Kennedy Meek | Director of Marketing of Zendrop - Do You Need a College Degree to Succeed?

In this episode of 9 to NEVER, your host Kennedy Meek answers several very pressing questions being asked by our Zendrop users.  How much money do you need to start a dropshipping store?  Is dropshipping illegal?  Do you need a college degree to be successful?  All these questions and many more are being answered in this week's episode!

Florian Hartfelder is an eCommerce expert who was able to go from debt to over $444,000/month with his dropshipping business. He is the online entrepreneur behind several multimillion-dollar retail brands and has helped many students generate self-sustaining full-time incomes online with the dropshipping business model he teaches. He is a former Zendrop Select client turned Zendrop team member, bringing so much knowledge to the current state of the dropshipping industry and how you can succeed through using Zendrop! This episode discusses Florian’s view on dropshipping courses (are they worth it?), the single advertising strategy that got him to 7 figures a year in revenue, his experience working with Zendrop, and what he thinks the future of dropshipping will look like. And of course, he answers the age-old question: Is Dropshipping Really Dying? If you’re ready to get some inside information from an extremely successful drop shipper, this episode is for you!

Michael Aririguzo is the owner of multiple 7-figure E-Commerce companies, all started from the dropshipping space. Passionate about constant & never-ending growth, while advocating a conscious commerce framework to impact customers positively in the health & wellness space, he derives enormous gratification from pursuing both in his roles as an E-Commerce CEO for his team.  He lives in Scottsdale AZ, & his upcoming projects include building an exciting portfolio in Angel Investing and taking his expertise in starting & building e-commerce companies in new sub-niches in the health & wellness space.   In this episode of 9 to NEVER by Zendrop, we discuss Mike's journey to dropshipping success, the lessons he learned along the way, his experience working with Zendrop, as well as guidance for the new dropshipper trying to get started.

As an entrepreneur and innovator for 24 years, Karl Lillrud speaks to inspire and educate on subjects related to internet business. Karl loves sharing his experiences and the many tools and workarounds he has developed to force a way forward in complex situations. He leads e-commerce and online companies to reach the next level with his unique understanding of their business, goals, and challenges. Transforming their online strategy based on global data and market-leading insights as a speaker and mentor. Karl’s proven methods of eCommerce growth are in use by over 3,000 companies in over 100 countries worldwide. His many years of experience give him the advantage of understanding the broader picture, taking initiative, and systematically identify the best solutions to any challenge or problem. In this episode of 9 to NEVER, Karl dives into his unique techniques and strategies for eComm growth. We discuss the importance of innovation, his take on media buying, incorporating social media into your marketing plan, and how to adapt to the ever-changing world of eCommerce. Please visit https://www.karllillrud.com/ to join his email list.

Iron-clad business operations and excellent customer service are equally important as marketing is to a dropshipping store. So in this episode, we talked with COO of Zendrop, Brad Loeffler all about running a successful business.  In this episode, you will learn important customer service practices, how to handle frustrating and unhappy customers, how to effectively outsource and scale certain parts of your business, and the best proven practices to organize all business responsibilities so that you are working smarter, not harder.  Whether you are a seasoned dropshipper, new to the eCommerce game, or thinking about starting your very first store, you won't want to miss the incredibly valuable information this episode will bring to your business!

Chris Brogan is an executive-level strategist and CEO advisor. Working with companies in the 100M+ revenue range. Scouting M&A in B2B enterprise SaaS. He is also president of Chris Brogan Media, offering brand and digital content strategy as well as business strategy advisory services.  Chris is a sought-after keynote speaker and showrunner of The Backpack Show. He is the  New York Times bestselling author of nine books and counting. He’s working on his tenth: The Backpack. Chris has spoken for or consulted with the biggest brands you know, including Disney, Coke, Google, GM, Microsoft, Coldwell Banker, Titleist, Scotts, Humana Health, Cisco, Sony USA, and many more. In this episode, Chris gives his insight on all things eCommerce. We discuss the importance of building brand rapport from day one, his favorite social media platform (Spoiler: Its email), ways to create returning customers, and so much more. You won't want to miss this episode!

As the Director of Human Resources at a technology company, Madeline Mann worked with all the hiring managers, sifted through hundreds of applications a week, and was passionate about the fact that it was her job to make sure her company hired the best match for their team.   Seeing the high volume of resumes, and hearing the feedback from every single interview and application, some very clear trends emerged.  Because of this experience, Madeline went on to found Self Made Millennial. This online resource has helped over 500,000 young individuals develop skills to launch their careers with massive success.   In today's episode, Madeline shares her secrets to the art of properly scaling a business, how to find a side hustle that doesn't take over your life, and ways to find a mentor.

Dean Pagano is the Director of Zendrop Select here at Zendrop. On a daily basis, Dean interacts with all of Zendrop's highest-selling clients, handing millions of dollars of revenue on a daily basis. Prior to working at Zendrop, Dean acted as an eCommerce consultant, advising many dropshippers who successfully scaled their businesses to 6 figures under his guidance.  In this episode of 9 to NEVER, Dean reveals all the secrets to scaling your dropshipping store. He also gives insight on Zendrop Select, our top-tier service offered to high-volume sellers at Zendrop.  If you're ready to transform your online store into a revenue-generating powerhouse, this episode is for you! Do you believe you qualify for Zendrop Select? Apply at Zendrop.com/Select

Tracey is the Director of Marketing at MarketerHire, the marketplace for fast-growth B2B and DTC brands looking for high-quality, pre-vetted freelance marketing talent. She is also the founder of Doris Sleep and was previously the Head of Marketing at Eterneva, both fast-growth DTC brands marketplaces like MarketerHire aim to help.  Before that, she was the Global Editor-in-Chief at BigCommerce, where she launched the company’s first online conference (pre-pandemic, nonetheless!), wrote books on How to Sell on Amazon, and worked closely with both eCommerce entrepreneurs and executives at Fortune 1,000 companies to help them scale strategically and profitably. She is a fifth-generation Texan, the granddaughter of a depression-era baby turned WWII fighter jet pilot turned self-made millionaire, and wifed up to the truest of heroes, a pediatric trauma nurse, who keeps any of Tracey’s own complaints about business, marketing, or just a seemingly lousy day in perspective. In this episode, we discuss her journey into the eCommerce world, the importance of organic content, differentiating yourself as an actual brand, and many other tidbits of information surrounding dropshipping and eCommerce.

Dylan Pearson began his journey into eCommerce and Advertising in Chicago in early 2016. After countless brand failures, he realized advertising was the missing piece to his success. Today, Dylan's eCommerce brands have delivered products to over 25,000+ happy customers and Pondir is helping others grow their business with Facebook Advertising. In this episode, Dylan discusses his professional history in the eCommerce and advertising space. We dive into the modern way of running Facebook ads for your business, the benefit of affiliate and influencer marketing, and Dylan's take on how the eCommerce space is changing.