Empire Flippers Podcast

When it comes to eCommerce success, profitability is only one piece of the puzzle. The other, often overlooked piece, is having the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor and focus on the parts of the business that bring you the most joy and satisfaction.  But how can one achieve this balance in the fast-paced world of eCommerce?  For Ronnie Teja, the answer lies in the power of delegation.  Ronnie is a brand aggregator and the founder of Branzio watches, a business he grew to over 7 figures, all while acquiring and scaling his portfolio to include 15 different eCommerce brands. In this episode, Ronnie opens up about the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey. We discuss the challenges he faced, including a lack of startup capital, getting banned by Google and Facebook, and having to fire dishonest employees. He also reveals how mental discipline and perseverance are qualities that have helped him succeed where others have failed. We then discuss how bootstrap entrepreneurs often struggle to justify the costs of outsourcing tasks, preferring to do all of the work themselves and retain 100% control over all aspects of their business. Having fallen prey to this mindset himself, Ronnie reveals the massive improvements he saw in his business and his lifestyle when he learned to trust in the skills of specialists. According to Ronnie, “Delegating is extremely important. It was only when I started giving away control and hiring people who are actually specialists in their field that I became successful. To give away your power and ask the right questions is the most important thing I’ve done in the past few years.“ If you want to know what it’s really like to run a large eCommerce portfolio, then this no hold barred interview with an industry titan is exactly what you’re looking for! Topics Discussed in This Episode: How a magazine article inspired Ronnie’s 7-figure watch brand (02:36) The challenges Ronnie faced with his Branzio (08:30) The secret sauce that helped Ronnie succeed and expand his business (13:22) What inspired Ronnie to branch out and start expanding his portfolio (17:18) Greg’s take on the current market (23:00) How Ronnie manages his time across his portfolio (30:26) A typical week in Ronnie’s life (37:07) Why Ronnie outsourced hiring to ensure the right people are hired for the job (40:39) The tools Ronnie uses to manage his teams (44:48) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Branzio Watches Ronnie’s LinkedIn Ronnies Twitter Nik Sharma’s E-commerce in DTC newsletter Chase Diamond’s Email Marketing newsletter Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn why delegation is the key to unlocking a new level of online business success!

Every investor dreams of spotting the next unicorn business. But it takes a seasoned pro with a wealth of industry knowledge to identify the unique characteristics that make or break an early-stage SaaS business.  Artem Gassan is one of these experts, having scaled and invested in over 50 SaaS companies, including a unicorn business now worth over $2 billion. He not only knows how to identify SaaS businesses with huge potential, but he also knows how to take early-stage SaaS companies from zero to hero. In this episode, we soak up Artem’s expert advice as he joins us to discuss the building blocks of a successful SaaS business.  We dissect why almost 70% of early-stage SaaS companies don’t reach their second round of funding as well as where businesses go wrong when trying to engage with customers on LinkedIn. Artem explains why trust is a vital part of attracting and retaining customers, and he breaks down the core operational differences between B2B and B2C SaaS businesses. We also dive into the importance of calculating and tracking your sales velocity and Artem outlines a step-by-step guide to creating a powerful go-to-market strategy. According to Artem, “There are four key elements to a great go-to-market strategy. First, build trust through thought leadership content. Second, create product-led growth elements. These are things like calculators or diagnostic tools that give consumers value and a sneak peek into the product without purchasing the product. Third, optimize your pricing and make it clear, and transparent. Finally, simplify your onboarding process and measure everything that you do.” Whether you’re an investor looking for the next big thing, or a SaaS founder trying to accelerate your growth, you are sure to find bucketloads of helpful tips and tricks in this episode! Topics Discussed in This Episode: A rundown of Artem’s background and entrepreneurial journey so far (03:00) Why the SaaS industry resonates with Artem (05:05) The unicorn business that Artem became an early investor in (08:53) Sales velocity is the most critical metric to the health of a SaaS startup (12:11) The differences between B2B and B2C SaaS (20:25) How B2B SaaS business should build trust with enterprise customers (24:45) Common mistakes people make when engaging with customers on LinkedIn (32:25) The building blocks of an effective go-to-market strategy (36:54) When to use gated content vs ungated content (47:33) Why 70% of early-stage SaaS companies never reach round 2 of funding (52:56) Emerging trends in the SaaS industry (1:0020) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Lead Impact Artem’s LinkedIn Ten Types of Innovation: The Discipline of Building Breakthroughs - book by Larry Keeley The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company - book by Steve Blank You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar : The Sandler Sales Institute's 7-Step System for Successful Selling - By David Sandler Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn about the key metrics that make up a successful SaaS business. 

