Empire Flippers Podcast

Considering Google was created only 25 years ago, finding someone who has been working in the online marketing and affiliate industry for almost 18 years is rare. All the way back in 2005, Matt McWilliams created an affiliate program in a last-ditch effort to earn money for his business that was nearing bankruptcy. The affiliate program took off, growing from zero to more than $1,000,000 a month in only 18 months. Matt hasn’t looked back since.In this episode, Matt gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to run an affiliate program.  We dive into Matt’s war stories from years in the industry, the foundations of a good affiliate program, and why Matt has chosen to stay in the affiliate world for so many years. Matt explains,  “The thing I love about affiliate marketing is it's relatively risk-free because you don't pay affiliates until you make money. Whereas you have to pay Facebook before you make any money from your Facebook ads.” Matt also sets the story straight on the difficulties of creating an affiliate program, explaining that it takes time to build up a steady flow of revenue and that attracting the right breed of affiliate partners can be a trial-and-error process. If you’re thinking of joining the affiliate industry, then don’t miss out on this peek behind the curtain from an affiliate program veteran. Topics Discussed in This Episode: Matt’s background and how he got involved in the affiliate industry (02:52) The importance of having a good relationship with your affiliate partners (10:55) The type of affiliates Matt has served (23:03)  The 3-5 core elements a beginner should focus on when building their affiliate site  (28:08) AI in affiliate marketing (30:29) Should every business have an affiliate program? (37:33) How to set up an affiliate program for a small business (38:05) Matt’s funniest moment in internet marketing (53:15) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our weekly newsletter  MattMcwilliams.com/empire  Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell Sit back, grab a coffee, and get a behind-the-scenes peek into the inner workings of the affiliate program industry!

There’s a lot on the line when you buy a business, so you want to make sure you buy a business that is primed for success.  An important lesson you need to learn as a buyer is that you can’t take businesses at face value. There’s a lot going on below the surface that you need to uncover. That’s where due diligence comes in.  Few people know more about the due diligence process than Elliott Holland. Elliott is the Co-Founder and CEO of Guardian Due Diligence, a diligence solution for first-time buyers and self-funded searchers. In this episode, Elliott takes us on a deep dive into the due diligence process.  He highlights red flags buyers should look out for, the common mistakes buyers make, and he breaks down the due diligence process, step by step. According to Elliott, “There are four main buckets of due diligence in online business. Financial, Operational, Commercial, and Online metrics. In online business, 70 to 80% of due diligence is focused on financials. Financials are created through the operations of a business, and so they are a great way to really understand the story of the business.” Elliott also shared his top due diligence war stories and the lessons buyers can learn from them.If you’re in the market to buy an online business, this episode is jam-packed with useful information that could make or break your acquisition! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Elliott's background and how he became involved in business acquisitions (02:22) What is Quality of Earnings? (14:13) The best time to hire a due diligence service (21:50) The different areas of due diligence (23:09) What Elliott looks at when examining a business’s financials (25:37) How Elliott examines a business’s operations (32:19) The classic due diligence mistake experienced entrepreneurs make (41:54) Top due diligence questions buyers should ask (44:50) Elliott's favorite due diligence war stories (53:16) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our weekly newsletter  Guardian Due Diligence 10 best practices doc War Stories hub Elliott’s Twitter Elliott’s YouTube channel Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how the due diligence process really works!

Sometimes, consumers need a little nudge to convince them to add your product to their checkout cart.  You could try using discounts and promotions to lure consumers in, but these techniques aren’t always sustainable and can eat into your bottom line. So what strategies can you use instead? Nancy Harhut believes the answer lies in neuromarketing. Nancy is the Co-Founder and CCO of HBT Marketing, an agency that blends creativity with behavioral science to drive consumer engagement. Through many years of research, Nancy has learned that consumer behavior often isn’t rational. Instead, people are driven by hard-wired, instinctive and emotional responses. By tapping into behavioral science techniques, entrepreneurs can trigger these instinctive responses to boost conversions.  In this episode, Nancy joins us to explain the science behind consumer decision-making and walks us through how to use concepts like the authority principle, social proof, and loss aversion to increase purchase intent. According to Nancy,  “Behavioral scientists have found that people are twice as motivated to avoid the pain of loss as they are to achieve the pleasure of gain. So as a marketer, you should inject a little well-placed loss aversion. Instead of saying “Take advantage of”, try saying “Don’t miss out on”. That’s what people really pay attention to because people hate to lose out.” Don’t risk missing out on any more sales! Use Nancy’s expert advice to gain an advantage over your competitors and stand out from the crowd. (See what we did there?) Topics Discussed in This Episode: Nancy’s entrepreneurial background and the origins of HBT Marketing (03:45) Neuromarketing and behavioral science and how it applies to marketing (08:43) The topics Nancy’s book covers and how it can help marketers (15:40) How Nancy created a 13% increase in purchase intent for one of her clients (17:41) Top techniques to trigger emotional responses in your customers (20:54) How different demographics respond to neuromarketing techniques (31:17) Common mistakes people make when attempting to use neuromarketing (35:01)  Cringy marketing techniques you should avoid (37:47) What inspired Nancy to write her book Using Behavioural Science in Marketing (44:38) Changes and trends that have influenced marketing over the last few years (48:35) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  HBT Marketing Using Behavioural Science in Marketing by Nancy Harhut  The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to increase purchase intent through behavioral marketing.

