eComFuel Podcast

Wrapping up the holiday season here and coming to the end of 2018, I'm bringing back another of my favorite episodes from this past year. As anyone who's had any meaningful success knows, relationships are crucial in business, so today I'm revisiting a show I did back in July that covers 15 critical habits to master in order to build better business relationships. Listen in to learn what it takes to create genuine, long-lasting, and meaningful connections with people. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2V5kHMT

As we're getting to the end of the year and reaching that point of reflection, I wanted to revisit a couple of episodes that I had a lot of fun with in 2018. The one I'm bringing back today is a show I did back in April with Tadpull co-founder Jake Cook that covers hiring fresh—if a little green—marketing talent right out of college. Listen in to hear him share the tactics he uses to find, hire, and keep great talent. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2RSi1Qy

This week Bill D'Alessandro and I revisit our predictions for 2018 to see how many we nailed and (more likely) how many just seem silly in retrospect. We also serve up a fresh batch of predictions for 2019 on topics ranging from Amazon delivery to trending marketing tactics to likely acquisitions in the coming year. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2QF3g6u

Arman Assadi has worked on copywriting projects for well-known entrepreneurs such as Neil Patel, Timothy Sykes, and others. He also has experience running a 7-figure eCommerce store, so I asked him to come on to talk about the 80/20 of eCommerce copywriting. We also discuss how to work more productively by understanding your brain type, as well as differences among crowdfunding platforms. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2DVsw1i

With Amazon cracking down on illegitimate reviews, unscrupulous players have a new weapon in their toolkit: attacking a listing by posting loads of fake, positive reviews. The worst part is it can be effective, as Zac Plansky unfortunately discovered. In this episode, I talk with Zac about the attack and how he was finally able to get his account reinstated after a stressful suspension. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2FH65iV

Today's episode is a follow-up to one I did back in June about the eCommerceFuel Job Boards. It's been a while since I launched that project, and I wanted to share some updates to document the journey so you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to launching something from scratch. Listen in to hear what went well, what didn't go so well, how things are going with the budget, and some key stats of the business so far. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2qXt1Ai

If you're involved in the ecommerce space, you've surely noticed that it's becoming harder and harder to stay 100% compliant when it comes to sales tax. Between the recent Supreme Court case and Amazon tax issues, quite honestly, it's getting to be a real pain. So today I have Michael Jackness of EcomCrew.com here to share how a new organization he helped launch called the Online Merchants Guild is fighting against these sales tax hurdles. Listen in to learn what they're doing, as well as how you can get involved to help make sure our online selling environment doesn't become a nightmare from a compliance standpoint. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2AVxzgr

Today I've got LemonStand's Ross Paul on the show to talk about subscriptions—namely in the e-commerce space. LemonStand is a shopping cart company based in Vancouver, Canada, and as the company's VP of Growth, Ross knows his stuff when it comes to building a successful subscription model. We dive right in to talk about which businesses can benefit from this model, billing issues people run into, and how to make sure you retain as many customers as possible. Tune in to hear it all now! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2PyWtKY

In this episode, I'm going to share my experience designing a product from scratch. I've touched on this topic in passing on the show before, but today you'll get a real, behind-the-scenes look at everything, from designing and manufacturing to unit economics and selling on Amazon. And most importantly, I'll share all the mistakes I made along the way. Listen in to hear how everything went, and what I'd do differently if I had it to do all over again. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CxFr8S

Today's episode is all about an important topic that rarely gets discussed among entrepreneurs: mental health. Being an entrepreneur can be really hard at times; you've got super high highs and really low lows, and that can take a major toll. So I've got Sherry Walling of ZenFounder.com on the show to talk about how to take care of ourselves while running our businesses. In addition to being an entrepreneur herself—and being married to one—Sherry has a long background in clinical psychology. Listen in to hear her advice for maintaining your mental health as a founder, what to keep in mind about working with a spouse, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CIvUgr

Today we're going to talk about transparency and open companies, specifically the idea of sharing financials with employees. We recently discussed this in our private forum, and the overwhelming response was that it's a bad idea, but my guests today disagree. Lee and Jake Cook—cofounders of Tadpull—and Hannah Jerome—a Tadpull leadership team member—strongly believe that sharing the key financial results of their business with their team has helped the business. Listen in to hear why they say that allowing staff to see exactly what's going on financially can increase the buy-in and cohesion of a team. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2pFwYck