Running a big online business can be like captaining a large ship. As the business grows, it can become less nimble and harder to adapt to new trends and changes in the industry.  But, with the right kind of foresight and knowledge of the online business landscape, you can steer your business to even greater heights.  This is where Joel Stevenson thrives. With his experience as Vice President of Wayfair and now as CEO of Yesware, an email outreach software, he's helped take multiple industry giants to new heights of success. In this episode, Joel gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse at his approach to growing businesses and explains some of the unique challenges that large businesses face as they scale. We discuss the differences between growing eCommerce vs SaaS businesses, and how to navigate the competitiveness of mature markets.  Joel also shares details of Vendasta’s recent acquisition of Yesware, explaining how the acquisition came about, and how he worked to make Yesware an attractive asset for interested buyers. According to Joel, “I really tried to rebuild the company in such a way that it would be acquisition friendly. We tried to have a minimal overhead cost structure. We tried to be very efficient. We paid down a ton of tech debt. My goal was for somebody to see our product, and see that the business itself is in good shape, and know that it would be easy to take it over and really accelerate it.”   We also dive into why Yesware opted for a stock sale over an asset sale and discuss the appropriate use cases for each option.  If you want to peek behind the curtain to learn more about the operational intricacies of large online businesses, then look no further! Topics Discussed in This Episode: How Joel achieved incredible business growth at Wayfair (03:02) Joel’s approach to growing businesses and solving problems (05:49) The differences between growing eCom vs SaaS businesses (13:51)  The roles that SEO and SEM played in the growth of Wayfair and Yesware (17:12) How Joel navigates mature markets (22:40)  The story of Yesware’s growth and an explanation of the product (29:15) Vendasta’s acquisition of Yesware (34:46) The differences between a stock sale and an asset sale (44:44) The common mistakes people make when sending out cold emails (48:10) The best piece of professional advice Joel has ever been given or heard (53:37) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Yesware The Hard Sell podcast The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt Winning by Design Sit back, grab a coffee, and discover what it takes to operate and grow a large online business!

Buying an existing business allows you to skip the building phase and jump straight into generating profit. Similarly, using expired domains can be a cost-effective alternative to starting from scratch.  This is a tactic that Sean Markey often uses, leveraging expired domains to fast-track the authority of his sites. Sean is an SEO who specializes in acquiring, building out, and 301’ing expired domains. Using this approach, he has sold over $775k in sites in the last few years.  In this episode, Sean joins us to shed light on the various benefits of using expired domains.  We discuss the qualities of a great expired domain, and the red flags you should steer clear of. According to Sean, “For me the most important characteristics are, is the expired domain indexed? Then, if it's indexed, is it ranking? A lot of really powerful expired domains with strong backlink profiles will continue ranking. That makes the pool of possible acquisitions smaller because a lot of sites don't hold their rankings through that expiration process. Then, check what the site is ranking for and ask yourself if it's niche-relevant to what you're doing.” Sean dives into the various ways you can use expired domains, and how long it will take to start seeing results. He also reveals the best places to purchase expired domains and walks us through some strategies you can use to win domain auctions. If you are looking for new and effective ways to boost your backlink profile and domain authority, then look no further than this informative episode! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Sean walks us through his background and his entrepreneurial journey (03:24) What initially drew Sean to expired domains (07:01) The characteristics of a good expired domain (09:57) At what stage in its lifecycle should you purchase an expired domain? (14:20) What Sean looked for when buying a site from Empire Flippers (16:19) Why Sean uses 301 redirects as his main link-building method (20:51) The best places to buy an expired domain (23:26) What to do with an expired domain once you’ve bought it (26:56) The timeline of taking an expired domain from zero to hero (34:13) Strategies to win domain auctions (38:08) The backstory of Sean’s Rank Theory newsletter (40:30) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Rank Theory newsletter Ahrefs Wayback Machine Spamzilla.io Dom Cop  ExpiredDomains.net How To Start a Bog Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to use expired domains to accelerate your domain authority.

