eComFuel Podcast

After spending years in the software space owning non-eCommerce businesses, Lee Lichlyter went on the search for the perfect business. Lee is now the owner of CameraReadyCosmetics.com, and today he joins the show to discuss the process of buying and taking over the business, including the criteria he stuck to and the length of time it took to find a business that fit within that criteria. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/347oBeH 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.

Brian Anderson is the CEO and founder of GetNacelle.com, a headless eCommerce solution for Shopify Plus. Today he joins the show to discuss the benefits of using headless commerce, what a progressive web app is (and how it's related to headless), and the kind of investment you may want to consider before committing to headless. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/30LaqcW 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.

Why would you stop selling on your website when direct-to-consumer is all the rage? That is exactly what I will be discussing today with my guest, Dafina Smith of CovetAndMane.com. Listen in as Dafina shares how her products are promoted, how she got started in the eCommerce world, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3cBbdBT 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.

Ronnie Teja is the owner of Branzio.com, an 8-figure watch company that he runs entirely remotely. In this episode, we discuss what it's like running a sizeable business while living in three places (Berlin, Vancouver, and Bangkok), Ronnie's thoughts on mindfulness, and his best advice for hiring the right members for your team. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2SvXQtL 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.

With over $25 million in product and service sales online, you could say Jared Mitchell is a successful entrepreneur. Today he joins the show to discuss how he became the director of eCommerce for Neil Patel, what he has learned from working with such a big name, how to build top of the line sales funnels, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3krbTwv 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 want our business to go well, but what happens if business goes too well? Today Kaevon Khoozani, founder of BellsOfSteel.com joins the show to discuss how he handled a 10x growth spurt in a short period of time, how to think about pricing when demand is soaring, and what to do when you hit peak madness in your business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2FqE4MV 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.

Have you been hoping to boost productivity in your business? Maybe you are looking for some help executing a project? Today I have my project manager (PM), Jessie, joining the show to discuss what a good project manager does, how a PM can help you boost productivity and free up your time, and how you can bring one into your company. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3gUz9Ri 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.

Do you have a clear idea of what success looks like for your business? For Rob Walling, co-founder of TinySeed and founder of Drip, it was not as simple as he first thought. Today he joins the show to discuss the sacrifices he made for success, as well as what went on behind the scenes of selling his business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3lG3GWT 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.

Casey Cutsail of OnSchedge.com has been in the eCommerce game since he was 16, and he has a lot of knowledge to share about selling online through multiple platforms. In this episode, he opens up about his experience using crowdfunding to launch his product, how he came up with the idea for Schedge, and lots more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2YQF9Ve 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.

This summer the eCommerceFuel team did something we've been planning for over a year: we all took a month-long sabbatical. In today's episode we talk about how we made it work from a logistical standpoint, what we learned from our month away and how we'll do things differently next time.

Lindsay Hagerman discusses how she was able to build a thriving B2B business at RainCaper.com through tradeshows, geographical reps who work on commission and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2ERbR1z 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.

Bryan Croft shares how he buys brick and mortar businesses exclusively for their loyal customers and transitions the revenue to his 100% online business, HCBrands.com. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/33coLBa 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.

Bryan Croft shares how he's hired, incentivized and grown a leadership team that allows him to focus exclusively on culture and vision for his $20+ million company, HCBrands.com You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3hsKSaw 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.

Hilary Halstead Scott shares how their grant program has helped Halstead Bead build inbound links, traffic, industry authority and more. We also chat about her sales tax advocacy efforts and where reform progress stands today. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2VBHim0 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.

Web Smith of 2PM joins me to discuss founding Mizzen + Main, dealing with burnout, how Community is the future of eCommerce, why Nike is FAR superior to Reebok and how he curates one of the top newsletters in the space. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2CEZrZi 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 have Michael Jamin's top-rated talk from ECF Live on how to tell your brand story in an entertaining and compelling way that will make you more money. Michael has a lot of experience writing in Hollywood—most notably for King of the Hill—and he is incredibly hilarious and well-spoken. Listen in to hear his take on what it takes to up your marketing game. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2YkMUTv 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.

