CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><title>Ecommerce and Dropshipping Podcast | Start Yours | Oberlo</title><meta charSet="utf-8"/><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1"/><meta name="robots" content="index, follow, max-image-preview:large"/><meta name="description" content="Start Yours is a dropshipping and ecommerce podcast. From interviews with pro dropshippers to tips for your side hustle, learn what it takes to succeed."/><meta property="og:type" content="website"/><meta property="og:site_name" content="Oberlo"/><meta property="og:title" content="Ecommerce and Dropshipping Podcast | Start Yours | Oberlo"/><meta property="og:description" content="Start Yours is a dropshipping and ecommerce podcast. From interviews with pro dropshippers to tips for your side hustle, learn what it takes to succeed."/><meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/5818697407737537f85e5ac02c734dda.png"/><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast"/><meta property="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/><meta property="twitter:site" content="Oberlo"/><meta property="twitter:title" content="Ecommerce and Dropshipping Podcast | Start Yours | Oberlo"/><meta property="twitter:description" content="Start Yours is a dropshipping and ecommerce podcast. From interviews with pro dropshippers to tips for your side hustle, learn what it takes to succeed."/><meta property="twitter:image" content="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/5818697407737537f85e5ac02c734dda.png"/><link rel="preload stylesheet" as="css" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/oberlo-jNOxA2WW.css"/><link rel="icon" href="data:image/png;base64,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" type="image/x-icon"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/22cf5dca81e6808ce3343dea79266cae.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/ace17365c65ff787138f7728a88a841d.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="144x144" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/c5afba1dbf10c50cb4408dbd8ec7056d.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="120x120" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/86ac773c208ebb8699f2d18c5d766625.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="114x114" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/5818697407737537f85e5ac02c734dda.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="72x72" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f73ac6d7819252702470f280d10da94d.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="60x60" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/cac9506dadf56ceff28200834614dcd3.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="57x57" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/53b7a03eb5cca4c115c6f8625fcaa081.png"/><link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a5ddc3b7fbdd30060e1395404c9a13d7.png" sizes="32x32"/><link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f532645428edde154b758e7b091af4dd.png" sizes="192x192"/><link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/png" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/d82b95b234e189f4a69c751dcfb9c18e.png" sizes="16x16"/><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast"/><link href="https://cdn.shopify.com" rel="preconnect"/><link href="https://gtm.shopify.com" rel="preconnect"/><link href="https://www.googletagmanager.com" rel="preconnect"/><link href="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast" hrefLang="en" rel="alternate"/><link rel="alternate" href="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast" hrefLang="x-default"/></head><body><div class="relative"><div class="sticky top-0 w-full z-40" id="sticky-global-header"><header id="main-header" class="bg-white lg:px-8 lg:py-4"><div class="flex justify-between items-center relative" role="list"><div class="flex justify-start w-full sm:col-span-2 lg:hidden"><details id="dropdown-nav" class="nav-dropdown-menu group"><span class="content-[''] absolute top-0 right-0 bottom-0 left-0 z-[1] group-open:bg-white group-open:animate-sweep"></span><summary class="list-none relative w-14 h-14 mobile-menu"><span class="sr-only test"></span><button class="relative inline-flex w-full h-full items-center justify-center z-20"><svg viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="" width="20" height="20"><path d="M0 4a1 1 0 011-1h18a1 1 0 110 2H1a1 1 0 01-1-1zM0 10a1 1 0 011-1h18a1 1 0 110 2H1a1 1 0 01-1-1zM1 15a1 1 0 100 2h18a1 1 0 100-2H1z" fill="#230000"></path></svg></button></summary><div class="group-open:animate-sweep fixed inset-y-0 left-0 w-full max-w-md overflow-y-auto scrolling-touch bg-white shadow-lg pt-14 mt-14 flex flex-col justify-between"><div id="mobile-menu" class="p-8 pt-2"><details class="nav-dropdown-menu group/submenu"><summary class="focus:outline-none focus:shadow-none list-none flex justify-between items-center"><p class="py-2 text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs ">Topics</p><svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" icon="chevron" height="64" width="64" class="w-5 h-5 duration-300 transition-transform rotate-180 group-open/submenu:rotate-0"><path fill="currentColor" d="M12 10.4a.798.798 0 0 1-.566-.234L8 6.73l-3.434 3.435a.8.8 0 1 1-1.132-1.132l4-4a.8.8 0 0 1 1.132 0l4 4A.8.8 0 0 1 12 10.4Z"></path></svg></summary><ul class="flex flex-col group-open/submenu:animate-sweep"><li><a href="/build-your-business" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Build your business</a></li><li><a href="/stories" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Stories</a></li><li><a href="/your-life" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Your life</a></li></ul></details><div class="my-4 w-full border-t border-gray-50" aria-hidden="true"></div><details class="nav-dropdown-menu group/submenu"><summary class="focus:outline-none focus:shadow-none list-none flex justify-between items-center"><p class="py-2 text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs ">Business Tools</p><svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" icon="chevron" height="64" width="64" class="w-5 h-5 duration-300 transition-transform rotate-180 group-open/submenu:rotate-0"><path fill="currentColor" d="M12 10.4a.798.798 0 0 1-.566-.234L8 6.73l-3.434 3.435a.8.8 0 1 1-1.132-1.132l4-4a.8.8 0 0 1 1.132 0l4 4A.8.8 0 0 1 12 10.4Z"></path></svg></summary><ul class="flex flex-col group-open/submenu:animate-sweep"><li><a href="/tools/profit-margin-calculator" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Profit Margin Calculator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/business-name-generator" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Business Name Generator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/slogan-generator" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Slogan Generator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/dropshipping-traffic-calculator" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Traffic Calculator</a></li></ul></details><div class="my-4 w-full border-t border-gray-50" aria-hidden="true"></div><details class="nav-dropdown-menu group/submenu"><summary class="focus:outline-none focus:shadow-none list-none flex justify-between items-center"><p class="py-2 text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs ">resources</p><svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" icon="chevron" height="64" width="64" class="w-5 h-5 duration-300 transition-transform rotate-180 group-open/submenu:rotate-0"><path fill="currentColor" d="M12 10.4a.798.798 0 0 1-.566-.234L8 6.73l-3.434 3.435a.8.8 0 1 1-1.132-1.132l4-4a.8.8 0 0 1 1.132 0l4 4A.8.8 0 0 1 12 10.4Z"></path></svg></summary><ul class="flex flex-col group-open/submenu:animate-sweep"><li><a href="/blog" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Blog</a></li><li><a href="/ebooks" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Ebooks</a></li><li><a href="/statistics" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Ecommerce Statistics</a></li><li><a href="/ecommerce-wiki" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Ecommerce Wiki</a></li><li><a href="/videos" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans ">Videos</a></li><li><a href="/podcast" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans font-bold text-blue-10">Podcast</a></li></ul></details><a href="https://shopify.pxf.io/Y9znxB?utm_content=https://www.oberlo.com/podcast" class="self-center overflow-hidden max-w-full ring-inset rounded-button focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-state-focus focus-visible:outline md:px-button-lg-px md:py-button-lg-py border-2 border-button-light-primary-border ring-button-light-primary-border hover:border-button-light-primary-border-hover hover:ring-button-light-primary-border-hover focus:border-button-light-primary-border-focus focus:ring-button-light-primary-border-focus active:border-button-light-primary-border-active active:ring disabled:text-button-light-primary-text-disabled disabled:bg-button-light-primary-bg-disabled disabled:border-button-light-primary-border-disabled disabled:ring-button-light-primary-border-disabled font-sans rounded-[3px] text-gray-10 font-bold uppercase tracking-[-0.02em] no-underline text-center whitespace-nowrap transition-colors duration-300 bg-green-10 hover:text-white hover:bg-green-30 focus:text-white focus:bg-green-30 focus:shadow-outline-green active:text-white active:bg-green-50 block px-8 text-lg mt-6 mb-4 py-4 w-full" data-component-name="button" target="">Join Shopify now</a></div><div class="px-8 py-12 bg-black text-white relative"><p><a href="/tools" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block py-2 text-heading-base font-sans text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Free business tools</a></p><div class="flex items-center py-8 space-x-8"><svg width="119" height="112" viewBox="0 0 119 112" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="text-gray-10 fill-current mr-auto animate-spin-momentum"><path fill="#fff" d="M33.29 24.914L23.48 8.362 37.57 0l2.533 4.274-7.023 4.167a1.188 1.188 0 001.209 2.046l7.019-4.167 2.37 3.996-7.09 4.21a1.1 1.1 0 00-.386 1.509c.31.525.986.696 1.507.386l7.094-4.21 2.573 4.341-14.085 8.362zm67.099 35.596l6.263-.533-.322-3.809c-.095-1.142-.012-2.081 1.575-2.216L119 53.008l-.724-8.532-19.108 1.623 1.221 14.411zM10.638 43.117a.536.536 0 01-.736.004c-.771-.72-1.73-1.325-3.062-1.445-1.98-.179-3.416.418-4.386 1.827-.788 1.142-1.257 2.802-1.476 5.226L0 59.283l19.092 1.763 1.007-10.92c.218-2.44-.088-4.394-.911-5.803-.91-1.56-2.446-2.448-4.561-2.639-1.631-.147-2.987.474-3.99 1.433zm5.166 8.672c0 .02-.004.036-.004.056a2.188 2.188 0 01-2.426 1.922 2.173 2.173 0 01-1.925-2.368c0-.02.004-.036.004-.056a2.187 2.187 0 012.426-1.922 2.174 2.174 0 011.925 2.368zm-6.407-.593c0 .02-.004.036-.004.056a2.188 2.188 0 01-2.426 1.922 2.173 2.173 0 01-1.924-2.368c0-.02.003-.036.003-.056a2.188 2.188 0 012.426-1.922 2.174 2.174 0 011.925 2.368zm79.996-32.602c-.199-.215-.035-.59.525-.522 2.148.044 3.758-.652 4.892-2.471 2.934-4.708-.68-7.805-4.156-9.978L82.919.792 72.771 17.073l6.378 3.984 2.581-4.139.787.494c1.98 1.237 1.182 3.709-.063 5.707l6.359 3.972c2.461-3.948 2.45-6.488.58-8.497zM85.21 13.12a2.409 2.409 0 01-1.097-1.576 2.417 2.417 0 01.35-1.83 2.42 2.42 0 013.371-.7c.545.357.915.903 1.046 1.543.132.637.008 1.29-.35 1.831a2.423 2.423 0 01-3.32.732zM26.826 84.436c2.545.08 5.018 1.119 7.245 3.176 2.184 2.018 3.536 4.517 3.806 7.04.29 2.699-.628 5.282-2.653 7.479-2.024 2.197-4.529 3.315-7.237 3.243-2.533-.071-5.134-1.218-7.317-3.235-2.227-2.058-3.456-4.446-3.739-6.977-.302-2.702.613-5.29 2.641-7.49 2.032-2.205 4.538-3.323 7.254-3.236zm-1.531 12.748A3.103 3.103 0 0029.68 97a3.11 3.11 0 00-.183-4.39 3.103 3.103 0 00-4.386.183 3.11 3.11 0 00.183 4.39zm74.632-9.437c2.028 2.201 2.943 4.792 2.641 7.49-.283 2.535-1.511 4.919-3.738 6.977-2.184 2.018-4.78 3.168-7.317 3.236-2.709.075-5.214-1.047-7.238-3.244s-2.943-4.78-2.653-7.478c.27-2.523 1.623-5.023 3.806-7.04 2.227-2.058 4.7-3.093 7.246-3.176 2.716-.08 5.221 1.038 7.253 3.235zm-5.54 5.13a3.103 3.103 0 00-4.386-.183 3.109 3.109 0 00-.183 4.39 3.103 3.103 0 004.387.183 3.109 3.109 0 00.183-4.39zM59.752 112a3.107 3.107 0 003.106-3.109 3.107 3.107 0 00-3.106-3.108 3.107 3.107 0 00-3.106 3.108A3.107 3.107 0 0059.752 112z"></path></svg><p class="text-body-sm font-sans">Start a business and design the life you want – all in one place.</p></div><ul class="flex items-center justify-between mt-8" data-component-name="social"><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-youtube" aria-label=""><svg width="27" height="21" viewBox="0 0 27 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M26.312 3.286c-.31-1.285-1.217-2.298-2.368-2.644C21.842 0 13.432 0 13.432 0S5.023 0 2.921.618C1.792.963.863 2 .553 3.286 0 5.633 0 10.5 0 10.5s0 4.892.553 7.214c.31 1.285 1.217 2.298 2.368 2.644C5.045 21 13.433 21 13.433 21s8.409 0 10.511-.618c1.15-.346 2.058-1.359 2.368-2.643.553-2.347.553-7.214.553-7.214s.022-4.892-.553-7.239zm-15.557 11.71V6.004l6.993 4.496-6.993 4.496z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-instagram" aria-label=""><svg width="21" height="21" viewBox="0 0 21 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M20.947 6.174c-.05-1.116-.23-1.883-.488-2.548a5.123 5.123 0 00-1.215-1.862 5.169 5.169 0 00-1.859-1.21c-.669-.259-1.432-.44-2.548-.488C13.713.012 13.356 0 10.504 0 7.652 0 7.295.012 6.175.062 5.06.11 4.292.292 3.627.55a5.125 5.125 0 00-1.863 1.214 5.17 5.17 0 00-1.21 1.858c-.259.67-.44 1.432-.488 2.548C.012 7.294 0 7.65 0 10.502c0 2.851.012 3.208.062 4.328.049 1.116.23 1.883.488 2.548a5.179 5.179 0 001.214 1.862 5.17 5.17 0 001.86 1.21c.668.259 1.431.44 2.547.488 1.12.05 1.477.062 4.33.062 2.85 0 3.208-.012 4.328-.062 1.116-.049 1.883-.23 2.548-.488a5.372 5.372 0 003.073-3.072c.259-.669.44-1.432.489-2.548.049-1.12.061-1.477.061-4.328s-.004-3.208-.053-4.328zm-1.892 8.574c-.045 1.026-.217 1.58-.36 1.949A3.484 3.484 0 0116.7 18.69c-.37.143-.927.315-1.95.36-1.107.05-1.44.062-4.242.062S7.37 19.1 6.266 19.05c-1.026-.045-1.58-.217-1.95-.36a3.233 3.233 0 01-1.206-.784 3.265 3.265 0 01-.784-1.206c-.143-.37-.315-.927-.36-1.949-.05-1.107-.062-1.44-.062-4.242s.012-3.138.062-4.242c.045-1.025.217-1.579.36-1.948.169-.456.435-.87.788-1.206a3.26 3.26 0 011.207-.784c.369-.143.927-.316 1.949-.36 1.108-.05 1.44-.062 4.242-.062 2.807 0 3.14.012 4.243.061 1.026.045 1.58.218 1.949.361.455.168.87.435 1.206.784.349.34.616.75.784 1.206.144.369.316.927.361 1.948.05 1.108.062 1.44.062 4.242s-.013 3.13-.062 4.238z" fill="#fff"></path><path d="M10.503 5.107A5.397 5.397 0 005.107 10.5a5.396 5.396 0 0010.791 0 5.396 5.396 0 00-5.395-5.394zm0 8.894a3.5 3.5 0 110-7 3.5 3.5 0 010 7zm6.874-9.104a1.26 1.26 0 11-2.52 0 1.26 1.26 0 012.52 0z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-tiktok" aria-label=""><svg width="19" height="21" viewBox="0 0 19 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M18.453 5.258a5.297 5.297 0 01-3.2-1.068A5.303 5.303 0 0113.14 0H9.707v9.37L9.703 14.5a3.104 3.104 0 01-2.133 2.945 3.095 3.095 0 01-2.573-.283 3.103 3.103 0 01-1.519-2.615A3.107 3.107 0 016.591 11.4c.342 0 .67.056.979.157V8.075a6.757 6.757 0 00-.99-.073 6.582 6.582 0 00-4.944 2.21 6.43 6.43 0 00-1.623 3.88 6.422 6.422 0 001.914 5.004A6.583 6.583 0 006.58 21c.335 0 .665-.025.99-.073a6.56 6.56 0 003.663-1.83 6.417 6.417 0 001.928-4.569l-.018-7.664a8.679 8.679 0 005.32 1.807V5.257l-.01.001z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-facebook" aria-label=""><svg width="21" height="21" viewBox="0 0 21 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M17.924 0H3.076A3.08 3.08 0 000 3.076v14.848A3.08 3.08 0 003.076 21H9.27v-7.424H6.809V9.885h2.46V7.383a3.695 3.695 0 013.692-3.692h3.732v3.692h-3.732v2.502h3.732l-.615 3.691h-3.117V21h4.963A3.08 3.08 0 0021 17.924V3.076A3.08 3.08 0 0017.924 0z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-twitter" aria-label=""><svg width="21" height="17" viewBox="0 0 21 17" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M21 2.013a9.002 9.002 0 01-2.48.677A4.268 4.268 0 0020.412.32a8.623 8.623 0 01-2.73 1.037A4.321 4.321 0 0014.54 0a4.296 4.296 0 00-4.303 4.29c0 .34.03.667.1.979A12.2 12.2 0 011.462.782a4.306 4.306 0 00-.59 2.168c0 1.486.769 2.803 1.913 3.565A4.264 4.264 0 01.84 5.987v.047c0 2.084 1.492 3.816 3.45 4.214-.351.096-.733.142-1.13.142-.275 0-.553-.016-.815-.074a4.344 4.344 0 004.023 2.989 8.67 8.67 0 01-5.338 1.829c-.353 0-.691-.016-1.03-.059A12.153 12.153 0 006.604 17c7.923 0 12.254-6.539 12.254-12.206 0-.19-.007-.373-.016-.554A8.572 8.572 0 0021 2.013z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li></ul><div class="mt-8"><div