We're getting back into the swing of things after the holidays, so no new episode this week. But rest assured, we'll be back next week with a new episode overflowing with interesting online business insights! Given the recent buzz around AI, we thought this was a great time to revisit one of our previous interviews with a founder who built his business using AI.  Wouldn’t it be great to get a sneak peek into the future to gain insights into who your most loyal customers will be, which products they’ll buy, and how much profit you’ll make as a result? Metrics like customer lifetime value (LTV) and customer acquisition costs (CAC) can help you to predict these outcomes, if you can find a way to access this precious data, that is.  Amazon is notorious for safeguarding customer data, but Rael Cline has found a way to access and interpret this information on behalf of Amazon sellers. Rael is the co-founder and CEO of Nozzle, a tech platform that helps FBA sellers unlock deep insights about their brand performance. In this episode, Rael discusses the difficulties that Amazon sellers face in trying to build a brand identity without fully understanding their audience. We walk through why an AI-based platform is the ideal solution to gather and interpret Amazon data, and how FBA sellers can use this information to get ahead of their competition. He also reveals how to use these metrics to grow your business. According to Rael,  “There are three levers you can use to help increase your customer lifetime value. Getting customers to buy again is the biggest thing. Increasing the average order value is another way of increasing your LTV, and another way of doing it is getting them to buy more frequently.” Rael also shares insights into the data that Amazon aggregators find most valuable, and how they use that information to inform their buying decisions. Whether you’re looking to enhance your customer experience, optimize your product offering, or simply learn more about the nuances of AI, this episode has it all! Topics Discussed in this episode: How Rael made his way into the world of online business (02:23) The challenges Amazon sellers face when trying to access their customer data (09:24) How Rael created Nozzle to help FBA sellers overcome these challenges (12:05) The various ways Amazon sellers can optimize their LTV and CAC (16:00) The Amazon data sets that FBA sellers are most surprised by (21:54) How Rael harnessed AI to create a unique solution for gathering and interpreting Amazon data (25:14) The Amazon data sets that aggregators hone in on when eyeing a new acquisition (34:04) Rael’s predictions on the upcoming Amazon trends in 2022 (38:31) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Nozzle Tableau Looker Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to leverage your customer data to maximize your business.

Many online business owners assume that because they work online they are exempt from the laws and regulations of different states and countries.  Unfortunately, this assumption is not true and can result in unsuspecting sellers finding themselves in hot water with the law. In many cases, the law hasn’t caught up to the advancements made in online business which often leads to eCommerce sellers being treated unfairly.  It was this injustice that inspired Paul Rafelson to defend eCommerce sellers. Paul is a Partner at Rafelson Law PLLC, a law firm that specializes in eCommerce law, Intellectual Property, M&A, Amazon Suspensions, Disputes, and more. In this episode, Paul walks us through the common legal problems that eCommerce sellers face. He breaks down the nexus tax issue that plagued Amazon merchants and explains the key points your Amazon insurance policy should contain. We also dive into how having an M&A lawyer in your corner when selling your business can make a world of difference. According to Paul,  “Aside from marriage and children, selling your business will probably be the most important transaction of your life. It’s your game-changing story, and that’s huge, so you want to do it right.” Paul explains the nuances of negotiating with aggregators vs normal buyers and shares tips on how to ensure a successful negotiation. He also reveals some of the potential pitfalls of earnout agreements and how to ensure you get the money owed to you.  If you want to ensure that your eCommerce business stays on the right side of the law, then don’t miss a second of this episode! Topics Discussed in This Episode: How Paul became a lawyer and got into the online business industry (04:12) The nexus tax issue that inspired the formation of Paul’s law firm (13:53) The common legal problems that Amazon sellers face (20:43) The legal risks of starting an FBA business vs Shopify (36:52) An overview of what an Amazon insurance policy should contain (44:16) The benefits of hiring an M&A lawyer when selling your online business (45:37) The differences between negotiating a sale with aggregators vs citizen buyers (49:25) The potential dangers of earnouts (53:25) Paul’s tips for eCommerce sellers when it comes to negotiating with buyers (57:35) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Rafelson Law Firm Seller Basics Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn valuable insights about eCommerce law!

