Podcast

920: Ascend Ecom: Invest, Build And Scale A Sustainable E-Commerce Asset With Will Basta

April 7, 2023

About four years ago, a lot of these so-called automation companies started popping up that had a lot of big promises about essentially building you an Amazon business, running it for you, and then splitting the profits, which sounds great on the surface. But what happens if there is a slowdown in getting the product listed? There are inventory risks, you can't control buying trends necessarily all the time. Additionally, you have no control over when Amazon will enter the market, gather that information, invest all of its resources, and then undercut your price, causing your product to stay on the market for a long time. So how can you solve that problem?

Will Basta is the Co-Founder of Ascend Ecom, an ecommerce investment management company that helps build and scale sustainable ecommerce assets worth up to 3-10x your investment in 24-36 months. With a background in tech startups and early experience with Amazon, Will saw an opportunity to improve upon the "automation" ecommerce companies that were popping up. Today, Will talks about his approach to ecommerce investing, focusing on mitigating risks, leveraging scale, and building long-term value for his clients.

Quotes

“Every Amazon business, even if opened by an entity, must have an individual behind it initially. They are essentially pieces of real estate.” - Will Basta

“Diversification is a huge thing. It's how you get through economic hard times.” - Will Basta

“We make moves quickly and take action swiftly, which has a significant impact on the overall return for the business.” - Will Basta

Takeaways

02:58 Reverse-engineering a business model by experiencing it firsthand as a customer can uncover hidden inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.

07:44 Diversifying investments, whether in ecommerce or real estate, is crucial to mitigating risks and weathering economic challenges.

17:07 Prioritizing integrity and transparency in business operations can build long-term trust and success with clients.

18:41 Acting quickly on opportunities, while maintaining a thoughtful approach, can significantly impact a business's growth and returns.

21:16 Continuously learning and exploring new ideas, even outside one's immediate field, can open up unexpected avenues for personal and professional development.

Resources

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919: PitchDB: Master Podcast Guesting By Connecting Directly With Podcasters, Event Organizers, Local Associations and The Press with Ron Story, Jr.

April 5, 2023

The podcast industry has been prominent these days. It can be used for sharing stories, experiences, tips, and even promotion. Are you someone who wants to be on a podcast, but you don’t know how? Are you someone starting up a podcast but having a hard time in promoting them?

Ron Story, Jr. is a full-time entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience. He is the founder of PitchDB, the world's largest podcast search engine with nearly 3 million hosts. Today, Ron discusses the importance of cold emailing and outreach, the efficiency of podcast guesting, and the power of taking action instead of living in fantasy.

Quotes

“I kind of look at sales very similarly to dating. I mean, my girlfriend and the mother of my child—I never put up a website to meet her. I went over and talked to her.” - Ron Story, Jr.

“If you don't put yourself in a position to be rejected, you'll never put yourself in a position to be accepted.” - Ron Story, Jr.

“My biggest advice for everyone is to just get started. It might start off slow, but it gets better. Compound interest improves over time.” - Ron Story, Jr.

Takeaways

03:09 Approaching business relationships like personal relationships, with authenticity and a focus on providing value, can lead to better outcomes.

10:26 Podcast guesting is an efficient and effective way to reach a large audience without significant time investment.

11:42 Taking advantage of the success and audience of others in your industry can be an efficient way to identify and connect with relevant podcast hosts and opportunities.

19:56 Investing in yourself and your own promotion can amplify the reach and impact of your podcast appearances.

27:38 Starting early and taking consistent action, even if imperfect, is better than waiting for the "perfect" time, as regret over missed opportunities often grows over time.

Resources

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918: Smart Panda Labs: Bridge the Gaps In Your Digital Customer Experience with Shamir Duverseau

April 3, 2023

Are you hoping to increase customer engagement and drive revenue growth by enhancing your digital experiences? As technology advances, new tactics and strategies are being developed to differentiate your business from the competition and offer customers unique experiences that will keep them coming back for more.

