In this episode, Amazon algorithm expert Mark Casey shares insights on how sellers can optimize product rankings. He explains the importance of shopper behavior, external traffic, and consistent sales for Amazon’s algorithm. Mark discusses effective product launch strategies, including leveraging a shopper network, running PPC campaigns, and the significance of the FBA “honeymoon period.” He also offers tips for reviving older listings and highlights the tailored services provided by his company, House of AMZ. Listeners receive exclusive discounts on product launches and listing optimization services.Chapters:Introduction to Mark Casey and House of AMZ (00:00:00)Host introduces Mark Casey, his background, and the founding of House of AMZ.Amazon Algorithm Overview (00:01:09)Mark explains key factors Amazon’s algorithm considers for product ranking, focusing on shopper behavior and engagement.FBM vs. FBA Launches & Honeymoon Period (00:03:26)Discussion on launching via FBM versus FBA, the impact on conversion rates, and the Amazon honeymoon period.Case Study: Launching a Competitive Supplement (00:05:17)Mark shares a case study on launching a premium supplement, emphasizing branding, graphics, and shopper feedback.Shopper Network & Feedback Loops (00:06:41)Explanation of using a shopper network for feedback, image testing, and optimizing listings before launch.Long-Term Launch Strategy & Consistency (00:07:31)Mark details a 15-30 day launch strategy with consistent daily sales and external traffic for sustainable ranking.Combining External Traffic, Shopper Network, and PPC (00:10:07)Discussion on integrating external traffic, shopper network purchases, and PPC campaigns for optimal product launches.Three Actionable Takeaways for Sellers (00:10:58)Host summarizes three key strategies: building an audience, leveraging surveys and external traffic, and revitalizing old listings.Revitalizing Old Listings & Review Management (00:14:09)Advice on rejuvenating older products, merging ASINs, relaunching, and managing negative reviews.House of AMZ Services & Special Offers (00:15:29)Mark describes House of AMZ services, special discounts for listeners, and how to contact the company.Podcast Closing & Contact Information (00:16:41)Final remarks, website details, and encouragement for listeners to connect with House of AMZ.Links and Mentions:Tools and ServicesPickFuPost Purchase ProASIN DoctorWebsitesHouse of AMZPodcast EpisodeEcomm Breakthrough Podcast's Episode with Kevin KingTranscripts:Josh 00:00:00 Today, I'm excited to introduce you to Mark Casey. For the past seven years, Mark has studied the Amazon algorithm to understand how it works and how we can work along with it to rank products. He has traveled the world to speak and share these techniques with the largest sellers worldwide. Mark's personal background is marketing and branding. Having brands of his own, along with his Amazon knowledge working under the nine figure brand, combining those together is how House of arms was born. Where Mark can help is to optimize your products and brand not only for the outside world, but mainly on Amazon, which is its own ecosystem in itself. So welcome to the podcast, Mark.Mark 00:00:41 Thank you very much. Yeah. Good morning. How are you?Josh 00:00:44 Hey, I'm doing great. Thanks again for joining me. And I apologize for my voice, both to the listeners and to yourself. I lost my voice coaching, hockey practice and yelling, shouting at the kids. because there's multiple teams on the ice. So you have to speak relatively loud.Josh 00:01:03 And, it did my voice in, that's for sure. So I apologize about that.Mark 00:01:07 Oh, good. Yeah. No worries.Josh 00:01:09 Mark, you've studied the algorithm for seven years. You I would argue you would consider yourself an expert when it comes to ranking products on Amazon. So tell us, you know, can you break down the Amazon algorithm to our listeners and tell us what you are seeing that Amazon cares about when it comes to ranking products today?Mark 00:01:31 So if you have another six hours, I could do well, I could go in depth. no. But so yeah, there's a lot I mean, well, first of all, a lot of things change within the Amazon algorithm. Many, many things like it's always changing, evolving and growing and it's there's so much to it. But what I always like to break it down and explain to people in a very simple way is that every little thing that the shopper does, Amazon takes into account, and what that means is every little thing from how you clicked and how you even got.Mark 00:02:02 How you even got to Amazon, you know, backing up all the way there, how you got to Amazon, what keyword you search when you got there, how long like every little point in detail. So really. So we we really broke it down and saw okay. So someone goes on the listing onto Amazon. Where do they come from. Do they come from a Facebook ad. Do they come from a referral from let's say, WhatsApp from their friend? and then once they once they're on Amazon, what what keyword do they type in? Once they type in the keyword, how long were they on the results page for? Once you're on the results page, what listings did they click? So meaning did they just click on yours and others? Do they go on others and then yours? Or was it just yours now and on the listing. Right. So let's say I type in sports water bottle and I click on your listing. Now how long are you on the listing for. Is it just you saw it and you add it to cart right away and you're done.Mark 00:02:51 It was an instant purchase. or was it something that you engaged with the listing. So Amazon looks if they engage with the listing and they looked at the reviews and the pictures and they really invested five minutes under the listing to look at it and do everything and added it to cart. That's where you're going to get the success because Amazon sees that you really invest the time. So all these small little details app is what Amazon takes into account with their algorithm. And that's what gives you kind of like the power. But there's a lot obviously a lot more to it. But just just to break it down for you on kind of what it insists.Josh 00:03:26 Yeah, I love that. Let's go back to. You mentioned launching your product first via FBM, and that you're saying that the honeymoon period doesn't really start until it goes into FBA. So my question with that is, you know, I guess you have data to back that up. Is that true?Mark 00:03:45 Yeah, we've tested it out and we've saw that once it hits FBA and it's available to be shipped, then that's when Amazon's going to start pushing your listing.Mark 00:03:53 Right now if it's FBM they're not going to push your listing. They want they want to show the results which are the people that they can click and order right now. And it's going to get to them in two days or less.Josh 00:04:03 Okay, so when you launch via FBM, is your conversion rate lower during that time? Because people aren't being aren't able to get their product in two days, right?Mark 00:04:14 Probably would be lower, yes. Because everyone looks for that prime badge w...
