How to Maximize Return on Cost of Goods—Bill Carlin

Amazon sellers have realized the impact that brand marketing can have on sales and are quickly adapting their business strategy to suit. So, what should you consider during the transition? This week, we host Brent Zahradnik—a Google and Amazon Ad expert and the founder of AMZ Pathfinder—to talk about the changing landscape of Amazon advertising and its future. We discuss why sponsored ads will remain the foundation of Amazon advertising and the importance of understanding the nuances of ad strategies before outsourcing advertising work.

Did you know that a massive 60-70% of Amazon shoppers search for brands off-Amazon before buying? The best sellers increase their brand footprint outside of Amazon to take advantage of this. In this year’s first podcast, we sit down with Steve Chou—who runs a 7-figure e-commerce store, a hit marketing podcast, and an online platform for training young entrepreneurs—to talk about off-Amazon strategies for improving and expanding Amazon businesses. Tune in as we discuss how essential it is to leverage Google Ads, Google Shopping, and Facebook Ads to bolster a brand started on Amazon. Steve also forecasts e-commerce trends for 2022 and shares his views on business scalability and product differentiation.

A brand that boasts a differentiated product line fetches better valuation by aggregators. Hit the play button as our guest for this week, Adrian Johnston, talks about profit calculation, determination of multiples, and other key ways to assess the value of your business and brand. Adrian is an ex-equity trader, corporate strategy consultant, and a co-founder of Una Brands—a VC-funded startup that buys and scales e-commerce businesses in the Asia Pacific region. Join us as he delves into the growth levers needed to scale a brand after acquisition.

Relying on one single fulfilment method is never a good idea—many experts use both FBA and FBM through a reliable 3PL to efficiently manage stock and make sure to never run out. Tune in as Taylor Smits— a 7-figure Amazon seller and co-founder of an omni-channel e-commerce logistics company MyFbaPrep— talks about how to streamline your Amazon storage and fulfilment operations. Taylor also wants sellers to consider alternate ports, non-partnered carriers, and Amazon freight to slash the total lead time of their shipments.

Poor inventory management can result in significant revenue losses. With just some small tweaks, and the right data, you can make a significant impact on your bottom line. Tune in as we chat with Eytan Wiener—owner of several multimillion-dollar Amazon businesses and head of GETIDA, a cloud-based auditing and inventory reconciliation service—about using intuitive data analytics to conquer inventory management. Follow along as Eytan walks us through how he built a 30-million Amazon business from the ground up, and why upcoming sellers should enter Amazon with a clear vision and well-thought-out business plan.

There are two ways to expand your Amazon business: add more products to your seller portfolio or enter new international markets. The latter option can be quite daunting with all the importation compliances sellers need to fulfill. This week, we sit down with Rael Lowenthal— the director of business development at Zee— to discuss how e-commerce sellers can expand their business to international markets without hitting a major roadblock. Join us as Rael talks about how their IOR firm addresses the pain points of scaling an e-commerce business to international markets. He meticulously explains how Zee acts as a one-stop shop for Amazon sellers to tackle international shipping, customs/ VAT compliances, and FBA constraints.

A successful brand is either super-premium or super-niched. There is nothing in between. This is what Amazon sellers Dustin Kane and Kris Gramlich of Sellozo— our guests of this week’s podcast— believe. Tune in as we discuss the art of brand development and PPC marketing in the context of their successful Amazon journey. Dustin and Kris share their thoughts on the importance of identifying as an e-commerce venturer rather than an Amazon seller and why you need to focus on promotions outside of Amazon to build a strong brand. These ace sellers-turned-PPC managers suggest a few key things to focus on when starting your journey, including having a conservative initial budget, avoiding hyper-targeted keywords, and limiting  the number of campaigns active at one time.

Start stupid—This is Donald Henig’s key ingredient for aspiring Amazon sellers after growing multiple multi-million businesses over the years. Listen to Donald’s inspiring stories and advice about how he has navigated his entrepreneurial career since the 70s, ending with co-founding AccrueMe out of the desire to help young entrepreneurs grow. Tune in as we discuss why you don’t need to be a know-it-all to start a business, how overthinking and fixating on perfection are the barricades to success, and why setting small targets will help ensure you reach those bigger milestones.

There’s more to maximize returns on COG other than controlling manufacturing/sourcing costs. Case in point: Better shipping management. This week, we sit down with Bill Carlin— the Chief Marketing Officer of Shipmate Fulfillment— to discuss how you can maximize your COG returns by focusing on what and how you’re spending on your overall shipping. With his years of operating on multiple e-commerce platforms, Bill sheds light on how sellers need to look at shipping in the grand scheme of their e-commerce strategy. We learn how going wrong with seemingly trivial things like dimensional weight and shipping in bulk can put a dent in your profits. Bill also underlines the importance of 3PL handling and how to go about it to avoid delays and improve profitability in the all-crucial Q4.

Are you looking to grow your business to 6-figures in 2022? Then you'll want to know exactly where to focus your efforts and the biggest mistake to avoid. This week, we chat with Jeffrey Lieber of Turnkey Product Management. After launching and selling multiple FBA brands, Jeffrey shares his insight on what you need to get right to scale to a 6 figure brand, including finding the right niche, building an audience, and mastering your Amazon advertising (PPC). Find out why sellers' biggest mistake is ignoring Brand Registry, the most impactful thing you can do to drive sales, and his best insights to take on board for 2022.