2023 was a whirlwind year for Amazon FBA industry as the ripple effects of the 2020-2021 bubble bursting were felt by sellers and consumers alike.Perhaps the largest of these ripple effects was the demise of the Amazon FBA aggregators whose rampant spending and operational shortcomings finally caught up with them.  In this week’s episode, Amazon expert Mina Elias is back to help us unpack the rollercoaster of changes, surprises, and hurdles faced by Amazon FBA sellers throughout 2023. Mina provides a snapshot of the current state of the Amazon FBA industry before walking us through the chain of events that led to the downfall of industry giants like the aggregators.Then, Mina puts his Amazon advertising knowledge on display, revealing the top advertising and brand-building strategies of 2023, as well as tips on how to stand out in the crowded Amazon marketplace as a new seller.Mina also reveals some juicy information about how Amazon is making gathering customer data that much easier for sellers. This episode is jam-packed with all the information you need to elevate your FBA business in 2024! Topics Discussed in This Episode: A quick overview of Mina’s entrepreneurial journey (02:24) A look into Mina’s recent first-ever business exit (03:35) A snapshot of the FBA industry today vs the 202-2021 bubble (05:51) What caused the demise of the FBA aggregators (12:14) Clever new advertising strategies Mina has spotted in the last year (25:00) Gathering customer data as an FBA seller (31:21) How to stand out in the crowded Amazon marketplace as a new seller (36:59) Mina’s predictions on the future of the FBA industry (45:00) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our weekly newsletter  Trivium Group Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to ramp up your Amazon FBA business in 2024!

We are back with a brand new episode! __________________________________________ Nothing is certain except death and taxes.As a business owner, taxes are a double whammy—they affect both your personal and business life. Imagine working hard to build a business that’s set to change your life when you sell it, only to watch taxes eat away at your profits. Thankfully, there are savvy tricks entrepreneurs can use to shrink taxes and pump up profits when selling their businesses. That’s where Crystal Stranger comes in. Crystal is the Partner & COO of Cleer Tax, a company that helps US businesses and entrepreneurs navigate their taxes.  In this episode, Crystal joins us to discuss the various strategies entrepreneurs can use to reduce the amount of tax incurred when building and selling their online business.  She unpacks the most common types of taxes that businesses encounter and how to structure your business to cut down on the taxes you have to pay. Crystal also exposes the big tax blunders many business owners make—like skipping tax filings or setting up shop in high-tax states. According to Crystal, “A big mistake I see entrepreneurs make is using state addresses for vanity reasons, like having a California or New York address to make their business look established or cool. Some entrepreneurs also sign up for mailing addresses without specifying the location. Putting these addresses on your website, invoices or communications can create large tax liabilities in those states.” We also dissect the differences between an asset sale and a stock sale, with Crystal explaining how a stock sale can save non-US business owners massive amounts of money! You might not dodge taxes completely, but armed with the insights from this episode, you can certainly trim your tax bill and safeguard your hard-earned profits! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Crystal’s background and how she ended up helping entrepreneurs with tax (02:23) The most common types of taxes that businesses encounter (06:08) The differences between LLC and C corp (09:45) Structuring your exit as an eCommerce business owner (12:23) How the Nexus tax system works for sales tax (19:26) The common tax mistakes entrepreneurs make when selling their business (31:09) Stock sale vs asset purchase (36:14) The best way to use the proceeds of your sale to grow another business (45:49) How tax applies to Holdco businesses (51:14) How sellers can make their business more attractive from a tax perspective (54:46) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our weekly newsletter  Cleer Tax Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to reduce your tax liability and maximize your profits!

