Many eCommerce sellers would argue that quality products are the key to success. This may be true, but if you don’t have enough products in stock, or are overstocked with products that aren’t selling, you will struggle to achieve the success you were hoping for.  For these reasons, Fabricio Miranda believes that inventory and supply chain optimization should a business's top priority. Fabricio is the CEO and co-founder of Flieber, a business that helps eCommerce sellers maximize sales through demand planning and inventory optimization. In this episode, Fabricio walks us through the most important aspects of a well-optimized supply chain and explains the importance of a holistic approach to inventory management. According to Fabricio, “Many retailers make the mistake of having a disconnected structure between inventory and sales. Sales teams operate blind to the future inventory impact of their actions, while inventory plays the catch-up game to keep up with what sales is doing. Every sale decision that you make has to be connected with the inventory impact of that decision.” We also discuss Fabricio’s past success as an FBA seller, including how he was able to make $10 million in sales in his first few years on Amazon. Fabricio sheds light on some of the biggest mistakes sellers make when scaling their businesses, and reveals the systems sellers can put in place to help them navigate changes in the eCommerce industry. If stock-outs are holding your business back from its full potential, then take a listen to Fabricio’s expert advice on how to solve your supply chain woes.  Topics Discussed in This Episode: Fabricio walks us through his entrepreneurial history and what he’s up to today (02:35) The secret to Fabricio’s early success as an Amazon seller (06:47) The gap in the supply chain market that inspired Fabricio to create Flieber (14:11) The consequences of poor inventory optimization (16:08) The core pillars of a well-optimized inventory and supply chain system (19:02) How eCommerce sellers can leverage real-time data to prevent future problems (24:16) The importance of a holistic approach to inventory management (27:17) The biggest mistakes sellers make when scaling their businesses (29:43) The systems sellers can put in place to navigate changes in the industry (31:33) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Flieber Anvyl Flexport  Convoy Deliverr Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to maximize your sales and profit margins through optimized inventory management.

With over 200 Google search engine ranking factors to take into consideration, it’s important to focus on the SEO strategies that will actually move the needle for your business.  Moon Hussain and Marie Ysais believe that on-site SEO will provide you with the best bang for your buck. Moon and Marie are the co-founders of Rule Your Rankings, an SEO agency that specializes in on-site and technical SEO to help website owners boost their rankings and reduce their reliance on backlinks. In this episode, Moon and Marie walk us through their 80/20 on-site and off-site SEO policy and reveal what they believe are the pillars of a good SEO strategy. We discuss the various reasons why a site may become ‘stuck” and the techniques Moon and Marie use to get these sites moving again.  The dynamic duo shares their predictions on where the SEO industry is headed and how business owners can future-proof their sites. They also shed some light on the biggest myths and misconceptions in SEO today, including false promises about instant results. According to Marie, “If you want to be successful in SEO, you need to learn how to be patient. The truth is, SEO doesn’t pay off in a week. It’s definitely a long-term strategy. Depending on how big your site is, it can take a few months to see results really kick in. Setting realistic timelines is key.” If you’re struggling to move up the rankings, or are spreading yourself thin with too many SEO techniques, then this is the episode for you. Topics Discussed in This Episode: How Moon and Marie ended working in the SEO industry (02:20) The story behind the creation of Rule Your Rankings (06:58) The philosophy behind Moon and Marie’s 80/20 approach to on-site SEO (10:20) The pillars of good on-site and technical SEO (13:40) The definition of a “stuck site” and the challenges these sites face (16:10) An example of a stuck site that Moon and Marie fixed (21:09) How Moon and Marie minimize the risk of being affected by algorithm updates (27:50) What good content building looks like with on-site optimization in mind (33:11) Moon and Marie reveal the biggest myths and misconceptions in SEO today (39:10) Moon and Marie’s predictions on where the SEO industry is headed (44:32) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Rule Your Rankings On-page.ai Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to climb the Google rankings using on-site SEO.

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.