In this episode of the Econ Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh interviews Chad Rubin, operations and strategy leader at Profasee. Chad discusses the critical role of dynamic, AI-driven pricing for e-commerce and Amazon sellers, sharing how continuous price optimization can boost profits without sacrificing sales rank. He offers actionable advice on leveraging AI tools, strengthening business operations, and building strong supplier relationships. Chad also recommends influential books and software for entrepreneurs, and emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with trusted advisors. The conversation provides practical strategies for sellers aiming to thrive in a competitive, ever-changing marketplace.Chapters:Introduction to Chad Rubin and Profasee (00:00:00)Josh introduces Chad Rubin, his background, and his role at Profasee, focusing on e-commerce and AI-driven pricing.Why Pricing Matters in E-commerce (00:00:37)Chad explains his focus on pricing, its impact on profitability, and why many sellers neglect price optimization.The Fear of Raising Prices and Real-World Example (00:02:01)Josh discusses common fears around raising prices and shares a personal example of increasing prices without losing sales rank.Dynamic Pricing vs. Static Pricing (00:03:57)Chad describes Profasee’s approach to dynamic pricing, the importance of adjusting prices, and the Amazon flywheel effect.Dynamic Pricing in Other Industries (00:05:28)Josh compares dynamic pricing in e-commerce to revenue management in airlines and emphasizes the need for ongoing price adjustments.Three Actionable Takeaways for Sellers (00:06:13)Josh summarizes three key takeaways: focus on profits/pricing, incorporate AI, and strengthen organizational structure and supplier relationships.The Importance of Level 10 Meetings and Team Alignment (00:08:38)Josh highlights the value of EOS Level 10 meetings for organizational clarity and leadership alignment.Most Influential Books for Entrepreneurs (00:09:41)Chad recommends "The 4-Hour Workweek" and other books that influenced his entrepreneurial journey.Favorite and Game-Changing Software Tools (00:11:27)Chad shares his favorite software tools, including Ellie and Notion, for productivity and business management.Mentors and Influential People in E-commerce (00:12:31)Chad discusses the importance of surrounding yourself with trusted advisors and names key people he respects in the industry.How to Connect with Chad Rubin and Profasee (00:14:46)Chad provides contact information and ways to connect with him and learn more about Profasee.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites Profasee ChatGPT Ellie.com Notion Books The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss on Amazon The Almanack of Naval Ravikant The Great CEO Within People Mentioned Brandon YoungTranscript:Josh 00:00:00 Today, I'm super excited to introduce you to Chad Rubin. Chad leads prophecies operations and oversees its strategy. He often speaks about e-commerce, Amazon, and leveraging AI strategies on webinars and conferences worldwide. He is also the author of the Amazon bestseller cheaper, easier, direct. Prior to Profasee. He founded Think Crucial and co-founded Cubana and the Prosper show. He is also a father, husband, and loves coffee and tacos. So with that, Chad, welcome to the Econ Breakthrough Podcast.Chad 00:00:35 Thank you for having me. Excited to be here.Josh 00:00:37 I want to ask you the question, Chad. You've you've gone through multiple exits. You have your own ecom brand. Why the focus on pricing and why is it so important at the end of the day?Chad 00:00:48 Yeah. So. Well, firstly, the reason why I was focused on price was that I was trying. I'm trying. I'm still working through it. I've been working on turning around my e-commerce business. It's been deteriorated over time. Didn't get a lot of love for me as I've been building other initiatives in my life.Chad 00:01:03 And so, you know, for me, I optimize spend and my ACOs, and I've been optimizing our conversion rate and my listings itself and the infographics on those listing pages. But the one thing that's driving the most to the bottom line is a very small lever, and it swings big doors, but it's not being swung with price. And I just couldn't understand why. Like if we have a $10,000 ad campaign, you would never leave it on. You would never leave it on optimized, you'd always be optimizing it. So why is nobody optimizing price? Because it's a it's hard to understand and it's very manual. And by the time you make the change to the price, the market shifted. So this is why I focus on it. And it's a juicy it's a delicious problem.Josh 00:01:50 It really is. And it can provide I mean it's a huge impact to your bottom line, right? If you want to, you know, increase your bottom line, the best way to do it is just by raising your prices.Josh 00:02:01 Says Roland Frazier, one of the previous guests that we've had on the show. One of the things that he does first, when he acquires any businesses is he simply raises prices. Because to your point, so many brands do not touch their price. They're too scared to be honest with you because they're like, well, I like sales where they're at. If I raise them, you know, 10%, 25%, I'm going to lose it. All right. And I think I actually fell in that camp prior to all of the inflationary environment that we've been in recently with Amazon continually increasing their FBA fees. You've got manufacturers increasing, you know, the cost of goods that you're purchasing from them. ACOs is going up ads. So with all of that, like our back was against the wall, although I felt like, hey, 1999 is kind of the that's the tipping point. You go over the $20 like you cross that mental bridge of $20 and something cents Since all heck is going to break loose, right? And I'm just going to be in a downward spiral, lose my market share.Josh 00:03:08 And on the contrary, we raise the price by $5, increase the price by 25%, and still maintain we were currently the number two best seller in that entire product category. Didn't move a needle. We stayed right there. Now we've got more profit coming to the bottom line. So I want to ask you the question, Chad. Like, are you seeing the same thing with a lot of the clients that you're working with and these early users of the software, that there is more room to increase prices on Amazon, and it's not affecting organic rankings or it's not a spiral downward. Or are you seeing the opposite true of hey, really like lower your price? Yeah, you get margin compression. But man, you you shoot to the roof and you stay locked in in those top positions. What what have you seen.Chad 00:03:57 Well, okay. So Profasee in general is about maximizing profit without sacrificing your BSR. So there's a lot of people in the Amazon space that say, just raise prices. And that's a lot of times could be reckless advice and insight, right? Because like, pricing isn't one size fits all.Chad 00:04:14 And yes, pricing needs to change. But the question is should it go up or should it go down because you can increase price and that may offset demand and you can lower price. It may spur demand. It'll increase ...
In this episode, the host interviews Josh Gibson, founder of Sojourn Group Consulting, about strategies for growing e-commerce sales on marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. Josh shares expert tips on protecting profit margins, optimizing product listings, leveraging Amazon’s NARF program for international expansion, and efficiently managing inventory shipments. He discusses the benefits and challenges of expanding to Walmart and other platforms, emphasizes the importance of strong team communication, and recommends trusted industry resources. The episode concludes with actionable takeaways for maximizing sales and diversifying channels for long-term growth.Chapters:Introduction to Josh Gibson and Sojourn Group Consulting (00:00:00)Overview of Josh’s background, company focus, and personal life.Protecting Margins on Amazon: Categories, Weights, and Inbound Shipments (00:01:15)Importance of tracking product categories, weights, dimensions, and optimizing inbound shipments to protect margins.Challenges of Managing Amazon Shipments and Auditing (00:02:19)Issues with Amazon’s inventory reconciliation and the need for ongoing auditing to avoid losses.Prioritizing Marketplace Expansion and Expected Sales Lift (00:03:10)Discussion on which marketplaces to expand to first and typical sales lift percentages.Expanding with Amazon NARF (North America Remote Fulfillment) (00:03:50)How NARF enables easy expansion to Canada and Mexico, and the expected 7% sales lift.Considering Deeper International Expansion (00:04:53)When to consider establishing a physical presence in Canada or Mexico for further growth.Selling on Walmart Marketplace: Opportunities and Challenges (00:04:53)Walmart’s marketplace growth, operational challenges, and the shift to Walmart Fulfilled Services.Walmart Advertising and Early-Stage Advantages (00:05:49)Opportunities in Walmart’s less competitive ad platform and strategies for early success.Walmart Sales Lift and Rural Market Penetration (00:06:56)Typical 5–10% sales lift on Walmart, with strong performance in rural and Midwest areas.Three Actionable Takeaways for Marketplace Sellers (00:08:49)Maximize success on your primary channel.Fully optimize listings, especially for mobile.Expand to new marketplaces after optimizing the first.Optimizing Amazon Listings for Mobile and Conversion (00:09:48)Detailed tips for optimizing titles, images, videos, and A+ content for better conversion.Expanding to Additional Marketplaces Beyond Amazon and Walmart (00:10:54)Consider Target, eBay, Newegg, Etsy, and Wayfair for incremental revenue after maximizing Amazon and Walmart.Most Influential Book Recommendation (00:12:31)Gary Vee’s books and content for building a brand and leveraging social media.Favorite Productivity Tool or Resource (00:15:00)Slack for team communication and the importance of a fast, reliable computer.Most Admired E-commerce Influencers (00:16:14)Recommendations to follow Steven Pope, Bradley from Helium 10, and Kevin King for free, valuable content.Closing Remarks and Appreciation (00:17:26)Harry thanks Josh for sharing actionable insights and expertise.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites Sojourn Group Consulting Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) NARF (North American Remote Fulfillment) Walmart Connect Helium 10 Influential People Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee) on LinkedInSteven Pope from My Amazon Guy on LinkedIn Bradley Sutton from Helium 10 on LinkedIn Kevin King on LinkedIn Events Sell and Scale Summit Productivity Tool:SlackTranscript:Josh Hadley 00:00:00 Today I'm super excited to introduce you to Josh Gibson. over the past 20 years, Josh has been leading sojourn Group consulting, a company with a strong e-commerce focus. Sojourn Group consulting specializes in marketplace sales, and has evolved from being a third party seller into an agency that helps other sellers grow their marketplace presence without having to hire a full team. Their years of experience and team make their bolt on solution very simple for many companies. Outside of work, he is happily married for 15 years and is the father of four children ages eight, six, four and two. That makes him very busy at this stage in his life. He says there's little time for anything except work and family. So welcome to the podcast, Josh.Josh Gibson 00:00:45 Thank you. Thanks for having me.Josh Hadley 00:00:46 Well, with how busy you are with a young and growing family and the business, we're excited to have you share some of your time with us. So thanks again for joining us. What else is there that you know? You're saying that Amazon eats your margin for business lunch and dinner or for breakfast? Lunch and dinner, right? So what else is there that you know, people should be paying attention to? And Amazon specifically for now that, you know, there could be a lot of, you know, marginally going out the business.Josh Gibson 00:01:15 Yeah. I mean, it's important to to track your weights and your gyms and your categories of what products you're selling in because there's some products. Say you're selling a printer. A printer should be in an 8% category, but sometimes they'll slide into a 15% category. So you're losing that that amount of money. You don't see it unless you're tracking tracking it. Or they could dim it out wrong. Say something. They as they went through their Cuba scan, it dimmed out incorrectly. So being able to go in and update and fix those dimensions and then do do file backs on those. also trying to find better, more efficient ways to do inbound shipments. and so there's, there's tools out there that we use that can take like right now we're running a full truckload, for $400, inbound FBA, where that same truckload going, another the route could be 3 to $4000. So it's the more time you do this. And the nice thing about our team is we can sit in a bullpen and go, okay, what are you guys learning? What'd you find out? and trying to take our collective knowledge, plus being able to go to, like, this, scale and sell summit and meet other people that know more things and aggregate this information to become more valuable.Josh Gibson 00:02:19 which, to your point is, if you're an owner operator trying to do this yourself, it becomes complicated because you don't have the resources and the ability to to learn all these things. Yeah. But to your point, it's it's the weight in gems. It is the categories. It is inbound shipments. I'm blanking on a few others, but it's really managing that protection of your bottom line. that's important. And it's also like specifically with inbound shipments is the annoying part is you can get that FBI ID cleared, they can say fully received. And we've seen with some clients ten, 12 months later, they say, actually we're five short. And if you're not going back and reordering those, even though you thought you did a good job auditing it. You can los...