How do you integrate your business into consumers’ lives and have your products playing on their minds, even when they’re not online? Today’s guest believes Pinterest is the key to deepening customer engagement. In this episode, we talk to Kate Ahl, the founder of Simple Pin Media, a marketing agency that creates personalized Pinterest marketing strategies for online businesses. Kate also created the Simple Pin Podcast, a popular Pinterest-focused podcast that boasts over a million downloads. Kate has a unique take on Pinterest, believing that it doesn’t fit in with the likes of Instagram and Facebook. She has often stated: “Pinterest is very much like Google. It is not a social media platform, it is a search and discovery network.” In this interview, Kate elaborates on this concept and explains how patience is a virtue when marketing on this unique platform – which can pay off handsomely. We also dig into what makes Pinterest users tick and how entrepreneurs can leverage Pinterest to grow their traffic and boost their brand awareness.  Kate walks us through how the pinning platform has changed over the years and the new trends that are shaping the Pinterest landscape. Taking these factors into account, Kate discusses the biggest challenges businesses face when using Pinterest and how to go about setting up a successful Pinterest marketing strategy for years to come. If you feel like your Pinterest marketing is lacking that extra oomph, you don’t want to miss out on this episode! Topics Discussed in this episode: How Kate got started on Pinterest and the birth of Simple Pin Media (02:04) Why Pinterest is a search and discovery network, not a social media platform (07:52) How Pinterest can supplement your SEO to bring in floods of traffic to your site (09:19) How the Pinterest ecosystem has evolved over the years (14:18) What it takes to be successful and the trends driving Pinterest today (17:27) The Pinterest Verified Merchant Program and buying intent on Pinterest (21:58) Is Pinterest the right platform for Amazon sellers? (29:03) The steps to starting a successful Pinterest marketing strategy (35:46) Kate’s biggest success story growing client’s businesses through Pinterest (44:12) The biggest challenges that businesses encounter when using Pinterest (47:03) How Kate built her Simple Pin Media team by training women in her community (51:25) What Kate’s podcast has shown her about the power of the Pinterest community (54:18) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Simple Pin Media Canva Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to create a Pinterest marketing strategy that will shine a spotlight on your business!

In order to be successful, eCommerce sellers need to have the ability to be flexible and pivot to meet new trends head-on.  In this episode, Kasey Luck explains how Shopify merchants can take advantage of the hype surrounding NFTs by minting and selling them through their Shopify stores. Kasey is the founder of Luck & Co, an agency that specializes in increasing eCommerce conversion and retention rates through SMS and email marketing. She also has a YouTube channel, where she teaches valuable industry advice, helping eCommerce sellers to boost their sales.  Kasey walks us through the various use-cases for NFTs in eCommerce, the risks and rewards of branching out into NFTs, and how the crossover between eCommerce and blockchain will affect the industry in the coming years.  We also discuss what drew Kasey to the eCommerce industry, and her passion for email and SMS marketing. She explains the power that these marketing channels can provide to business owners, and reveals the most common marketing mistakes she sees sellers make. According to Kasey, “When you start a new brand, the first thing that you should be thinking about and setting up is your traffic. If you don’t have traffic, you don’t have anything else. It’s too soon to be focusing on things like email and SMS marketing if you don’t have any idea how you’re going to drive traffic to your site.” If you’re ready to step into the future of eCommerce and learn more about NFTs and the metaverse, then this is a conversation you don’t want to miss out on! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Kasey walks us through her entrepreneurial journey so far (03:28) Why Kasey decided to start her own marketing agency (06:30) Why working in the eCommerce industry really resonates with Kasey (09:26) The common marketing mistakes that trip eCommerce sellers up (13:36) Kasey explains what exactly an NFT is(18:51) How NFTs are crossing over into the eCommerce world (23:45) The fundamentals Shopify owners should have in place before launching NFTs (29:15) The biggest risks associated with selling NFTs on Shopify (32:01) The advantages available to sellers who get into the NFT game early on (33:37) The changes Kasey predicts in the eCommerce industry over the next few years (34:39) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Luck & Co ReallyGoodEmails.com Mailed.com Mailcharts.com Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to take your eCommerce business to the next level by minting and selling  NFTs through your Shopify store.

In today’s world, almost everyone uses email. But many entrepreneurs still underestimate the power of email marketing and its ability to establish a meaningful connection with your customers.  This week’s guest is Greg Zakowicz, a veteran email marketer and the Sr. eCommerce Expert at Omnisend, an eCommerce marketing automation platform. With 15 years of experience under his belt, Greg has witnessed firsthand the transformative power that email marketing can have on eCommerce businesses. According to Greg,  “If you sell something online, you should probably be sending marketing emails. Otherwise, you’re leaving money on the table.” In this episode, Greg discusses how email has evolved over time and how to set up a successful, automated email marketing strategy. He explains how to use email marketing in each step of the buyer journey and how it can plug the holes that social media marketing can’t fill.  He also walks us through how to breathe life back into a dormant email list and some of the common email marketing pitfalls that trip up eCommerce business owners.  If your list of email subscribers is simply gathering dust, you don’t want to miss out on Greg’s valuable insights! Topics Discussed in this episode: How Greg got his start in the world of email marketing (01:16) How email marketing has evolved over time and why it remains relevant (06:49) Why email marketing is an essential tool for e-commerce businesses (14:39) The foundations of setting up a successful email marketing strategy (21:16) How to revitalize a dormant email list and reestablish a meaningful connection with existing subscribers (27:14) The common email marketing pain points that entrepreneurs encounter (34:21) What email marketing success looks like, and who is getting it right (40:58) How SMS can work hand-in-hand with email marketing (45:20) Pro tips for utilizing automations in your email marketing (51:38) Insight into any upcoming email and SMS automation trends (56:52) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Onmisend Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to leverage the power of email marketing!