Shamir Duverseau is the founder of Smart Panda Labs, a company that helps businesses bridge the gaps in their digital customer experience. With a background in the corporate world, Shamir experienced firsthand the communication challenges between marketing and IT departments, which inspired him to start Smart Panda Labs. Today, Shamir discusses the importance of bridging this gap, the need for experimentation and iteration, and the common mistakes businesses make when trying to improve their digital presence.

Quotes

“There's been a lot of frustration in working with different partners throughout my corporate life. These partners often didn't fill the gaps we needed on the corporate side and failed to make the necessary connections between the various groups I work with.” - Shamir Duverseau

“A lot of times, it's about taking a step back and asking, 'What is important overall to the organization? What are the organizational goals? What are the priorities of the board, the CEO, the investors, or the stockholders?'” - Shamir Duverseau

“Marketers tend to throw money at problems, particularly by spending on advertising. It often feels like everything is seen as an advertising problem.” - Shamir Duverseau

Takeaways

00:54 Bridging the communication gap between marketing and IT departments is crucial for delivering successful digital campaigns and customer experiences.

02:08 Adopting an experimental mindset and embracing small failures is key to driving continuous improvement and innovation in digital marketing.

14:48 Aligning digital marketing efforts with the organization's high-level goals and objectives is essential for maximizing the impact and value of marketing initiatives.

16:00 Leveraging data-driven insights, industry best practices, and creative problem-solving can lead to impactful optimizations and improvements in the customer journey.

18:40 Companies that have a clear vision for their digital transformation but are unsure of the steps to get there are ideal candidates for working with Smart Panda Labs.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:25 — 32.4MB) | Embed

917: Mint Performance Marketing: Accelerate Growth For Disruptive Brands Through Social-First Brand Performance Marketing with Daniel James

March 31, 2023

It's essential for businesses to stay on top of their marketing strategies with innovative insights and tactics that can elevate their brand. Successful companies focus on customer retention because acquiring new customers is expensive. The right channels can make a big difference in building brand loyalty. So, how can you keep your customers engaged and help spread the word about your business?

Daniel James is the founder and CEO of Flight Performance (formerly Mint Performance Marketing), a full-service performance marketing agency based in Los Angeles. Mint's mission is to accelerate growth for disruptive DTC and e-commerce brands through cutting-edge strategies across creative, influencer marketing, paid social, paid search, email, and SMS. Today, Daniel tells us about fixing the "leaky bucket" on a brand's website before focusing on acquisition channels like paid ads.

Quotes

“Advertising gets people to the page, but it's the page that sells. If a page is slow to load, unclear about what you're purchasing, or doesn't make the purchase easy for the consumer, people are going to leave.” - Daniel James

“The variables of potential social platforms have been covered quite broadly. I see this evolving into more niche subsets within those social channels. They aren't just big social communities or networking sites these days; they're very creator-driven.” - Daniel James

“A large part of our job is to keep an eye on the future. First mover advantage is significant. Not everything will be super sticky, but testing and being there at the beginning of platforms is important.” - Daniel James

Takeaways

00:57 Fixing the "leaky bucket" on a brand's website should be the top priority before focusing on acquisition channels.

05:16 Developing a playbook for effective landing pages and understanding your target audience on a deeper level can significantly improve marketing performance.

18:21 The pace of change in the digital marketing landscape requires staying up-to-date and being a first mover on emerging platforms.

20:16 Profitability and customer retention should be the focus in e-commerce, not just rapid growth.

26:26 Taking risks and doing what makes you happy are important for entrepreneurial success.

Resources

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916: OmniConvert: Turn One-Time Buyers Into Lifetime Customers, Data Driven Growth, And Customer Value Optimization Through Stats and Analytics With Valentin Radu

March 29, 2023

Business is all about customers, and so you need to focus your aim on them. Sadly, many businesses are failing to give value to their customers, or not solving the problems inside their business that they should address instead of changing products. As such, retail companies should look for Customer Value Optimization, wherein planning, researching, identifying, and diagnosing are done to ensure customers will be valued. Meet OmniConvert, a company that will assist retail companies in creating smart marketing campaigns that matter to consumers.