Today I'm joined by a longtime member of our eCommerceFuel Private Forum, a top contributor, and an all-around stand-up guy, Patrick Barnhill. Patrick is the founder of SpecialistID.com, and on a recent Mastermind call with him, I heard his presentation on how he's using custom software to streamline his processes, reduce errors, and handle more inventory and order flow. He also shared what he was doing with his business in terms of hacking and prepping his products—especially products that he kitted together for FBA—and I just knew I had to have him on the show. Thankfully, he graciously agreed to come on the podcast to share these things with all of you. So if you're interested in using custom software to streamline your business—especially on the operations and warehouse side—listen in to hear all the cool things Patrick is doing to run his business much more smoothly. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2DIW2sW

Today on the show, I've got a guest who's long overdue: Scott Voelker of TheAmazingSeller.com. Scott is a well-known guy in the Amazon space, he knows a tremendous amount about the platform, and he has sold tons and tons of products, so today we're doing a deep dive with someone who knows Amazon inside and out. We cover where there's still opportunity left within the platform, common mistakes sellers make, the state of reviews in the second half of 2018, some of his favorite tools, and a bunch of other things that you don't want to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2zr7G7k

Today's show is all about retargeting. I'm joined by the co-founder of Shoelace, Reza Khadjavi, who is here to share what makes a great retargeting ad, advice for managing your budget, and much more. Since his company specializes in retargeting—especially for Shopify stores—we cover a lot of ground today. Listen in to learn how to optimize your campaigns if you're already running them, and if you're not, you'll hear lots of great tips for getting started the right way. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2QD2HqP

Today I'm joined by Kristina Kurcink, a friend of mine who has spent over a decade working at Nike in roles ranging from design all the way to manufacturing. Being responsible for a lot of the production in Asia, Kristina has seen the whole process leading up to the famous footwear coming off the line. In this episode, she shares key lessons she learned during her ten years working for Nike, particularly some of the manufacturing lessons she learned from being on the ground in Asia. So if you're doing your own manufacturing—or thinking about getting into it soon—you don't want to miss hearing what Kristina has to say, as it could help you avoid mistakes and save money. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2NjjksH

Today's episode is going to be slightly different than usual. I recently lost a bet and had to take Steve Chou of MyWifeQuitHerJob.com on a three-day road trip around Montana, and during that trip, we recorded a few episodes that we wanted to share. (You can find the other two on his podcast.) While we were on the road, we talked about tons of stuff, so this is kind of a free-ranging episode that covers email deliverability hacks, raising kids as entrepreneurs, and more. Listen in to hear it all now! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2MF14dU

When it comes to collaborating with overseas factories, there are certain things any ecommerce store owner should know. So today I've got Nathan Resnick from Sourcify—a company that helps store owners pick the right factories for their design products and streamline their sourcing, design, and development—on the show to discuss how things work in China. Nathan has had tons of experience over there learning the language and culture, and he travels there six or more times per year, so he has a great understanding of the country. In this episode, he shares the logistics of selling and exporting goods to China, environmental policies being enacted over there, and some of the misunderstandings Westerners tend to have. Listen in to get a unique perspective on China from someone who knows the country really well. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2NDV4i3

Facebook is one of the biggest traffic channels out there right now, and I'm sure plenty of you listening are running ads on that platform, or at least thinking about it. Admittedly, I've only gotten into Facebook ads in the last few months, and it turns out I made some pretty big mistakes along the way. Thankfully, I had Michael Jackness of Terran.com and Miracle Wanzo of HipUndies.com take a peek at what I was doing and give me some pointers, which I'm going to share with you today. If you're brand new to Facebook ads, or even if you're already running some, take a listen and learn from the blunders I made so you can optimize your ads and increase your ROI—without learning the hard way like I did. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2wsKB1C

So often, when we think about ecommerce, we think about putting a physical item into a box and shipping it somewhere, but that doesn't have to be the case. You can run an ecommerce store or a business without any inventory at all. Just ask today's guest, Niall O'Malley of eTrainToday.com. Niall started his digital products business back in 2011, and he's here to share how it all works, some of the downsides of selling digital products (because of course, like anything, there are some downsides), and everything in between. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2P27Esh

Shopify bans the sales of guns and accessories, even those legal in the U.S., Kroger Gets Into Online Grocery with "Kroger Ship", Amazon rumored to be in the running to acquire Landmark Theatres, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/august-21-2018/. The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Over the last decade or so, I've managed a bunch of big, stressful projects with a ton of moving pieces, so I know how tricky it can be to keep things running smoothly. That's why today's episode is all about how to manage major projects without all the headaches. I'm going to share what I've learned from my experience, the strategy I employ, and more to help save you some agony and anguish in your next major project. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2LZUzkH