How important is SEO to your business? Great SEO is a primary factor in many online businesses’ success. But approaching it for the first time can feel like a minefield. Between out-of-date information and seemingly constant changes to Google’s algorithm, you may think SEO is an impossible game to win. But Kyle Roof knows it’s far from that. In fact, the SEO guru has obtained a US patent proving exactly how you can manipulate SEO to rank on search engines. Kyle is the lead SEO at High Voltage SEO, Founder of PageOptimizer Pro, Co-founder & SEO Instructor at Internet Marketing Gold (IMG), speaker, trainer, and all-around hub of SEO knowledge. He joined The Opportunity Podcast to dispel some of the common myths and misconceptions about SEO practices and the Google algorithm, and reveals what site owners should be doing to improve their SEO and outperform their competition. Topics Discussed in this episode: The biggest SEO misconceptions and mistakes to avoid How to get started with SEO How to get your site to rank What to do when there’s a search engine algorithm update and how to protect your site against it Kyle’s advice for more advanced SEO practitioners Why testing is key to developing your SEO skills What the future of SEO looks like Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace High Voltage SEO PageOptimizer Pro Internet Margeting Gold (IMG) Ahrefs Moz Discover more SEO insights and find out how to apply them to your site by listening to the full interview with Kyle.

What if I told you that there’s a secret ingredient that can help you sell almost any business (yes, even the declining ones) in a fraction of the time?  I’m not referring to huge discounts or expert-level negotiation tactics. I’m talking about the often underestimated element of trust.  Doron Wolffberg, SEO expert and co-founder of Cliverse, has built and sold many content sites and has made buyer-seller trust the central focus of deals.  In this week’s episode, Doron shares how transparency and trust helped him sell a content site at a full listing price to a first-time buyer in just one day! He explains how this tactic not only preserves your reputation as a seller but also equips the buyer with the necessary information to take your business to the next level. Doron also dives into the key focus areas for building a successful content site and reveals how to prepare your site for a speedy and profitable sale. According to Doron, “Before you sell your site, make sure that you fix any faults from a technical standpoint. When buyers look at your site, they look at things like page speed. So even though it’s not a huge ranking factor, if buyers see your site has a low score, it might turn them down a bit.” If you’re looking for ways to scale your content site or tips on how to market your site to sellers, this is the episode for you! Topics Discussed in this episode: How Doron got his start in the online business world (01:58) Doron breaks down the sites in his portfolio and his current projects (03:11) The benefits of being in the content site industry (04:12) Details about the business Doron recently sold on Empire Flippers (06:08)  The importance of seller transparency during an acquisition (11:54) How to market a flawed business fairly (16:09) A common factor that buyers neglect to think of during the sales process (19:22) Why quality should be the core focus for content site owners in 2022 (22:03) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Cliverse Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to set your content site up for a profitable, and fair, sale.

Spotting a promising acquisition is just the beginning. Figuring out how to make that acquisition thrive is a whole new challenge.  Dom Wells has cracked the code for both. Dom is the founder of Onfolio, a company that specializes in buying and nurturing profitable online businesses. Since Dom's last appearance on the podcast in October 2022, shortly after Onfolio went public, the company's revenue has surged from $1.2 million to nearly $6 million. In this episode, Dom returns to discuss how his acquisition strategy has evolved. He's shifted away from content sites and instead focused on acquiring agencies, WordPress plugins, and digital courses.  Why the change? Content sites are excellent traffic assets, great for cultivating audiences and communities, but they come with a notable drawback—the vulnerability to AI and algorithm shake-ups.  To mitigate this risk, Dom advises content site owners to pivot beyond SEO and affiliate revenue. They should explore innovative ways to build their audience and convert it into a thriving community or media brand. One effective approach is to channel traffic toward additional revenue streams like newsletters, digital courses, or eCommerce stores. Dom also walks us through how he goes about acquiring businesses, from the characteristics he looks for in a business to his preferred deal structure and how he sources CEOs to run those businesses.  Finally, Dom shares his insights on current market conditions for sellers.  He believes the market is unlikely to return to the high valuations of 2020/2021 any time soon. Therefore, entrepreneurs who have a large chunk of their net worth invested in their businesses are shouldering enormous risk by delaying selling their businesses in the hopes of waiting out the market.  Don't miss this episode packed with valuable insights into the world of acquisitions and the evolving landscape of online business! Topics Discussed in This Episode: A brief breakdown of Onfolio's business model and history  (02:26) The characteristics Dom looks for when acquiring businesses (05:05) Mitigating the risks of running a content site through diversification (08:37) The benefits of buying an agency (17:00) The metrics Dom looks at when valuing an agency (22:45) How Dom sources quality CEOs to run his businesses (29:13)  Dom’s approach to CEO onboarding (37:20) The characteristics of a good CEO (41:00) Dom’s ideal deal structure when acquiring businesses (45:34) Dom shares his outlook on the current sellers' market (47:53) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our weekly newsletter  Dom’s previous Opportunity podcast interview Onfolio Dom’s X (Twitter) Greg Eisenberg's  X (Twitter) Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how an acquisition pro approaches growing his portfolio!