class="flex items-center"><label for="footer-lang-select-footer" class="pointer-events-none relative pt-3" aria-label="Select Language"><svg width="15" height="14" viewBox="0 0 15 14" fill="#ffffff" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="absolute top-0 ml-4 "><path d="M.01 6.59h2.912c.027-1.027.152-1.994.362-2.871H.862C.4 4.583.072 5.557.011 6.589zm2.912.82H.01c.06 1.033.388 2.007.851 2.871h2.422a13.983 13.983 0 01-.362-2.87zm3.681-.82V3.719H4.131c-.225.869-.361 1.845-.39 2.87h2.862zm.001-3.692V0c-.899.25-1.695 1.398-2.22 2.898h2.22zm0 11.102v-2.898h-2.22c.525 1.5 1.321 2.647 2.22 2.898zm.822-14v2.898h2.22C9.121 1.398 8.325.251 7.426 0zm2.863 6.59a13.08 13.08 0 00-.39-2.871H7.425v2.87h2.863zm-3.686.82H3.74c.03 1.026.166 2.002.39 2.871h2.473v-2.87zm3.914-4.51h2.127C11.794 1.738 10.598.757 9.205.295c.536.632.983 1.582 1.312 2.605zm-7.003 8.202H1.387c.85 1.16 2.045 2.142 3.439 2.604-.536-.631-.984-1.582-1.312-2.604zm0-8.203C3.842 1.876 4.29.926 4.826.294 3.432.756 2.236 1.738 1.386 2.9h2.128zm7.003 8.203c-.329 1.022-.776 1.973-1.312 2.604 1.393-.462 2.59-1.443 3.44-2.604h-2.128zM7.426 7.41v2.871h2.472c.225-.869.361-1.845.39-2.87H7.427zm3.322-3.691c.21.877.335 1.844.362 2.87h2.911c-.06-1.032-.388-2.006-.851-2.87h-2.422zm-3.322 7.383V14c.899-.25 1.695-1.398 2.22-2.898h-2.22zM14.02 7.41h-2.91a13.982 13.982 0 01-.363 2.871h2.422c.463-.864.79-1.838.851-2.87z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="block absolute top-1/2 transform -translate-y-1/2 left-48 pointer-events-none"><svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" icon="chevron" height="18" width="18" class="rotate-180"><path fill="currentColor" d="M12 10.4a.798.798 0 0 1-.566-.234L8 6.73l-3.434 3.435a.8.8 0 1 1-1.132-1.132l4-4a.8.8 0 0 1 1.132 0l4 4A.8.8 0 0 1 12 10.4Z"></path></svg></span></label><select id="footer-lang-select-footer" class="pr-10 py-2 pl-12 bg-gray-50 bg-opacity-20 rounded appearance-none max-w-full hover:shadow-outline-violet focus:shadow-outline-violet focus:text-white"><option value="English" class="text-black" selected="">English</option><option value="Español" class="text-black">Español</option><option value="Português (Brasil)" class="text-black">Português (Brasil)</option><option value="Français" class="text-black">Français</option><option value="Deutsch" class="text-black">Deutsch</option><option value="Italiano" class="text-black">Italiano</option></select></div></div><ul class="flex flex-wrap text-xs leading-6 mt-6"><li class="w-full lg:w-auto capitalize"><span> © 2015-2025 Oberlo</span></li><li class="ml-0 lg:ml-3"><span class="hidden lg:inline-block mr-3">|</span><a href="/legal" class="text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20 capitalize">Legal</a></li><li class="ml-3"><span class="mr-3">|</span><a href="/sitemap" class="text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20 capitalize">Sitemap</a></li></ul></div></div></details></div><div class="absolute w-full flex justify-center lg:static lg:w-auto mr-auto"><a href="/" class="flex justify-center items-center cursor-pointer py-4 z-10"><svg width="150" height="24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 150 24" class="h-4 lg:h-6 fill-current text-blue-10" aria-label="Oberlo"><title>Oberlo</title><path fill="#2D00FB" d="M55.422 23.569V.207h19.875v6.031h-9.905a1.442 1.442 0 000 2.887h9.905v5.64h-10.01a1.337 1.337 0 000 2.676h10.01v6.128H55.422zm67.769-.002v-7.635h-4.636c-1.39 0-2.517-.2-2.517-2.136V.27h-10.381v23.297h17.534zM49.722 11.33a.652.652 0 01-.087-.89c.786-1.013 1.407-2.242 1.404-3.868-.005-2.417-.886-4.087-2.694-5.104C46.878.643 44.82.26 41.87.266H29.019v23.296h13.298c2.972-.005 5.295-.593 6.904-1.748 1.781-1.277 2.682-3.232 2.677-5.81-.004-1.995-.906-3.567-2.176-4.673zm-9.892 7.218h-.067a2.635 2.635 0 01-1.858-.822 2.64 2.64 0 01-.733-1.896 2.639 2.639 0 012.714-2.594 2.635 2.635 0 011.858.822 2.64 2.64 0 01.733 1.896 2.639 2.639 0 01-2.647 2.594zm0-7.816h-.067a2.635 2.635 0 01-1.858-.822 2.64 2.64 0 01-.733-1.896 2.639 2.639 0 012.714-2.594 2.635 2.635 0 011.858.822c.489.513.75 1.186.733 1.896a2.639 2.639 0 01-2.647 2.594zm57.901 3.707c-.341-.092-.415-.581.205-.876 2.236-1.337 3.451-3.091 3.451-5.69 0-6.74-5.709-7.604-10.682-7.604h-11.06v23.297h9.125v-5.92h1.127c2.835 0 3.597 3.058 3.597 5.92h9.095c-.001-5.65-1.642-8.262-4.858-9.127zm-7.82-2.945l-.075-.001a2.935 2.935 0 01-2.07-.915 2.942 2.942 0 01-.816-2.112 2.94 2.94 0 013.023-2.89c.79.02 1.524.344 2.07.916.544.572.834 1.322.816 2.112a2.94 2.94 0 01-2.948 2.89zM22.025 3.125C19.685 1.103 16.627-.007 12.949 0c-3.607.006-6.867 1.129-9.18 3.16C1.298 5.33-.005 8.396 0 12.023c.007 3.628 1.321 6.688 3.801 8.85 2.32 2.023 5.584 3.133 9.19 3.127 3.678-.007 6.733-1.128 9.066-3.159 2.487-2.164 3.798-5.23 3.791-8.865-.006-3.635-1.328-6.695-3.823-8.85zm-9.1 12.648A3.77 3.77 0 019.154 12a3.77 3.77 0 013.77-3.773A3.77 3.77 0 0116.691 12a3.77 3.77 0 01-3.768 3.773zM146.177 3.125c-2.34-2.022-5.398-3.132-9.076-3.125-3.607.006-6.866 1.128-9.179 3.16-2.473 2.17-3.776 5.236-3.77 8.863.007 3.627 1.321 6.688 3.802 8.85 2.32 2.023 5.584 3.133 9.19 3.127 3.678-.007 6.732-1.129 9.065-3.159 2.487-2.164 3.798-5.23 3.791-8.865-.006-3.635-1.328-6.695-3.823-8.85zm-9.101 12.648A3.77 3.77 0 01133.308 12a3.77 3.77 0 013.768-3.773A3.771 3.771 0 01140.845 12a3.771 3.771 0 01-3.769 3.773z"></path></svg></a></div><nav aria-label="Main menu" class="hidden lg:block"><ul class="flex justify-end items-center"><li class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 capitalize"><details class="nav-dropdown-menu relative cursor-pointer z-10 items-center group"><summary class=" p-4 flex w-full relative list-none pr-[calc(1.5rem+10px)]"><p>Topics</p><span class="flex items-center pl-2"><svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" icon="chevron" height="64" width="64" class="rotate-180 w-[18px] h-[18px] transition-transform duration-300"><path fill="currentColor" d="M12 10.4a.798.798 0 0 1-.566-.234L8 6.73l-3.434 3.435a.8.8 0 1 1-1.132-1.132l4-4a.8.8 0 0 1 1.132 0l4 4A.8.8 0 0 1 12 10.4Z"></path></svg></span></summary><div class="transition top-0 left-0 border-blue-10 border-t-3 bg-white text-body-sm font-sans whitespace-nowrap shadow-lg absolute mt-12 group-open:animate-sweep"><div class="even:bg-gray-10 p-4 capitalize"><ul><li><a href="/build-your-business" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Build your business</a></li><li><a href="/stories" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Stories</a></li><li><a href="/your-life" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Your life</a></li></ul></div></div></details></li><li class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 capitalize"><details class="nav-dropdown-menu relative cursor-pointer z-10 items-center group"><summary class=" p-4 flex w-full relative list-none pr-[calc(1.5rem+10px)]"><p>Business Tools</p><span class="flex items-center pl-2"><svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" icon="chevron" height="64" width="64" class="rotate-180 w-[18px] h-[18px] transition-transform duration-300"><path fill="currentColor" d="M12 10.4a.798.798 0 0 1-.566-.234L8 6.73l-3.434 3.435a.8.8 0 1 1-1.132-1.132l4-4a.8.8 0 0 1 1.132 0l4 4A.8.8 0 0 1 12 10.4Z"></path></svg></span></summary><div class="transition top-0 left-0 border-blue-10 border-t-3 bg-white text-body-sm font-sans whitespace-nowrap shadow-lg absolute mt-12 group-open:animate-sweep"><div class="even:bg-gray-10 p-4 capitalize"><ul><li><a href="/tools/profit-margin-calculator" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Profit Margin Calculator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/business-name-generator" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Business Name Generator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/slogan-generator" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Slogan Generator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/dropshipping-traffic-calculator" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Traffic Calculator</a></li></ul></div></div></details></li><li class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 capitalize"><details class="nav-dropdown-menu relative cursor-pointer z-10 items-center group"><summary class="font-bold text-blue-10 p-4 flex w-full relative list-none pr-[calc(1.5rem+10px)]"><p>resources</p><span class="flex items-center pl-2"><svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" icon="chevron" height="64" width="64" class="rotate-180 w-[18px] h-[18px] transition-transform duration-300"><path fill="currentColor" d="M12 10.4a.798.798 0 0 1-.566-.234L8 6.73l-3.434 3.435a.8.8 0 1 1-1.132-1.132l4-4a.8.8 0 0 1 1.132 0l4 4A.8.8 0 0 1 12 10.4Z"></path></svg></span></summary><div class="transition top-0 left-0 border-blue-10 border-t-3 bg-white text-body-sm font-sans whitespace-nowrap shadow-lg absolute mt-12 group-open:animate-sweep"><div class="even:bg-gray-10 p-4 capitalize"><ul><li><a href="/blog" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Blog</a></li><li><a href="/ebooks" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Ebooks</a></li><li><a href="/statistics" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Ecommerce Statistics</a></li><li><a href="/ecommerce-wiki" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Ecommerce Wiki</a></li><li><a href="/videos" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 ">Videos</a></li><li><a href="/podcast" class="text-black transition-colors duration-300 hover:text-blue-10 focus:text-blue-50 active:text-blue-50 active:rounded active:bg-gray-30 block px-4 py-2 font-bold text-blue-10">Podcast</a></li></ul></div></div></details></li></ul></nav><div class="bg-gray-50 w-px h-8 mx-4 hidden lg:block" aria-hidden="true"></div><a href="https://shopify.pxf.io/Y9znxB?utm_content=https://www.oberlo.com/podcast" class="self-center max-w-full ring-inset rounded-button focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-state-focus focus-visible:outline md:px-button-lg-px md:py-button-lg-py border-2 border-button-light-primary-border ring-button-light-primary-border hover:border-button-light-primary-border-hover hover:ring-button-light-primary-border-hover focus:border-button-light-primary-border-focus focus:ring-button-light-primary-border-focus active:border-button-light-primary-border-active active:ring disabled:text-button-light-primary-text-disabled disabled:bg-button-light-primary-bg-disabled disabled:border-button-light-primary-border-disabled disabled:ring-button-light-primary-border-disabled font-sans rounded-[3px] text-gray-10 font-bold uppercase tracking-[-0.02em] no-underline text-center whitespace-nowrap transition-colors duration-300 bg-green-10 hover:text-white hover:bg-green-30 focus:text-white focus:bg-green-30 focus:shadow-outline-green active:text-white active:bg-green-50 text-lg hidden sm:block relative z-10 ml-4 mr-4 lg:mr-0 sm:text-size-xs py-2 px-4 overflow-visible" data-component-name="button" target="">Join Shopify now</a></div></header></div><main role="main" id="main" tabindex="-1"><section><div class="bg-gray-10 flex justify-center w-full" itemscope="" itemType="https://schema.org/WebPage"><meta itemProp="headline" content="Ecommerce and Dropshipping Podcast | Start Yours | Oberlo"/><meta itemProp="description" content="Start Yours is a dropshipping and ecommerce podcast. From interviews with pro dropshippers to tips for your side hustle, learn what it takes to succeed."/><meta itemProp="inLanguage" content="en"/><meta itemProp="mainEntityOfPage" content="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast"/><div itemProp="publisher" itemscope="" itemType="https://schema.org/Organization"><meta itemProp="name" content="Oberlo"/><meta itemProp="sameAs" content="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast"/><div itemProp="logo" itemscope="" itemID="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast/#organization-logo" itemType="https://schema.org/ImageObject"><meta itemProp="url" content="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1593088941-oberlo-logo.png"/></div></div><section class="bg-gray-10 py-12"><div class="container w-full mx-auto px-8 lg:px-[5.625rem]"><div class="grid gap-8 md:gap-12 xl:gap-0 md:grid-cols-2"><div><nav aria-label="Breadcrumb" class="relative"><ol itemscope="" itemType="https://schema.org/BreadcrumbList" itemID="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast/#breadCrumbs" class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs flex space-x-2 justify-start"><li itemProp="itemListElement" itemscope="" itemType="https://schema.org/ListItem"><meta itemProp="position" content="0"/><a itemProp="item" itemType="https://schema.org/WebPage" itemID="" href="" class="text-blue-10 hover:underline"><meta itemProp="url" content=""/><meta itemProp="name" content="home"/><span>home</span></a></li><li aria-hidden="true" class="text-gray-90">/</li><div itemProp="itemListElement" itemscope="" itemType="https://schema.org/ListItem" itemID="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast"><meta itemProp="position" content="1"/><meta itemProp="name" content="Article"/><meta itemProp="url" itemID="https://www.oberlo.com/podcast"/></div></ol></nav><h1 class="text-blue-10 text-display-lg font-display uppercase lg:text-size-display-lg">Podcast</h1></div><picture class="bg-cover md:row-span-2 -ml-8 lg:ml-0 lg:-mt-8"><source srcSet="" type="image/webp" sizes="(max-width: 948px) 100vw, 948px"/><source srcSet="" sizes="(max-width: 948px) 100vw, 948px"/><img alt="" class="sm:max-w-sm lg:max-w-lg w-full" height="882" loading="lazy" src="https://www.oberlo.com/media/1605094807-aliesha-host-sm.png" width="948"/></picture><div class="space-y-4 text-black"><h2 class="text-heading-lg font-sans"><span class='text-blue-10'>Start Yours</span> is a podcast about ecommerce, dropshipping, and all things launching a business.</h2><p class="text-body-lg font-sans lg:leading-7 mt-12">Join us as we meet entrepreneurs who have gone through the triumphs and headaches of running an online store, and learn how they managed to survive and thrive.</p><div class="pt-2"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/start-yours/id1482170044?l=en" class="inline-block mr-6"><span class="sr-only">Listen on Apple Podcasts</span><svg width="168" height="30" viewBox="0 0 168 30" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g clip-path="url(#apple-podcasts)" fill="#03002F"><path d="M39.214 8.45H35V1.66h1.048v5.82h3.166v.97zM40.43 1.812c0-.352.276-.62.65-.62.375 0 .652.268.652.62 0 .348-.277.617-.652.617-.374 0-.65-.269-.65-.617zm.15 1.516h1.002V8.45H40.58V3.328zM45.068 3.23c1.148 0 1.897.537 1.995 1.44H46.1c-.094-.376-.459-.616-1.031-.616-.561 0-.987.268-.987.668 0 .305.257.498.81.625l.847.198c.97.226 1.424.644 1.424 1.398 0 .964-.895 1.608-2.112 1.608-1.213 0-2.005-.55-2.093-1.458h1.006c.126.395.501.64 1.11.64.628 0 1.073-.282 1.073-.692 0-.305-.239-.503-.75-.625l-.89-.207c-.97-.231-1.418-.67-1.418-1.431 0-.908.828-1.548 1.98-1.548zM49.835 2.053V3.35h1.105v.852h-1.105v2.635c0 .536.22.772.72.772.156 0 .245-.009.385-.023v.842a3.228 3.228 0 01-.548.051c-1.119 0-1.564-.395-1.564-1.383V4.202h-.81V3.35h.81V2.053h1.007zM56.52 7.07c-.23.917-1.044 1.481-2.21 1.481-1.461 0-2.356-1.006-2.356-2.643 0-1.638.913-2.678 2.35-2.678 1.42 0 2.277.974 2.277 2.584v.352H52.98v.057c.032.898.552 1.468 1.358 1.468.609 0 1.025-.222 1.212-.621h.97zm-3.54-1.652h2.576c-.024-.805-.511-1.327-1.255-1.327-.745 0-1.265.527-1.321 1.327zM57.925 3.329h.97v.814h.075c.247-.57.753-.913 1.521-.913 1.138 0 1.766.687 1.766 1.906v3.317H61.25V5.39c0-.824-.355-1.233-1.1-1.233-.745 0-1.218.5-1.218 1.298v2.998h-1.007V3.329zM66.32 5.888c0-1.651.918-2.658 2.408-2.658 1.484 0 2.402 1.007 2.402 2.658 0 1.661-.914 2.663-2.402 2.663-1.494 0-2.408-1.002-2.408-2.663zm3.776 0c0-1.11-.497-1.76-1.368-1.76-.877 0-1.368.65-1.368 1.76 0 1.12.491 1.765 1.368 1.765.87 0 1.368-.65 1.368-1.765zM72.475 3.329h.97v.814h.075c.247-.57.753-.913 1.521-.913 1.138 0 1.766.687 1.766 1.906v3.317H75.8V5.39c0-.824-.356-1.233-1.101-1.233-.744 0-1.217.5-1.217 1.298v2.998h-1.007V3.329zM43.788 22.878h-5.282l-1.269 3.763H35l5.004-13.924h2.324l5.003 13.924h-2.275l-1.267-3.763zm-4.735-1.737h4.187l-2.064-6.108h-.058l-2.065 6.108zM58.136 21.566c0 3.154-1.681 5.181-4.217 5.181-1.44 0-2.583-.647-3.179-1.776h-.048V30h-2.074V16.49h2.008v1.689h.038c.576-1.09 1.806-1.795 3.217-1.795 2.564 0 4.255 2.037 4.255 5.183zm-2.132 0c0-2.056-1.057-3.407-2.67-3.407-1.585 0-2.65 1.38-2.65 3.407 0 2.045 1.065 3.415 2.65 3.415 1.613 0 2.67-1.341 2.67-3.415zM69.259 21.567c0 3.154-1.68 5.181-4.217 5.181-1.44 0-2.583-.647-3.179-1.776h-.048V30h-2.074V16.49h2.008v1.689h.038c.576-1.09 1.806-1.795 3.217-1.795 2.564 0 4.255 2.037 4.255 5.183zm-2.132 