What comes to mind when you think of Wal-Mart? What about Target? It's amazing how the two massive retailers can be perceived so differently. Perhaps even more amazing is that Target is the more profitable of the two, despite the fact that Wal-Mart is about six times as big. How is Target able to do that with less scale? What are they doing right? Here to answer those questions are Carrie McAleer of D.a. Davidson & Company and eCommercefuel's own copywriter extraordinaire, Laura Serino. Listen in to learn what Target can teach us about building better, more profitable ecommerce stores. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2AejVXg

Drew Sanocki is back on the show to share some very interesting things he's been up to lately. Not only has he had exciting adventures traveling the world with his family, but he's also had some cool adventures in the private equity space. Today he dives into the details about different deals he's involved with, compensation, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2LncK3C

Today we're continuing our series on building relationships, but instead of advice for creating stronger connections, this episode is all about what not to do. After all, if we're working hard to expand our professional networks, we can't let these simple mistakes negate our efforts. So listen in to hear the 14 faux pas that are sure to sabotage your connections before you have a chance to make them. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2NKX48D

Amazon's Prime Day is once again the biggest Sales Day in its History, Shopify will roll out augmented reality this fall, Apple introces new Macbook Pro features, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-24-2018/. The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today I want to talk about something that I think is one of the most important elements of long-term business success: building relationships. How you connect—or fail to connect—with other people has a tremendous impact on your business, so being mindful of the impression you're making is crucial. In this episode, I share 15 habits you should master in order to improve your networking and build better professional relationships. Listen in to hear them all now. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2KRHnuk

With voice search becoming more and more prevalent these days, is it only a matter of time before it bleeds over into ecommerce and becomes the way people shop in the future? Joining me today to discuss this possibility are Miracle Wanzo of HipUndies.com and Bill D'Alessandro of ElementsBrands.com. We each share our predictions for how voice search will impact the future of ecommerce, as well as possibilities for how this technology could evolve moving forward. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2MAVTXI

Amazon Jumps into the pharmacy business with $1 Billion Pillpack acquisition, Shopify acquires Return Magic, Paypal Checkout introduces a new feature, and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-10-2018/. The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today's topic is one that's near and dear to my heart: remote work. I'm a little bit of a vagabond, and I love not being tied down, so the idea of being able to build a remote team is something that I think is really important. It gets a little tricky when you get into physical products, but today I have Fred Perrotta from Tortuga.com to share how the company he co-founded handles this challenge. Fred shares the potential issues that can arise from working with an entirely remote team, as well as how Tortuga overcomes them to maintain a physical products business with a team of people located all around the world. Tune in to hear it all now. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2K5piN1

To celebrate the eCommerceFuel Job Board going live, I thought it'd be fun to have a couple episodes about employees, management, and all things workplace. So joining me today is Alison Green, the writer behind workplace advice blog AskAManager.org. She's also the author of multiple books on managing people, as well as an advice column for New York magazine. Alison joins me today to discuss everything from having hard conversations with employees to appropriate interview questions to crazy and hilarious workplace stories you don't want to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2JEahlk

The Supreme Court clears the way for states to charge sales tax, President Trump introduces a new, lean type of health care plan and more. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-26-2018. The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.

Today I'm flying solo on the mic to share something that we've been working on for a while now (and just launched this month): the eCommerceFuel Job Board. In addition to explaining what it is, I thought it'd be fun to give you an inside look at what's going on behind the scenes. People tend to reflect after the fact when something works, but rarely do you get to see a play-by-play of what's happening, the strategies people are using, how much time and money they put into things, etc. In this episode, I'm giving you just that. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Mn0Q7d

Today is part two of my interview with Adam Saraceno, the Chief Marketing Officer of Peak Design. We're picking up the conversation we started last week on leveraging Kickstarter, but we shift gears to talk about how Adam's company has cultivated and maintained such an awesome culture (while still managing to create super high-quality products), which marketing tactics are giving them the best ROI, and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2x90Bcw

The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and thoughts on life from Andrew Youderian. This week in the news: Amazon's new Echo Look, how your Android phone will soon make phone calls on your behalf and potential GDPR fines on the horizon. You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-12-2018.