Valentin Radu is the co-founder and CEO of OmniConvert, a SaaS company that provides growth solutions to hundreds of retail companies. With over 16 years of experience as an e-commerce entrepreneur, Valentin is also the author of the book on e-commerce called “The CLV Revolution.” Today, Valentin discusses the concept of Customer Value Optimization (CVO) and how OmniConvert's technology helps businesses improve their customer lifetime value by segmenting customers, understanding their pain points, and automating acquisition, onboarding, and retention strategies.

Quotes

“Acquiring customers who never return is no longer an option in today's market, where customer acquisition costs are so high.” - Valentin Radu

“The combination of recency, frequency, and monetary value leads to identifying what we call 'soulmates'—these are your golden goose customers.” - Valentin Radu

“Media companies and e-commerce gurus are misleading GM intrapreneurs and e-commerce professionals into thinking that spending more money on ads is the solution. However, it's really about maximizing value from your existing customers to reinforce acquisition efforts.” - Valentin Radu

Takeaways

00:47 Focusing on customer lifetime value, rather than just customer acquisition, is crucial in today's competitive e-commerce landscape.

04:18 Segmenting customers based on recency, frequency, and monetary value (RFM) allows businesses to identify their most valuable "soulmate" customers and tailor strategies accordingly.

09:20 Automating data collection and analysis is important, but businesses must still actively monitor and optimize their customer experience and marketing efforts.

11:15 Continuous customer research and feedback is essential for e-commerce businesses to stay relevant and adapt to changing consumer behavior.

18:27 Democratizing e-commerce knowledge and strategies, rather than just promoting more ad spending, can help entrepreneurs and small businesses improve their e-commerce performance.

Resources

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915: Press Jockey: Targeted Press Requests, Publicity, and Get More Brand Exposure With Cahill Camden

March 27, 2023

Are you struggling to connect with dozens of press requests? Truly, it is a hassle to go through thousands of requests every single day. Manually checking and replying to each request is time-consuming work, but you have no choice as it is necessary for your brand. If you are one of the businesses that are experiencing this problem, worry no more as your struggles will be ended. With Press Jockey, you can reach thousands of targeted press requests in no time without exerting much effort, and relevant opportunities will come hassle-free.

Cahill Camden is a Forbes contributor, best-selling author of the book, “Decoding Digital,” and the CEO of Digital Vision Media Group, an agency that helps web3 and technology companies optimize for growth. His latest startup, Press Jockey, is a tool that sorts thousands of press requests each week to help businesses get up to five times more press with 90% less effort. Today, Cahill talks about the challenges of cruising the vast landscape of press requests and how Press Jockey streamlines the process, allowing businesses to quickly respond to relevant opportunities and secure valuable media coverage.

Quotes

“Finding relevant matches is crucial. It's one thing to have a high volume of press opportunities, but it's another to find those that are truly relevant.” - Cahill Camden

“You've got to answer the question, 'So what? Why should I care?' And you must answer it from the journalist's or media's perspective.” - Cahill Camden

“If you want to be in the media or press, you have to get started. Sure, you'll have some mess ups along the way, but the key is to get started and present your knowledge in a unique way that people want to consume.” - Cahill Camden

Takeaways

01:17 Taking advantage of tools can significantly streamline the process of finding and responding to relevant press opportunities, saving businesses valuable time and resources.

09:43 Crafting concise, personalized responses that address the specific needs and interests of the media outlet is crucial for securing press coverage.

15:38 Establishing a strong media presence requires a proactive approach, starting small and building momentum over time, rather than waiting for the "perfect" moment.

17:52 Understanding the media's perspective and addressing their needs, such as providing unique insights or solving a problem, is key to creating compelling pitches.