0c0-2.056-1.057-3.407-2.67-3.407-1.585 0-2.65 1.38-2.65 3.407 0 2.045 1.065 3.415 2.65 3.415 1.613 0 2.67-1.341 2.67-3.415zM70.94 12.717h2.075V26.64h-2.076V12.717zM83.812 23.66c-.28 1.843-2.066 3.108-4.351 3.108-2.94 0-4.764-1.979-4.764-5.153 0-3.185 1.834-5.25 4.677-5.25 2.795 0 4.553 1.93 4.553 5.008v.714h-7.136v.126c0 1.736 1.085 2.875 2.718 2.875 1.152 0 2.055-.55 2.333-1.428h1.97zM76.8 20.63h5.051c-.048-1.554-1.037-2.576-2.478-2.576-1.431 0-2.468 1.042-2.573 2.576zM94.973 12.717c2.688 0 4.562 1.862 4.562 4.574 0 2.72-1.912 4.592-4.63 4.592h-2.977v4.758h-2.152V12.717h5.197zm-3.045 7.353h2.468c1.872 0 2.938-1.014 2.938-2.77s-1.066-2.76-2.928-2.76h-2.478v5.53zM100.291 21.567c0-3.195 1.872-5.202 4.792-5.202 2.93 0 4.793 2.007 4.793 5.202 0 3.203-1.854 5.201-4.793 5.201-2.938 0-4.792-1.998-4.792-5.201zm7.472 0c0-2.192-.999-3.485-2.68-3.485s-2.68 1.303-2.68 3.485c0 2.2.999 3.483 2.68 3.483s2.68-1.284 2.68-3.483zM111.332 21.566c0-3.136 1.719-5.183 4.225-5.183 1.451 0 2.594.675 3.169 1.795h.04v-5.461h2.084V26.64h-2.018v-1.727h-.038c-.595 1.158-1.748 1.833-3.217 1.833-2.526 0-4.245-2.045-4.245-5.181zm2.122 0c0 2.084 1.057 3.415 2.67 3.415 1.595 0 2.66-1.351 2.66-3.415 0-2.047-1.065-3.407-2.66-3.407-1.613 0-2.67 1.341-2.67 3.407zM129.679 19.983c-.182-1.07-1.018-1.871-2.381-1.871-1.595 0-2.652 1.341-2.652 3.455 0 2.161 1.067 3.463 2.671 3.463 1.286 0 2.132-.646 2.362-1.823h1.998c-.23 2.132-1.93 3.561-4.379 3.561-2.882 0-4.764-1.979-4.764-5.201 0-3.156 1.882-5.202 4.744-5.202 2.593 0 4.206 1.64 4.38 3.618h-1.979zM132.943 23.756c0-1.775 1.354-2.847 3.755-2.992l2.767-.154v-.772c0-1.13-.739-1.767-1.997-1.767-1.153 0-1.96.551-2.123 1.43h-1.94c.057-1.835 1.757-3.137 4.12-3.137 2.41 0 4.005 1.322 4.005 3.32v6.957h-1.988v-1.67h-.049c-.586 1.129-1.862 1.844-3.188 1.844-1.978 0-3.362-1.235-3.362-3.06zm6.522-.917v-.782l-2.488.155c-1.239.077-1.94.617-1.94 1.486 0 .888.73 1.467 1.844 1.467 1.451 0 2.584-1.004 2.584-2.326zM147.322 16.374c2.239 0 3.842 1.244 3.89 3.039h-1.95c-.086-.897-.845-1.447-1.997-1.447-1.124 0-1.873.52-1.873 1.312 0 .608.499 1.013 1.547 1.274l1.7.396c2.036.492 2.805 1.244 2.805 2.73 0 1.834-1.729 3.089-4.198 3.089-2.382 0-3.985-1.227-4.139-3.08h2.054c.145.975.923 1.496 2.181 1.496 1.239 0 2.018-.511 2.018-1.321 0-.628-.385-.965-1.441-1.235l-1.807-.444c-1.825-.445-2.747-1.38-2.747-2.789 0-1.795 1.605-3.02 3.957-3.02zM155.945 14.088v2.403h1.922v1.65h-1.922v5.596c0 .87.385 1.275 1.229 1.275.211 0 .549-.03.683-.048v1.64c-.23.058-.692.096-1.152.096-2.046 0-2.843-.772-2.843-2.74v-5.82h-1.47v-1.65h1.47v-2.402h2.083zM163.444 16.374c2.239 0 3.842 1.244 3.89 3.039h-1.95c-.086-.897-.845-1.447-1.997-1.447-1.124 0-1.873.52-1.873 1.312 0 .608.499 1.013 1.547 1.274l1.7.396c2.036.492 2.805 1.244 2.805 2.73 0 1.834-1.729 3.089-4.198 3.089-2.382 0-3.985-1.227-4.139-3.08h2.054c.145.975.923 1.496 2.181 1.496 1.239 0 2.018-.511 2.018-1.321 0-.628-.385-.965-1.441-1.235l-1.807-.444c-1.825-.445-2.747-1.38-2.747-2.789 0-1.795 1.605-3.02 3.957-3.02zM27.526 24.455c-.273.697-.902 1.678-1.796 2.369a5.87 5.87 0 01-1.977 1.032c-.901.269-2.012.36-3.394.36H7.722c-1.381 0-2.492-.091-3.394-.36a5.873 5.873 0 01-1.977-1.032c-.893-.691-1.523-1.672-1.796-2.369C.005 23.052 0 21.46 0 20.456V7.76c0-1.003.006-2.595.555-4 .273-.696.903-1.677 1.797-2.368C2.867.992 3.482.611 4.328.36 5.23.091 6.341 0 7.722 0H20.36c1.382 0 2.493.09 3.394.36A5.876 5.876 0 0125.73 1.39c.893.691 1.523 1.672 1.796 2.369.55 1.404.556 2.996.556 4v12.696c0 1.003-.006 2.596-.556 4zm-11.448-8.237c-.422-.447-1.162-.733-2.036-.733-.874 0-1.614.286-2.035.733a1.3 1.3 0 00-.373.812c-.07.66-.031 1.227.046 2.134.073.865.212 2.018.394 3.193.129.836.234 1.287.33 1.61.154.523.733.981 1.638.981.905 0 1.484-.458 1.64-.981.095-.323.2-.774.329-1.61.181-1.175.32-2.328.393-3.192.077-.908.117-1.476.046-2.135a1.3 1.3 0 00-.372-.812zm-4.332-3.978a2.304 2.304 0 002.298 2.31 2.304 2.304 0 002.299-2.31 2.304 2.304 0 00-2.299-2.31 2.304 2.304 0 00-2.298 2.31zm2.27-9.113c-5.375.016-9.78 4.397-9.846 9.797a9.936 9.936 0 006.606 9.488.132.132 0 00.175-.145c-.05-.34-.099-.68-.143-1.016a.341.341 0 00-.2-.269 8.666 8.666 0 01-5.175-8.018c.046-4.698 3.864-8.529 8.54-8.567 4.781-.039 8.683 3.858 8.683 8.652a8.666 8.666 0 01-5.176 7.934.34.34 0 00-.2.268 59.4 59.4 0 01-.142 1.016c-.015.1.08.178.175.145a9.935 9.935 0 006.607-9.363c0-5.48-4.446-9.937-9.904-9.922zm-.179 4.552c3.047-.118 5.564 2.338 5.564 5.373a5.375 5.375 0 01-1.692 3.92.412.412 0 00-.128.322c.02.37.013.728-.012 1.133a.13.13 0 00.203.117 6.653 6.653 0 002.892-5.492c0-3.752-3.11-6.788-6.877-6.642-3.5.137-6.308 3.036-6.353 6.556a6.653 6.653 0 002.892 5.578.13.13 0 00.203-.116 9.578 9.578 0 01-.012-1.134.412.412 0 00-.128-.322 5.376 5.376 0 01-1.69-4.064c.074-2.818 2.335-5.12 5.138-5.229z"></path></g><defs><clipPath id="apple-podcasts"><path fill="#fff" d="M0 0h167.5v30H0z"></path></clipPath></defs></svg></a><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6HGfbvbOML54KADBxaVxVl" class="inline-block"><span class="sr-only">Listen on Spotify</span><svg width="100" height="30" viewBox="0 0 100 30" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><g clip-path="url(#spotify)" fill="#03002F"><path d="M42.532 13.848c-2.589-.618-3.05-1.052-3.05-1.962 0-.86.81-1.44 2.016-1.44 1.167 0 2.324.44 3.538 1.345a.167.167 0 00.127.031.167.167 0 00.113-.069L46.54 9.97a.17.17 0 00-.032-.23c-1.445-1.16-3.071-1.723-4.973-1.723-2.795 0-4.749 1.678-4.749 4.079 0 2.575 1.685 3.486 4.597 4.19 2.476.571 2.895 1.05 2.895 1.904 0 .948-.845 1.537-2.206 1.537-1.511 0-2.745-.51-4.124-1.703a.175.175 0 00-.123-.042.168.168 0 00-.117.06l-1.418 1.687a.17.17 0 00.016.236c1.605 1.433 3.578 2.19 5.709 2.19 3.012 0 4.959-1.647 4.959-4.196.005-2.15-1.283-3.342-4.436-4.11l-.005-.002zm11.257-2.555c-1.305 0-2.376.515-3.26 1.569v-1.187a.17.17 0 00-.17-.17h-2.318a.17.17 0 00-.168.17V24.86c0 .093.075.17.168.17h2.319a.17.17 0 00.168-.17v-4.161c.885.99 1.956 1.476 3.261 1.476 2.427 0 4.883-1.868 4.883-5.44.004-3.572-2.453-5.441-4.881-5.441h-.002zm2.187 5.441c0 1.818-1.12 3.088-2.724 3.088-1.585 0-2.781-1.327-2.781-3.088 0-1.76 1.196-3.088 2.78-3.088 1.579 0 2.725 1.299 2.725 3.088zm8.991-5.44c-3.125 0-5.573 2.406-5.573 5.479 0 3.04 2.432 5.42 5.535 5.42 3.136 0 5.591-2.398 5.591-5.459 0-3.05-2.439-5.44-5.553-5.44zm0 8.546c-1.662 0-2.915-1.336-2.915-3.107 0-1.778 1.21-3.069 2.877-3.069 1.673 0 2.934 1.336 2.934 3.108 0 1.778-1.218 3.068-2.896 3.068zm12.225-8.335h-2.551V8.896a.17.17 0 00-.169-.17h-2.319a.17.17 0 00-.17.17v2.61H70.87a.17.17 0 00-.168.17v1.992c0 .094.075.17.168.17h1.114v5.158c0 2.083 1.037 3.14 3.084 3.14.83 0 1.52-.172 2.17-.54a.166.166 0 00.086-.148V19.55a.17.17 0 00-.245-.15 2.927 2.927 0 01-1.361.327c-.743 0-1.076-.338-1.076-1.094v-4.794h2.551a.17.17 0 00.169-.17v-1.993a.164.164 0 00-.167-.17h-.002zm8.89.01v-.32c0-.943.361-1.363 1.17-1.363.484 0 .873.096 1.308.241a.169.169 0 00.222-.162V7.957a.168.168 0 00-.12-.163 6.35 6.35 0 00-1.927-.277c-2.14 0-3.273 1.207-3.273 3.487v.491h-1.114a.17.17 0 00-.17.17v2.003c0 .094.077.17.17.17h1.114v7.954c0 .095.077.17.17.17h2.317a.17.17 0 00.17-.17V13.84h2.165l3.317 7.953c-.376.835-.747 1.002-1.252 1.002-.408 0-.84-.122-1.279-.364a.184.184 0 00-.134-.012.168.168 0 00-.1.09l-.786 1.726a.17.17 0 00.073.22c.82.444 1.56.634 2.475.634 1.712 0 2.66-.799 3.492-2.945l4.022-10.395a.165.165 0 00-.018-.158.166.166 0 00-.138-.074h-2.414a.17.17 0 00-.161.114l-2.473 7.063-2.708-7.068a.17.17 0 00-.157-.109h-3.961zm-5.154-.01h-2.32a.17.17 0 00-.17.17v10.117c0 .095.078.17.17.17h2.32a.17.17 0 00.17-.17V11.676a.17.17 0 00-.17-.17zm-1.146-4.607a1.663 1.663 0 10-.002 3.326 1.663 1.663 0 00.002-3.326zm20.311 7.86a1.626 1.626 0 01-1.632-1.632c0-.895.724-1.64 1.64-1.64.917 0 1.632.736 1.632 1.63 0 .896-.724 1.642-1.64 1.642zm.008-3.11c-.836 0-1.468.664-1.468 1.478s.629 1.47 1.46 1.47c.836 0 1.468-.665 1.468-1.48 0-.813-.629-1.468-1.46-1.468zm.362 1.637l.462.646h-.39l-.416-.593h-.356v.593h-.326v-1.713h.763c.399 0 .661.204.661.546.002.281-.161.453-.396.52h-.002zm-.276-.773h-.424v.542h.424c.212 0 .339-.104.339-.271 0-.177-.127-.271-.339-.271zM14.996 0C6.714 0 0 6.716 0 15c0 8.285 6.714 15 14.996 15 8.283 0 14.997-6.715 14.997-15 0-8.284-6.714-15-14.997-15zm6.877 21.634a.934.934 0 01-1.285.31c-3.521-2.151-7.954-2.638-13.174-1.445a.935.935 0 01-.416-1.824c5.713-1.305 10.613-.743 14.566 1.673.44.27.58.846.31 1.286zm1.836-4.084a1.169 1.169 0 01-1.608.386c-4.031-2.479-10.176-3.197-14.944-1.749a1.17 1.17 0 01-1.459-.779 1.171 1.171 0 01.78-1.459c5.446-1.653 12.217-.852 16.846 1.994.55.338.723 1.058.385 1.607zm.157-4.253c-4.833-2.872-12.807-3.136-17.421-1.735a1.402 1.402 0 11-.815-2.685c5.298-1.608 14.104-1.297 19.668 2.007a1.402 1.402 0 11-1.431 2.413z"></path></g><defs><clipPath id="spotify"><path fill="#fff" d="M0 0h100v30H0z"></path></clipPath></defs></svg></a></div></div></div></div></section></div><section class="bg-white hidden md:block"><div class="container w-full mx-auto px-8 lg:px-[5.625rem] pt-4 md:pt-12 paginator-grid"><div class="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-12"><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/from-side-hustle-to-a-20m-a-year-business" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="From side hustle to a $20M-a-year business podcast image header" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1614605054-blog-headings.png?v=1714720405"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 70</span><a href="/podcast/from-side-hustle-to-a-20m-a-year-business" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">From Side Hustle to a $20M-a-Year Business</h3></a><p>When Bryan and his co-founders set out to launch GreenPal, things didn't quite go as planned.And it was something they...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/the-money-mindset-difference-how-to-plan-for-success" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="The Money Mindset Difference - How to Plan For Success image header" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1614004145-blog-headings.png?v=1714720402"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 69</span><a href="/podcast/the-money-mindset-difference-how-to-plan-for-success" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">The Money Mindset Difference – How to Plan For Success</h3></a><p>There's a world of difference between working for a company and starting your own business. Succeeding in the latter r...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/dropshipping-on-any-budget-with-kamil-sattar" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="Dropshipping on Any Budget" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1613379879-dropshipping-on-any-budget.png?v=1714720400"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 68</span><a href="/podcast/dropshipping-on-any-budget-with-kamil-sattar" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">Dropshipping on Any Budget With Kamil Sattar</h3></a><p>How you should market your dropshipping store depends on your budget and the amount of time and money you're willing t...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/mindful-marketing-less-bs-equals-more-sales" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="Mindful Marketing – Less BS Equals More Sales podcast image header" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1612872901-blog-headings.png?v=1714720397"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 67</span><a href="/podcast/mindful-marketing-less-bs-equals-more-sales" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">Mindful Marketing – Less BS Equals More Sales</h3></a><p>There's no doubt marketing is an integral cog in the day-to-day running of an online business.But while we're all in i...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/the-multitasking-myth-how-to-be-more-productive" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="The Multitasking Myth: How To Be More Productive" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1612196503-how-to-be-more-productive.png?v=1714720394"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 66</span><a href="/podcast/the-multitasking-myth-how-to-be-more-productive" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">The Multitasking Myth: How To Be More Productive</h3></a><p>Multitasking has become a common topic of discussion over the past year, as workers shift to a work-from-home arrangem...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/how-to-launch-your-digital-product-business" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="How To Launch Your Digital Product Business " class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1611836033-blog-headings.png?v=1714720392"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 65</span><a href="/podcast/how-to-launch-your-digital-product-business" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">How To Launch Your Digital Product Business</h3></a><p>An eight-figure earner today, Dan Henry's journey didn't start off easy. Back in the day, he was a broke college dropo...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/the-pathway-from-full-time-work-to-your-own-dropshipping-business" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="The Pathway From Full-time Work to Your Own Dropshipping Business " class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1611669390-the-pathway-from-full-time-work-to-your-own-dropshipping-business.png?v=1714720390"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 64</span><a href="/podcast/the-pathway-from-full-time-work-to-your-own-dropshipping-business" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">The Pathway From Full-Time Work To Your Own Dropshipping Business</h3></a><p>Just two years ago, Emma Cunningham was working a full-time job with the Australian government. Today, she's since qui...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col relative after:content-[''] after:absolute after:top-0 after:z-10 after:w-full after:h-full after:bg-pagination-gradient md:after:w-md lg:after:w-lg xl:after:w-xl md:after:left-[calc(100%-theme('screens.md'))] lg:after:left-[calc(100%-theme('screens.lg'))] xl:after:left-[calc(100%-theme('screens.xl'))]"><a href="/podcast/making-10-million-in-one-year-with-dropshipping" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1608008905-e45.png?v=1714720387"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 62</span><a href="/podcast/making-10-million-in-one-year-with-dropshipping" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">Making $10 Million in One Year With Dropshipping</h3></a><p>When Andreas and Alexander first started dropshipping, their goal was to hit $1,000 per day in turnover. It took a yea...</p></div></article></div></div><div id="show-more-btn" class="mb-24 absolute md:relative left-0 flex justify-center w-full"><button class="font-sans rounded-[3px] text-gray-10 text-[1.125rem] leading-[1.125rem] font-bold uppercase tracking-[-0.02em] no-underline text-center whitespace-nowrap transition-colors duration-300 bg-blue-10 hover:text-white focus:text-white active:text-white hover:bg-blue-30 foucs:bg-blue-30 focus:shadow-outline-violet active:bg-blue-50 w-64 px-8 py-4 z-10 btn-primary">Show More</button></div></section><section class="bg-white md:hidden"><div class="container w-full mx-auto px-8 lg:px-[5.625rem] pt-4 md:pt-12 paginator-grid"><div class="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-12"><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/from-side-hustle-to-a-20m-a-year-business" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="From side hustle to a $20M-a-year business podcast image header" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1614605054-blog-headings.png?v=1714720405"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 70</span><a href="/podcast/from-side-hustle-to-a-20m-a-year-business" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">From Side Hustle to a $20M-a-Year Business</h3></a><p>When Bryan and his co-founders set out to launch GreenPal, things didn't quite go as planned.And it was something they...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/the-money-mindset-difference-how-to-plan-for-success" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="The Money Mindset Difference - How to Plan For Success image header" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1614004145-blog-headings.png?v=1714720402"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 69</span><a href="/podcast/the-money-mindset-difference-how-to-plan-for-success" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">The Money Mindset Difference – How to Plan For Success</h3></a><p>There's a world of difference between working for a company and starting your own business. Succeeding in the latter r...