Ecommercefuel: Build, Launch And Grow A 6 Figure Plus Ecommerce Business | Ecommerce Fuel

What does it take to build a brand in this day and age, and how has the branding experience changed from even a decade ago? David Segal is not only a tea veteran, having founded David’s Tea and now Owner and Co-Founder of FirebellyTea.com, but he also has a ton of branding experience that spans years. He joins the show today to talk all things branding and so much more. Listen in as we dive into David’s retail experience, what it’s like starting a brand today versus years ago, and how he is weaving really unique branding elements into his new website. We also discuss the investment that went into the current brand and find out what Firebelly Tea is looking for in their next eCommerce Marketing Manager. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3rrxQkt 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.

In this episode, we’re deep diving into all things leadership with Jesse Pujji, whose name you might be familiar with as a second-time guest on the show. He’s an entrepreneur and investor who is also the Founder of Gateway X, Executive Chairman of Ampush and GrowthAssistant, and more recently, CEO and Founder of Kahani, a software that transforms eCommerce stores from boring websites into engaging mobile experiences. Listen in as we talk about a bunch of different stuff, including what it means to be a leader, what it’s like working with an Executive Coach, and how Jesse balances family and kids with a very ambitious work schedule. We’re also discussing how the online shopping experience today is, in a lot of ways, identical to a decade ago, and whether or not people are really buying off of social platforms. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3dYU8Hf Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear about new episodes an

By far, the thing that has made the biggest impact in terms of financial results in my own business—while doing the least amount of work—has been pricing, and it’s something that I’ve always wished I had done so much sooner. Joining me on the show today is Drew Marconi, co-founder of Intelligems.io, which helps eCommerce brands scientifically test their pricing to find the right one for their brand, and we’re geeking out together on all things pricing. Take a listen as we discuss the current pricing landscape and find out what Drew learned during their recent Shopify pricing experiments. We also discuss whether it’s better to include shipping in your pricing, whether you should let your customer base know if you’re raising your prices before you pull the lever, and what to expect in the near future when it comes to pricing trends. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3xpei3H Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to hear

What do you get when you take a discontinued National Geographic catalogue and 12 years of experience in the print catalogue sector? If your name is Allan Shiffrin, you may just get an 8-figure business. If you’re an eCommerce brand, you’re definitely going to want to listen to this episode to find out how you can make direct mail a major source of sales for your brand. Listen in as we geek out about catalogs, direct mail, and how to be able to make what is equivalent to a Facebook lookalike audience for direct mail contacts. Allan also shares some of the tools and co-ops that you can use to get started, how to lay out a great catalog, and the magic number of products to include in a direct mail catalog. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3BaxlQn 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.

Search for “side hustle ideas” in Google and you’ll get a million and one results. In fact, side hustles have trended upward over the last couple years as people worked them to supplement their income during the pandemic—and many even used their side hustle as an exit path during the “Great Resignation.” Spencer Jan is the co-founder of SoloStove.com, and he is one of the side hustle success stories, having bootstrapped his way to a $2-billion valuation in only 8 years while working a full-time job for much of that time. Listen in as he shares Solo Stove’s journey from being a side hustle to a highly profitable and valuable company. You’ll hear why he and his co-founder and brother, Jeff, obsessed over margins from the very beginning, as well as the painful reality they faced when they first went to sell. We also discuss the importance of profitable margins, how to stay lean as a company, and why it’s important to get out of the default mode of working more and instead spend more time on what matters most. Yo

Do you understand why your customers buy? This week, we’re running a replay of one of the more interesting episodes from the last year with Charles Burdett of PipDecks.com, which is a suite of card decks that helps people do anything from brainstorming creative workshop ideas and improving their storytelling to designing more innovative products. What makes PipDecks.com particularly interesting is how Charles was able to take a product that has a very low cost of goods and sell it at incredibly high prices. You’ll learn how his positioning and his branding have been the secret to selling the decks based on their value rather than on their physical worth. He also shares the one question we should all be asking our customers to understand why they buy, as well as how to overcome the mindset block that most entrepreneurs will grapple with at some point. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QVnnce Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more

Email has to be one of the biggest pain points that entrepreneurs face, and it’s also something that is an inevitability in today’s world if you’re in eCommerce. I’m happy to say that I finally feel like I’ve gotten to a good place when it comes to my inbox—I no longer feel a sense of chaos when I open my email, and what used to take me over 2 hours now takes me half the time it used to.  In this last solo episode of the summer, I’m discussing how I managed to wrangle my email and cleared out most of the junk, made the important stuff easy to spot, and overall made it possible for me to move through my inbox quickly and efficiently. I’ll also be sharing the game-changer that helped me control the chaos much more easily and why I let go of a lot of hangups I had when it came to email (that you may also have and not even be aware of!). You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3ADmpf4 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want to h