This week we are revisiting an extra special episode of The Opportunity podcast.  In this episode, Greg looks back on a few of our most memorable interviews to review the top 7 lessons learned from the last 100 shows.  You’ll hear many familiar voices as some of our favorite entrepreneurs and industry experts share their top tips for building, running, and scaling successful online businesses. Greg acts as our guide, walking us through each lesson and sharing his own unique insights and pearls of wisdom. One of Greg’s top takeaways includes, “If you want to build wealth, don’t focus on making money today. Focus on making an experience that will create fans of yours for years to come. Because if you make enough of those fans you’re going to create a snowball effect that’ll carry you far into the future.” Join in the celebration by letting us know which episode or guest has been your favorite so far! Be sure to share this episode with your friends and family so that they can join us for the next 100 episodes where we’ll continue to uncover all of the hidden growth opportunities in the online business industry. Topics Discussed in This Episode: Lesson 1: Creating a Machine of Leverage by Knowing the Value of Your Time (02:07) Lesson 2: Learning to Love Risk to Create Wealth (10:30) Lesson 3: Spending 9 Hours Sharpening the Axe, and One Hour Cutting Down the Tree (17:07) Lesson 4: Creating Value While Respecting Your Audience’s Time (26:33) Lesson 5: Communication and Thinking in Four Degrees of Impact (31:43) Lesson 6: Why the Best Marketing Isn’t a Tactic, It’s an Experience (39:45) Lesson 7: Persistence Through Adversarial Wins (44:23) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Jobs to be Done Framework Featured Guests: Kevin Espiritu (Ep #87) Matt Diggity (Ep #23) Sushee Nzeutem (Ep #59) John Hefter (Ep #19) Emma Shermer Tamir (Ep #49) Doron Wolffberg (Ep #41) Perrin Carrell (Ep #79) Alexis Grant (Ep #84) Chelsea Cohen (Ep #42) Fabricio Miranda (Ep #91) Chelsea Jones and Rachel Saul (Ep #74) Nicole Baqcai (Ep #55) Ben Donovan (Ep #71) Bill Szabrak (Ep #6) Sit back, grab a coffee, and take a trip down memory lane as we discuss the valuable lessons learned from the past 100 episodes.

In an era where thinking outside the box is paramount, foreign SEO has emerged as a tantalizing strategy for affiliate marketers in search of new frontiers. While foreign affiliate industries are not as established as their English-language counterparts, competition is less fierce and Google algorithm updates are less frequent and hard-hitting.  Among the numerous gems in this treasure trove of opportunities, the Dutch affiliate market stands out for its unexplored potential. This is where Niels Zee, a seasoned SEO and affiliate marketer comes into play. Niels has not only navigated the complexities of affiliate marketing but has also mastered the Dutch affiliate market's distinctive characteristics.  In this episode, Niels shares his journey from inception to expertise. We dive into the differences between the US and Dutch affiliate markets, and Niels highlights how language and cultural nuances play a pivotal role in shaping strategies for success.  From monetization options for Dutch sites to the importance of backlinks in Dutch affiliate marketing, we explored the critical elements that set this market apart. Niels explains,  “The most important metric for the Dutch market is the amount of incoming links versus outgoing links. Some websites just link out to 10,000 websites and they only get 100 links in. That's not quality. And Google knows that. So really try to shy away from those sites if you’re looking to buy a Dutch affiliate site.” Moreover, Niels took us through his playbook for nurturing and expanding affiliate sites, sharing his secrets for sustainable growth. He also shares the secret sauce behind structuring acquisition deals that work like a charm as well as the pros and cons of building from scratch versus acquiring established affiliate sites. According to Niels, “I always prefer to buy a site over building one from scratch. There’s always a sandbox period where you create a domain and then for the next three to six months, nothing happens. That’s very frustrating. It's less risky to start with a domain that's already ranking and bringing in some traffic.” Listen to this episode to unlock the door to a new realm of possibilities in the world of affiliate marketing. Topics Discussed in This Episode: How Niels ended up in the affiliate and SEO world (03:16) Overcoming language barriers and the key differences in US vs Dutch affiliate markets (10:58) Monetization options for Dutch sites (14:24) Why backlinks are so important in the Dutch affiliate marketing (17:02) Niels’s advice to aspiring affiliates who want to get into the Dutch affiliate market (22:11) Niels's experience in building vs buying affiliate sites (24:58) How Niels structured his acquisition deals and what he looks for in a site (29:10) Niels playbook for growing his sites (35:21) How Niels uses AI in his workflow and his views on how it will affect the industry (39:45) The growth trends Niels has seen in the Dutch affiliate market (46:10) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our weekly newsletter  Sign up for our referral program  Neils’s LinkedIn profile Bol.com affiliate program Sitedeals.nl Matt Diggity’s affiliate course  Authority Hacker courses Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to navigate the exciting world of Dutch affiliate marketing!

