The Ecommerce Roadmap

Today I'm talking with my good friend Ciara Stockeland about how store owners like us can get control of our cash, understand our financials, and finally stop sweating about our cash flow. I am a big fan of Ciara's because she's a long time Retailer turned Profit First Expert. That's important, because she understands inventory based businesses, and how common it is for us to struggle with cash flow because we are continually buying inventory or raw materials. We've both seen too many smart store owners be stressed to max from continually juggling their cash. Even though it might feel like you're failing, or "not good" at the money part, the truth is that managing your cash flow and profit is just a problem to solve. And it is solve-able. Listen in as Ciara and I talk about the strategies she teaches in her new book, Inventory Genius. It might be the most valuable 20 minutes you spend this month. Get your copy of Inventory Genius here: https://www.ciarastockeland.com/a/2147532113/2cz2f3cA Get the Inventory Genius course here: https://www.ciarastockeland.com/a/2147521502/2cz2f3cA

Did you know that your Returning Customer rate is like a thermometer for your business? It helps you evaluate the health of your business, and when you understand this, you'll use it to determine what your business needs right now. Last week, I shared how I've noticed that store owners often are unclear about two metrics that kind of sound like the same thing, but they're not Returning Visitors vs Returning Customers On last week's episode of the podcast, I shared that by focusing on your Returning Visitor metric, you can significantly increase your conversion rate. If you haven't listened - you'll want to go back and listen to episode 156 This week, I'm sharing how you can use your Returning Customer rate to understand what you need to focus on in order to grow your sales in a significant way. You can get the ideal benchmarks for Returning Customers, and some work to do. To help you understand why your Returning Customer rate is a big deal, I've boiled it down to these 3 points: Attrition. Eventually, even the best customers stop buying, and your pool of buyers will shrink. New customer acquisition. Are you bringing enough new customers into your business to [at minimum] replace the customers you lose each month? Are you bringing in enough new customers to create significant growth? Go listen to the episode - it's super short, and you'll walk away with the knowledge that will give you the power to get unstuck and grow your sales.

This week I'm sharing a little tip that will help you see what you have to do at a glance. There's some confusion for many store owners around these two metrics. We were talking about how to make a solid plan to grow your business, and I've realized that I need to clear it up. This is helpful for every store owner - if you're just starting, or if you've been growing your business for a while. Here's why this is important to you:These are important metrics for you to know because ONE will show you where you can put your focus and get more sales without spending more money THE other is like a thermometer for your business - it helps you evaluate the health of your business, and when you understand this, you'll use it to determine what your business needs How to find your Returning Visitor % in Universal Analytics Go to: →Audience → Behavior → New vs returning → Set dates for last month - see where you land Next week - we'll talk about Returning Customers - and how you can use your metric as a thermometer to take the temperature of your business.

You'll want to listen to today's episode because it could have a big impact on your sales - so come join me and find out if you're doing this thing that I think is the kiss of death. I'm talking about asking people to make decisions and email marketing, and how you can get more people clicking through your emails and actually landing on your site. For the last few weeks, I've been knee deep in calls. Office Hours with my Mastermind Group, and Strategic Planning Workshops with a second small group. Here's what I've noticed, and why it's important to you: We have multiple products that we want to share with our audiences. Sometimes they have multiple variations, like colors, or they're bundled, or they come in different sizes. And we want to make sure that our audience is aware that they have choices. We want to increase the likelihood that they will make a purchase. But here's what we don't realize - it takes only seconds for someone to be overwhelmed, and not be clear on what they might want. They're probably busy, on their phone, and they decide they'll figure out what they want later - or they decide they're not interested enough to invest the time to get clarity. So they leave - and as you know, most don't come back. Grab a pen, and take some notes. You'll want to test this strategy for getting more clicks on every email you send!

I want you to meet Claudia Howard. Claudia is a Shopify and a Klaviyo Expert, and her 1:1 Coaching calls in the Inner Circle are in high demand. Last month Claudia joined us at my Mastermind Retreat in Mexico. She was there to support our Mastermind members, and she taught us a few trick to make even more money with our emails. When she shared this money making tip, I knew that we had to do a whole episode of the Podcast on her hot tip that will make you $$$. Claudia's favorite app for increasing store revenue is Reconvert. What is Reconvert? It's a Shopify post purchase upsell app that shows an offer AFTER the customer has completed their purchase and BEFORE the thank you page. Who is it for? It's for Shopify store owners that want to increase their revenue and average order value. It's perfect for both new and established stores. How it works After installing the app there is a mega offer template with multiple offers. I recommend deleting multiple offers and using one offer. Make it an irresistible offer. A no-brainer. For example, if your average order value is $75 then adding an item worth $25 for only $15 is a no-brainer. Set Free Shipping for the offer as you'll be adding it to their existing order to ship together. Offers can be customized by cart value, customer tags, and products in the cart - and even exclude showing offers to customer groups. Listen in to learn the 3 big reasons this is important to all store owners, and hear examples of how some of Claudia's clients have used their post purchase upsell to grow their sales. Install it yourself (find it in the App store) or you can hire Claudia to get it up and running for you! Reconvert App Set Up $249 https://www.storetasker.com/experts/claudia-howard The package includes: Zoom consultation on creating the best offer Set up app Set up exclusion for VIP Club members (if applicable - the app doesn't apply VIP Club discounts so we just exclude them from seeing an offer) Set up 1 Offer Integrate the app with Klaviyo and set up a signup form on the custom thank you page, eg Birthday Club signup form.