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/dropshipping-on-any-budget-with-kamil-sattar" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="Dropshipping on Any Budget" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1613379879-dropshipping-on-any-budget.png?v=1714720400"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 68</span><a href="/podcast/dropshipping-on-any-budget-with-kamil-sattar" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">Dropshipping on Any Budget With Kamil Sattar</h3></a><p>How you should market your dropshipping store depends on your budget and the amount of time and money you're willing t...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/mindful-marketing-less-bs-equals-more-sales" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="Mindful Marketing – Less BS Equals More Sales podcast image header" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1612872901-blog-headings.png?v=1714720397"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 67</span><a href="/podcast/mindful-marketing-less-bs-equals-more-sales" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">Mindful Marketing – Less BS Equals More Sales</h3></a><p>There's no doubt marketing is an integral cog in the day-to-day running of an online business.But while we're all in i...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/the-multitasking-myth-how-to-be-more-productive" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="The Multitasking Myth: How To Be More Productive" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1612196503-how-to-be-more-productive.png?v=1714720394"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 66</span><a href="/podcast/the-multitasking-myth-how-to-be-more-productive" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">The Multitasking Myth: How To Be More Productive</h3></a><p>Multitasking has become a common topic of discussion over the past year, as workers shift to a work-from-home arrangem...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/how-to-launch-your-digital-product-business" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="How To Launch Your Digital Product Business " class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1611836033-blog-headings.png?v=1714720392"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 65</span><a href="/podcast/how-to-launch-your-digital-product-business" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">How To Launch Your Digital Product Business</h3></a><p>An eight-figure earner today, Dan Henry's journey didn't start off easy. Back in the day, he was a broke college dropo...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col "><a href="/podcast/the-pathway-from-full-time-work-to-your-own-dropshipping-business" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="The Pathway From Full-time Work to Your Own Dropshipping Business " class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1611669390-the-pathway-from-full-time-work-to-your-own-dropshipping-business.png?v=1714720390"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 64</span><a href="/podcast/the-pathway-from-full-time-work-to-your-own-dropshipping-business" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">The Pathway From Full-Time Work To Your Own Dropshipping Business</h3></a><p>Just two years ago, Emma Cunningham was working a full-time job with the Australian government. Today, she's since qui...</p></div></article><article class="flex flex-col relative after:content-[''] after:absolute after:top-0 after:z-10 after:w-full after:h-full after:bg-pagination-gradient md:after:w-md lg:after:w-lg xl:after:w-xl md:after:left-[calc(100%-theme('screens.md'))] lg:after:left-[calc(100%-theme('screens.lg'))] xl:after:left-[calc(100%-theme('screens.xl'))]"><a href="/podcast/making-10-million-in-one-year-with-dropshipping" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true"><picture class="bg-cover overflow-hidden relative pb-9/16"><img alt="" class="absolute object-cover w-full h-full transform hover:scale-110 transition-transform ease-in duration-200" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1608008905-e45.png?v=1714720387"/></picture></a><div class="space-y-2 mt-4"><span class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs text-gray-70">Episode 62</span><a href="/podcast/making-10-million-in-one-year-with-dropshipping" class="block hover:underline"><h3 class="text-black text-heading-base font-sans">Making $10 Million in One Year With Dropshipping</h3></a><p>When Andreas and Alexander first started dropshipping, their goal was to hit $1,000 per day in turnover. It took a yea...</p></div></article></div></div><div></div></section></section></main><footer class="py-6 px-8 sm:px-16 md:px-0 bg-black text-white relative"><div class="md:container md:w-full md:mx-auto py-6"><div class="hidden lg:flex space-x-16"><div class="w-1/4"><svg width="119" height="112" viewBox="0 0 119 112" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="text-gray-10 fill-current mr-auto animate-spin-momentum"><path fill="#fff" d="M33.29 24.914L23.48 8.362 37.57 0l2.533 4.274-7.023 4.167a1.188 1.188 0 001.209 2.046l7.019-4.167 2.37 3.996-7.09 4.21a1.1 1.1 0 00-.386 1.509c.31.525.986.696 1.507.386l7.094-4.21 2.573 4.341-14.085 8.362zm67.099 35.596l6.263-.533-.322-3.809c-.095-1.142-.012-2.081 1.575-2.216L119 53.008l-.724-8.532-19.108 1.623 1.221 14.411zM10.638 43.117a.536.536 0 01-.736.004c-.771-.72-1.73-1.325-3.062-1.445-1.98-.179-3.416.418-4.386 1.827-.788 1.142-1.257 2.802-1.476 5.226L0 59.283l19.092 1.763 1.007-10.92c.218-2.44-.088-4.394-.911-5.803-.91-1.56-2.446-2.448-4.561-2.639-1.631-.147-2.987.474-3.99 1.433zm5.166 8.672c0 .02-.004.036-.004.056a2.188 2.188 0 01-2.426 1.922 2.173 2.173 0 01-1.925-2.368c0-.02.004-.036.004-.056a2.187 2.187 0 012.426-1.922 2.174 2.174 0 011.925 2.368zm-6.407-.593c0 .02-.004.036-.004.056a2.188 2.188 0 01-2.426 1.922 2.173 2.173 0 01-1.924-2.368c0-.02.003-.036.003-.056a2.188 2.188 0 012.426-1.922 2.174 2.174 0 011.925 2.368zm79.996-32.602c-.199-.215-.035-.59.525-.522 2.148.044 3.758-.652 4.892-2.471 2.934-4.708-.68-7.805-4.156-9.978L82.919.792 72.771 17.073l6.378 3.984 2.581-4.139.787.494c1.98 1.237 1.182 3.709-.063 5.707l6.359 3.972c2.461-3.948 2.45-6.488.58-8.497zM85.21 13.12a2.409 2.409 0 01-1.097-1.576 2.417 2.417 0 01.35-1.83 2.42 2.42 0 013.371-.7c.545.357.915.903 1.046 1.543.132.637.008 1.29-.35 1.831a2.423 2.423 0 01-3.32.732zM26.826 84.436c2.545.08 5.018 1.119 7.245 3.176 2.184 2.018 3.536 4.517 3.806 7.04.29 2.699-.628 5.282-2.653 7.479-2.024 2.197-4.529 3.315-7.237 3.243-2.533-.071-5.134-1.218-7.317-3.235-2.227-2.058-3.456-4.446-3.739-6.977-.302-2.702.613-5.29 2.641-7.49 2.032-2.205 4.538-3.323 7.254-3.236zm-1.531 12.748A3.103 3.103 0 0029.68 97a3.11 3.11 0 00-.183-4.39 3.103 3.103 0 00-4.386.183 3.11 3.11 0 00.183 4.39zm74.632-9.437c2.028 2.201 2.943 4.792 2.641 7.49-.283 2.535-1.511 4.919-3.738 6.977-2.184 2.018-4.78 3.168-7.317 3.236-2.709.075-5.214-1.047-7.238-3.244s-2.943-4.78-2.653-7.478c.27-2.523 1.623-5.023 3.806-7.04 2.227-2.058 4.7-3.093 7.246-3.176 2.716-.08 5.221 1.038 7.253 3.235zm-5.54 5.13a3.103 3.103 0 00-4.386-.183 3.109 3.109 0 00-.183 4.39 3.103 3.103 0 004.387.183 3.109 3.109 0 00.183-4.39zM59.752 112a3.107 3.107 0 003.106-3.109 3.107 3.107 0 00-3.106-3.108 3.107 3.107 0 00-3.106 3.108A3.107 3.107 0 0059.752 112z"></path></svg><p class="text-body-sm font-sans mt-12">Start a business and design the life you want – all in one place.</p><ul class="flex items-center space-x-4 mt-8" data-component-name="social"><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-youtube" aria-label=""><svg width="27" height="21" viewBox="0 0 27 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M26.312 3.286c-.31-1.285-1.217-2.298-2.368-2.644C21.842 0 13.432 0 13.432 0S5.023 0 2.921.618C1.792.963.863 2 .553 3.286 0 5.633 0 10.5 0 10.5s0 4.892.553 7.214c.31 1.285 1.217 2.298 2.368 2.644C5.045 21 13.433 21 13.433 21s8.409 0 10.511-.618c1.15-.346 2.058-1.359 2.368-2.643.553-2.347.553-7.214.553-7.214s.022-4.892-.553-7.239zm-15.557 11.71V6.004l6.993 4.496-6.993 4.496z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-instagram" aria-label=""><svg width="21" height="21" viewBox="0 0 21 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M20.947 6.174c-.05-1.116-.23-1.883-.488-2.548a5.123 5.123 0 00-1.215-1.862 5.169 5.169 0 00-1.859-1.21c-.669-.259-1.432-.44-2.548-.488C13.713.012 13.356 0 10.504 0 7.652 0 7.295.012 6.175.062 5.06.11 4.292.292 3.627.55a5.125 5.125 0 00-1.863 1.214 5.17 5.17 0 00-1.21 1.858c-.259.67-.44 1.432-.488 2.548C.012 7.294 0 7.65 0 10.502c0 2.851.012 3.208.062 4.328.049 1.116.23 1.883.488 2.548a5.179 5.179 0 001.214 1.862 5.17 5.17 0 001.86 1.21c.668.259 1.431.44 2.547.488 1.12.05 1.477.062 4.33.062 2.85 0 3.208-.012 4.328-.062 1.116-.049 1.883-.23 2.548-.488a5.372 5.372 0 003.073-3.072c.259-.669.44-1.432.489-2.548.049-1.12.061-1.477.061-4.328s-.004-3.208-.053-4.328zm-1.892 8.574c-.045 1.026-.217 1.58-.36 1.949A3.484 3.484 0 0116.7 18.69c-.37.143-.927.315-1.95.36-1.107.05-1.44.062-4.242.062S7.37 19.1 6.266 19.05c-1.026-.045-1.58-.217-1.95-.36a3.233 3.233 0 01-1.206-.784 3.265 3.265 0 01-.784-1.206c-.143-.37-.315-.927-.36-1.949-.05-1.107-.062-1.44-.062-4.242s.012-3.138.062-4.242c.045-1.025.217-1.579.36-1.948.169-.456.435-.87.788-1.206a3.26 3.26 0 011.207-.784c.369-.143.927-.316 1.949-.36 1.108-.05 1.44-.062 4.242-.062 2.807 0 3.14.012 4.243.061 1.026.045 1.58.218 1.949.361.455.168.87.435 1.206.784.349.34.616.75.784 1.206.144.369.316.927.361 1.948.05 1.108.062 1.44.062 4.242s-.013 3.13-.062 4.238z" fill="#fff"></path><path d="M10.503 5.107A5.397 5.397 0 005.107 10.5a5.396 5.396 0 0010.791 0 5.396 5.396 0 00-5.395-5.394zm0 8.894a3.5 3.5 0 110-7 3.5 3.5 0 010 7zm6.874-9.104a1.26 1.26 0 11-2.52 0 1.26 1.26 0 012.52 0z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-tiktok" aria-label=""><svg width="19" height="21" viewBox="0 0 19 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M18.453 5.258a5.297 5.297 0 01-3.2-1.068A5.303 5.303 0 0113.14 0H9.707v9.37L9.703 14.5a3.104 3.104 0 01-2.133 2.945 3.095 3.095 0 01-2.573-.283 3.103 3.103 0 01-1.519-2.615A3.107 3.107 0 016.591 11.4c.342 0 .67.056.979.157V8.075a6.757 6.757 0 00-.99-.073 6.582 6.582 0 00-4.944 2.21 6.43 6.43 0 00-1.623 3.88 6.422 6.422 0 001.914 5.004A6.583 6.583 0 006.58 21c.335 0 .665-.025.99-.073a6.56 6.56 0 003.663-1.83 6.417 6.417 0 001.928-4.569l-.018-7.664a8.679 8.679 0 005.32 1.807V5.257l-.01.001z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-facebook" aria-label=""><svg width="21" height="21" viewBox="0 0 21 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M17.924 0H3.076A3.08 3.08 0 000 3.076v14.848A3.08 3.08 0 003.076 21H9.27v-7.424H6.809V9.885h2.46V7.383a3.695 3.695 0 013.692-3.692h3.732v3.692h-3.732v2.502h3.732l-.615 3.691h-3.117V21h4.963A3.08 3.08 0 0021 17.924V3.076A3.08 3.08 0 0017.924 0z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li><li><a class="block" href="" rel="me nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-component-name="social-twitter" aria-label=""><svg width="21" height="17" viewBox="0 0 21 17" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class=""><path d="M21 2.013a9.002 9.002 0 01-2.48.677A4.268 4.268 0 0020.412.32a8.623 8.623 0 01-2.73 1.037A4.321 4.321 0 0014.54 0a4.296 4.296 0 00-4.303 4.29c0 .34.03.667.1.979A12.2 12.2 0 011.462.782a4.306 4.306 0 00-.59 2.168c0 1.486.769 2.803 1.913 3.565A4.264 4.264 0 01.84 5.987v.047c0 2.084 1.492 3.816 3.45 4.214-.351.096-.733.142-1.13.142-.275 0-.553-.016-.815-.074a4.344 4.344 0 004.023 2.989 8.67 8.67 0 01-5.338 1.829c-.353 0-.691-.016-1.03-.059A12.153 12.153 0 006.604 17c7.923 0 12.254-6.539 12.254-12.206 0-.19-.007-.373-.016-.554A8.572 8.572 0 0021 2.013z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="sr-only"></span></a></li></ul><div class="mt-8"><div class="flex items-center"><label for="footer-lang-select-footer" class="pointer-events-none relative pt-3" aria-label="Select Language"><svg width="15" height="14" viewBox="0 0 15 14" fill="#ffffff" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="absolute top-0 ml-4 "><path d="M.01 6.59h2.912c.027-1.027.152-1.994.362-2.871H.862C.4 4.583.072 5.557.011 6.589zm2.912.82H.01c.06 1.033.388 2.007.851 2.871h2.422a13.983 13.983 0 01-.362-2.87zm3.681-.82V3.719H4.131c-.225.869-.361 1.845-.39 2.87h2.862zm.001-3.692V0c-.899.25-1.695 1.398-2.22 2.898h2.22zm0 11.102v-2.898h-2.22c.525 1.5 1.321 2.647 2.22 2.898zm.822-14v2.898h2.22C9.121 1.398 8.325.251 7.426 0zm2.863 6.59a13.08 13.08 0 00-.39-2.871H7.425v2.87h2.863zm-3.686.82H3.74c.03 1.026.166 2.002.39 2.871h2.473v-2.87zm3.914-4.51h2.127C11.794 1.738 10.598.757 9.205.295c.536.632.983 1.582 1.312 2.605zm-7.003 8.202H1.387c.85 1.16 2.045 2.142 3.439 2.604-.536-.631-.984-1.582-1.312-2.604zm0-8.203C3.842 1.876 4.29.926 4.826.294 3.432.756 2.236 1.738 1.386 2.9h2.128zm7.003 8.203c-.329 1.022-.776 1.973-1.312 2.604 1.393-.462 2.59-1.443 3.44-2.604h-2.128zM7.426 7.41v2.871h2.472c.225-.869.361-1.845.39-2.87H7.427zm3.322-3.691c.21.877.335 1.844.362 2.87h2.911c-.06-1.032-.388-2.006-.851-2.87h-2.422zm-3.322 7.383V14c.899-.25 1.695-1.398 2.22-2.898h-2.22zM14.02 7.41h-2.91a13.982 13.982 0 01-.363 2.871h2.422c.463-.864.79-1.838.851-2.87z" fill="#fff"></path></svg><span class="block absolute top-1/2 transform -translate-y-1/2 left-48 pointer-events-none"><svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true" icon="chevron" height="18" width="18" class="rotate-180"><path fill="currentColor" d="M12 10.4a.798.798 0 0 1-.566-.234L8 6.73l-3.434 3.435a.8.8 0 1 1-1.132-1.132l4-4a.8.8 0 0 1 1.132 0l4 4A.8.8 0 0 1 12 10.4Z"></path></svg></span></label><select id="footer-lang-select-footer" class="pr-10 py-2 pl-12 bg-gray-50 bg-opacity-20 rounded appearance-none max-w-full hover:shadow-outline-violet focus:shadow-outline-violet focus:text-white"><option value="English" class="text-black" selected="">English</option><option value="Español" class="text-black">Español</option><option value="Português (Brasil)" class="text-black">Português (Brasil)</option><option value="Français" class="text-black">Français</option><option value="Deutsch" class="text-black">Deutsch</option><option value="Italiano" class="text-black">Italiano</option></select></div></div></div><div class="w-3/4 grid grid-cols-4 gap-4" role="list"><section><a href="/build-your-business" class="block hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20"><h2 class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs">Build your business</h2></a><ul class="my-5 space-y-2 text-body-sm font-sans"><li><a href="/build-your-business/business-ideas" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Business ideas</a></li><li><a href="/build-your-business/case-studies" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Case studies</a></li><li><a href="/build-your-business/design-and-branding" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Design and branding</a></li><li><a href="/build-your-business/dropshipping" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Dropshipping</a></li><li><a href="/build-your-business/marketing" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Marketing</a></li></ul></section><section><a href="/stories" class="block hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20"><h2 class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs">Stories</h2></a><ul class="my-5 space-y-2 text-body-sm font-sans"><li><a href="/stories/a-day-in-my-life" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">A day in my life</a></li><li><a href="/stories/my-first-90-days" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">My first 90 days</a></li><li><a href="/stories/raise-the-bar" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Raise the bar</a></li><li><a href="/stories/starter-stories" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Starter stories</a></li></ul></section><section><a href="/your-life" class="block hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20"><h2 class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs">Your life</h2></a><ul class="my-5 space-y-2 text-body-sm font-sans"><li><a href="/your-life/mindset" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Mindset</a></li><li><a href="/your-life/money" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Money</a></li><li><a href="/your-life/productivity" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Productivity</a></li><li><a href="/your-life/wellbeing" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Wellbeing</a></li></ul></section><section><a href="/tools" class="block hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20"><h2 class="text-label font-sans uppercase lg:text-size-xs">Free Business Tools</h2></a><ul class="my-5 space-y-2 text-body-sm font-sans"><li><a href="/tools/business-name-generator" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Business Name Generator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/slogan-generator" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Slogan Generator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/dropshipping-traffic-calculator" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Traffic Calculator</a></li><li><a href="/tools/profit-margin-calculator" class="no-underline hover:underline text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20">Profit Margin Calculator</a></li></ul></section></div></div><ul class="flex flex-wrap text-body-sm font-sans lg:mt-6"><li class="w-full lg:w-auto capitalize"><span> © 2015-2025 Oberlo</span></li><li class="ml-0 lg:ml-3"><span class="hidden lg:inline-block mr-3">|</span><a href="/legal" class="text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20 capitalize">Legal</a></li><li class="ml-3"><span class="mr-3">|</span><a href="/sitemap" class="text-gray-10 transition-colors duration-300 active:text-gray-10 active:rounded active:bg-gray-50 active:bg-opacity-20 capitalize">Sitemap</a></li></ul></div></footer></div><script>((u,d)=>{if(!window.history.state||!window.history.state.key){let f=Math.random().toString(32).slice(2);window.history.replaceState({key:f},"")}try{let m=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(u)||"{}")[d||window.history.state.key];typeof m=="number"&&window.scrollTo(0,m)}catch(f){console.error(f),sessionStorage.removeItem(u)}})("positions", null)</script><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/entry.client-DFxssd3v.