Terrell and Penny Miller are the founders of CattleMax.com, a company designed to cut record-keeping time for farmers and ranchers. Today they join the show to discuss how they have created a lifestyle that allows them to snowbird between Texas and Colorado, depending on the weather. Listen in as they share how they manage their real estate when migrating between the two states, their pro tips on dealing with home-schooling, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2TThXD3 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.

Shopify Partners Up with Walmart, Facebook Tests Email Marketing Tools for Business Pages, Support for Magento 1.x Expiring This Month, J.P. Morgan Predicts 35-40% "long-term" eCommerce penetration, Jeff Bezos May Testify Before Congress For The First Time This Summer, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-19-2020/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Will Roman discusses how he's growing Chisos.com through in-person, grassroots marketing. We debate if it's possible to scale brand voice beyond the founder, highly effective SMS techniques for cart abandonment, pop-up shops, and – of course – why they only offer free shipping to Texans. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3bSwZz7 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.

U.S. small firms leave $150 billion in coronavirus stimulus untapped, 'Digital by default': Shopify is letting employees work from home permanently, Social media giants take different approaches to presidential messages, Amazon plans summer sale for June 22 to 'jumpstart sales' after coronavirus crunch, Slack partners up with Amazon, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-5-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Derek Dodds is the CEO of Wave Tribe, a business on a mission to create an important relationship between sport and planet. Today he joins the show to discuss how he has managed to combine his passion for surfing with his work—something that doesn't always go over well. Derek is an inspiring person and someone who has a lot of knowledge to give on the subject of standing by your values, so listen in to learn how to structure your weeks so you have a more balanced lifestyle between work and play. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3cezpch 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.

Shopify Announces Merchant Banking, Product Financing & More, Facebook and Instagram Roll Out Shops, Turning Business Profiles into Storefronts, Amazon Is Said To Be In Talks To Buy J.C. Penney, AMC's stock soars after report Amazon held merger talks, Pepsi Launches DTC Sites for Pandemic Shoppers, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/may-22-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

One of the most widely installed, yet underutilized pieces of software in the online world is Google Analytics. As business owners, we all have it installed, but how often do you check that data and use it to make informed decisions in your business? Today I am going to be sharing the cringe-worthy mistakes I found in my Google Analytics account in the hopes that hearing this will inspire you to have a look into your account to tidy things up. Listen in if you want to avoid these easy-to-make mistakes so you can improve your business and ultimately make more money. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2xmuzdY 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.

Shopify Launches New Mobile Shopping App Dubbed 'Shop', Shopify Announces Strong Q1 Financial Results, House Judiciary Committee asks Jeff Bezos to testify about whether Amazon misled Congress, Amazon reports earnings, plans to spend all Q2 profits on coronavirus response, Alphabet stock rises more than 7% as ad slowdown turns out to be less than feared, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/may-8-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

It is becoming increasingly popular for food brands to sell directly to the consumer through online companies they have built from the ground up. But how do you continue to grow your independent food company without in-person advertisements? To help me dissect all the logistics of this complicated business, from distribution to advertisement, is the co-founder of MissionMeats.co, Peter Awad. If you have been curious about building a food brand online, be sure to tune in! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2VO0Hkj 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.

Shopify Reports Surging Volume for Stores via Twitter, Many Merchants Report Biggest Day EVER as Stimulus Checks Hit Accounts, Amazon Slashes Commission Rates for Affiliates, Amazon Reportedly Leveraging Seller Data to Launch Competing Products, Google Makes Their Shopping Ads Free, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/april-24-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities, and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Alcoholism is something that is a lot more prevalent than people realize or want to admit. It is something that most people shy away from talking about because there is still such a stigma around it, but today I want to open up the discussion. To help me cover this important topic, as well as the common link between entrepreneurship and alcohol dependence, is my good friend Paul Churchill of RecoveryElevator.com. As a recovering alcoholic himself, Paul has a lot of knowledge on the subject, so if you have ever had a dependency on alcohol or know someone who does, this episode is not to be missed. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2K1Gcd8 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'm joined by Taylor Holiday to discuss the strange things happening with paid traffic in our current environment. Traffic is relatively cheap but with plunging conversion rates is it actually a good time to double down on your ad spend? We also discuss the encouraging top-line revenue trends we've seen over the last few weeks.