Welcome to another episode in the summer mini-series where we're diving into topics related to creating an amazing life—something that I know applies to all the entrepreneurs listening. Today we're jumping into something that all the finance geeks will love: tracking your net worth and spending. I'm sharing not only why you should be doing it, but also the best ways I’ve found to pull the info together in a way that makes sense and doesn’t have you sharing your financial info with third-party apps. Listen in as I break down the high-level reasons why you absolutely should be tracking your net worth and your household spending, the method I love for tracking spending, and what I include (and exclude) when looking at my net worth. I also discuss my 4% rule, benchmarking, and the cool freedom chart that tracks your monthly burn rate against your earnings and shows you real-life progress over time. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QgSPkR Interested in our Private Comm

If you’ve noticed recently that your emails are not being read or clicked through as often as usual, you are not alone. Today on the show I have Daniel Reifenberger, our resident ECF email marketing expert and the Founder and Chief Strategist at YourLoyalTribe.com, to walk us through what has been going on in the world of email marketing—and of course, how you can improve your email deliverability metrics. Listen in as Daniel breaks down the audit he did on eCommerceFuel’s email deliverability, and hear my raw, unscripted reaction to the data as I hear it for the first time. We also discuss what the auditing process was like, what the overall email marketing landscape looks like today, and tips for improving your email deliverability. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3oXDOsi 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.

If you’re in the eCommerce world and have any kind of inventory-based business, you know how growth can be a double-edged sword: the faster you grow, the larger the POs that you have to place and the more likely you are to slip into a negative cash flow. Ben Tregoe is the CEO and Co-Founder at BainbridgeGrowth.com, a company that helps eCommerce businesses with advanced financial modelling and evaluating different options for financing their growth. He joins me today to talk through some of the options and the pitfalls that eComm businesses can face as they grow. Listen in as Ben shares some of the biggest mistakes that brands make when it comes to financing, as well as the importance of thinking well into the future when looking at all the options available. We also discuss the best financing options for every stage of the eCommerce business (including PO factoring, mezzanine debt, and the Kickfurther model) and the one area where many don’t focus enough when it comes to financing options. You can find show

We've all heard the phrase “work on it, not in it” in relation to business—otherwise known as “the owner’s trap.” But what if I could make the case for why there actually is a time and a place to get back to working in the trenches, talking to your customers, and diving right into the nitty-gritty of your business? In this mini solo episode, I share the top reasons why you should consider periodically diving back into the details of your business, including how you can get some really valuable feedback from not only your customers, but also your team members. Then tune in to the end for a bonus mini-episode with Allan Fisch of Moonshot Brands, an organization that buys Amazon and Shopify businesses and gives eCommerce founders financial freedom, as we discuss what’s happening right now in the eCommerce landscape and how A2X plays into Allan’s acquisition process. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3PQmpgA Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?

So how are entrepreneurs doing lately? Dr. Sherry Walling joins the show for the second time around to give some insight into the state of entrepreneurship today, including whether entrepreneurs are re-evaluating their lives and businesses as the world emerges from the pandemic. As a Clinical Psychologist that specializes in helping entrepreneurs with their mental health, and the founder of the ZenFounder.com podcast, she has a unique finger on the pulse of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in the world today. Listen in as we talk about some of the most common myths that entrepreneurs tell themselves, what it can look like to balance work and personal life successfully as an entrepreneur, and whether it is actually more stressful to be an entrepreneur today than at any other time. We also explore grief and psychedelics, including the strategies that Sherry personally used to grieve and how she uses psychedelics therapeutically in her practice. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here:

It’s been a wild few years in eCommerce, so I was super excited to sit down and go over the results of our fourth-ever eCommerce Trends Report for 2022. The results were eye-opening, and there were some pretty interesting takeaways about what is working in eCommerce, what’s not working, what trends are emerging, and what the general lay of the eCommerce land looks like. In this episode, I’m going over four of the most surprising takeaways, including the best model when it comes to having a strong competitive advantage, pricing tactics that almost always work, and why ROAS is less important than we think. I also discuss something that we saw for the first time ever with Amazon and how really effective branding and marketing played out in the numbers. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3uyQCbX 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.