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/components-1CwmeIV4.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/I18N-CcJsT18T.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/oberlo-C5Z38z6R.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Provider-X3bO3rAH.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Image-DrcPfwui.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/SchemaPublisherInfo-DLNhzVJd.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/enums-CdzrtJM6.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/root-CFtHmHvX.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/layout-C5DAe0yl.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/PodcastContainer-lbgdU5cr.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Section-B8bWJT0m.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/TopicHeader-Cxi_0LDD.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Breadcrumbs-CAcI2NmB.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/constants-BhlMcRRd.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/GetMaxString-CL4v2NPs.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/SpotifyIcon-DBtP8BPI.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/route-Ubl3JLan.js"/><script>window.__remixContext = {"basename":"/","future":{"v3_fetcherPersist":true,"v3_relativeSplatPath":true,"v3_throwAbortReason":true,"v3_routeConfig":true,"v3_singleFetch":true,"v3_lazyRouteDiscovery":true,"unstable_optimizeDeps":false},"isSpaMode":false};window.__remixContext.stream = new ReadableStream({start(controller){window.__remixContext.streamController = controller;}}).pipeThrough(new TextEncoderStream());</script><script type="module" async="">; import * as route0 from "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/root-CFtHmHvX.js"; import * as route1 from "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/layout-C5DAe0yl.js"; import * as route2 from "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/route-Ubl3JLan.js"; window.__remixManifest = { "entry": { "module": "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/entry.client-DFxssd3v.js", "imports": [ "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/components-1CwmeIV4.js" ], "css": [] }, "routes": { "root": { "id": "root", "path": "", "hasAction": false, "hasLoader": true, "hasClientAction": false, "hasClientLoader": false, "hasErrorBoundary": true, "module": "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/root-CFtHmHvX.js", "imports": [ "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/components-1CwmeIV4.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/I18N-CcJsT18T.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/oberlo-C5Z38z6R.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Provider-X3bO3rAH.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Image-DrcPfwui.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/SchemaPublisherInfo-DLNhzVJd.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/enums-CdzrtJM6.js" ], "css": [] }, "($locale)~~layout": { "id": "($locale)~~layout", "parentId": "root", "path": ":locale?", "hasAction": false, "hasLoader": false, "hasClientAction": false, "hasClientLoader": false, "hasErrorBoundary": false, "module": "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/layout-C5DAe0yl.js", "imports": [ "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/components-1CwmeIV4.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/enums-CdzrtJM6.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Provider-X3bO3rAH.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/I18N-CcJsT18T.js" ], "css": [] }, "($locale)/podcast": { "id": "($locale)/podcast", "parentId": "($locale)~~layout", "path": "podcast", "hasAction": false, "hasLoader": true, "hasClientAction": false, "hasClientLoader": false, "hasErrorBoundary": false, "module": "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/route-Ubl3JLan.js", "imports": [ "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/components-1CwmeIV4.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/enums-CdzrtJM6.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/oberlo-C5Z38z6R.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/PodcastContainer-lbgdU5cr.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/I18N-CcJsT18T.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Section-B8bWJT0m.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/TopicHeader-Cxi_0LDD.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Image-DrcPfwui.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Breadcrumbs-CAcI2NmB.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/SchemaPublisherInfo-DLNhzVJd.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/constants-BhlMcRRd.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/GetMaxString-CL4v2NPs.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/SpotifyIcon-DBtP8BPI.js" ], "css": [] }, "($locale)": { "id": "($locale)", "parentId": "($locale)~~layout", "index": true, "hasAction": false, "hasLoader": true, "hasClientAction": false, "hasClientLoader": false, "hasErrorBoundary": false, "module": "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/route-BM2YoYln.js", "imports": [ "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/components-1CwmeIV4.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/enums-CdzrtJM6.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/oberlo-C5Z38z6R.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/I18N-CcJsT18T.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Section-B8bWJT0m.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/LinkButton-D1-IuUks.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Image-DrcPfwui.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/GetImageData-e-tN86Ez.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/SpotifyIcon-DBtP8BPI.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/GetMaxString-CL4v2NPs.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/GlobalArticle-i76k4jkK.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Article-FJ6hD8dx.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/GetArticleData-Bv5rJXuq.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/ArticleAuthor-Bcp96kIn.js", "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/Breadcrumbs-CAcI2NmB.js" ], "css": [] } }, "url": "https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/manifest-5f557739.js", "version": "5f557739" }; window.__remixRouteModules = {"root":route0,"($locale)~~layout":route1,"($locale)/podcast":route2}; import("https://cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/brochure-iii/production-oberlo/assets/entry.client-DFxssd3v.js");</script></body></html><script>window.__remixContext.streamController.enqueue("[{\"_1\":2,\"_774\":-5,\"_775\":-5},\"loaderData\",{\"_3\":-5,\"_4\":5,\"_773\":-5},\"root\",\"($locale)/podcast\",{\"_6\":7,\"_8\":7,\"_9\":10,\"_11\":12,\"_13\":14,\"_15\":16,\"_17\":12,\"_18\":12,\"_19\":20,\"_39\":40,\"_41\":-7,\"_42\":43,\"_58\":40,\"_59\":60,\"_61\":56,\"_62\":63,\"_429\":-7,\"_430\":431,\"_460\":461},\"url\",\"https://www.oberlo.com/podcast\",\"canonicalUrl\",\"rootDomain\",\"oberlo.com\",\"experimentVariationId\",\"\",\"banditAssignments\",[],\"realCountryCode\",\"SG\",\"geoCountryCode\",\"regionCode\",\"site\",[\"SingleFetchClassInstance\",21],{\"_22\":23,\"_24\":25,\"_26\":27,\"_28\":27,\"_29\":30,\"_31\":32,\"_33\":34,\"_35\":-7,\"_36\":27,\"_37\":-7,\"_38\":-7},\"domain\",\"www.oberlo.com\",\"countryCode\",\"US\",\"hreflang\",\"en\",\"locale\",\"baseEnDomain\",true,\"currencyCode\",\"USD\",\"features\",[],\"pathPrefix\",\"languageCode\",\"preferredLanguage\",\"inactive\",\"fileRoutePath\",\"/podcast\",\"pricingSite\",\"regions\",[44],{\"_45\":46,\"_24\":25,\"_47\":48},\"label\",\"USA\",\"languages\",[49],{\"_45\":50,\"_51\":46,\"_35\":12,\"_26\":27,\"_36\":27,\"_52\":30,\"_53\":30,\"_54\":7,\"_55\":56,\"_57\":30},\"English\",\"legacyLabel\",\"selector\",\"published\",\"href\",\"isVirtual\",false,\"isActive\",\"enPath\",\"handle\",\"oberlo-podcast\",\"geoPricingIsEnabled\",\"translations\",{\"_27\":64},{\"_65\":66,\"_67\":68,\"_124\":125,\"_177\":178,\"_189\":190,\"_280\":281,\"_310\":311,\"_315\":316},\"global\",{},\"pages/footer\",{\"_69\":70,\"_91\":92,\"_93\":94,\"_101\":102},\"tools\",{\"_71\":72,\"_73\":74,\"_75\":76,\"_77\":78,\"_79\":80,\"_81\":82,\"_83\":84,\"_85\":86,\"_87\":88,\"_89\":90},\"title\",\"Free Business Tools\",\"toolsLink\",\"/tools\",\"businessNameGenerator\",\"Business Name Generator\",\"sloganGenerator\",\"Slogan Generator\",\"trafficCalculator\",\"Traffic Calculator\",\"profitMarginCalculator\",\"Profit Margin Calculator\",\"businessNameGeneratorLink\",\"/business-name-generator\",\"sloganGeneratorLink\",\"/slogan-generator\",\"trafficCalculatorLink\",\"/dropshipping-traffic-calculator\",\"profitMarginCalculatorLink\",\"/profit-margin-calculator\",\"startBusiness\",\"Start a business and design the life you want – all in one place.\",\"footerDisclaimer\",{\"_95\":96,\"_97\":98,\"_99\":100},\"copyright\",\"© 2015-{{currentYear}} Oberlo\",\"legal\",\"Legal\",\"sitemap\",\"Sitemap\",\"social\",{\"_103\":104,\"_108\":109,\"_112\":113,\"_116\":117,\"_120\":121},\"facebook\",{\"_105\":106,\"_6\":107},\"text\",\"Facebook\",\"https://www.facebook.com/oberloapp\",\"twitter\",{\"_105\":110,\"_6\":111},\"Twitter\",\"https://twitter.com/OberloApp\",\"youtube\",{\"_105\":114,\"_6\":115},\"YouTube\",\"https://www.youtube.com/c/oberlo\",\"instagram\",{\"_105\":118,\"_6\":119},\"Instagram\",\"https://www.instagram.com/oberloapp/\",\"tiktok\",{\"_105\":122,\"_6\":123},\"TikTok\",\"https://www.tiktok.com/@oberlo\",\"pages/header\",{\"_126\":127,\"_91\":92,\"_170\":171,\"_172\":74,\"_173\":174,\"_175\":176},\"links\",{\"_128\":129,\"_69\":143,\"_145\":146},\"topics\",{\"_71\":130,\"_131\":132,\"_133\":134,\"_135\":136,\"_137\":138,\"_139\":140,\"_141\":142},\"Topics\",\"buildYourBusiness\",\"Build your business\",\"buildYourBusinessLink\",\"/build-your-business\",\"yourLife\",\"Your life\",\"yourLifeLink\",\"/your-life\",\"stories\",\"Stories\",\"storiesLink\",\"/stories\",{\"_71\":144,\"_73\":74,\"_75\":76,\"_77\":78,\"_79\":80,\"_81\":82,\"_83\":84,\"_85\":86,\"_87\":88,\"_89\":90},\"Business Tools\",\"resources\",{\"_71\":145,\"_147\":148,\"_149\":150,\"_151\":152,\"_153\":154,\"_155\":156,\"_157\":40,\"_158\":159,\"_160\":161,\"_162\":163,\"_164\":165,\"_166\":167,\"_168\":169},\"blog\",\"Blog\",\"blogLink\",\"/blog\",\"ebooks\",\"Ebooks\",\"ebooksLink\",\"/ebooks\",\"podcast\",\"Podcast\",\"podcastLink\",\"videos\",\"Videos\",\"videosLink\",\"/videos\",\"statisticsLink\",\"/statistics\",\"statistics\",\"Ecommerce Statistics\",\"ecommerceWikiLink\",\"/ecommerce-wiki\",\"ecommerceWiki\",\"Ecommerce Wiki\",\"freeBusinessTools\",\"Free business tools\",\"freeBusinessToolsLinks\",\"joinShopifyNow\",\"Join Shopify now\",\"joinShopifyLink\",\"https://shopify.pxf.io/Y9znxB?utm_content={{referringPageUrl}}\",\"pages/cookieBanner\",{\"_179\":180,\"_181\":182,\"_183\":184,\"_185\":186,\"_187\":188},\"description\",\"Oberlo uses cookies to provide necessary site functionality and improve your experience. By using our website, you agree to our \",\"privacyPolicy\",\"privacy policy.\",\"reject\",\"Reject\",\"accept\",\"Accept\",\"legalLink\",\"https://www.shopify.com/legal\",\"pages/settings\",{\"_191\":192},\"images\",{\"_193\":194,\"_155\":226,\"_233\":234,\"_139\":271},\"hero\",{\"_195\":196},\"image\",{\"_27\":197},{\"_198\":199,\"_214\":215},\"top\",[200,209],{\"_201\":202,\"_203\":204,\"_205\":206,\"_207\":208},\"src\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg\",\"srcSet\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg?dpr=0.25 110w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg?dpr=0.5 220w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg?dpr=0.75 330w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg 440w\",\"srcSetWebp\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 110w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 220w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 330w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/62be1be8e2070dd7693f0443a2ee012e.jpg?fm=webp 440w\",\"alt\",\"icnyneweditsweb\",{\"_201\":210,\"_203\":211,\"_205\":212,\"_207\":213},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg?dpr=0.25 110w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg?dpr=0.5 220w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg?dpr=0.75 330w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg 440w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 110w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 220w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 330w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/50ff41429df0836f58be4dfc26ab6b72.jpg?fm=webp 440w\",\"freunde-von-freunden-vicky-grout\",\"bottom\",[216,221],{\"_201\":217,\"_203\":218,\"_205\":219,\"_207\":220},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg?dpr=0.25 110w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg?dpr=0.5 220w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg?dpr=0.75 330w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg 440w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 110w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 220w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 330w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/12d0c0f2985dfc247e984c3809af7cb0.jpg?fm=webp 440w\",\"image-77\",{\"_201\":222,\"_203\":223,\"_205\":224,\"_207\":225},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg?dpr=0.25 109w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg?dpr=0.5 218w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg?dpr=0.75 327w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg 436w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg?dpr=0.25\u0026fm=webp 109w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg?dpr=0.5\u0026fm=webp 218w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg?dpr=0.75\u0026fm=webp 327w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/14dd7762c93abd7de63ffcc1776e003a.jpg?fm=webp 436w\",\"image-78\",{\"_195\":227},{\"_27\":228},{\"_201\":229,\"_203\":230,\"_205\":231,\"_207\":232},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png?dpr=0.25 143w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png?dpr=0.5 287w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png?dpr=0.75 430w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png 574w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png?dpr=0.25\u0026fm=webp 143w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png?dpr=0.5\u0026fm=webp 287w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png?dpr=0.75\u0026fm=webp 430w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/eb75536e6470b41c12ae30faf0f9a092.png?fm=webp 574w\",\"podcast-start-yours\",\"startYourBusiness\",{\"_195\":235},{\"_27\":236},{\"_237\":238,\"_254\":255,\"_266\":267},\"businessPicturesList\",[239,244,249],{\"_201\":240,\"_203\":241,\"_205\":242,\"_207\":243},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png?dpr=0.25 