eComFuel Podcast

For the first 12 years of my entrepreneurial career, I was the only shareholder in my business, and I didn't fully appreciate how much that fact really streamlined decision-making, finances, and governance until I brought on shareholders. The truth is that bringing on shareholders opens up a whole new world in terms of possibilities and opportunities, but it also opens up a whole new set of considerations. So, in this episode, I'm jumping into all the things that you should be considering if you're thinking about starting—or investing in—a multi-owner business so you don't shoot yourself in the foot. I'll be sharing how you can set up governance, what to think about when it comes to compensation, some of the different ways boards can be structured, and even what to consider when it comes to selling the business or its shares. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3BKuj4f Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

Could you really unplug from your business for an extended period? What would that look like? How could you make it happen? What would happen to your business in your absence? These are all questions we're answering today with my guest, Greg Howlett. Greg is the CEO of CaringSunshine.com and Cobblestone Trade, and he recently went off-grid, completely unplugged, for five weeks with his family. As business owners, we all struggle with the work-life balance, so I brought Greg on today to discuss how he is able to step away from his business without things falling apart. Listen in as he shares how you can make it work in your business, the lessons he has learned from years of making unplugged time a priority, and the first step to actually making it happen for yourself. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/382xLdi Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

Today I am joined by Andrew Faris, the CEO and man behind 4×400, a holding company that launches and grows eCommerce brands. He is also the voice behind The eCommerce Playbook podcast, and one of the things I love most about him is his super candid thoughts about the good, the bad, and the ugly of eCommerce businesses. Listen in as Andrew dives into the businesses he has purchased, what went well, what didn't go well, and some of the hard knocks he experienced along the way. We also talk about the difficulties of protecting cash flow without relatable revenue streams to forecast from, and Andrew shares some of his favorite pieces of eCommerce tech. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2UigWrS Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

Oftentimes, a large portion of an entrepreneur's wealth comes from the exit, and in this episode, I'm sitting down with Joe Valley to get geeky about the highs and lows of selling businesses. Joe is not only the author of The EXITpreneur's Playbook and a long-time business broker with Quiet Light Brokerage, but he has also helped a lot of ECF members exit their own businesses. Listen in as we dive into the art of buying and selling from Joe's perspective, having handled hundreds of transactions over his career, including how you can set up your business to sell for top dollar right from the beginning. We also talk about where the market is right now in terms of buying and selling eCommerce stores, as well as some of the specifics surrounding FBA businesses, addbacks, and what the perfect-sized business really is. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2VxNj6A Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

We all know there are two things that are certain in life: death and taxes. I'm excited to have my accountant, Mario Lucibello, join me today to talk about saving on taxes and tax strategies specific for entrepreneurs and business owners. We also chatted about something I wasn't expecting that really opened my eyes to how we view and think about our money. Listen in as we dive into how to save on your taxes in many different circumstances, including some of the best ways to sell assets without losing your profit to taxes. You'll learn why you might want to consider paying yourself more through your payroll, why having an accountant who understands your unique situation is the best way to save money, and the psychology behind how we think about our money. Mario has seen the finances of hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years, and he has a really interesting perspective on wealth and well-being that you won't want to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jfFFpb Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

You probably spend anywhere from 6 to 10 hours every day sitting in front of your computer screen, and your ability to use that machine well dictates not only how productive you are, but how well your business does. But how often do we really sit and think about how well our computer is set up, how well it's optimized, and how efficient we are at using it? In this short and sweet episode, I'm sharing my tips for mastering your computer so you can shave time off your work week and get more done in less time. Something as simple as leveling up your computer skills can have massive implications on your productivity and business success, so make sure you don't miss this episode! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3iBW5aO Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

Cressida Granger is the owner of Mathmos.com, a name you might actually remember as being the original creator and inventor of the famed lava lamp. She is a more recent member of the ECF community, and I wanted to get her on to talk about her story and her business because it is so incredibly interesting. Listen in as Cressida shares how she manufactured a back-of-the-napkin deal for the iconic lava lamp brand, what happened when people found out that her patent on the lava lamp had expired, and why the business chose to move away from wholesale. We also discuss the Brexit challenges that have become part of the territory of shipping from Britain, as well as why Mathmos is making the move to a new e-commerce platform (and which one it is). You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3rjd2ep Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

Building an amazing life is just as important as building a thriving e-commerce store, and today we're talking about something that has made a huge impact in my life: splitting time between two different places. I was hesitant about doing an episode on this topic for a long time, but I decided to share for three reasons: the impact it has had, the questions I get asked about it, and the challenges that sometimes come along with it. So in this episode, I'm joined by two friends who also split their time, Danny and Pete, and we're talking about how to make living in two places work. You'll learn why they chose the cities they did, how to build a community, how to make it work when you have kids, and—of course—how to structure your finances to make it feasible. If you've ever dreamed of living in a new place and wonder what that could possibly look like, this is an episode you don't want to miss! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3e5zIJx Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

I have long been a huge advocate for testing your pricing. Why? Because if you have never tested, there is potentially money you are leaving on the table. So in this episode, we're taking the discussion a step further and talking about split testing your pricing with the founders of IntelliGems, an analytics and optimization platform for mobile developers to run A/B tests and ultimately drive monetization. Adam Kitain and Drew Marconi both have a lot of experience with product pricing and split testing, and they're in the trenches helping e-commerce store owners test pricing. Listen in as we discuss how to test your prices—with the goal of raising those prices to increase profitability—including some not-so-obvious ways that you can test without actually changing your prices. We're also diving into the science behind price testing, how to optimize your testing, and ways that you can DIY price testing and mitigate any potential customer service risk. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Vir0kI Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.

Today we're picking things back up with Tal Moore, and this time, we're covering all things investments—the good, the bad, and the high-returning. In case you missed the last episode, Tal is a born entrepreneur and founder of Franklin's Popcorn, Softy Wipes, and Guardline Security. He believes that the key to financial freedom is found in your passive income opportunities. Listen in as we dive into some of the best and worst investments that Tal has made over the years and discuss why he prefers to invest in what others may consider unorthodox ventures. You'll learn his number one secret to getting above-average returns and the three rules of investing that he lives (and invests) by. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2UjAcEO Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.