198: The First Steps in Ecommerce Marketing (Under the Hood with Colin Grice) 7. E159: 3 Key Email Marketing Sequences for Your Ecommerce Business 6. E205: Advanced Amazon PPC Strategies with Dave Bryant 5. E155: Where to Start with Building a Product Brand - Under the Hood with Richard Phillips 4. E206: A Rundown of the Best Amazon Tools 3. E147: Amazon PPC Strategy - Step-by-Step Guide on Saving Thousands of Dollars 2. E129: How to Pick the Perfect Product to Sell in eCommerce 1. E167: Overcoming Serious Beginner Mistakes - Under the Hood with James Treloar Let us know what you think, and if you have topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for being with us this past year, and may we all have an amazing 2019!

In this segment, I regularly come across ecommerce entrepreneurs who need help in getting their marketing efforts down pat. But once in a while, I get people like Anthony who bring a different concern for me to wrap my head around, and for all the listeners out there to learn from. Background Like many people new to ecommerce, Anthony Procopis started selling products that he didn’t have an interest in personally. He was using Shipwire to sell mosquito nets online in 2008. But being a skilled golf player and someone who truly enjoys the sport, transitioning into the golf-related niche was inevitable. A Patent Issue Anthony has ventured into creating his own product and has recently improved upon a golf swing trainer that’s already available in the market. However, he has a few challenges in front of him. One is having to contend with copycats that have brought the price down for his product. The second and more significant one is licensing. He is looking at having a big golfing supply company distribute his ‘patent pending’ product. Listen to the full podcast for more of Anthony’s concerns and my insights on how he can grow and expand his present ecommerce business given his unique set of challenges. 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! Registration to EcomCrew Premium is now closed. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You’ll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business. Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes. Did you join our December giveaway? We’re announcing the winner of an EcomCrew Premium annual subscription later today. Follow our Facebook page to get notified when we announce the winner.

Our Under the Hood guest today is struggling with a problem that's very baffling. Shervin Mazaheri is struggling with conversion rates on his website. We're not just talking about low conversation rates, we're talking about extremely low conversion rates--talk about 0.1% in the last 180 days. In this episode Shervin and I go over his website and points out which parts need improving that might help increaase his conversion rate. Below are some takeaways: It's very important for the website to establish trust. One of the easiest ways to do this is to write a good About Us page. A prominent Returns policy helps take the worry off of buyers' minds. Build authority by trying to create the best informative content in your niche. Shervin and I also discussed hiring tips and how to keep employees happy, especially remote Filipino VAs. Listen to the episode to learn how I've managed to keep my PH team happy and motivated! Until the next one, happy selling.

Over the past few months I've been talking a lot about the mounting challenges of selling on Amazon. One of these conversations led to an introduction with Richard Jalichandra, today's podcast guest. Richard is the Founder and CEO of 101 Commerce, an ecommerce company that aims to become the next generation retailer by acquiring businesses that own "microbrands" primarily sold via FBA. In this episode Richard talks about their goal of acquiring 101 brands (they are currently at 14 after 6 months of operations), how they manage to still be comfortable with the mounting risks of selling on Amazon, and what they're looking for in an FBA business that makes them want to buy. He also gives tips on how to better prepare yourself if you plan to sell, how to increase your multiple, and why honesty and transparency can preserve your relationship with a buyer even if your business has problems. Want to sell your business? 101 Commerce is 87 brands away from their goal and they are on the look out for brands to buy. Below are the characteristics they're looking for in a brand: Is 100% or predominantly on Amazon Has brand potential and doesn't sell highly commoditized products Has a trademark and is on Brand Registry 2.0 Has good gross margins (around 70%) Has a good review structure (quantity and velocity) Has been around for at least 2 years, preferably 3 If your brand checks all these boxes, click this link and fill up the form to let Richard and his team know. Thanks for listening to this episode! Let us know what you think by leaving us a review on iTunes. Visit and like our Facebook page for more updates. Until the next one, happy selling!

Dave and I have been part of this industry long enough to have tried a number of strategies to grow our respective ecommerce businesses. Of course, this meant we had to use tools that are compatible with Amazon to develop new products, monitor reviews, and ultimately hit key business metrics. That being said, we wanted to go through a handful of these and comment on them (or at least on the ones that we do use). To make things easier, here are some of the ones we both personally use or have tested - organized into specific categories. Product and Keyword Research AMZ Scout Jungle Scout Unicorn Smasher Landing Page Generators Zipify Pages Zon Pages ClickFunnels Pricing and Repricing BQool Repricer Express Review Monitoring Sellics We also have an article going out in conjunction with this podcast episode. There you’ll find more specific information for each of the Amazon tools that we mentioned, including pricing and freebies. Registration to EcomCrew Premium is now closed. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You’ll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business. We’re also launching giveaway during the holidays so like and follow our Facebook page for the latest updates. Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Hey, Dave here. Today’s podcast will once again be about PPC. But, we’ll be going into the more advanced strategies that Mike did not cover in his popular podcast on the same topic. So, what can you expect from this particular episode? A refresher on the main types of Amazon advertising A look at Amazon Bit+ New product targeting that was recently rolled out Headline search ads Listen until the end for more information on these. If you’re looking to really dig deep into these new concepts and strategies, I’ve written a blog post that should ably supplement what was discussed in this episode. Registration to EcomCrew Premium is now closed. But, you can still learn from us through our suite of free courses. You’ll find a total of 20 videos covering ecommerce topics like Importing from China and Building a 7-Figure Business. We’re also giving a free annual subscription. Join the giveaway here. The winner will be announced on December 26th. Like and follow our Facebook page for the latest updates. Finally, if you enjoyed listening and think this episode has been useful to you, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!