Successfully scaling your business is a great achievement, but as the size of your business grows, so does the importance of accurately tracking your financials.  Having learned the problems caused by disorganized bookkeeping the hard way, Nathan Hirsch set about co-creating EcomBalance, a service designed to simplify the way eCommerce businesses conduct their bookkeeping.  In this episode, Nathan sheds some light on the most important financial metrics to keep track of as an eCommerce seller as well as some of the biggest bookkeeping mistakes sellers make. According to Nathan, “If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you can’t be in a position where your books are not caught up, you’re not receiving monthly reports, or you’re falling three months behind on your financials. You have to get that financial reporting system set up, and the time to do it is now, not when you’re going to sell your business.” We also dive into Nathan’s previous business FreeUp, a freelancer and virtual assistant sourcing platform. We discuss the challenges Nathan faced when scaling FreeUp, the secrets to hiring the right people for your business, and Nathan’s experience selling FreeUp for a whopping 8-figures.  As an added bonus, Nathan is offering 2 free months of bookkeeping to our podcast listeners! Simply go to the EcomBalance website and mention Empire Flippers or The Opportunity podcast to take advantage of this generous offer.  Listen in to this conversation if you want to learn how to master your financials to set your business up for future success. Topics Discussed in This Episode: Nathan walks us through his entrepreneurial journey so far (03:09) The unique gap in the market that Nathan addressed through FreeUp (07:45) The secrets to hiring the best person for the job (09:33) The challenges Nathan faced when scaling FreeUp (16:55) Nathan’s experience exiting FreeUp (19:15) The most important due diligence steps to follow when selling your business (21:27) Nathan’s secret to keeping his company’s books in order (24:53) The gap in the market that inspired Nathan to create EcomBalance(27:53) The crucial financial metrics to keep track of as an eCommerce seller (29:34) The biggest bookkeeping mistakes eCommerce sellers make (30:59) The key lessons Nathan has learned along his entrepreneurial journey (35:09) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace EcomBalance FreeUp Outsource School A2X Accounting Quickbooks Xero Accounting ClickUp Sit back, grab a coffee, and listen to Nathan’s expert advice on how to stay on top of your financial reporting.

How do you turn a humble content site into a multi-platform, globally recognized brand? For Kevin Espiritu, the answer lay in producing human-focused, genuinely useful content instead of churning out articles for profit. Kevin is the founder of Epic Gardening, a gardening brand with a relatively simple mission: to teach 10,000,000 people around the world how to grow plants and food. What started as just a website, is now a multi-faceted content and eCommerce brand with millions of followers on social media.  In this episode, Kevin walks us through the things he wished he had known when he first started building his business, including outsourcing labor to free up valuable time. According to Kevin, “When it comes to growing your business, knowing where your time is most valuable as the founder is the most important thing. If you have the resources, what you should be doing is either automating, delegating, hiring, or deleting things that are not as valuable as your leveraged time.” We dive into the ins and outs of Kevin’s content creation strategy, discussing the techniques and approaches that helped him attract over 10 million readers to his website last year, and over 3 million followers on his various social media channels.  Kevin also shares some insights into the future of Epic Gardening, including how he plans to use the $17.5 million in growth capital he recently raised.  Kevin’s success story is a wonderful example of the merits of a human-focused, instead of profit-driven, business strategy. Listen in to learn how to grow your brand across multiple sales and social media platforms while maintaining a cohesive brand identity.  Topics Discussed in This Episode: Kevin shares how his entrepreneurial journey started and where he is today (02:22) The origins and inspiration behind Epic Gardening (06:25) The secret sauce behind Epic Gardening’s enduring success (08:45) How Kevin approaches creating content across various channels and platforms (16:25) The biggest setbacks and challenges Kevin faced while building Epic Gardening (22:46) How Kevin identified the right time to expand into eCommerce (27:41) Why and how Kevin raised $17.5 million in growth capital  (34:53) How Kevin plans to use this growth capital to scale Epic Gardening (38:07) Why websites make such a good investment vehicle (41:09) What Kevin would do differently if he had to start Epic Gardening all over again (43:06) Kevin’s dreams for the future of Epic Gardening (49:26) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Epic Gardening Epic Homesteading   Authority Hacker Backlinko Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to successfully scale your business while remaining true to your brand identity.

One of the first lessons website owners learn is that content is the key to success. But how do you identify which topics and keywords to target to help your website gain authority? Finding the answer to this question is what Chima Mmeje, an experienced SEO copywriter and content strategist, does best. Through her company, Zenith Copy, she helps SaaS businesses rank for their target keywords and dominate the search results.  In this episode, Chima gives us the low-down on her favorite SEO content strategy - topic clusters. Topic clusters help website owners comprehensively cover their targeted topic, helping them to become an authority in their niche. Chima walks us through how to conduct research for a topic cluster, how to integrate backlinks into topic clusters and how long it takes to see measurable results from this strategy. She also discusses the power of high-quality content and the rewards of investing in a good content strategy. According to Chima, “Content can do more than just get your website to rank for a few keywords. Content can help you to build authority in the mind of your audience so that even when they're offline and are thinking of a problem, your brand name is the first thing that comes to mind.” Chima also walks us through the struggles she faced trying to break into the big leagues as a BIPOC content writer from Nigeria. She describes how the obstacles she overcame inspired her to create The Freelance Coalition for Developing Countries, an organization that provides free mentorship and training for BIPOC freelancers living in developing countries. If you’re tired of lackluster SEO results, listen in to this episode to learn how to create a comprehensive content strategy that’ll help you climb the SERPS and capture customer attention. Topics Discussed in This Episode: Chima guides us through her back story and entrepreneurial journey so far (02:07) Chima explains why not all traffic is created equally (09:20) The biggest challenges new domains face when trying to become established (10:53) The benefits of using topic clusters (13:55) The foundations you should have in place before implementing topic clusters (17:39) How to conduct research for a topic cluster (18:40) How to integrate backlinks into a topic cluster strategy (22:55) The common mistakes that entrepreneurs make when building topic clusters (25:02) How long do topic clusters take to start producing measurable results? (29:22) The challenges Chima faced when striking out on her own as a business owner (32:14) Chima explains why she started the Freelance Coalition for developing countries (34:12)  Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Zenith Copy The Freelance Coalition for Developing Countries  Ahrefs Semrush Sapphire SEO Market Muse Phrase Screaming Frog Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to drive significantly more traffic to your site through the use of topic clusters!