Today on the show I'm joined by good friends Drew Sanocki and Michael Jackness who open up about how COVID has impacted their lives and businesses, where we see areas of opportunity and more. We discuss: How badly our businesses have been hit Thoughts on how COVID will permanently change eCommerce Where we're seeing opportunities, both now and in the intermediate future

How do you keep orders shipping during a global pandemic, possibly amid shelter-in-place orders from the government? Today we discuss stats on how revenues have been affected, how to determine if your business is a "critical business" and can operate during a lock down, diversifying your fulfillment chain and more.

This week the United States passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. While it provides some much-needed support to workers it also has some scary cashflow implications for small businesses. We discuss: How employers are responsible for paying for up to 14 weeks of paid leave for workers The mechanics behind getting reimbursed by the government Why this could cause a huge strain on your company's cashflow and what to do about it

Coronavirus Concerns Prompt Widespread Cancellations, U.S. Limits Travel From Europe, Taps SBA and Tax Deferrals to Stimulate Economy, Amazon Blocks New Listings for Coronavirus Safety Gear Amid Price Gouging, New Bill Could Make Amazon, eBay Liable for Counterfeits, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/march-13-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today I am going to be doing something I have not done in years; a round up of all the books I have been reading. Books can be extremely helpful in business, whether it is helping you to plan your next move or calm your mind after a long day of work. In this episode, I will be explaining my favorite educational books as well as fiction or just plain interesting books. If you want to find out my favorite books over the past few years or you are just a bookworm yourself, this is the episode for you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/39in59H 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.

Coronavirus Hits Supply Chains and Deliveries, Congressional Hearing to Examine Wayfair's Effects on Small Businesses, DTC Brands Hit Rough Patch, Shopify Launches App Store Ads, Target Breaks Into Top 10 List of U.S. E-Commerce Retailers, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/february-28-2020/ The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today on the show, I am going to be sharing a pretty big announcement for something I have been working on for quite a while now: eCommerceFuel Capital, a group that will be making investments in eCommerce companies. To help me discuss this exciting news is my good friend Bill D'Alessandro of ElementsBrands.com. Listen in to learn how eCF Capital came to be, who we are looking for to join, and how you can be involved in it. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/39RURCB 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.

eCommerceFuel Live 2020 is in the books! Now that we've had a few days to recover, I sit down with Bill D'Alessandro to recap the highlights of the event and our major takeaways from our 6th Annual Community Gathering. Listen in as we touch on the importance of investing in companies you truly understand, the ways Facebook marketing has changed over the last year, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2SDmkB0 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.

Adam Callinan is the co-Founder and CEO of BottleKeeper, a specialty beverage accessory company on a mission to keep your drinks the perfect temperature. Adam grew his business to more than $8 million in sales before hiring his first employee, and now BottleKeeper is one of the leading retailers of beverage accessories on the market. In this episode, we discuss how he was able to grow so quickly without any employees, why he is obsessed with automation, and what it takes to scale your business incredibly fast—without using Facebook ads. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2GTVP4N 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.

Shopify Will No Longer Refund Processing Fees for Return Payments, Trump Administration Cracks Down on Counterfeits, Chinese Outnumber U.S. Sellers on Amazon, Yotpo Acquires SMSBump, Amazon Smashes 4th Quarter Earnings Expectations, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/january-31-2020/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Greg Mercer is the founder and CEO of Jungle Scout, a company that provides various tools and resources to Amazon sellers. Today he joins the show to help me discuss the state of Amazon as we head into 2020. We talk about how to launch a product today, how that looks in comparison to several years ago, and more. If you're thinking about getting on Amazon or you are selling on the site already, make sure to tune in. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/30KrY7V 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.