When I work with a client 1:1, there's one question that's almost always on my client's list of problems to solve. "Can you help me figure out what I need to focus on?" As business owners, we've all felt the stress of having enough time to get everything done. We can't make more time, and so every one of us is hyper aware of the fact that we need to spend our time on the right work. Work that moves the needle. Most of us are so buried in the work of our business, it's hard to "see" the big picture. It's even harder to figure out what you can focus on that will get you results. Last year, our Coaching team had a breakthrough, and we found a way to make it easy for everyone to figure this out, no matter what size their business is. Listen in and hear how you can use your store's data to get a snapshot of what your business needs you to focus on right now. PS: If you're tired of going it alone, and you're ready to get the training you need, along with the support you need, join us in the Inner Circle. GET STARTED TODAY

Meet Ann Chikahisa: Chikahisa Studio Ann is such a great example of what's possible when you get focused and become a "Marketing First" store owner. She is a jewelry designer and sells her high end pieces to customers all over the country. When we met, Ann's sales came exclusively from wholesale and in person shows. A few years later, Ann has grown high volume sales on her website, and created a community of collectors that anxiously await her new designs. Listen in and learn how she has scaled her sales and built this loyal following. https://chikahisastudio.com/ Meet Christy Ross: Planted Places Christy has lots of proof of concept for her high ticket, super niched product. Now she's growing a monthly Membership to educate and support the people in her niche. Listen to her best advice as she looks back at what she has accomplished and executes her strategy to scale her membership. https://www.plantedplaces.com/ Meet Katie Boteler: Miss MonogramI often get asked if Makers can really achieve high volume sales. The answer is absolutely. Listen in as Katie shares her secret for scaling her sales even though she is the Maker in her business. Even though her advice is for Makers, every one of us could benefit by following her advice. https://missmonogramkids.com/ Meet Jen Schlinder: Acorns and TwigsJen runs a super busy, high volume website for crafters. She's focused on increasing her revenue without adding in more products. You'll be inspired by how she's doing just that! Make some notes and get your wheels turning. https://www.acornsandtwigs.com/ Meet Lisa Stice: Cherokee CopperLisa has grown her family's jewelry business by leaps and bounds in the last 2 years. When I asked her how she's grown her sales by so much in such a short period, she shared advice on how she decided to manage herself and later, her team. When I heard her advice, I agreed 100%. Grab a sticky note, write it down, and put it where you can see it every day! https://www.cherokeecopper.com/ Meet Natalie Santini: Sew Hungry HippieNatalie's business is growing so fast it's hard to keep up. She sees tons of opportunities to grow her sales even more, but she simply does not have the time to implement. Here's what I love about her - even though it would be fun to give some new ideas a try, she sticks to spending her time on the things that she knows grow her sales every month. Listen in to her rock solid growth strategy. https://sewhungryhippie.com/ Meet Sam Gilhooley: Magnetix TherapySam has one of the business minds I know. I'm convinced that it's been the key to her long term success. In fact, this strategy saved her business a few years ago. I love the way she positioned her advice - for newbies and veterans alike. Hear the story of how Sam was able to pay herself even though she couldn't work for 15 months. https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/do-this-and-disaster-proof-your-business-with-sam-gilhooley-episode-99/ https://www.magnetixtherapy.com/ Meet Lisa Hood: KheyleveLisa is our Unicorn! She's grown her high volume skincare business without using any paid traffic. That's a story for another day, because what I really want you to hear is how she has set a system to get lots of customers to refer their friends. She's using her rewards program, but I want you to listen to the strategy because you could implement something similar without using rewards. Here's why this is important to you: Lisa has the highest conversion rate I have ever seen Ever! https://kheyleve.com/