In this episode, the host interviews Harry Joiner, a top executive recruiter in marketing and e-commerce. Harry shares his selective approach to working with clients, emphasizing the need for clear business strategies, strong financials, and a commitment to e-commerce. He compares recruiting top talent to casting star actors, noting that A-level candidates seek companies with compelling stories and solid economics. The discussion highlights the importance of business leaders knowing their numbers, defining their vision, and welcoming candidates who ask tough questions to build high-performing teams. The episode concludes with actionable advice for attracting and retaining top talent.Chapters:Introduction to Harry Joiner and His Credentials (00:00:00)Host introduces Harry Joiner, his background, and notable companies he’s worked with.How Harry Selects Clients (00:01:04)Harry explains his criteria for choosing which companies to work with, comparing it to Hollywood actors picking scripts.Evaluating Client Business Fundamentals (00:02:20)Discussion on analyzing a client’s business economics, strategy, and suitability for top-tier candidates.Attracting Top Talent: The Hollywood Analogy (00:03:41)Harry compares recruiting top talent to attracting star athletes or actors, emphasizing the need for a strong business foundation.The Importance of Smart, Challenging Candidates (00:05:28)Harry shares his preference for candidates who ask tough questions and challenge him, indicating high-caliber talent.Recognizing Top Candidates by Their Questions (00:06:25)Harry describes how the best candidates demonstrate their value by probing deeply into business metrics and strategy.Hiring Lessons from Personal Experience (00:08:41)The host reflects on his own hiring experiences, noting that the best hires are those who challenge leadership and require preparation.Three Actionable Takeaways for Business Leaders (00:10:33)The host summarizes three key action items: define your exit strategy, know your numbers, and cast a clear vision for recruits.Harry’s Process and Final Advice (00:12:50)Harry emphasizes having a simple, practical process for business planning and offers to share it with listeners.Episode Wrap-Up and Thanks (00:15:35)The host thanks Harry for his insights and closes the episode.Links and Mentions:Tools, Websites, and LinksLinkedInBooks and ArticlesSuccessWall Street JournalBusinessweekUSA TodayInternet RetailingVideosShark TankEntourageTranscript:Josh 00:00:00 Today I'm super excited to introduce you to Harry Joiner. Harry is described by Search Engine Watch as a dominant recruiter in client side multichannel, the in multi-channel e-commerce space. He is an executive recruiter for marketing and eCommerce. He has been interviewed by success magazine and he has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, marketing, Sherpas, Great Minds in Marketing series, Businessweek, USA, TODAY.com, Internet Retailer, and many more. He has closed dozens of manager, director, VP and C-level ecommerce searches for some of the following companies. A&E television. Adidas American signature brands. Ashford. Com. Backcountry. Com. Boot barn. Com Columbia Sportswear. And many, many more. So welcome to the podcast, Harry.Harry 00:00:48 Thank you so much. Great to be here, Harry.Josh 00:00:50 I think what's interesting there, you mentioned, you know, you have a small firm, right? You're well experienced. Your results speak for themselves. If people go check out your LinkedIn profile, there's raving reviews of people that have worked with Harry.Josh 00:01:04 so, Harry 150, you know, companies are going to apply to kind of hire your services. What what are you looking for is you kind of determine what are the 50 you're going to work work with. What's the difference between those that you say no to versus the ones that you say yes to and why?Harry 00:01:22 Sure. It's a great question. well, so when people pitch us on a deal, so they pitch me into Alan and it's a little bit like if you've ever seen a concept pitched on Shark Tank, it's a little bit like that. Alan and I are very particular about the deals that we take, and I think I learned this watching entourage back in the, you know, 2000, 2008 through 12 or something that in Hollywood, the richest actors aren't the richest actors because they're the best actors. They're the richest actors because they get the best scripts. It's a lot like that as an e-commerce recruiter. So we like searches that can be closed on the back of a single story, right? So the brand, the you know, the client, they know what their business is about and who their business is for and what their unique selling proposition is.Harry 00:02:20 So why should anyone do business with them versus any option available to them? including doing nothing. we look for the underlying economics of the client's business. So do we understand how they make money? Do they understand how they make money? Do they understand how they're going to make money in the future? We tend to take a good hard look, at things like size and scope of a 12 month file. We'll look at things like average order value. We'll look at things like recurring revenue and order frequency. We'll look at, what it takes to actually bring that concept toe to life. You know, the purpose and values and viewpoint of the brand, and we'll look at a variety of different factors to try and determine whether our audience, which is the top 3% of people in the e-commerce industry. I mean, 97% of the candidates that watch this podcast aren't going to they're not we wouldn't represent them on a deal anyway because we're out there looking for load bearing walls. I mean, this sounds super salesy, but the fact of the matter is, when people come to me and Alan, they expect us to be in the organizational transformation business, right? You come to us looking for a Steph Curry, a Michael Jordan, a Tom Brady.Harry 00:03:41 That's that. And it is like being an agent in Hollywood and the best candidates in the industry, the people who are capable of plugging and playing and being a load bearing wall in our client's business, they want to make sure that they can do reputation enhancing work. That's really what it boils down to. And that means that in terms of the search, the client has the budget, the authority, the need, the timeline and the hiring process to knock good candidates in versus knock them out. And, the business has favorable underlying economics that the client has clarity and ability and resolve, you know, commitment towards e-com. And those are the things, honestly, that you need for an a player to do reputation enhancing work in your business.Josh 00:04:30 Yeah, I love the, the strategy that or the analogy that you made there with, you know, hiring like the Michael Jordan's or Steph Curry's right. If you think about that. You know, as a business owner. Right. If you want to attract a Michael Jordan or a Steph Curry.Josh 00:04:46 Right. If you're an NBA owner, you've got to have a good team. Right. And you've got to have a good vision and say, hey, here's the teammates that you'd be working alongside. ...