18:52 Integrating AI-powered tools can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the press outreach process, from sentiment analysis to automated response generation.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:11 — 32.1MB) | Embed

914: 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Socialize, Network, and Build Your Circle Of Friends Using A Step-By-Step Checklist with Nick Gray

March 3, 2023

One of the greatest treasures somebody can have is a good friend. A friend is someone who, albeit initially a stranger, ends up playing a significant role in our lives. Pure friendship is enjoying someone without expecting anything in return, much like true love. However, as time passes by, it gets increasingly difficult to find these so-called friends. Other than the obvious, adults usually don’t have any more time to spend finding good friends anymore unlike when they were children. Nick Gray offers a solution for anyone having the same difficulties. It’s never too late to find friendship.

Nick Gray hails from Austin, Texas. Nick is an entrepreneur and the founder of the successful businesses Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack, both of which he ultimately sold. He is also a best-selling author, and his book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings teaches you how to do the same by simply hosting a small gathering. In this episode, Nick talks about helping people who are having difficulties making new friends as an adult, solving the loneliness epidemic, the purposes and benefits of holding a party and making new friends, and the NICK Party Formula.

Quotes

“There really is a loneliness epidemic happening. I'm trying to help people make new friends and help their friends meet new people as well.” - Nick Gray

“Anyone can host a party, you just have to step up and actually do it.” - Nick Gray

“Everyone wants to know someone who brings people together. We all want to know that kind of connector. The secret I've found is that anyone can become that person.” - Nick Gray

Takeaways

00:59 Hosting small gatherings can help adults make new friends and expand their social circles.

05:16 Overcoming self-doubt and fears about hosting a party is key to getting started.

07:50 Small living spaces can actually be better for hosting lively gatherings compared to large homes.

11:28 Providing name tags and icebreakers can help create a welcoming environment and facilitate new connections at a party.

19:07 Anyone can become a "connector" who brings people together by taking the initiative to host events.

Resources

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913: Kumospace: Build Stronger Culture, Collaboration, and Visibility In Remote And Hybrid Teams With Drew Moffitt

March 1, 2023

In the past two years, remote working has become a trend in workspaces. Various platforms like zoom have emerged to suit the needs of companies to connect with their employees and get the work done. But the problem is that a company's teams now have fewer and more difficult interactions with each other, causing collaborative projects challenging to do. With Kumospace, you can have a stronger culture, collaboration, and visibility within your team, especially those teams with many members. It offers various functions that cater to the team's needs with highly collaborative work, a game changer for remote or hybrid teams.

Drew Moffitt is one of the earliest employees at Kumospace. With his vast experience in marketing a business, specifically being a successful start-up entrepreneur, he helps Kumospace market its product and service. Kumospace is a platform that provides virtual offices and event spaces where remote and hybrid teams collaborate and connect. In this episode, Drew talks about his journey of being a start-up entrepreneur and the uniqueness of Kumospace, and how it can help teams have culture, collaboration, and visibility in a remote working environment.

Quotes

“Success is both succeeding and failing. You need to be able to look at the numbers, especially on a bad day, but not let that necessarily demoralize your attitude.” - Drew Moffitt

“Hiring is a big part. You need to make sure you put together a team that mirrors and complements you.” - Drew Moffitt

“I have spent a lot of my career centered around proving whether a business or idea was viable. I approach marketing in much the same way—let's time-box it and try to do this thing quickly.” - Drew Moffitt

Takeaways

00:54 Habitually checking metrics and data can help identify and address issues quickly, rather than letting problems fester.

04:14 Embracing both success and failure is crucial for growth, as the emotional roller coaster of entrepreneurship requires resilience and adaptability.

08:44 Focusing on the unique needs of an underserved audience can lead to the development of innovative solutions that stand out in the market.

14:26 Building a collaborative and supportive team culture can help maintain enthusiasm and drive during challenging times.