Entrepreneurs David Kauzlaric and Erich Schaefer, co-founders of Agency Elevation, share their journey to success. They emphasize transparent pricing and the importance of focusing on a specific niche. They discuss the challenges of managing a diverse agency offering various services and retaining key employees. They also provide advice on growing and scaling an agency, including the importance of proving real value and connecting with clients.

With the content marketing industry constantly evolving, it’s easy to get caught up chasing the latest trends and forget about the basic principles that form a strong marketing foundation. This week’s guest, Philipp Schoeffmann, joins us to explain how to build on those basics to turbocharge your marketing. Philipp is a 20-year marketing veteran. He has not only lit up the stage as the charismatic host of the Affiliate Worlds conferences, but he is also the pioneer behind Reals, a service that repurposes your existing video content into engaging clips that boost your brand’s authority. Philipp sits down with Greg to explain why marketers need to avoid shiny object syndrome and instead focus on the core ingredients of marketing mastery.   Before you can expect to successfully market to your audience, you need to understand what drives them. What makes them tick? What keeps them up at night? Armed with this knowledge, you can create attractive offers and impactful content that really resonates with consumers and keeps them coming back for more. The good news is that creating powerful content doesn’t have to be a grueling process. With the right structure in place and a little help from AI, creating high-quality content at scale is easy as pie.  Another way to save time and money on content creation is to lean into the power of user-generated content. According to Philipp, “User-generated content is definitely the way to go. In general, you can expect your traffic to be maybe a fourth in terms of cost. CPMs are a lot lower. Engagement rates are four or five times higher. And you just build up a lot of trust. So user-generated content gets you better buyers at a cheaper cost.” If your marketing feels tired and lackluster, listen in to Philipp’s top-notch advice on how to create content that really packs a punch!As an added bonus, Philipp is offering our podcast listeners a 20% discount on his Reals service. Head over to the Reals website (linked below) to learn more! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Philipp walks us through his 20-year journey in online business (04:22)  How the marketing industry has changed over the last 20 years (09:30) How to create value in your marketing (12:59) Why content is still king in 2023 (19:30) How to structure your content so that it is not a time killer (26:29) The anatomy of what makes a good short video (36:18) How brands can encourage the creation of user-generated content(49:27) How Phillipp uses AI to create content (53:33) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to the This Week in M&A newsletter Reals $100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alex Hormozi ElevenLabs Descript Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn the secret to mastering content marketing in 2023 and beyond!

Shopify store owners have a whirlwind of responsibilities like managing supply chains, keeping tabs on inventory levels, and staying ahead in a competitive market.  It's no wonder that SEO often takes a backseat. In the race for quick results, many sellers lean towards paid advertising, but this week’s guest believes that SEO is the real game-changer that will set the stage for skyrocketing sales.Benjamin Golden is the founder of GoldenWeb, an SEO agency focused on scaling Shopify brands through SEO. In this episode, Benjamin explains that while paid ads might offer instant gratification, they are no match for the steady and sustainable stream of traffic that SEO can bring to your Shopify store. He walks us through the first steps to kickstart a thriving Shopify SEO strategy, the crucial role the backlinks play in eCommerce SEO, and how to strike the perfect balance between paid ads and organic traffic.Benjamin also shares his views on how AI will affect the eCommerce and SEO industries, explaining, “I think AI will affect every single business, but not in the way that people think. I like to compare it to the gold rush. It wasn’t everyone that was digging up and mining gold that got rich. It was the people selling the shovels.  The same thing will happen with AI. Everyone is rushing into building the next AI tool, and some of those businesses will succeed and do well, but that's going to get very saturated, very fast. The people that will really benefit from AI are the ones that learn how to properly integrate AI into their business.’ Finally, Benjamin explains the unique advantages of buying online businesses as an agency owner, using the resources, internal processes, and industry connections the agency has developed to fast-track growth. If you're an eCommerce store owner then listen up, because this episode is filled with actionable insights and expert tips that will supercharge your store's SEO and sales. Topics Discussed in This Episode: Benjamin’s background and how he became involved in SEO (03:08) Why Benjamin chose to focus on SEO specifically for Shopify stores (05:27) How eCommerce SEO differs from affiliate SEO (09:38) The first steps of a successful Shopify SEO strategy (14:47) The crucial role backlinks play in eCommerce SEO (20:17) How to allocate your marketing budget between paid ads and SEO (27:34) Common SEO mistakes that eCommerce store owners make (32:37)  Why Benjamin believes AI is like the gold rush (37:48) The reason Benjamin decided to diversify his income by buying a SaaS business (46:55) The benefits of buying online businesses as an agency owner (50:37) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to the This Week in M&A newsletter GoldenWeb Ahrefs Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to propel your Shopify store to unparalleled heights using the power of SEO!