In this episode, host Josh interviews Matt Altman, marketplace lead at Right Side Up, about advanced strategies for launching and scaling brands on Amazon. Matt shares actionable insights on budgeting for product launches, optimizing PPC campaigns by focusing on conversion rates, and leveraging Amazon’s internal data tools. He emphasizes the importance of consistently launching new, non-competing products to avoid cannibalization and drive growth. The discussion concludes with practical takeaways for sellers aiming to scale, plus an offer for a free brand audit from Matt’s agency, Right Side Up.Chapters:Introduction to Matt Altman and Right Side Up (00:00:00)Josh introduces Matt Altman, his background, and the success of his agency, Right Side Up.Current Product Launch Strategies on Amazon (00:00:31)Matt discusses effective modern tactics for launching new products and the importance of a sufficient launch budget.Budgeting for Product Launches (00:01:02)Explanation of current budget requirements, category selection, and why launch budgets have increased.Estimating Launch Budgets and Pre-Launch Data Collection (00:02:54)How to estimate launch budgets, use Amazon Ads, and gather pre-launch data using search query reports.Leveraging Search Query Performance Reports (00:04:14)Matt explains the value of Amazon’s search query performance reports versus brand analytics.Keyword Targeting and PPC Campaign Setup (00:05:19)Details on targeting specific keywords, campaign types, and optimizing for conversion rates over ACOS/TACOS.ASIN Targeting and Relevancy Building (00:07:44)Using ASIN targeting campaigns to build relevancy for launch keywords and leveraging historical data.Scaling to Eight Figures and Beyond (00:08:09)Advice for established sellers on scaling, focusing on new product launches, and avoiding complacency.Avoiding Product Cannibalization and Diversifying Product Lines (00:10:41)Strategies to prevent keyword overlap, expand product lines, and increase brand reach without cannibalizing sales.Actionable Takeaways for Sellers (00:12:54)Josh summarizes three main takeaways: aggressive product launches, PPC optimization via conversion rates, and image optimization.Strategic Delegation and Removing Bottlenecks (00:15:04)Matt advises stepping back, identifying bottlenecks, and delegating to scale the business effectively.Conclusion and Free Audit Offer (00:16:20)Matt shares where listeners can learn more and offers a free audit for podcast listeners.Links and Mentions:ToolsRight Side UpAmazon Search Query ReportsBrand AnalyticsPacvueEcom AnalyticsData DiveTranscript:Josh 00:00:00 Today, I'm super excited to introduce you to Matt Altman. Matt leads the marketplace at right side up. Matt has over 12 years of selling experience. He's launched and sold multiple personal brands, all starting from a retail arbitrage budget. Four years ago, he started an agency right Side up to help high growth CPG brands focus on dominating the marketplace. They've been able to scale many brands from 0 to 3 million in monthly sales. Welcome to the podcast, Matt.Matt 00:00:29 Thanks for having me. Josh, how are you doing?Josh 00:00:31 Doing great. What are some of the key things that you, you advise or recommend when launching a brand new product on Amazon that are working today? Because, as you know, a lot of those black hat tactics, you know, have come and gone. you also have the, you know, the rebates that everybody was doing, and now it's kind of leveled the playing field a little bit more. Tell me what you're doing that's been working for you guys.Matt 00:00:55 Yeah. So first off, I think that the biggest thing is making sure you have a big enough budget to launch your products.Matt 00:01:02 like the days of 5 to $10,000 budgets to launch products are just gone in my eyes, at least in the spaces that I work in. so we usually overestimate our budgets by like 20 to 30% of what we actually think it would be just to make sure that we're in a good place in case it doesn't go the way that we want it to. but outside of that, we're looking for a couple of major things. one is we want to see continued growth in the category. Amazon's making that way easier now with like the search query reports, the product Opportunity Explorer. There's so many internal tools that they're giving you access to now that you can really easily find that. And then the other big thing that we're looking for is categories that you've got maybe like 3 or 4 power players in. And by power players they aren't really doing that much. They're still kind of growing, but they're ahead of like the other 20 items there. really it just kind of is showing us that, hey, there's enough sales to go around.Matt 00:02:01 If these four people can all kind of be around the same and customers really don't care which one they're choosing right now, they're just basically picking whichever ones at the top from what we can see. So yeah, we used to go into very heavy like categories where you would just, I mean, like launches would be half 1 million to $1 million. Wow. and if you could make them work. Yeah. The payback is amazing because of the volume that some of those categories do. But if you lose, like, it absolutely sucks. so for sure, what we're looking at like 50 to $75,000, to launch a product right now and the supplement space that we're kind of going after, and we've seen it, it's kind of the sweet spot for everything. so if we do find a product and we think it's going to cost more than that to actually launch it, we'll hold off for a bit and see if we can find some other ones that are within our kind of thresholds.Josh 00:02:53 That makes sense.Josh 00:02:54 So how do you estimate, you know, that budget, right. What's the difference between a half 1 million to $1 million product launch budget versus something that's 50 to $75,000? And how do you estimate that?Matt 00:03:07 Yeah. So the the biggest thing is ads. I mean, we've really in the last like three months, all of our launches have been almost exclusively on Amazon through Amazon Ads. so we're pulling averages of cost per clicks through the advertising API and really just looking at, okay, what is the conversion rate of the top products? If we wanted to spend to get that conversion rate on that keyword, like what would it cost us per day and working that backwards? the other big thing that I don't know anyone else that's kind of touched on this, but what we what we've been doing here recently is we have a seller account where we'll create the product beforehand. It's not the product that we're actually going to sell. We'll put some items as merchant fulfilled, and then we'll just have ourselves by the products.Matt 00:03:54 So that way we get all the search query report data for that product before we actually launch it.Josh 00:03:58 Oh, that's that's fascinating. So you do that in a separate account then? Is that what you're saying?Matt 00:04:03 We've been doing it in the same account, just like a different brand name. and throw up a listing merchant fulfilled and do a couple buys through it, and then you get all that data.Josh 00:04:14 Intere...