Rank and Rent is a great business model for earning a passive income online. The only downside is you have to wait for your sites to rank before you can rent them out. Unsatisfied with this approach, Nick Wood decided to turn Rank and Rent on its head.  He builds a landing page and uses ad campaigns to drive traffic to the site. The ads help to generate a handful of leads in a fraction of the time, allowing Nick to rent the site out almost immediately. Only once he’s secured a rental client does Nick then focus on ranking the site. This rent-first, rank-later strategy has helped Nick reach over $100,000 in monthly revenue! In this episode, Nick joins us to discuss what inspired him to reinvent the Rank and Rent business model and the secret sauce behind his success. He believes too many entrepreneurs waste time perfecting their websites instead of generating an income as soon as possible. According to Nick, “It’s about moving fast and getting stuff done. The money’s not in perfection, the money is in action.” Nick breaks down how he finds the right clients for his sites, walks us through his sales pitch, and explains how to overcome the objections a client might throw his way.  We dig into the nitty-gritty details of how to factor ad spend into your rental charges, as well as how to calculate your expected site traffic volume, and obtain a Google Business Profile without the usual hassle.  If you’re looking for a way to generate the passive income of a Rank and Rent site without the wait time, then look no further. This episode is jam-packed with all the tips and tricks you need to get started on your Rent, then Rank business journey! Topics Discussed in This Episode: A brief description of Rank and Rent (04:50) How Nick developed his “rent first, rank later” strategy (08:14) The golden ratio between ad spend CPC and rental charges(15:22) The rank and rent business model is undervalued (19:14) Nick’s process for obtaining a Google Business Profile (24:58)  How to calculate your expected site traffic volume (31:11) A breakdown of how Nick sources and signs new clients (34:20) Why picking the right city and niche is the key to success (42:42) How to overcome objections when pitching rent and rank sites (51:40) The structure of Nick’s team and Nick’s role in the business (58:34) How Nick plans to scale his business to $1 million per month (1:00:28) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Digital landlord Nick’s YouTube Channel Nick’s Facebook group Nick’s Digital Landlord Discord Rank and Rent podcast episode with Luke Van Der Veer What Is a Lead Worth calculator  Ahrefs Semrush Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to rent out your lead-generating websites before they rank!

The goal of many entrepreneurs is to build a business that will one day give them true financial freedom.  In theory, it’s a simple three-step process. Create it. Scale it. Sell it.  But in reality, achieving a life-changing exit is a pipedream that only a handful of entrepreneurs actually accomplish. So, what does it take to beat the odds and achieve a multi-million dollar exit? In this episode, we’re joined by an entrepreneur who knows the answer to this question first-hand. Patrick Campbell is the founder of ProfitWell, a SaaS platform that helps businesses grow their recurring revenue through subscription analytics, retention, and pricing solutions. Patrick’s business was recently acquired by Paddle for $200 million!  Patrick joins us to discuss the details behind the acquisition, how he successfully grew Profitwell, and how his life has changed since his 9-figure exit.  Patrick explains how he set Profitwell apart from its competitors by thinking long-term, being strategic with pricing, and always keeping the bigger picture in mind. Patrick also used competitive analysis to better understand what consumers were looking for and identify where Profitwell’s competitive advantage lay. We also dive into the challenges Partick faced while scaling the business, and how he overcame these setbacks. According to Patrick, “Did we have “Oh my word, everything is terrible moments?” 100%, yes. But the nature of what we do as entrepreneurs is to get back up and keep going. Every time there’s a hardship that you get through, your brain as an entrepreneur goes “Well, it must not have been that bad because I figured it out.” And that helps you to keep moving forward.” If you’re hoping to make a life-changing exit of your own one day, don’t miss a second of this candid, behind-the-scenes look at the ins and outs of a multi-million dollar acquisition! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Patrick introduces himself and shares insight into his entrepreneurial journey (01:27) The inspiration behind Profitwell (07:42) The secret sauce behind the growth of Profitwell (11:04) How Patrick outpaced competitors and differentiated Profitwell from competitors (21:41) Profitwell’s unique organizational structure (26:01) Patrick’s darkest moment building Profitwell (32:45) Why Patrick said the word “churn”100K times  (38:36) How Paddle’s acquisition of Profitwell came about (46:10) How Patrick’s life has changed since exiting Profitwell (51:24) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Profitwell Paddle Notion High Output Management by Andrew Grove Sit back, grab a coffee, and discover what it’s like to make a 9-figure exit from an online business.