Today is part one of a deep dive I'm excited to do with Adam Saraceno, the Chief Marketing Officer of a company that has done a phenomenal job leveraging Kickstarter to grow their brand and their business. I think it's safe to say Peak Design is the most successful crowdfunded company today that's still active and thriving in 2018. How did they do it? Adam shares that and more. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2rXdwIX

Ashley Schroder of A2XAccounting.com joins the show today to talk about a very important (and often neglected) topic: accounting. Now, before your eyes glaze over, there's a good chance that what you'll learn in this episode can save you a lot of money, especially if you know you're not doing all you should to keep up with your accounting on Amazon. So listen in and get Ashley's expert take on a subject that too many merchants don't take seriously enough. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IaZqKB

Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com is back for the third and final part of our series on legal issues. So far, we've covered trademarks and patents, and today we're wrapping up with a grab bag of legal questions to round out our series. Listen in to hear John's insight and advice on a whole random host of legal issues that affect ecommerce entrepreneurs. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2JNV2St

Today we're going to talk about something you've probably heard about by now—and quite possibly are sick of hearing about—but it's going to change the way we market in many ecommerce businesses. That's right, I'm talking about the GDPR. I've brought John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com back on the show to discuss what the law covers, what your liability is, and what could potentially happen if you don't comply. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2rLKoEi

Today we are continuing our legal series with Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com. John specializes in both IP and businesses on the web—both subjects that a lot of lawyers don't know much about—so it's great to have him back on the show. Last week we talked about all things patents, and today we're going to do the same with trademarks. This is an interesting and relevant topic, especially given that Amazon Brand Registry 2.0 requires you to file a trademark if you want to have any kind of brand protection. Listen in to hear the crucial things you need to know when it comes to trademarks. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2rsA9EH

Today we're going to kick off a three-part legal series with Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com. John has been a phenomenal member of the eCommerceFuel Private Community, offering loads of expertise on everything to patents to trademarks to copyright infringement, and I knew I had to get him on the show to share his knowledge with podcast listeners, as well. In this first episode of the series, we'll be focusing on patents. There's so much to know about the different types, costs, etc.—including whether getting a patent is worth it for stores in the $2 - $10 million range—and John's here to straighten it all out for us. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IYxkSO

In the last couple of years, I've really been noticing more and more that people are feeling the pinch of wanting to hire a Director of eCommerce/COO for their businesses. And it makes sense, given the relief that can come from handing off the small details and logistics of running an ecommerce business so you can focus on high-level tasks. So today I have my good friend Michael Jackness of EcomCrew.com back for another episode to share the details of his recent experience hiring a Director/COO and how it changed his business for the better. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2GQfzc5

Building an audience can be tough, especially when you're starting from scratch. So today, I thought it'd be fun to share the mic with Michael Jackness of EcomCrew so we can both give our perspectives on the subject, including what worked for us and what mistakes we made along the way. Michael has done such an incredible job building up EcomCrew.com over the last couple years, and today you'll get a behind-the-scenes look into exactly how he did it. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2GO35k5

The CEO of The Goulet Pen Company shares how engaging with his customers took his company to the next level. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IuDwTc

Jake Cook is a professor, founder of Tadpull and a fellow Bozeman resident. Today we get together over a glass of bourbon to talk about how Jake finds top talent right from his classroom. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2tGeH3A

As store owner, we can lose sleep over lots of little things, from ornery employees to inventory issues. But there's one fear that can really upset a good night's sleep: a suspension email from Amazon. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Hd41LJ

Today I'm going to share the major takeaways from a report I just released called The State of the Merchant Report. It has become an annual tradition for me to survey a bunch of store owners to figure out what's going on in the ecommerce world, and this report covers everything from revenue growth, conversion rates, happiness levels, how much profit (and pain) Amazon is causing, and more. Listen in to hear the results—some of them may surprise you! You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2pMd0fu

Normally I turn to Steve Chou and Bill D'Alessandro for advice on what to do in business. Not today. Instead, we're chatting about the biggest mistakes we've made investing in the markets and real estate. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2F9sa9q

When it comes to online advertising, I know it can be a challenge to keep up with the various options on different, ever-changing platforms. So today, I've brought Brett Curry from OMGCommerce.com on to discuss traffic with Google and Amazon in 2018. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Hr5nU1

As you know, Amazon has been cracking down on reviews. It used to be that you could get incentived reviews, but that's no longer the case. What's a seller to do then? You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2szABor

A few years back I caught up with Clayton Chrismas who purchased TrollingMotors.net from me. I learned how much better the business was doing once it was freed from the shackles and constraints of it's incompetent previous owner (much better, it turned out). You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CpINY9