In this episode, the host interviews Kelcey Lehrich, founder of 365 Holdings and co-founder of the HoldCo Conference. Kelcey shares her journey from traditional business to e-commerce, the growth of 365 Holdings, and the challenges of acquiring and integrating multiple brands. He discusses the purpose of the Holdco Conference for multi-business entrepreneurs, strategies for stable acquisitions, and the realities of shared services. The episode offers practical advice on self-awareness, focusing on key business levers, and learning from experience in scaling and managing holding companies.Chapters:Introduction to Kelcey Lehrich and Holdco Conference (00:00:00)Kelsey introduces himself and explains the origin and purpose of the Holdco Conference for multi-business entrepreneurs.Kelcey's Journey into E-commerce and 365 Holdings (00:02:22)Kelcey shares how he and his partner entered e-commerce, acquired their first businesses, and built 365 Holdings.365 Holdings’ Structure and Focus (00:03:30)Discussion of 365 Holdings’ current scale, vertical integration, and future focus on food, baby, and consumable brands.Growth Strategies: Product Launches and Acquisitions (00:04:28)Comparison of launching new products versus acquiring businesses, and the importance of consistent experimentation.What to Avoid When Acquiring Businesses (00:05:52)Kelcey outlines lessons learned and what to avoid when evaluating acquisition opportunities.365 Holdings’ Core Strengths and Incremental Improvements (00:07:04)Exploration of the company’s strengths, vertical integration, and focus on small, compounding operational improvements.The Reality of Shared Services in a Holdco (00:09:54)Kelcey discusses the challenges and realities of sharing services across multiple brands in a holding company.Three Actionable Takeaways for Entrepreneurs (00:11:44)Host summarizes three key lessons: self-awareness, vision and action, and learning through experience in M&A.Kelcey’s Book Recommendation (00:14:03)Kelcey recommends "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz for entrepreneurs managing growing teams.Favorite Productivity Tool (00:14:40)Kelcey shares Superhuman as his favorite email productivity tool.Influential Figures in E-commerce (00:15:25)Kelcey discusses the many people who have influenced him, mentioning Gary Vee, Roland Frazier, and others.How to Connect with Kelcey and Learn More (00:16:59)Kelcey provides ways to connect with him and learn more about Holdco Conference and 365 Holdings.Links and Mentions:Tools and ResourcesSuperhumanWebsitesHoldco Conference365 HoldingsBooksThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz on AmazonInfluential FiguresGary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee)Roland FrasierTranscript:Josh 00:00:00 Today I'm super excited to introduce you to Kelcey Lehrich. Welcome to the podcast, Kelcey.Kelcey 00:00:05 Thank you for having me. Great to be here.Josh 00:00:06 Kelcey I attended Holdco conference. You did a fantastic job. That was your first ever Holdco conference. Tell our guests a little bit more about this Holdco conference, because I think it's really unique. And you're kind of one of the first to kind of come up with this type of holding company conference.Kelcey 00:00:24 Yeah. So I appreciate your kind words and glad you could come. And we'll see you there next year. date's coming soon. so I have a friend in town named John Wilson. you can find him on the internet. He's pretty public. he and I met, and we both have, 50 to 100 employees, multiple tens of millions of revenue, and we have multiple businesses. And we knew a few other people that had similar circumstances. And there really was no event, no conference, no, kind of home base or hangout place for people like us.Kelcey 00:00:56 And one day I'm like, hey, like, why don't we go ahead and we'll host the party. and so John and I partnered on that project, and, from January, when it was kind of hatched with the tweet to July, it was a bit of a wild ride, but it was a lot of fun. We're really proud of the first year. And, yeah, it's meant to be the place that multi business entrepreneurs called the holding company, meet, learn, scale and grow. But the kind of niche there is that if you're in software and you're venture backed, there's a conference for you. If you are in real estate, there's a conference for you. If you are in insert any industry, sales, metal stamping, mobile home parks, whatever it is, there's a conference for you. If you're a Holdco entrepreneur, there really wasn't a place to call your own. And our vision for Holdco is to be kind of that home base for people like us.Josh 00:01:43 Yeah, I love that.Josh 00:01:44 I love what you guys have started there. And I think we'll dive into that a little bit in more detail later in this podcast. But Kelcey, you've got a vast experience in e-commerce. Obviously you have a holding company that has multiple brands. You've acquired multiple e-commerce brands, you've grown them, you've scaled them. So you have a wealth of knowledge. And for our listeners that have established businesses, they're looking to take things to the next level. I think they're going to be able to learn a lot from you. So why don't we rewind the tapes a little bit? Kelcey? And why don't you tell us a little bit about how you got into the e-commerce world to begin with, and then what led to the formation of 365 holdings?Kelcey 00:02:22 So six years ago, my partner and I, his name is Justin. I'm kind of the ideas guy, and he's kind of the executor. She's familiar with iOS. I've got the kind of visionary CEO role and he's kind of the integrator or CFO, and he and I have worked there for a long time.Kelcey 00:02:37 And prior to e-commerce, it was kind of like, the same idea. However, instead of ideas and strategy and like execution, it was like I was the sales guy and he was like the ops guy and all of our prior businesses, but we weren't online. We've never, never run ads, never shipped products. But we had sold a business for just enough money to make a down payment on an SBA loan. We had sold a business for $100,000, which was a lot of money. We did not hold any of it aside for taxes. We put all 100 grand down on the $900,000 loan to buy the million dollar first business. That was how we got started. 60 days later, we drained the checking account and maxed out the line of credit and bought another one. And thus begins the compounding. So, Yeah, six years ago. by by two that that, spring and summer, we had always had a vision of back to the old topic, wanting to run many businesses. We wanted to have diversity.Kelcey 00:03:30 I guess that's like, hey, what if you focused? What if you just did one thing? Could it be bigger? And my answer is like, I don't know, probably. But this is the business I want to have. I want to do many things. one of the things financially from a diversification perspective. two, I think it's fun. It's like what I want. So like, yes, this is what I'm doing. I'm sure it's like slightly less optimal than, I don't know. but six years have elapsed and today we've got 80 some employees. Six brands. we're in Akron, Ohio, and heavily vertically integrated. So we do in-house customer service, in-house ...
In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley conducts a live strategy audit with eCommerce brand owner Charlie Mckenzie. They discuss advanced Amazon sales strategies, including keyword optimization, targeted PPC and product targeting ads, and leveraging Google Ads to custom Amazon Store pages for higher conversions. Josh emphasizes the importance of product innovation, catalog expansion, and understanding customer intent. Charlie receives actionable advice on improving ad efficiency, refining product listings, and sourcing new product ideas from platforms like Etsy. The episode offers practical tips for boosting Amazon performance and sustainable brand growth.Chapters:Introduction and Brand Overview (00:00:00)Josh introduces Charlie and outlines the brand’s focus on a single main product with size variations.Keyword Research and Organic Ranking (00:01:05)Discussion on keyword research, current rankings, and strategies to move up to top organic positions.Amazon PPC and Product Targeting Ads (00:02:07)Advice on using PPC, especially exact match campaigns and product targeting ads against same-color competitors.Leveraging Google Ads and Storefront Landing Pages (00:03:11)Strategy for using Google Ads to drive traffic to custom Amazon store landing pages to improve conversions.Reducing Competitor Distraction and Conversion Optimization (00:04:41)Importance of removing competitor distractions on landing pages to increase conversion rates from external traffic.Charlie’s Takeaways and Action Items (00:05:40)Charlie shares his main takeaways, including storefront creation and renewed focus on product targeting campaigns.Testing and Optimizing Product Targeting (00:06:51)Guidance on setting rules for product targeting ads and turning off underperforming campaigns.Product Innovation and Brand Expansion (00:07:34)Discussion on the importance of ongoing product launches and not relying solely on “home run” products.Marketplace Research and Arbitrage Opportunities (00:09:49)Charlie discusses using marketplace research and arbitrage to identify new product opportunities.Finding Trends Outside Amazon (00:10:48)Advice to look for trending products on other platforms (Etsy, DTC sites) and bring them to Amazon.Keyword Research and Listing Optimization (00:12:06)Charlie emphasizes his focus on keyword analytics and listing optimization for organic ranking.Focusing on Customer Needs in Sales Copy (00:12:53)Advice to highlight the root problem the product solves, not just compare features with competitors.Actionable Strategies Recap (00:13:46)Summary of key strategies: product innovation, customer-focused sales copy, and price testing for profit.Closing Remarks (00:15:47)Final thanks and well wishes as the episode concludes.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising) Google Ads Amazon Store Builder Data Dive Podcast Episodes Tyler Gregg of Ampd on LinkedIn Transcripts:Josh 00:00:00 Welcome to the Econ Breakthrough Podcast. I'm your host, Josh Hadley, where I interview the top business leaders in ecommerce. Today I'm speaking with Charlie Mckenzie, and we have recorded a live strategy audit session for you today. Charlie, welcome to the podcast. Thank you very much for having me on, Josh. I'm excited to be here. Awesome. At this point with Charlie Charlie's brand, he's got one skew. Well, he's got multiple skews because he's got some size variations in there, but he's got one product that is generating the sales for this brand. One of the first things that we looked at, for your brand, Charlie, was keyword research. And you're doing a great job of implementing the right search terms in your product title. In fact, you're crushing, you know, the competition in terms of the exact match keywords that you've got implemented in your title, and therefore you're actually ranked on the first page for many of those keywords. However, you're not in the top five positions right on most of those keywords.Josh 00:01:05 And so we then went through and discussed. All right. So what are some strategies that we can employ to. You've already got traction. You're obviously indexed for some of these big keywords. How do you move them up into that 1 to 5. You know organic ranking position? One of the things that we talked about was PPC. And Charlie, you know, you've started dipping your toes in the PPC waters. Initially we talked actually a couple of months ago, and you were not running ads on Amazon. And, you know, I told you like, hey, you should definitely start running some ads on Amazon because it is going to impact your organic ranking. You've been dabbling a little bit in that. My recommendation to you from our session was that, you know, create some exact match, keyword campaigns for those keywords that you're trying to rank for number one. But then number two, one of the things that we've found a lot of success with in our business is product targeting ads on Amazon.Josh 00:02:07 And so rather than just throwing it up against because with your particular product, there's there's other competitors that have different design variations, right. And so rather than just saying, hey, mine's beige, I'm going to go advertise on this pink one or this blue one. You the customer that's looking for a pink, product. They have a specific thought in mind. Right. Same thing. If somebody's looking for blue, like there's a reason why they clicked on the blue listing. So when it comes to setting up your product targeting ad campaigns, one of the things I would definitely recommend is only targeting those competitors that have the exact same color that you have, and you're going to get better performance that way. And what Amazon loves to see is if you can steal sales from those competitor listings, you will shoot ahead of them, on the organic ranking side, and that will allow you to increase your ranking a little bit faster there. In addition to that, we talked about some external marketing that you could be using and that is Google Ads.Josh 00:03:11 I know you've tested this in the past, had about a 200% ACOs there, which isn't great, obviously, but we talked about an additional tactic that you could use that could increase that performance because Amazon is definitely rewarding external traffic, right? in my prior one of the prior podcast episodes, we had Tyler Gregg of Amped on the episode, and he shared some fantastic strategies of how to create Google ads and the best way to maximize, you know, the return on investment on those. One of the big takeaways from that episode is that rather than just driving traffic to your current Amazon detail page, it's going to be better to create a store landing page for yourself. But in that store landing page, you recreate almost the exact way that your detail page looks on Amazon, and there's a specific section on the store builder page that allows you to basically recreate that detail page. That's exactly what you're going to want to do. And the beauty of driving that traffic to your store landing page that is literally identical to your detail page, is that you're able to remove all of your competitors because one of the tips, or I guess, one of the statistics that Tyler shared ...