A lot has happened in the last 24 months when it comes to shipping and logistics due to the pandemic, and you might be wondering what the immediate future holds. Here to give us his take is Dhruv Saxena, Co-Founder and CEO of ShipBob.com, one of the largest global 3PL providers that is trusted by over 7,000 brands and fulfills orders all around the world. We’re deep-diving into all things logistics, warehousing, and international shipping as Dhruv shares his perspective on the status of international logistics and what you can expect if you’re trying to move goods from one point to another. We’re also talking about the biggest changes he’s seen on the fulfillment side, where popular freight carriers stand after COVID, and what the availability of warehouse space looks like across the U.S. You'll learn some of the best and worst logistics stories Dhruv has ever heard and get the low-down on the demand for same-day shipping for anyone whose name is not “Amazon.” You can find show notes and more information by c

There’s no doubt that one of the areas that COVID impacted the most was in the way we work, and specifically, in how the pandemic pushed remote work into the mainstream. Dan Andrews is the Co-Founder of Tropical MBA and Dynamite Jobs, and he’s been beating the remote work drum for over a decade. He joins the show today to talk all things remote work, including whether it’s here to stay. Listen in as we dive into how the narrative of remote work has changed over the past few years, what the optimal structure for organizations going forward will likely be, and whether offering the option to work remotely is still considered a perk for most employees. We also discuss when you should—and shouldn’t—post a salary in your job description, what you can do instead to manage expectations and maintain interest, and how to find and vet great remote team members.  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3y6kdvf Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more

What does the future of eCommerce look like? Fan Bi is the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of TheHedgeHogCompany.com, an eCommerce holding company that acquires and grows brands, and he has a really unique perspective on some of the trends happening in the eCommerce marketplace today—which is what we’re geeking out on in this episode. Listen in to find out whether the M&A party is coming to an end, what Fan is seeing in his portfolio when it comes to eCommerce, and why it might be another rough year for eCommerce store owners. We also talk about why now is the best time for getting lean and focusing on your branding and story-telling, and Fan shares the mindset shift that allowed him to sleep at night during the rough ride that COVID brought many in eCommerce. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/39F7mXD 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.

Launching in the turbulent time that was February 2020, Leah McHenry, Founder & CEO of Mythologie Candles, has successfully grown her business to over $6 million in sales in just 24 months. Today Leah joins the show to describe her “secret sauce” to successful marketing—including her advice for anyone just starting their business from the ground up—and how she uses influencers to not only cut down on marketing costs, but also create more content for the brand. Listen in as she shares how the positioning and branding of her products have been so critical to the growth of her business, as well as why she believes it is essential to have your audience dialed in before you create your product. You’ll learn the role her Facebook community has played in her business, how much paid traffic her company uses, and her tips for market research. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3QoKNqP  Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn more here.   Want

One of the core values of the eCommerceFuel community is reciprocity: members giving as much as they are taking. With that, we ask that all new members share a case study with the community, and new member Sarah Douglass, Founder of WiseOwlOutfitters.com, recently shared one of the best case studies on buying and selling a business. It was super detailed, really thoughtful, and offered a ton of insight—so of course, I had to have her on the show to share it. Listen in as Sarah shares the backstory to Wise Owl Outfitters, including the very honest reason why she decided to sell it, even though she loved the brand and the business that she had built. We also dive into what the selling process was like, the lessons Sarah learned along the way (including the big mistake she made with her CPA), and the importance of doing thorough due diligence on your buyer. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3GDNeRG Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners?  Learn m

How does your investment portfolio look these days? I’ve been doing some investing over the past couple of years, running a very small investment syndicate that has taught me a ton, and I’m excited to have someone on the show who has been doing similar things. Andrew Gluck is the Founder of Irrvrnt.com, an investment fund that invests in DTC operations companies and emerging eCommerce tech (among other things), and we’re going to be geeking out on all things investing—and so much more. Tune in as we share the lessons we’ve learned, as well as the mistakes we’ve made in our respective investment journeys. You'll hear us deep dive into angel investing, including what to consider before becoming an angel yourself. We also talk about rolling funds, the current investment landscape, and whether having a solid network to tap into is an important pillar of successful investing. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3yXLv86 Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store

If you are running events in the eCommerce space, you know what a lonely world it can be. Today, I’m excited to be joined by Nick Shackelford, Co-Founder of GeekOut Events, which puts on high-intentional no-fluff events all over the world. In this episode, we’re talking event planning, but we’re also talking about so much more related to eCommerce, including marketing, branding, and even copywriting. Listen in as we dive into the reasons behind why Nick (or anyone, really) puts on events (hint: it’s definitely not for the money), how he leverages a built-in FOMO effect with his pricing strategy, and his hack for getting critical information to his customers without relying on email or SMS. We also talk about the current digital marketing landscape, why Nick is not going all-in with TikTok (yet), and the core philosophies that he sticks to when it comes to creating a killer brand presence. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3sYnWbj  Interested in our Private Community