Google Plans to Nix Third-Party Cookies in Chrome by 2022, Google Introduces New Shopping Section in Search Results, Amazon Stopped Featuring Its Own Brands in Search Results, U.S., China Sign Trade Agreement, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/january-17-2020/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Kristi Soomer is the founder and CEO of Encircled.co, an ethical fashion brand designed to help women travel lighter. Today she joins the show to talk about the concept of a B-corporation, which is something I have been wanting to learn more about for a while. Listen in as she shares what it's like to own a B-corporation, what that actually means for the business, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2N10Qf4 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.

TOMS Shoes Creditors to Take Over the Company, California's Landmark Gig-Work Law Takes Effect Amid Controversy, California Consumer Privacy Act Officially Takes Effect, Fedex and UPS Raise Fees on Oversized Packages, Volusion Debuts SMB Financing, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/january-3-2020/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today's episode is a replay of one of our most well-received episodes from 2019, where Kevin Stecko from 80sTees.com joins the show to discuss how he improved his business by making it smaller. Kevin has undergone the evolution from having a massive warehouse with a huge amount of inventory to scaling back and pricing his products at a premium. Listen in as he shares how he managed that change and how downsizing can help save a business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Q9z3dn 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 are doing a replay of one of my favorite episodes from 2019 with Eric Bandholz from Beardbrand.com. Eric won the ECF 5 award for the most upvoted thread of 2018, and in this episode, he shares what made that year such a great one for his company. He talks about what made them decide to leave Amazon, how they've changed up their strategy, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2stIxrH 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.

Amazon Vine Rolls Out to Third-Party Sellers, 'Jingle Bots' Jam Online Shopping Carts to Use Up Stock and Frustrate Customers, What Is Actually in the U.S.-China 'Phase One' Trade Deal?, Amazon Blocks Sellers From Using FedEx Ground for Prime Shipments, Craigslist Launches App for iPhone, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/december-19-2019/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today we have Bill D'Alessandro from ElementsBrands.com joining the show to discuss our eCommerce predictions for the coming year. We will be sharing how our predictions for 2019 held up now that we are approaching the end of the year, as well as if any of our ideas came to fruition. You'll learn whether we think America is heading toward a recession in 2020, our thoughts on the coming election, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2Lysgbz 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 on the show, I am joined by Alex Banys, the man behind Specialized mountain bikes. We discuss how to sell a brand worldwide, including places as far as Africa or Latin America, as well as why you need to create country-specific websites. Listen in to learn how to sell direct to consumers while not alienating your retailers, how to nurture your relationship with customers, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2YbcmJx 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.

E-commerce Killed It on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Mastercard Bans Automatic Billing After Free Trials, Amazon Adds 'Request a Review' Button, Allbirds Calls Out Amazon for Mimicking $95 Wool Sneaker, Tesla Rolls Out Electric 'Cybertruck', and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/december-4-2019/ . The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today Steve Chou from MyWifeQuitHerJob.com joins the show to help me discuss how to do an audit for your website or blog, as well as the benefits you will see if you take some time to clear out old content. Steve and I share how we keep our sites up to date to guarantee that new listeners and viewers are seeing our best work and so much more. Listen in to learn the importance of unique and secure links, focused keywords, and post consolidation. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2OcyL5G 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.

Joining me on the show today is one of the top new members of our private online community, Dustin Chaffin from ProluxCleaners.com. In this episode, he and I discuss the amazing framework he uses in his business, as well as where he spends time examining problems he's having and trying to isolate and identify the core symptoms of the issues. Listen in to learn why you should also be setting aside time every day to take a look at problems in your business, how to make your web page more appealing, and how to run your business like a pro. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2NWyTpL 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.