In this episode, host Josh interviews Rafael, founder of Share It Studio and a 3x Telly Award-winning Amazon marketing expert. Rafael shares strategies for building a successful brand on Amazon, emphasizing the importance of understanding your target audience, leveraging Amazon’s brand analytics, and creating high-quality, authentic content. The discussion covers Amazon’s evolving brand-building tools, including A+ content, brand stores, and social features like Posts and Live. Rafael offers actionable tips for optimizing listings and highlights the value of investing in content to boost trust and sales. Listeners also receive a special discount on Share It Studio services.Chapters:Introduction & Rafael’s Background (00:00:00)Josh introduces Rafael, his achievements, and Share It Studio’s success with Amazon listings.Mentorship & Entering Amazon Marketing (00:00:38)Rafael discusses the value of mentorship and how he transitioned into Amazon marketing.The Importance of Brand Building (00:02:36)Josh highlights Rafael's results and asks where sellers should start with brand building and content.Identifying Your Amazon Audience (00:03:09)Rafael explains the need to analyze data and understand the differences between Amazon and other e-commerce audiences.Using Amazon’s Brand Tools (00:04:02)Discussion on Amazon’s brand analytics, content tools, and the importance of creating a brand experience.Amazon’s Social Features & Custom Content (00:05:22)Rafael emphasizes using Amazon’s social features (Posts, Live, Follow) and creating custom content for holidays and trends.Three Actionable Takeaways for Sellers (00:06:57)Josh summarizes three key actions: analyze data, update content based on findings, and prioritize/testing content types.Content Quality Reflects Product Quality (00:10:03)Rafael stresses that high-quality, authentic content signals product quality to buyers, especially for sensitive categories.Final Thoughts & Influences (00:11:17)Rafael shares his admiration for Gary Vee and Carlos, and the importance of helping others in the e-commerce space.How to Connect with Share It Studio (00:12:55)Rafael provides contact info, offers a complimentary consultation, and a special discount for podcast listeners.Closing Remarks & Bonus Offer (00:14:00)Josh and Rafael wrap up, highlighting the 15% discount for listeners who mention the podcast.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites: Share It Studio Amazon Brand Registry Amazon Live Videos Instagram Contact Information: Email: hello@shareitstudio.comInfluential Figures: Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee) on LinkedInTranscript:Josh 00:00:00 Today I am super excited to introduce you to Rafael. Rafael is the founder of Share It Studio. He is A3X Telly Award winning entrepreneur in marketing and film. He has 13 plus years of marketing experience, five of which are specialized in Amazon marketing. Sherritt studio sets itself apart as a boutique agency with a high level, data driven approach and bespoke full package services. The studio boasts 500 plus successful Amazon listings, with an average sales increase of 77% within the first month of launching. So welcome to the show, Rafael.Rafael 00:00:38 Josh, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. What you were saying about finding somebody to help you. it's the best way I found out. I did the exact same thing with my mentors. Is Josh Nelson right here? Okay, so what you're offering is actually very, very, very good. I highly recommend that anybody that's, you know, listen to this. I met Josh in person. Super cool guy. you should definitely at least talk to him.Rafael 00:01:02 maybe you're not ready, but maybe within a month, you know you'll hit the target and you'll be ready to to to, you know, reach out to Josh and he can help you scale your business. But if if somebody has a blueprint, why would you want to, like, go sideways if somebody knows what it's going to happen? He's going to tell you, like, hey, you might run into this and this is what you have to do instead of you bouncing your head against the wall, you know?Josh 00:01:27 So true. Rafael, I guess I need to pay you that $100 now. Slide that under the table there.Rafael 00:01:33 No, this is not paid advertising. In no way whatsoever. It's just that I really I was I was super I am so stubborn that I, when I had my company, I was working for Nickelodeon at the time, and, I was, coordinator for post-production for Latin America. And I'm like, you know, at that time, my ego was just stupid.Rafael 00:01:55 and I was like, no, I don't need anybody's help with this. I can do myself, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm just gonna apply for all the awards. I'm just gonna get all the awards and, you know, blah, blah, blah blah. And at some point I was like, oh my God, I'm really struggling, I need help. And a friend told me, a friend who's very much more successful than me with an agency. He's like, hey, man, I reached my million dollar mark, but I can't. I can't grow anymore. I don't seem to be growing. And he does completely different marketing. He does marketing for cleaning companies. I met this dude, and I really think you should meet him, and, you know, yada yada, yada. And Josh is the the the one of the reason why I went into the Amazon space.Josh 00:02:36 Well, Rafael, you've got a lot of experience obviously, in marketing. I mean, the statistics that you shared that, you know, as you've worked with over 500 different Amazon listings, you've been able to increase sales by 77%.Josh 00:02:50 That's a large amount. What should an Amazon seller or just an e-commerce seller? They're on the on board with you in terms of like they know they need to build a brand, but where do they even begin right to in terms of building out their content? They believe that brands are important. So like where do you start with all of this?Rafael 00:03:09 yes. That's a great question. It's a great, great question. it depends on the at what stage of your Amazon journey you're at. but if, let's say you're a seven figure seller, so you definitely have some, some, some data. even if you're selling an e-commerce or Shopify, you have data there. social media, which are your top followers? The tricky thing is that the the people who buy off of Amazon are not the exact same people who buy somewhere else. So even though you kind of simulate, some of my clients actually have a complete buyer persona on Shopify, then they have on Amazon.Josh 00:03:46 Interesting.Rafael 00:03:47 Yeah, it's super interesting.Rafael 00:03:48 Interesting. So if you have a seven figure seller on Amazon, you definitely have brand registry, which gives you brand analytics. Now let's understand the actual consumer. Who's the consumer who's buying from you. is it is it a male or is it a female?Josh 00:04:02 The first step is for you to identify who this audience is, right? Like who is the buyer for this particular product, because then that's going to change the way that you're merchandising your product, right? The images that you're creating. And then you also kind of dove into, you know, utilizing those tools, that Amazon has now done, I think, over the last two years, like Amazon has been...