The entrepreneurial journey is an adventure filled with twists and turns. It's normal to try different paths before discovering what brings out the best in you – be it the right niche, a lucrative business model, or a monetization strategy. Yet, the allure of rapid growth can tempt entrepreneurs to abandon their hard-earned lessons and happiness for the sake of expansion.  Aware of this common pitfall, Jesse Hanley has prioritized calm over growth when building his new business, Bento. Bento was born out of Jesse’s desire to learn how to code and to solve common problems he saw firsthand through his marketing agency. What began as analytics and ad tracking software soon morphed into an email automation platform as Jesse pulled threads, experimented, and refined his vision.  As the business grew, Jesse sold his agency so that he could devote all of his time and energy to Bento.  In this episode, we explore the organic growth of Bento and dive deeper into Jesse’s desire to keep his business small. Jesse explains the dangers of a growth-at-all-costs mentality and walks us through how he has structured Bento to remain small but powerful in a competitive niche.  Lastly, Jesse explains that his “keep it simple” philosophy also extends to email marketing. According to Jesse, “If you want to grow your business, send more emails. The people who make the most money are those who are sending emails every single day with simple, well-communicated offers. Just send more emails, run your ads, and keep it simple.” This episode goes beyond the usual business and marketing techniques, taking a closer look at the entrepreneurial mindset and how goals and ideologies shift over the course of your business journey.  This no holds barred, honest discussion is one for the books. Enjoy! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Jesse’s background and entrepreneurial journey so far (02:40) How the sale of Jesse’s agency spurred on the growth of Bento (03:17) Building a “calm” business that doesn’t chase growth at all costs (10:20) The origins of Bento and how it stands out from the crowd (21:09) How Jesse structured Bento’s pricing as the company grew (33:55) The marketing techniques Jesse uses to brow Bento’s brand awareness (43:17) Why Jesse wants to keep Bento small (45:17) How to get better at email marketing (57:14) Jesse’s advice to aspiring digital entrepreneurs (59:44) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to the This Week in M&A newsletter Bento Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn the benefits of growing your business at a sustainable and steady pace.

Wouldn’t it be great to travel back 10 years into the past and take advantage of a younger SEO market with all the knowledge you have now? Well, as it turns out, Azedine Djedid has figured out how to do exactly that.  Azedine is an SEO expert who has built and grown more than 20 successful websites in Italian, French, and Spanish. According to Azedine,  “The non-English SEO market is 10 years behind the English market in many cases, so it's easier to get into and it's easier to rank for keywords or rank for topics, even when it comes to eCommerce.” In this episode, Azedine joins us to reveal the blueprints for success when it comes to creating a foreign language content strategy.  He explains how consumer habits differ in various parts of the world, and how to adapt your content strategy to suit these cultural differences. He also reveals the best emerging markets for foreign SEO, including Brazil, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.  Azedine explains why he chooses to build many of his sites on expired domains, and why he focuses on strong branding and a high DR when shopping for these domains.  Azedine has also sold five of his foreign language sites so far and sheds light on the process of selling a non-English site and the benefits of using a broker to help you sell your online business. With the SEO market becoming more saturated and competitive by the day, foreign language sites present a unique opportunity to enter emerging SEO markets and take advantage of their future growth. If you’re searching for ways to get ahead in the world of SEO, then don’t miss a minute of this informative episode! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Azedine’s background and the opportunities in foreign SEO (02:16) Azedines advice for starting a site in a foreign language (08:50) How to maximize CTAs on a foreign language site (17:00) How different consumer habits impact monetization and strategy (21:02) The challenges of foreign SEO (25:07) The characteristics Azedine looks for in an aged domain (28:50) Where foreign audiences go to search for products to purchase (37:58) How to use AI to grow your foreign language site (40:25) The process of selling a foreign language site (46:40) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Create an Empire Flippers account Azedine’s LinkedIn Ahrefs Awin Google Keyword Planner Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to create high-performing content for foreign language websites!