Sometimes, our talents are immediately recognizable. Other times, we accidentally stumble across things we end up being incredibly good at. This is what happened to James Dooley. Initially, he worked as a project manager, seeking a reliable way to generate leads for the business he was part of. He had a website created for that business and stumbled upon the world of SEO. What followed was a whirlwind of success. Today, James boasts a staggering portfolio of over 800 clients in more than 650 diverse industries, making him a prominent figure in the rank and rent industry. He's taken things a step further by investing in many of the businesses he provides leads to. In this episode, James joins us to reveal the secrets to his success. He discusses the importance of testing and research when it comes to SEO and ranking, and the crucial role his team has played in the growth of his business. James explains, “The best investment I’ve made is in the people that work with me. Forget the content, the backlinks, the websites, the businesses we work for. If you get good quality people around you, you encourage them and give them enough space to let them grow and do their own thing, they will do everything for you.” James offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how he builds trust with clients and leverages directories to attract leads. He also debunks common SEO myths and errors while unveiling the SEO strategies he believes yield the best results. According to James,  “Parasite SEO is great for getting instant wins. Quickly build a site on a high DR domain, and hit it with a couple of tier-two backlinks. At present, that's the best way of generating quick traffic.” If you’re thinking of getting into the rank and rent or lead generation game, or simply aiming to supercharge your existing business, this is one conversation you don’t want to miss! Topics Discussed in This Episode: James briefly touches on how he has elevated the rank and rent model (04:06) A look at James’ background and how he got into the world of SEO (06:03) The importance of R&D and how James’s team is structured (12:12) James debunks common SEO myths and mistakes (15:02) How James acquires and maintains clients for his rank and rent business (20:24) James explains how he uses directories to attract leads (29:00) Building trust in a pay-per-performance business model (37:18) Why James decided to invest in many of the businesses he works with (43:46) How James attracts and retains talented employees (49:16) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our weekly newsletter  James Dooley.com Screaming Frog MarketMuse Surfer SEO AutoBlogging Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to take your rank and rent business to a whole new level!

What is the secret to creating the fastest-growing startup in Canada before the age of 24? For Blair Forrest, the answer lay in identifying the nexus between a common pain point for FBA business owners, and an untapped gap in the logistics market.  While Amazon helps out by delivering products to consumers, the onus is on the seller to receive, store, label, and transport the inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers. It was here that Blair identified an opportunity. Blair is the founder of AMZ Prep, an end-to-end fulfillment solution for Amazon FBA sellers. AMZ Prep stores, preps, packs, and ships inventory to Amazon on behalf of sellers, saving them precious time and resources.   In this episode, Blair joins us to discuss the common logistical pitfalls that FBA sellers experience and outlines the various ways FBA sellers can optimize their logistics. According to Blair, “A lot of businesses have a fragmented approach to logistics, which is often why they don’t get the valuation that they want, or why they’re not able to scale. What turns a good seller into a great seller is optimizing their fulfillment with a solid partner that has multiple warehouses, and can expand you to other marketplaces like Shopify and Walmart.”  Blair also shares insights into how he juggled starting and scaling a business while being a full-time student, and the various lessons he has learned along the way.  If you want to learn how to structure your logistics and inventory management like an FBA all-star, then this is the episode for you! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Blair walks us through his entrepreneurial journey so far (03:55) How Blair juggled running a business and being a full-time student (14:30) The gap in the market that inspired Blair to create AMZ Prep (18:28) Some common pain points Amazon Sellers are experiencing today (22:17) How to streamline your Amazon logistics (29:16)  The common mistakes FBA sellers make when it comes to logistics (36:50) The secret to Blair’s success (46:20) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace AMZ Prep Notion Minimalist journaling article Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to create a logistics strategy that will set you up for future success.