In this episode, host Josh interviews Aaron Hovivian, CEO of The Collab Team, about scaling operations for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. Aaron shares his journey from retail and corporate project management to founding his own operations consultancy. The discussion covers the importance of identifying strengths, implementing operating systems like EOS, and documenting SOPs to streamline growth from seven to eight figures. Aaron offers practical advice for overcoming operational bottlenecks and introduces his Ops Experts Club resource hub. The episode provides actionable steps for business owners looking to delegate effectively and build scalable, efficient operations.Chapters:Introduction & Aaron’s Background (00:00:00)Aaron shares his entrepreneurial roots, early jobs, and inspiration from his father’s business journey.Discovering a Passion for Operations (00:00:49)Aaron describes his natural inclination for improving systems and his transition from retail to project management.First Entrepreneurial Leap & Founding The Collab Team (00:01:35)Aaron recounts leaving a stable job to help a friend’s business, marking the start of The Collab Team.Systems Thinking & Early Genius (00:02:54)Discussion about always thinking in systems and the importance of operating in one’s zone of genius.Complexity in Growth & The Value of Operations (00:03:31)Aaron explains how business growth brings complexity and the need to streamline through operations.The Power of Delegation & Operating Systems (00:03:48)Aaron introduces the concept of “Delegate and Elevate” from EOS and the importance of SOPs.Why Operations Matter for Scaling (00:04:37)Aaron discusses why operations are crucial for entrepreneurs aiming to scale from seven to eight figures.Visionaries vs. Operators: Identifying Strengths (00:05:02)Aaron explains the difference between visionary entrepreneurs and those skilled in operations.Common Pitfalls in Delegation & Team Structure (00:06:17)Challenges entrepreneurs face when delegating without clear processes or team roles.Intentionality & Backward Planning (00:07:06)The importance of planning from the end goal backward to reduce daily frustrations.Operations as a Business Pillar (00:07:33)Josh compares operations to a three-legged stool, emphasizing its equal importance with sales and vision.Implementing Operating Systems & Frameworks (00:08:02)Josh shares his experience implementing operating systems and frameworks like EOS and Scalable.Entrepreneurial Profiles & The Kolbe Assessment (00:08:56)Discussion about the Kolbe assessment and how most entrepreneurs are high quick starts, not high follow-through.Three Actionable Takeaways for Entrepreneurs (00:09:33)Josh summarizes three steps: set your goal, do a time study/gap analysis, and document SOPs for delegation.Aaron’s Additional Advice: Start with the Highest Burn (00:11:15)Aaron advises tackling the most painful or draining tasks first to maximize relief and ROI.Ops Experts Club Gift & Resources (00:12:27)Aaron introduces the Ops Experts Club, offering free access and tools like the Gap Analyzer for listeners.Closing Remarks & Gratitude (00:14:31)Josh and Aaron wrap up, expressing appreciation and encouraging entrepreneurs to leverage operations for growth.Links and Mentions:Tools and WebsitesOps Experts Club on FacebookGap AnalyzerBooksTraction by Gino Wickman on AmazonAssessmentsKolbe AssessmentTranscript:Josh 00:00:00 Today I'm super excited to introduce you to Aaron Hovivian, the CEO and Project Lead at the Collaborative Team Management, or AKA the Collab Team. So welcome to the podcast, Aaron.Aaron 00:00:11 Hey Josh, thanks for having me man. So good to be here.Josh 00:00:13 Aaron, you've got a lot of experience. As we can see in operations, you've helped grow solopreneurs into multifaceted eight figure brands and helping scale people beyond that. Aaron, let's back things up and tell me, like, how did you even get started in operations? Why is that your specialty?Aaron 00:00:31 Yeah, I you know, so growing up, my dad was an entrepreneur. My dad was entrepreneurial, you know, and I saw him going out there starting his own business. For him, it was construction for him. He, you know, he had been working for some big guys doing construction in Southern California, you know, for his whole career. And at the age of 40, you know, he said, hey, I'm going to go out and do this on my own.Aaron 00:00:49 He was able to build this empire for himself. You know, of 85 people doing, you know, high rise construction ceilings in LA in Orange County. And I think inspired by his journey, I think is what inspired me. But I noticed me all growing up, you know, from my earliest jobs. I started working in skateboard snowboard shops as a kid, you know, but even there I did a lot of retail just starting out. A lot of kids do, you know. But I noticed about me is that I'm always pulling apart systems. Like, I'm always wondering, how could we tweak that? How could we make that better? Rolling into businesses that don't have training manuals and building train training manuals, you know, looking at their POS system to see how they're dealing with point of sale, like wondering how the customer journey is going to be and just compliment to you, Josh, even just the sequencing of your automations, of sending the invite to this just to be on this podcast, I was like, that guy gets it.Aaron 00:01:35 Like, let's make the customer journey easy. Like, let's take out of the way the encumbrances or the stumbling blocks. And so I think that's been my journey all the way through. right before I started the Colab team, I was doing project management for a large credit union here in our area in southern Oregon. And I was doing a lot with construction, project management, but also project management within the organization and helping with new platforms, coming online and managing teams and I had my first entrepreneur knock on my door and say, hey, he had been a friend of mine for a lot of years. His name is Keith Yaki. He's got a great brand out there. He did real estate for a lot of years, and now he's leaning into something he calls the married game. But Keith Yaki knocked on my door and he said, hey, what would you think about leaving the credit union and coming out and doing this thing with me? I need somebody that just gets operations. You know, they were doing a big bus tours, fix and flip education brand, and he was like, I, I've got all the knowledge, I've got all the education.Aaron 00:02:25 I've laid out the whole program. I know it's going to work, but I'm super nervous about the details. What would you think about taking a step with me in this? And so that became my first client for the Colab team, and I left something super stable and kind of like my dad, you know, this, this corporate gig that, you know, had been around for 50 years. They'll be around for 50 more. They loved me being there. I loved them as people. But I just saw that desire in my heart of, I want more than that. I want to be entrepreneurial. I want to get out there and get out onto my own brand, on my own two feet and take things to the next level. And so that's kind of what started me down the journey.Josh 00:02:54 I love that, I love that, you know, from an early age, you were always kind of like pulling things apart. Trying to figure ...