Well-written content alone isn’t enough to draw customers to your website. Backlinks lend authority to your site, helping it rank higher on Google, boosting your organic traffic as a result.  The problem is that many business owners battle to source quality backlinks for their websites. Farzad Rashidi struggled with this process himself. Fortunately, in every challenge lies an opportunity, and his quest to optimize his own link-building efforts led Farzad to co-create Respona. Respona is an all-in-one platform that helps entrepreneurs automate the link-building process and generate personalized outreach campaigns, removing a bottleneck from their SEO strategy.   In this episode, Farzad discusses the importance of building a strong backlink profile and how to balance content creation with link-building to drive more traffic to your site. He guides us through his three-step link-building process and explains how to differentiate a good backlink from a bad one. According to Farzad, “When soucing backlinks, the relevancy of the webpage you're getting your link from is so important. It doesn't matter if you have a ton of links from a lot of websites if none of the backlinks make contextual sense. Second, consider the quality of the website you're getting your link from. The authority of that website along with the relevancy of the webpage play a vital role in building high-quality backlinks.” Farzad also dives into the different elements that make up an effective outreach campaign, and the clever strategies and channels that entrepreneurs can use to stand out from the crowd. If you're keen to get more eyes on your content and climb those search results then this is a conversation you don’t want to miss! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Farzad guides us through his backstory and the inspiration behind Respona (02:27) The challenges people face when building a content strategy (05:29) The common mistakes people make when trying to build quality backlinks (20:25) Farzad walks us through how he goes about acquiring backlinks (22:20) Farzad’s three-step process for link-building (29:23) How to adapt your backlink strategy to suit your business model (34:20) The backlink acquisition strategy that surprised Farzad the most (35:56) How Farzad differentiates a good backlink from a bad one (40:17) How Farzad plans to scale Respona going forward (43:05) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Respona Ahrefs Semrush Clearscope Visme Marketing Strategy eBook Backlinko Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to create a powerful backlink profile that will help you dominate the Google search results.

We’ve all read stories and news articles about multi-million dollar businesses that have been sold and the ripple effects these acquisitions have on their respective industries.  But an exit doesn’t have to involve enormous sums of money to be meaningful.  When Alexis Grant realized that there were important acquisition stories going untold, she created They Got Acquired, a media agency seeking to redefine startup success by sharing the acquisition stories of underrepresented founders.  In this episode, Alexis joins us to discuss the inspiration behind They Got Acquired, and the ways in which she hopes to educate entrepreneurs who are preparing to sell their businesses. She also reveals the obstacles she faced building a media company from the ground up and how she has structured her business to provide value to her audience. According to Alexis, “When building a media brand, the place that I always start from is creating really high-quality content. Think about how you can create something that's valuable, because if people don't want to read it, or listen to it, or consume it, then you're not really doing yourself or them a favor.” Alexis also shares insights into her own acquisition stories, discussing the differences between an acqui-hire and an asset sale, and the lesson she learned from both experiences.  Whether you are a first-time seller or an experienced entrepreneur, this is an episode you don’t want to miss! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Alexis walks us through her entrepreneurial journey so far (02:26) The lessons Alexis learned from her own businesses being acquired (07:57) What inspired Alexis to create They Got Acquired (12:47) The types of success stories Alexis wants to shine a light on with They Got Acquired (15:24) The obstacles Alexis faced building a media company from the ground up (19:01) Interesting tidbits Alexis has picked up from the businesses she’s covered so far (26:03) Alexis’s advice to entrepreneurs looking to start their own media brand (31:44) How Alexis maintains efficiency to maximize her ROI (34:42) How Alexis aims to help women founders find a place at the table (37:19) Alexis’s goals for the future of They Got Acquired (39:55) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace They Got Acquired Typefully Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to successfully navigate the acquisition process.