Loans can sometimes get a bad rap, but they can be a powerful tool when it comes to funding business acquisitions. The key is finding the right type of loan to suit your specific needs and risk appetite.  Given the volatility of online business, many entrepreneurs are hesitant to use their house or other valuable assets as collateral when applying for funding.  Having recognized the need for a more flexible type of funding, Boopos offers aspiring business owners access to revenue-based financing.  Revenue-based financing requires no collateral, and the repayments fluctuate according to the revenue your business generates. This greatly reduces the risk of defaulting on your repayments.  In this episode, Ignacio Villanueva, the Head of Partnerships at Boopos, joins us to dissect revenue-based financing and explains the advantages of using funding when acquiring an online business.  Revenue-based financing is much faster than traditional funding options. Boopos loans take 48 hours to be pre-approved, and only seven days to close the transaction. This means you’re less likely to lose out on a great acquisition while you wait for your funding to come through.  To make acquiring business using funding even speedier, many of the listings on our marketplace have been pre-approved for financing by Boopos. Keep an eye out for businesses marked with the ‘financing approved’ badge! If you want to know more about how to increase your business acquisition spending power through revenue-based financing, then listen in to this enlightening episode! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Ignacio reveals his background and explains the service that Boopos offers (03:47) What is revenue-based financing? (06:30) The advantages of using Boopos over SBA or traditional funding (13:10) The criteria Boopos look for when pre-approving a business for financing (19:01) A breakdown of Boopos lending rates (23:28) The repayment times for Boopos loans (25:38) The types of business models that Boopos offers financing for (27:12) The advantages of using a loan to fund a business acquisition (35:37) Real-life examples of successful Boopos funding stories (48:57) Red flags to look out for when financing a business acquisition (52:45) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Boopos Content Site ROI Case Study Amazon FBA ROI Case Study Sit back, grab a coffee, and discover the benefits of using revenue-based financing to help you fund your business acquisitions!

When building a content site, you don’t have to choose between profitable and passive. You can have the best of both worlds, as long as you have a few key elements in place.  Figuring out what these key elements are can be a steep learning curve for newcomers. That’s where Morten Storgaard comes in.  Morten is a seasoned content site professional who put his experience to good use by creating Passive Income Geek. His in-depth course teaches entrepreneurs how to build a full-time income with passive websites. He also has a successful YouTube channel where he shares useful tips and tricks for improving your sites.  In this episode, Morten unpacks some of the core building blocks of a successful content site.   We dive into the importance of a strong domain name, and what separates the good names from the bad. Morten reveals he thinks why redirects and link building should take a back seat to creating quality content, and explains how to churn out top-notch content while keeping your business passive. We also touch on how you can use YouTube to feed traffic to your site, and how to balance content production across both platforms.  If you want to get into the content site game, but don’t have much time on your hands, then Morten has plenty of actionable advice that you can use to build a passive website business of your very own. Topics Discussed in This Episode: Morten introduces himself and explains the idea behind Passive Income Geek (01:40) Why Morten transitioned away from affiliate sites into content sites (05:06) Why choosing a good domain name is crucial (10:05) Morten sheds some light on his content production process (14:25) Bad SEO advice that Morten has come across (17:29) Why Morten prioritizes quality content over 301 redirects and link building (20:18) The role that social media plays in Morten's business strategy (27:14) How to scale a YouTube channel without being the face of your brand (29:42) How Morten manages his team and his portfolio of sites (33:07) The origins of Passive Income Geek and what sets it apart from other courses (41:56) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Schedule a call with our expert sales advisors  Passive Income Geek Passive Income Geek YouTube channel Wayback Machine Economics Explained YouTube channel Keyword Chef Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to generate a full-time income from passive content sites!