John is the Brand Evangelist at PickFu and Founder and CEO of Aspy, he helps businesses make data-driven decisions to optimize their product listings and marketing strategies on Amazon.Highlight Bullets> Here’s a glimpse of what you would learn…. Importance of optimizing main images for Amazon product listingsSignificance of click-through rates (CTR) for Amazon sellersRole of the hero image in attracting potential customersInsights into consumer behavior and preferences when shopping onlineNecessity of data-driven decisions for product listing optimizationContinuous testing and optimization of hero imagesUnderstanding and adhering to Amazon's image guidelinesRisk versus reward in image presentation strategiesTrends in product imagery and innovative visual elementsImportance of clearly communicating value propositions in hero imagesIn this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley interviews John Aspinall, brand evangelist at Pickfu and CEO of ASPY. They discuss the critical importance of optimizing main images for Amazon product listings to boost click-through rates (CTR). John emphasizes that a compelling hero image is crucial for attracting clicks, likening it to the exterior of a house. He shares insights into consumer behavior, stressing the need for data-driven decisions and continuous testing. The episode concludes with actionable takeaways for improving CTR and sales, highlighting the role of visual elements and the impact of tariffs on product costs.Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:Regularly Test and Optimize Your Main Image: Stay competitive by continuously refining your hero images.Understand the Impact on Conversion Rates and Ad Spend: Your main image directly affects these critical metrics.Leverage AI Tools: Use AI tools to scale testing and experimentation effectively.Resources mentioned in this episode:Josh Hadley on LinkedIneComm Breakthrough YouTubeeComm Breakthrough ConsultingeComm Breakthrough PodcastEmail Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.comHelium 10Jungle ScoutSmart ScoutAmazonPickFuCanvaGoogle WhiskGoogle EffectsClaudePerplexityDeepSeekGoogle GeminiMr. BeastThe Diary Of A CEOSteven Pope in LinkedInLa Roche-PosayChatGPTSpecial Mention(s):Adam “Heist” Runquist on LinkedInKevin King on LinkedInMichael E. Gerber on LinkedInRelated Episode(s):“Cracking the Amazon Code: Learn From Adam Heist’s Brand Scaling Secrets” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Kevin King’s Wicked-Smart Tips for Building an Audience of Raving Fans” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Unlocking Entrepreneurial Greatness | Insider Secrets With E-myth Author Michael Gerber” on the eComm Breakthrough PodcastEpisode SponsorSponsor for this episode...This episode is brought to you by eComm Breakthrough Consulting where I help seven-figure e-commerce owners grow to eight figures. I started Hadley Designs in 2015 and grew it to an eight-figure brand in seven years.I made mistakes along the way that made the path to eight figures longer. At times I doubted whether our business could even survive and become a real brand. I wish I would have had a guide to help me grow faster and avoid the stumbling blocks.If you’ve hit a plateau and want to know the next steps to take your business to the next level, then go to www.EcommBreakthrough.com (that’s Ecomm with two M’s) to ...
In this episode, Chad Franzen interviews Josh and Becca Hadley about their journey working together as a married couple. They share insights into balancing business and family life, setting boundaries, and defining clear roles. The Hadleys discuss the joys and challenges of entrepreneurship as partners, offer advice for couples considering a joint venture, and highlight the importance of communication, shared vision, and prioritizing their relationship. Personal anecdotes reveal their daily routines, family priorities, and fun facts about each other, providing an honest look at blending marriage and business.Chapters:Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:00:00)Chad Frandsen is introduced as the interviewer; Becca and Josh Hadley are welcomed to the podcast.Working with Your Spouse: Initial Thoughts (00:00:21)Becca and Josh share their experiences and feelings about working together as a married couple.Early Days of the Business (00:01:54)Josh describes how they started working together, their routines, and the excitement of building the business.Balancing Roles and Avoiding Friction (00:03:29)Discussion on the importance of clarifying roles and responsibilities to prevent conflicts.Work-Life Boundaries and Daily Routines (00:04:46)Chad asks about setting workday boundaries; Becca and Josh explain their flexible approach and daily schedules.Family Priorities and Involvement (00:07:01)Josh emphasizes prioritizing family, coaching kids’ sports, and the importance of being present as parents.Advice Received About Working Together (00:08:24)Becca and Josh recall advice they received about working as a couple and the importance of maintaining balance.Advice for Couples Considering Business Together (00:10:23)Josh and Becca offer advice to couples thinking about starting a business together, stressing clear roles and shared vision.Working from Home: Pros and Cons (00:12:39)They discuss working from home, its benefits, challenges, and how it affects their work-life transition.Personal Insights: About Each Other (00:13:43)Chad asks Becca and Josh to share something listeners wouldn’t know about the other, revealing personal and fun facts.Closing Remarks (00:15:52)Chad wraps up the interview, thanks the guests, and offers best wishes.Links and Mentions:Company/Tool:Rise 25Book/Quote:No success in the world can compensate for failure in the homeTranscript:Josh 00:00:00 Today I'm excited to introduce to you. I have two special guests with me. We have my wife, Becca Hadley, and then we have Chad Franzen here of rise 25, who has done hundreds of interviews with successful entrepreneurs and CEOs. We have flipped the script, and he is going to be interviewing Becca and I today. So welcome to the podcast, Chad.Chad 00:00:21 Hey, thanks so much, Josh. Great to be here with both of you. So, Becca, what is it like working with your spouse?Becca 00:00:28 Yeah, I love it. I know almost every single person I talk to always says, I don't know how you do that, or that didn't work for me or were divorced or whatever it is. We I think it's been one of the best things for us. I think we had a strong foundation before we began working with each other, and it kind of started off slow. And Josh was working in corporate America. We were working together at night, but for us, it's been it's been fun.Becca 00:00:51 It's been our hobby, I think since both of us are doing what we love, it's very fulfilling and then even more fulfilling to do it together. I think one of my favorite things is just the opportunity to, like, travel together to different conferences like we've had so many like couples trips that are business trips. and it's been so fun. We've seen so many places together. I think we're also learning new things together at the conferences we go to and the things that we listen to, the podcast, everything that we do together. So I think it takes our relationship even to the next level, which is really fun. Now, that's not to say that it's always easy. We definitely have our frustrations or our arguments or sometimes, like when we're on a date. In my head, I'm like, stop talking about the business, let's be on a date. So it's just finding a balance and making sure that, like in our relationship that we have like family time specifically and date nights and business time.Becca 00:01:41 And for us, honestly, it has been an incredible blessing. I've loved every minute of it.Chad 00:01:45 So great. Yeah. Why don't we get back to that in just a minute? Kind of the the boundaries or whatever, like work and home or whatever. But, Josh, what are your thoughts on working with your wife?Josh 00:01:54 Yeah, I think that it's been an amazing experience. And I think that, like Becca talked about, it's Is important for us. I think it like has actually brought us closer together because we've been working on like a similar vision. Like I would say, like kids brings you together, right? You and your spouse together on like a similar vision of like, we want our children to to succeed, but also with the business. We want our business to succeed. And so it's been fun. Like I like Becca mentioned, like it was what was it literally a year after we had been married or like, yeah, it was one year after we had been married was when we kind of like got started into the business and working together.Josh 00:02:36 And it was fun. You know, we didn't have kids at the time. We had a child on the way at the time, but for us, it our kind of life looked like this. I would come home from work at American Airlines, and then we would sit down together at night. And at the time I could have a TV show on in the background and be all right with that. But we would put on something fun, and then we would just be working together and we would be chatting and saying, hey, look at this cool thing I found. You know, hey, you know, and at the time, we were working with custom wedding invitations and brides. And so it was always like whenever we got to sell or somebody paid their deposit or they got booked on the calendar, it was like this big win. And I'd go run over and tell them, it's like, we got another one. And it was just like an exciting time for us. And, you know, we would stay up late into the evenings until like one, two in the morning, just working on the business together.Josh 00:03:29 But we loved it and that's what our life revolved around. And and now as we have children because of the, you know, hard work, I think that we put forth early on, it's paying dividends in terms of us being able to be more present at their sporting events and having more flexibility in our schedule. But to Becca's point as well, like, it hasn't just been all rainbows and unicorns, not necessarily like there's there's friction at times. Right. And that friction, a lot of it comes down to, you know, are we on the same page in terms of like the vision and where we're going with the business, but also like in clarifying our roles? I think that's been one of the most important things, like if Becca were trying to be the CEO as well and she were like super possessive of like, this is my business, I have to be the CEO. Then that could cause a lot of friction. And I feel like that's what happens a lot of times is you've got a husband and wife and they don't necessarily clarify the roles.Josh 00:04:27 They're like, I want to be the leader. I want to be the leader. And then they both start stepping on each other's toes. But because Becca does so well a...
Alex Arafat
Chad Rubin’s insights on AI-driven pricing strategies for Amazon brands are truly game-changing! So many e-commerce businesses, including platforms like https://dazzlecart.co.uk/ can benefit from optimizing their pricing rather than relying on outdated strategies. It's fascinating how real-time data analysis can maximize profits without affecting BSR. Looking forward to tuning into this episode and learning more about leveraging AI in e-commerce!