When used correctly, PPC is a powerful tool in an Amazon seller’s arsenal. But, as a newcomer to the FBA game, it’s often hard to find the time to research and implement optimized PPC campaigns while simultaneously ensuring your business runs smoothly.  When Mina Elias first entered the Amazon marketplace, he struggled with this challenge himself. Determined to master PPC, Mina put in the hard yards and absorbed all the information he could find about advertising on Amazon.  His thirst for knowledge paid off, with Mina scaling his supplement brand, MMA Nutrition, to over seven figures. Now, Mina puts his PPC expertise to work as the founder of Trivium Group, an Amazon advertising agency that manages PPC campaigns on behalf of FBA sellers, giving business owners one less thing to worry about. In this episode, Mina discusses how his passion for PPC led him to create both Trivium Group and The PPC University, an educational platform that teaches FBA sellers how to create cost-effective and automated PPC campaigns. He reveals the core principles that make up a good Amazon PPC strategy and explains why PPC is a solid investment for businesses of all sizes.  Mina walks us through the challenges and doubts he overcame after quitting his corporate job to become an FBA seller and explains why so many entrepreneurs are attracted to the supplement niche. He also reveals the qualities that help his brand stay relevant in such a highly-competitive niche and shares the advice and tips he wishes he was given when starting out as an FBA seller. According to Mina, “Building accurate profit & loss statements is incredibly important. I wish I had done it earlier. If you're not building accurate P&Ls, it's putting you at a severe disadvantage, especially when you try to sell your business. So, find someone who is familiar with A2X and QuickBooks, hire them to teach you how everything works, and then just hire a bookkeeper to manage the whole process.” If you want to avoid common FBA stumbling blocks and learn the shortcuts to Amazon success, then this is a conversation you don’t want to miss out on! Topics Discussed in This Episode: Mina walks us through his entrepreneurial journey so far (01:15) How Mina broke into the supplements niche and remained competitive (10:31) What makes the supplements niche so attractive to Amazon sellers (15:21) How Mina juggles selling on Shopify and Amazon (17:17) The problems Mina encountered getting to grips with PPC as a new seller (22:18) The core principles that make up a good Amazon PPC strategy (26:18) Mina’s motivations behind starting PPC University (31:23) The advice Mina wishes he was given when starting out as an Amazon seller (39:52) Mina shares insights into his future plans (42:37) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Trivium Group  The PPC University  RankBell Helium10 DataDrive A2X  Quickbooks Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to create PPC campaigns that will move the needle for your FBA business!

How would you like to make money from buying and selling online businesses without having to purchase or operate an online business of your own? This exciting prospect is now within your reach thanks to the launch of the Empire Flippers referral program. By becoming a referral partner, you can earn 20% of our commission by referring businesses that are then successfully bought or sold on the Empire Flippers marketplace. Having spearheaded the creation of the referral program, Jim Barton, the Partnerships Manager at Empire Flippers, joins us to explain the many opportunities that the referral program offers to interested entrepreneurs.  Jim provides a step-by-step guide on the different types of referrals, how referrals partners are paid, what the process of making a referral actually looks like, and the qualities we look for in a good referral. Jim explains, “The Empire Flippers referral program works in two ways. We have seller referrals where you refer somebody who wants to sell their business and buy-side referrals where you refer somebody who wants to purchase a business.  As a referral partner, you will get paid for everything your referral does with us from our two-year cookie, meaning if they buy or sell multiple businesses, you would collect referral commission on all of those.” Jim also gives us a peek behind the curtain of what it takes to create a referral program from scratch, and shares stories of the enormous success the entrepreneurs who joined our pilot program have already experienced. Whether you’re looking for a way to diversify your income, cash in on your large professional network, or leverage the traffic coming to your site, listen closely because this episode will tell you everything you need to know about the Empire Flippers referral program. Topics Discussed in This Episode: Jim walks us through how he ended up running the referral program (03:52) The motivation behind starting the Empire Flippers referral program (06:15) How our referral program differs from affiliate contracts and other payout projects (07:51) The nuts and bolts of how the Empire Flippers referral program works (11:15) The process of making a successful referral (13:08) What does, and does not, qualify as a valid referral (16:32) The different kinds of people who could benefit from the referral program (18:40) The various tools available to referral partners to track their referrals (24:16) The benefits of using the Empire Flippers referral program (27:04) The success stories Jim has already witnessed from the referral program (28:56) Jim describes his experience starting a referral program from scratch (33:23) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcast Empire Flippers Marketplace Sign up for the Empire Flippers referral program Sit back, grab a coffee, and discover the many advantages of Empire Flippers’ groundbreaking new referral program!