Last week I had the luxury of escaping winter and going on a 3 day retreat with some incredibly talented, successful store owners. They're all members of my Mastermind Accelerator program. It's a very small group of 6 and 7 figure store owners. These women are already successful - There are 15 store owners in the Group, and the combined annual revenue of the members is close to $10Million. Even though they have learned what it takes to find their audience and get conversions, , different stages of business have different challenges - and we spend our time together working on strategy - to get clear on what each member wants to accomplish this year, and step by step plan to get there. Being in a room with these bright, thoughtful, generous, store owners was like having a panel of experts take a look at your business, and give you feedback and suggestions based on their real life experiences. It was so good. Every one of us agreed that we wouldn't be where we are today without the support of other successful store owners who have shared with us over the years. When I was thinking about how we could pay it forward, I thought it would be amazing if you could hear from the women in the room - in their own voices Meet Shannon Cates: Birdmoss A little less than 2 years ago, Shannon decided to do a hard pivot and close the business that was not scalable and completely drained her energy. She gave herself permission to turn an interest into a passion, and the birdmoss subscription box was born. In less than 2 years, Shannon has 800 monthly subscribers who get a glimpse of a magical world when they receive their box each month. I believe that one of the reasons Shannon has grown her box steadily is how she has removed the biggest barrier to getting a sale - the waiting. Listen and discover Shannon's genius! https://birdmoss.com/products/birdmoss-box-monthly-subscription Meet Amanda Sheets: High Cotton Ties Amanda Sheets bought her business, High Cotton Ties a few years ago. Last year, she made big progress and came close to doubling her sales. Hear her best advice for all store owners, no matter what stage you're at! https://www.highcottonties.com Meet Bethany Wyslomerski: Rubi and Lib I've known Bethany for years. She's incredibly successful - and humble. But the Truth is, she's running 2 online businesses, and managing a team, and she makes it look easy. Her tip is all about free money. I love it, because this is a strategy that scales as you grow Grab a pen and listen in: https://rubiandlib.com/ https://apps.shopify.com/navidium-shipping-protection Meet Michelle Smith: Mama Suds She's so smart! Michelle shared a game changing strategy with us at our retreat, and I love her tip - because it's such solid long term advice that keep you on track and focused. https://www.mamasuds.com/ Meet Pam Rodgers: Stella Chroma Pam runs a six figure company, she's a Maker, and she's a full time Nurse Practitioner. Listen to hear her strategy for getting it all done, while growing a six figure revenue stream. https://www.stellachroma.com/ Meet Sylvie Roy: Eclair Lips Sylvie's sales have skyrocketed in the past 12 months. A year ago, she was up to her elbows making lip balm. Now she's free to focus on marketing. Today, she's got a team. Lear how she fast tracked the training, and is setting her team up for success as they grow. https://eclairlips.com/ Meet Renee Hill Wood: The Comfort Company Renee has a high volume store, with a long history of success. She has more organic traffic than anyone I know, and a solid conversion rate. She's a former Social worker, and I love her advice about success https://www.thecomfortcompany.com/ Meet Tina Bar On is a Coach in the Inner Circle Tina leads our member success team, and, like you, she's an ecommerce store owner. She's on about 50 coaching calls every month, so she has a front row seat to see what's working for store owners now. Grab a pen - you'll want to take some notes.

Today I sat down with long time Inner Circle Member Crystal Lovelle. Crystal is the Founder of https://www.littleblackboxbakedgoods.com/ Besides having an amazing website, Crystal is super smart and a strategic thinker, so when she posts in our group, I listen. A few weeks ago, I asked our Members to share their wins, and Crystal reported that her online sales are up 82% this year. Given that it's been a tough year for some, I wanted to know more - and Crystal gave us all a breakdown of what she had done to get those sales. I thought it would be great to share on the podcast. But when we started chatting I realized Crystal had even more to share. In 2022, Crystal decided to prioritize applying for Grants, both for cash and education. And the outcome was amazing. In total, she got 4 Grants. It was a game changer for her. Listen in and hear: Crystal's process for finding Grants The strategy she used to apply for grants quick and easy How she turned a $5200 grant into a lasting increase in sales. You don't want to miss this episode - it's pure gold. Here's the post that started our convo

My friend Bonnie is a well known Artist and Educator. She's a (famous) Surface Pattern Designer. I can spot her work a mile away. She's memorable. I teach people how to grow their online sales, so when I realized that Bonnie and I have several clients in common, I was a little surprised.Why are product business owners learning Surface Pattern Design? And then I had a lightbulb moment. I'm so inspired by what it makes possible for us.When you listen to this conversation I had with Bonnie about surface pattern design, you might hear my head exploding with ideas for people like us. We could create products with a higher perceived value. We could create a product that is exclusive to us, wildly profitable, and scalable.Our businesses, and our products could become memorable, and that's more valuable than any ad you'll ever run. PS Want to know more?Bonnie is hosting her free Workshop, Secrets to Success in Surface Pattern Design The workshop starts on February 13th, and it's available to you until March 1st. Register here, it's Free! Here's a link: https://www.bonniechristine.com/a/2147528551/R4s7AdDz