25:44 Adopting a "fail fast" mentality and quickly validating ideas can save time and resources in the long run.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:40 — 39.6MB) | Embed

912: Demand Generation and Growth Mode Marketing: Achieve Your Growth Goals and Crush Your Revenue Targets with Deanna Shimota

February 27, 2023

If you've never heard the term "B2B," you might be wondering what it means. B2B stands for business-to-business. It's a commercial environment and a complex ecosystem with several buyers, multiple touchpoints, and long sales cycles. To be successful, you must first understand your business, its distinctiveness, and its vision. What's better is if there is someone who can help you with your growth mission and practice demand generation.

Deanna Shimota is the CEO of GrowthMode Marketing, a B2B marketing agency that specializes in demand generation. Today, Deanna discusses the differences between lead generation and demand generation, explaining how demand generation is a more effective long-term strategy for sustainable business growth. She weighs in on the importance of understanding your ideal customer profile, developing a unique point of view, and creating a content marketing strategy to attract and nurture your target audience.

Quotes

“Lead generation is very much the here and now, the short game. I'm trying to find leads, convince them to take a sales appointment with me, and convert them to buy now.” - Deanna Shimota

“Let's rethink the way we're approaching this. If this is your best content, and it's really good content, why are you putting obstacles in the way of the people you want to see it, read it, watch it, and listen to it? This is the stuff that convinces them to buy from you.” - Deanna Shimota

“Sometimes we need to take a step back and return to the basics of what works.” - Deanna Shimota

Takeaways

01:57 Demand generation is a more effective long-term strategy for sustainable business growth compared to the short-term focus of lead generation.

06:09 Narrowing down your ideal customer profile and developing a unique point of view are crucial first steps in building a successful demand generation program.

10:29 Distributing valuable content across the channels and platforms where your target audience is already engaging is key to attracting and nurturing potential customers.

17:32 Embracing a "sales rep-free" buying experience by usage of digital content and channels can help organizations stay ahead of evolving buyer preferences.

21:10 Striking the right balance between technology investments and foundational marketing practices is essential for scaling a business effectively.

Resources

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911: QPilot: Start A Subscription Program and Skyrocket Your Sales With Matthew Holman

February 24, 2023

Subscriptions for businesses are now booming. A lot of people go over the comfortability of having goods and services delivered to them easily without hassle. It is a powerful tool to have recurring revenue, as well as engagement opportunities, to connect more with your customers and further increase your sales. But how do you set up a subscription program for your business? The first step is to gather information on why individuals are subscribing, and the second is to relate that information to the reasons why people don’t. This will provide you with crucial information about how to get people to interact with your product and subscribe for longer.

Matthew Holman is the co-founder of QPilot and the founder of Subscription Prescription, a weekly newsletter that provides tips on subscription conversion, retention, and more. As an expert in the subscription business model, Matthew works directly with brands to help them launch and scale great subscription programs. Today, Matthew discusses the current state of subscriptions, including the rise in subscription fatigue, the growing trend of consumers enjoying the convenience of subscription services, and the importance of personalizing the subscription experience and understanding the "why" behind why customers subscribe.

Quotes

“There's certainly subscription fatigue going on with the abundance of streaming services and other monthly subscription offerings all vying for your dollars.” - Matthew Holman

“What makes subscriptions really powerful is that it's not just about recurring revenue; it's an additional engagement opportunity. As a brand, you have a targeted audience that trusts you and likes your products, which means you can sell even more to them.” - Matthew Holman

“The best advice I ever got was to keep focusing on the things that are working and make those better and better. Once you have that down, you can start figuring out how to add other things.” - Matthew Holman

Takeaways

00:48 Subscription programs provide recurring revenue and increased customer engagement opportunities for brands.

07:05 Understanding the "why" behind customer subscriptions, and addressing pain points, can significantly improve retention and growth.

09:23 Brands should avoid making hasty, top-down decisions to implement subscriptions without thoroughly understanding customer needs and preferences.

12:18 Personalization and customization are crucial for successful subscription programs, allowing customers to tailor the experience to their needs.

20:38 Focus on optimizing and improving the subscription strategies that are already working, rather than constantly chasing new ideas.

Resources

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