80w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png?dpr=0.5 161w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png?dpr=0.75 241w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png 322w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 80w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 161w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 241w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/0244187c394b87c9b4f18a1699c366f8.png?fm=webp 322w \",\"credit-card\",{\"_201\":245,\"_203\":246,\"_205\":247,\"_207\":248},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg?dpr=0.25 65w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg?dpr=0.5 130w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg?dpr=0.75 195w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg 260w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 65w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 130w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 195w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/52a9594b2d5a31e5226f23b2564632df.jpg?fm=webp 260w\",\"cararobbins-michael-cherman\",{\"_201\":250,\"_203\":251,\"_205\":252,\"_207\":253},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg?dpr=0.25 65w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg?dpr=0.5 130w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg?dpr=0.75 195w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg 260w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 65w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 130w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 195w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/9eaa3e14711bc1934dde39d7d4cddfe6.jpg?fm=webp 260w\",\"woman-with-phone\",\"updatedBusinessPicturesList\",[256,261],{\"_201\":257,\"_203\":258,\"_205\":259,\"_207\":260},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg?dpr=0.25 75w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg?dpr=0.5 150w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg?dpr=0.75 225w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg 300w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 75w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 150w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 225w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/32c65a26afb7526cd216979203df53d8.jpg?fm=webp 300w\",\"wfhwnoe2\",{\"_201\":262,\"_203\":263,\"_205\":264,\"_207\":265},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg?dpr=0.25 75w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg?dpr=0.5 150w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg?dpr=0.75 225w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg 300w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 75w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 150w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 225w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/4a5f3a0d43c9ec6a362e9c2193dc90eb.jpg?fm=webp 300w\",\"wfhwnoe1\",\"divider\",{\"_201\":268,\"_203\":269,\"_205\":270,\"_207\":266},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f76a7d565cc305db999c23c4c2a79263.png\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f76a7d565cc305db999c23c4c2a79263.png?dpr=0.5 80w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f76a7d565cc305db999c23c4c2a79263.png?dpr=0.75 120w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f76a7d565cc305db999c23c4c2a79263.png 160w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f76a7d565cc305db999c23c4c2a79263.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 80w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f76a7d565cc305db999c23c4c2a79263.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 120w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/f76a7d565cc305db999c23c4c2a79263.png?fm=webp 160w\",{\"_195\":272},{\"_27\":273},{\"_274\":275},\"arrow\",{\"_201\":276,\"_203\":277,\"_205\":278,\"_207\":279},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png?dpr=0.25 83w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png?dpr=0.5 167w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png?dpr=0.75 250w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png 334w\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fm=webp 83w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fm=webp 167w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fm=webp 250w,https://cdn.shopify.com/b/shopify-brochure2-assets/a7562f9351e9f08e920fe94d53b8c906.png?fm=webp 334w\",\"arrow-bold\",\"pages/podcast/content\",{\"_282\":283,\"_193\":290,\"_300\":301,\"_304\":305},\"htmlHead\",{\"_284\":285,\"_286\":287,\"_288\":289},\"pageTitle\",\"Ecommerce and Dropshipping Podcast | Start Yours | Oberlo\",\"metaDescription\",\"Start Yours is a dropshipping and ecommerce podcast. From interviews with pro dropshippers to tips for your side hustle, learn what it takes to succeed.\",\"favicon\",\"data:image/png;base64,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\",{\"_291\":292,\"_293\":156,\"_71\":294,\"_179\":295,\"_296\":297,\"_298\":299},\"titleLink\",\"home\",\"headerLabel\",\"\u003cspan class='text-blue-10'\u003eStart Yours\u003c/span\u003e is a podcast about ecommerce, dropshipping, and all things launching a business.\",\"Join us as we meet entrepreneurs who have gone through the triumphs and headaches of running an online store, and learn how they managed to survive and thrive.\",\"applePodcastLabel\",\"Listen on Apple Podcasts\",\"spotifyPodcastLabel\",\"Listen on Spotify\",\"articleItem\",{\"_302\":303},\"episode\",\"Episode {{episode}}\",\"pagination\",{\"_306\":307,\"_308\":309},\"loadMoreCta\",\"Show More\",\"loadingMoreCta\",\"Showing More...\",\"pages/podcast/settings\",{\"_191\":312},{\"_193\":313},{\"_155\":314},\"https://www.oberlo.com/media/1605094807-aliesha-host-sm.png\",\"pages/content\",{\"_282\":317,\"_320\":321,\"_417\":418,\"_420\":421},{\"_284\":318,\"_286\":319,\"_288\":289},\"Oberlo | Where Self Made is Made\",\"Start selling online now with Shopify. All the videos, podcasts, ebooks, and dropshipping tools you'll need to build your online empire.\",\"pages\",{\"_322\":323,\"_292\":326,\"_128\":363,\"_368\":369,\"_376\":377,\"_151\":378,\"_398\":399,\"_99\":405},\"404\",{\"_71\":324,\"_105\":325},\"We couldn’t find this page\",\"It might have moved, or be an old link. Let’s find a better place for you to go.\",{\"_193\":327,\"_332\":333,\"_155\":335,\"_139\":349,\"_135\":355,\"_233\":356},{\"_71\":328,\"_105\":329,\"_330\":174,\"_331\":176},\"Fulfill your dropshipping \u003cem\u003edreams\u003c/em\u003e\",\"On Shopify, you can open an online store without the hassle of managing inventory, packaging, or shipping.\",\"join\",\"link\",\"ourPicks\",{\"_71\":334},\"Our picks\",{\"_45\":156,\"_71\":336,\"_337\":338,\"_339\":340,\"_341\":342,\"_343\":299,\"_344\":297,\"_345\":346,\"_347\":348},\"Start \u003cem\u003eyours\u003c/em\u003e\",\"intro\",\"Meet the ones who’ve done it, in our podcast on all things ecommerce. Real stories, real graft. No bullshit.\",\"CTA\",\"Listen now\",\"latestEpisodeLabel\",\"Latest episode\",\"listenOnSpotify\",\"listenOnApplePodcast\",\"linkApplePodcast\",\"https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/start-yours/id1482170044?l=en\",\"linkSpotifyPodcast\",\"https://open.spotify.com/show/6HGfbvbOML54KADBxaVxVl\",{\"_71\":140,\"_337\":350,\"_351\":352,\"_353\":354},\"Inspiring stories from entrepreneurs who braved the struggles to start and grow something real.\",\"seeMoreCTA\",\"More\u003cbr /\u003eStories\",\"seeMoreCTALink\",\"/stories/\",{\"_71\":136},{\"_45\":357,\"_71\":358,\"_337\":359,\"_339\":360,\"_361\":362},\"Dropshipping\",\"This is business \u003cem\u003eun\u003c/em\u003eusual\",\"Learn the dropshipping ropes and get your business ideas off the ground in just a few clicks, with Oberlo.\",\"Learn more\",\"CTALink\",\"/dropshipping\",{\"_364\":365,\"_366\":367},\"highlightedPostsTitle\",\"Our Picks\",\"recentPostsTitle\",\"Latest\",\"blogIndex\",{\"_366\":367,\"_370\":371,\"_372\":373,\"_374\":375},\"heroTitle\",\"Articles\",\"latestArticleTitle\",\"New Article\",\"blogTitle\",\"Article\",\"podcastIndex\",{\"_370\":156},{\"_370\":152,\"_379\":380,\"_381\":382,\"_383\":384,\"_385\":386,\"_387\":388,\"_389\":390,\"_391\":392,\"_393\":394,\"_395\":395,\"_396\":397},\"latestEbookTitle\",\"New Ebook\",\"chapter\",\"Chapter\",\"chapters\",\"Chapters\",\"readChapterOne\",\"Read chapter 1\",\"downloadPdf\",\"Download PDF\",\"author\",\"Author\",\"authors\",\"Authors\",\"otherFreeEbooks\",\"Other free ebooks\",\"by\",\"next\",\"next:\",\"videosIndex\",{\"_370\":159,\"_400\":401},\"youTubeVideo\",{\"_402\":403,\"_45\":404},\"latestLabel\",\"New Video\",\"Video\",{\"_406\":407,\"_408\":409,\"_145\":410,\"_128\":130,\"_411\":412,\"_413\":414,\"_168\":415,\"_416\":371},\"company\",\"Company\",\"content\",\"Content\",\"Resources\",\"whatToSell\",\"What to sell\",\"whereToSell\",\"Where to sell\",\"Ecommerce wiki\",\"articles\",\"contentCard\",{\"_419\":395},\"byLabel\",\"contentTypes\",{\"_422\":375,\"_155\":156,\"_423\":424,\"_427\":428},\"article\",\"video\",{\"_400\":404,\"_425\":426},\"realTalk\",\"Real Talk\",\"ebook\",\"Ebook\",\"minervaUser\",\"pricing\",{\"_432\":433,\"_434\":435,\"_436\":437,\"_438\":439,\"_440\":32,\"_441\":442,\"_443\":444,\"_445\":446,\"_447\":448,\"_449\":450,\"_455\":456,\"_458\":444,\"_459\":32},\"annualDiscountPercentage\",25,\"basicAnnualPrice\",\"\u003cspan\u003e$29.00 USD\u003c/span\u003e\",\"googleCountryOffer\",\"$500 USD\",\"minimumMonthlyPrice\",\"$5\",\"minimumMonthlyPriceCurrency\",\"paidTrialAmount\",\"$1\",\"paidTrialMonths\",3,\"posProPriceUsd\",\"$89\",\"posRetailLocations\",\"1,000\",\"promoAmount\",{\"_451\":452,\"_31\":32,\"_453\":454},\"amount\",1,\"currencySymbol\",\"$\",\"signupTypes\",[457],\"paid_trial_experience\",\"trialLength\",\"usd\",\"processedData\",{\"_416\":462,\"_304\":716,\"_8\":720,\"_128\":721},[463,529,557,586,612,638,665,691],{\"_464\":375,\"_465\":466,\"_59\":467,\"_71\":468,\"_469\":470,\"_195\":471,\"_476\":477,\"_481\":482,\"_483\":484,\"_485\":486,\"_490\":491,\"_498\":499,\"_521\":473,\"_522\":475,\"_523\":-7,\"_524\":-7,\"_525\":-7,\"_526\":527,\"_528\":470},\"__typename\",\"id\",\"gid://shopify/Article/559904686102\",\"from-side-hustle-to-a-20m-a-year-business\",\"From Side Hustle to a $20M-a-Year Business\",\"publishedAt\",\"2024-05-03T07:13:24Z\",{\"_464\":472,\"_6\":473,\"_474\":475},\"Image\",\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1614605054-blog-headings.png?v=1714720405\",\"altText\",\"From side hustle to a $20M-a-year business podcast image header\",\"tags\",[478,479,480,139],\"key:podcast\",\"locale:en\",\"raise-the-bar\",\"contentHtml\",\"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eGetting off Nintendo and Going Into Entrepreneurship\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha: \u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBryan, you are such an interesting person with such an interesting story, I don't know really where to begin, but maybe let's begin at the beginning of your current business. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTell me a little bit about how you got started in the world of lawn mowing. I think this is so interesting. I have a lawn and I look at it sometimes and think sure it'd be good if somebody else could come and help me out with this lawn. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eInevitably in Australia, I have to come and do it myself, but not the case for where you are. So tell me a little bit about what you do and how it all started.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so I've been an entrepreneur my entire life, I've never had a job.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Luckily, I was forced into \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-entrepreneurship\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eentrepreneurship\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e by my father. On a hot summer day, he interrupted me playing Nintendo and he said, 'Get off your butt, you've got a job to do, you're gonna go mow the neighbor's grass.'\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd he made me go mow the neighbor's lawn. And luckily he did because something about just \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/signs-you-should-be-working-for-yourself\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eworking for myself\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and earning as much money as I wanted to earn just stuck with me. I remember when I got done mowing that yard, the first thing I did was make some flyers, and I was like 15 years old and passed them around the neighborhood. And by the end of that summer, I had ten customers I was cutting grass for. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I just stuck with the lawn mowing business. I just stuck with it all through high school and all through college, and over a 15-year journey, I've built that into one of the largest landscaping companies in the state where I live, and got it over $10 million in revenue, over 150 employees, and sold that business in 2013. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I've built that business from just me and a push mower to me and 150 people, and over eight figures in revenue. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt was a heck of a journey, learned the hard way, a lot of highs and lows on how to build a business. And so after I sold it, I retired. I took some time off and I realized something about myself. It was like, 'Whoa, I am wired to love business, I need my business to be my purpose in life,' and I didn't have that anymore. And so I thought, 'Okay, well, I gotta start the next thing. What is the next thing gonna be?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so then the idea for my current business, GreenPal, which is the Uber for lawn mowing, came to me. It was a real straightforward idea, I recruited two co-founders and we have been working on this company for eight years now. We're an eight-year overnight success and we're doing $20 million a year in revenue. So I've spent 20 years in one industry. I didn't set out to be a grass-cutting guy my entire life, but that's just kind of where it took me.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e What I love about this story is the fact that your dad... Like it's the traditional thing with the kid, isn’t it? It's like either the paper route or you've got the lawn mowing. But you took it and made it a multi-million dollar business. So it's so inspiring, but also these things where kids are like, 'Ah, I can't make any money out of mowing lawns,' and you're like, “Hold the lawn, I think you can.” This is pretty good.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I'm thinking \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ethere's some sort of correlation between the least fun, least sexy, least exciting your idea, the higher your probability for success. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd if you can look at some of those ideas that just aren't really alluring, that don't seem very glamorous, a lot of times, your competition is not gonna be as stiff and you can kind of take your time and build something strong.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgLCgoXDhgQGhYTDh0VHRUYHh8dGBYVFhUaKy0jJh0oHRcWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDsoIig7Oy87Ozs7OzsvOzsvLzUvOy8vLzs7Ozs7Ly8vLy8vLzs1Ly8vNS8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAZAAACAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBgEDBQD/xAAeEAACAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBBExMwUSE//EABcBAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEBwL/xAAcEQABAwUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIhAxESMUH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AEPEwvvaASAJst4WoVb9hxF2q6yttqxEMOfkFOwysVWVCRZyAZ0q8vEFLkA7kQey13bbMTOjDQ4CStZDq//Z)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604626-91.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604626-91.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604626-91.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604626-91.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604626-91.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So when you retired and you had that thinking time and you got the itch again, which I think a lot of people listening, whether they've actually explored that itch, it's the sense, 'Now, I'm gonna go for it,' or they may be sitting in a nine-to-five and wondering how they can jump into something new. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTell me a little bit about that feeling when you were sitting there thinking, 'I'm not done yet. I've got to keep going.' 'Cause it's a pretty big leap that you... You were comfortable, obviously, financially, it sounds like with retirement. But then to say, 'I'm gonna step back into the workplace and do this again.' What was that drive? What was that urge that you felt? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I feel like to live a successful life, your life has to... A lot of people over-index on passion. I think it's purpose. I think your life has to have some sort of purpose. And for me, my business has been the source of that purpose. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so with my first company, I had built it to over 150 people, and the purpose of my life was that business. It was making sure that the company was a good, strong business, so all of my people could get a paycheck every week, and that we could continue to grow the business to give opportunities for the people that worked for it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo when I sold it, I didn't have that purpose anymore, and that was what was missing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I realized that and I thought, 'Okay, well, I need the next thing.” But my businesses have always been the forcing function that drives me to learn things I don't wanna learn, to do things I don't wanna do, to be outside of my comfort zone. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I think that's one of the beautiful things about business is that it can lend your life purpose. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt can literally cause you to be a smarter, more humble, wiser person, and it can be kind of like the thing that lends an interesting storyline to your life, and all of those things kinda culminate into what I love about business and what I get out of running my company.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgFCgoFBQwFBQUFBREJCgUMFxMZGBYTFhUaHysjGh0oHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLBQUFEAUFEC8cFhwvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAVAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB//EABQQAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/xAAWAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwClAHkkAAf/2Q==)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604628-92.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604628-92.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604628-92.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604628-92.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604628-92.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDiving Into the World of Tech\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Excellent answer, and I think that's something that I'm sure people would be tapping into right now if they're listening to your story, and then also thinking, 'I haven't really found my thing yet, but I've got that feeling.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI think it's really powerful to pursue it and also really unpack what makes you happy and what you wanna do, which is where I was going to lead this next question to. When you said... And I love that it's been described as the Uber for lawn mowing... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow did you then go about going, 'Okay, I had this idea, I think it's gonna work. I've run a similar sort of business before, but now I'm gonna leap into the world of tech,' which is obviously huge, very competitive, very expensive when it comes to building things, how did you then make the plan to actually get GreenPal off the ground and fund it and make it what it is now? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e For the early days, what kinda got me and my two co-founders in the game was a healthy dose of naivety. We really didn't know what we didn't know. We didn't know how hard it was going to be to build just the technological aspect of the app and the platform. We didn't realize the difficulties of crafting a marketplace that connects buyers and sellers. We just didn't know these things, and so that naivety is what kinda got us going. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then, on the other hand, it was kind of like, 'Okay, this is hard. It's a lot harder than we thought it was going to be, but I'm just going to be working on my best idea all the time. That's just it. Failure's not an option. I'm not gonna give up. And so I'm always gonna be just working on my best thing.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd GreenPal was my best thing and still is. I guess, luckily, I'm not very creative, and so I just had this one thing. I was kind of solving my own problem in a way and just kept that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so from a practical standpoint, how did we do it? When we started the business, ideally, you'll start one of these tech companies, and you'll bring together a hacker and a hustler, somebody that can do the tech aspect of it, and somebody that is good at sales and can just make the phone ring. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWe had three hustlers. We didn't have anybody on the team that understood how to build software, and so that was difficult. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWe made a mistake in the early days. We believed if we could just pay somebody to build what we thought GreenPal should be, that we would just market it and be off and running. But that's not how it worked out. We pooled our money together and we spent $150,000 with a local development shop where I live, and they took eight months and built the platform and we launched it, and it was a total failure.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe thing did not work. It didn't have the features it needed, it just didn't fulfill the promise that we were communicating to our customers. And it was really a low point where we realized, 'Wow, okay, who are we kidding here? If we're gonna be in the tech business, we're gonna have to learn how to build tech. That's just all there is to it.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo we had to really make the decision what we were gonna do, and so one of my co-founders went to a software boot camp... It was like an eight-hour-a-day thing for six months... And he learned just enough to try to hack together something on the backend, and I learned front-end design and front-end coding. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd over a three-year period of time, we learned the skills we needed to learn ourselves to build software while working on the business while doing the stuff we were learning, and it was a tough, I guess, ticket. It was a tough admission price into the game, I guess you could say, because there's just no way to sidestep that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf you're gonna build an app, if you're gonna be in the tech business, you're gonna have to learn how to build software.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgLCgoVDiMQDg0NDh0dHhUdFx8iGBYfHhYaKy0jGh0oHRUWJDUxKC0vMjIyHSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDsoIig7Ozs7OzU7Ozs1Ozs1NS8vLy81Ozs7Ozs7Ly8vLy8vLzsvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAZAAACAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBgEDBQD/xAAeEAACAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBBESEwUxM//EABcBAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEBwL/xAAaEQABBQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEDESEx/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwBExcHucbYTaXwtXTvkPUXKr7EO1YiGDPyeH0Mq0wSW1EglvFXmYgotIUgidBrLXsbbMSZEYESrXW7Zf//Z)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604632-93.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604632-93.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604632-93.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604632-93.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604632-93.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, and that's such a bold move, but also, you're so right. To know and understand what the hell the programmers and engineers are doing, and where your money's going, I think is such a valuable piece of advice because I think when you don't understand it, and I can't purport to understand a lot of it, but I work for a tech company, and I think I watch a lot about Slack conversations happen and think, gosh, there's just so much that goes into making backend of a company like Shopify and Oberlo work, it's huge. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut also the skills and how fast-paced the industry moves, you've gotta be on your toes all the time to keep updating and making things work, I suppose. So, I love the hackers and hustlers idea, but I also love that you then created a bunch of hackers as well, which is fantastic.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFinding the Right Business Partners\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e What I optimized for when I recruited my two co-founders, I just wanted to work with two other people who wanted something more out of life, who kinda had a chip on their shoulder, who felt like they were capable of great things, who were not satisfied with the status quo and not satisfied with where they were in life. And so that's what I got. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, luckily, that was enough to help us get through the learning, the technical pieces of it. So, I think you can learn this stuff. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I would rather have a motivated person who was just willing to be successful at all costs, who didn't know how to code, than a coder who was lazy and didn't really want anything out of life.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, totally. And that's I think it's really interesting about finding a partner... Well, tell me about how you found your business partners, are they friends? Are they people that you had had dealings with before? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e These were two guys that I had known for a long time. They were friends, I trusted them, and as I said, I could just tell that they wanted something more out of life, and they felt like \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-a-business\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003estarting a business\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e was the vehicle to that, and that's part of my personal philosophy, I think your business can be your vehicle to great things in life, to improve your station in life, to cause you to be a better person. And so I saw that they recognized that, and that's why I went into business with them.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIdeally, they could have come to the table and myself included with the skills we needed. But that's just not how it worked out, and you're not gonna find that unicorn co-founder, you're gonna have to... I think, first, it makes sense to optimize for somebody who just has that drive, has that ambition, is willing to do whatever it takes to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-be-successful\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebe successful\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and then you can learn the other stuff downstream.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, totally. And it's great that you say that 'cause I think a lot of people starting out thinking, 'Gosh, this seems like a lot of work to do on my own, I'd love someone to share the load with, but also be able to brainstorm and have those sort of inspirational moments,' that I'm sure you've had with your co-founders. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut it can sometimes be hard to find the right people. So, it's nice to think that you've known those guys for a long time, but also trust them and share that sort of friendship with as well. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIs that the advice you would give, if people are looking for business partners, how do we go about finding those people? You seem quite lucky that you've had them in your life already.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Got lucky, got very lucky.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It can be tricky.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Got very lucky. And so my advice as it relates to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/the-advantages-of-starting-a-business-with-a-partner\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebusiness partners\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, is to try to do it without partners, to try to figure out a way… Because a partnership, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ea business partnership is in many ways more serious and harder to unwind and reverse than a traditional marriage.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou think about the person you marry, you wanna spend the rest of your life with them, you're gonna date them for a year or two, three years, sometimes longer, you're gonna really put a lot of weight in that decision, whereas a lot of people will start a business with a partner and not even know them more than a month. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd the reality is, it's a lot harder to unwind that business partnership. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd if your business is successful, you're gonna spend a decade with this person, and you may even, in a weird way, in a cynical way, you'll spend more time with this business partner than you will with your actual spouse.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgFCgoFBQwFBQUFBREJCgUMFxMZGBYTFhUaHysjGh0oHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLBQUFEAUFEC8cFhwvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAVAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB//EABQQAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/xAAWAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwClAHkkAAf/2Q==)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604635-94.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604635-94.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604635-94.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604635-94.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604635-94.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, really thinking that through first and foremost, try to figure out a way to do it without partners, a lot of this stuff that you think you need a partner for, you can \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/five-tasks-every-entrepreneur-needs-to-start-delegating-immediately\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edelegate\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and you can get contractors to help you with. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo don't get married until it really feels right, like the same as for business partnerships, unless you really just are in love with that partner and you wanna start a business with them and you wanna get in the trenches with them for a decade, then yes. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eMost great businesses were done by a couple or three partners. So if it's a match made in heaven, go for it. But don't try to force it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDon't try to jump in the trenches with somebody when it's not perfect, it's not right. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd you know that there are probably things that they're gonna cause you not to work well with them. Because not only are you gonna spend a lot of time with this person, but if you get that decision wrong, it can really torpedo your business. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause if they don't pull their weight or they don't have the expertise that you thought they did, and now you've got all this dead weight, and it can be the cause or the thing that causes you to give up.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's such a good analogy. The dating and the business partner situations 'cause I think you're right, there are a lot of stories you sort of hear where people have jumped in and also just about personality and figuring out if you actually like this person and if they problem-solve in the same way and yeah, it can be... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI mean, I think about all the different workplaces I've been over the last of 20 years and think, gee, there are a lot of people I don't really wanna spend extra time with outside of work and who might be great at their jobs, but not necessarily people I wanna hang out with. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I think when you were just talking about marriage and work, I was thinking about going, yeah, there's not a lot of those people that I would wanna have to burn the midnight oil with and order a pizza with around the desk that doesn't involve working for someone else.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So, we're literally talking 60-, 70-, 80-, 90-hour weeks in the first few years to get it going and you better just really love working with that person.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Do your dating... Do your...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Do your dating, do your founder dating.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTreating Customer Service Like an R\u0026amp;D Center\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Your corporate dating. Founder dating is very important. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBryan, let's talk about the day-to-day running now of GreenPal, and just a little bit about \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-service\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer service\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, which I think seems to be a huge, a big part of your business. It's finding the people that do the job and then making sure they're doing it properly. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd customer service in \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, whether you're selling a physical product or a service as well, is so important. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I wanted to maybe get some of your best tips for customer service and also when you're launching a business, how we can service the people that are helping us by funding us, by giving us money. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo GreenPal, tell me a little bit about how you go about making sure your customers are happy because you've got a lot of... Are they subcontractors that work for you in the mowing and doing all the work? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So the marketplace connects buyers and sellers. And so we have homeowners that come on to the app, need to get their grass cut, and we connect them with contractors that do that work, and we take a small transactional fee. So the lawn mowing services that use a platform don't work for us. They use our technology to run their business. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut the home owners that use our platform, we have to serve them. We have to answer their questions, we have to figure out what went wrong when things go wrong. And for us, a lot of people wanna look at customer service as like a cost center, or as a liability, or as they wanna frame it as just something that has to be done. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd for us, because we're bootstrapped, we haven't raised any outside capital, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ewe've looked at customer service and customer feedback as like our R\u0026amp;D center, as the thing that causes us to constantly have the ship steered in the right direction. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIn the early days, and even now, we've made it as simple as possible for people to reach us, to talk to us, to tell us what's going on, tell us what they're disappointed about, tell us what they wish it would do, tell us where they're happy. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd on every interface on the app and website, there's a chat screen, a chat bubble that goes right to somebody that instantly picks up. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I myself still do like an hour or two of customer service tickets every day because I don't want there to be a gap between customer logic and company logic\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBhEICAgLCg0LDhYQDRUVDh0fEhENFxMZGBYTFhYaHyslHR0oHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDsoIh07Ly87Oy87OzsvOzUvLy8vLy8vNTU7NS8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAZAAACAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBAEFBgD/xAAhEAABBAEDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIDBCIxMjMFEhMVIf/EABYBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMHAf/EABoRAAICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAREDMTL/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMPW6cHtycE96mPw7gqSOxKwfHlGN2x2chVXdMl9BBZ6Ai0cuSj55HjJxKhMqvWzbiD/2Q==)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604638-95.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604638-95.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604638-95.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604638-95.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604638-95.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, that's good.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So most companies look at everything from company logic, what are the company's objectives, what is the company trying to do, what are the company's problems, and then as time goes on, there's this big chasm that develops between company logic and customer logic. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so if you're always talking with your customer, making it really easy for them to talk to you, you close that gap and you're never at a loss for, 'Okay, well, we've got 23 engineers that are working on stuff in this company. What should they be working on? What are the features they should be building? What are the bugs they should be fixing?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I don't just mean technical bugs, but just little things that the customer wished or expected to happen that didn't. And so if you're always speaking with the people using your product on a daily basis, you're never at a loss or a wonder as to what these people should be... What your team should be working on. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And I suppose it's a thing about customer service and getting in there early on, and especially if you're \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/ecommerce-how-to-start-and-succeed\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003estarting an ecommerce business\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e or an app that, as you said, you can understand the challenges that are being faced by your customers, but also yes, sometimes really simple solutions that can come in and be found once you've had a bit of a hands-on look like you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's fantastic to hear that. And I love that you're doing the hour a day.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. And in the early days, it's hand-cranking sales too, which you desperately need to get revenue. So it's two-fold. It's not like, 'Oh, what does this customer want?' It's like, 'Oh, I need to know what's going on, and, A, I need to get that sale, but, B, that's leading us in the right direction.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it's like customer feedback is not happening to you as the entrepreneur, it's happening for you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen I go to a restaurant and the service sucks, I just don't say anything and I never go back. My friend that I go with, he is all over the waiters. He is... 'Can I talk to the manager?' It is embarrassing, and it's like you want my friend as your customer, believe it or not. You don't want me because my friend's gonna tell you where you stink. He's gonna tell you what you need to work on. Me, I'm just not coming back, and I'm not gonna give anybody a recommendation. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo it's like you want that customer, you want that customer that's gonna tell you where you come up short, so then you know what you need to be working on.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgFCgoFBQwFBQUFBREJCgUMFxMZGBYTFhUaHysjGh0oHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLBQUFEAUFEC8cFhwvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAVAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB//EABQQAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/xAAWAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwClAHkkAAf/2Q==)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604640-96.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604640-96.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604640-96.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604640-96.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604640-96.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBuilding a Business on Customer Retention\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, then let's go look at \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-retention\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer retention\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e then and how you make sure people come back ‘cause I think that's a big thing as well with people who go, 'Yeah, I've got a sale,' but it's also like, as you said with the restaurant to say, 'Okay, how do we get people to come back? And then how do we get people to come back to GreenPal?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIs it about just excellent customer service, making sure the job is done? Is it about offering discounts? Or is it just about being able to offer a service that you know is ongoing, which is obviously a great place to be in from your perspective, because people's lawn, it grows and then it needs to be mowed again? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, our business is built on retention because we can't just go out and buy a bunch of new customers. We have to keep and hold on to the ones that use our product. And we have found the best way to do that is to focus on service provider quality. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo if they use our app and they get hooked up with a lawn mowing service that didn't do a good job of getting the weeds out of the garden and didn't make nice edges on the driveway, it doesn't matter how good our technology is, or how good our app is, or how well-designed our app is, or how fast it runs. They're not coming back. It didn't do what it was supposed to do. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo we relentlessly focused on how to promote good service providers and sideline and demote the bad ones. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so we have about 20 different metrics that we use to measure the service providers that use our platform in terms of: Do they show up on time? Do they get booked for a second lawn mowing? Do they get good star ratings from their clients? Do they win a lot of the bids that they quote? Are they quoting a fair price or too high or too low? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so it's like all of these different things that we measure, and then we use that data to promote the best performing vendors and surface them to where a homeowner can just hire them right off the shelf, kind of like Amazon. And then the ones that aren't reliable, that don't show up on time, they get demoted and sometimes expelled from the platform. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so that's our value proposition. The homeowner comes on to our platform and they can get done in a minute what might take them a week or a month and several different spins of trying different people in their neighborhood. We solve all of that for them just through the data that our platform acquires and measuring who's doing well and who's not, and that's the biggest lever we can pull to keep customers using the product. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo certainly, we have messaging in place to try to pull them back in like \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-email-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eemail marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and what we call red-flag metrics when somebody's going cold, we try to pull them back in, that stuff, table stakes, but really at \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ethe essence of retention is just offering a good, delightful experience \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eof: I push a button, I get a great person to come mow the yard at a good price, and they show up when they're supposed to.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoPCAgLChUXDhUNFQ0ZDh0VFhUSFxMZGCIVFh8mKysjGh0oHRYWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDsoIhw7OzU7Oy87Ozs7LzsvLy8vLzUvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAYAAACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBQABBv/EAB4QAAICAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAAMEEzEyBSEi/8QAFgEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgMH/8QAGhEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECMRESIf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AwGPh7eWjJvFV6OwiWu11HyxEIOZfp7mVqcZt8Yq6LvwhWPTSQR7XbliZIa2xYLaP/9k=)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604643-97.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604643-97.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604643-97.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604643-97.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614604643-97.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, which is all we can hope for, especially when you're providing a service-based business, it's just yeah, someone does what you're paying them to do with minimal fuss, and you bring them back again next month.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Exactly.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, and that's great. I don't want people to be... I think when people listen to this podcast, it's often thinking about a physical product, and I actually think that a lot of the times, obviously some of the best ideas, the most profitable ideas that have been out in the last ten years have been service-based ideas. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I think it's great to sort of hopefully spark a bit of interest from our listeners who might be like, 'I don't know if I wanna sell something, but maybe I'm really good at doing something or providing a service.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo it's really great speaking with you, Bryan, 'cause I hope it's given some people listening a bit of inspiration to maybe think outside the box when it comes to wanting to sell products, but maybe they've got a great service they can help people with.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Absolutely, it's my pleasure.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Bryan, before we go, I have to ask you, I've moved into a new home in November, the lawn is a little crappy, let's talk about your best lawn care tips.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNo, I'm recording in Australia. So it is the middle of summer, and I've been told, 'Listen, just ride it out for the rest of summer and then fix it in winter. Don't try and fix the lawn now.' Is that the right advice? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's actually, believe it or not, the right advice. When it's hot, the lawn is, it's... Just try again next year. Temperatures have to be just right for that grass to start growing again.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Good. I'm gonna blame it on the previous homeowner and say, 'Look, I didn't mess it up.'\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's not your fault.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I talk to it, I mow it, but it is in dire need of some weeding and some help. And that's why we need GreenPal in Australia, so if you can get that cooking, that'd be great.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e We'll be there soon enough.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Hey, Bryan, if people wanna check out more of what you do and learn more about your business, where can they reach you and maybe book a lawn mowing, hopefully.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, anybody listening to this in the United States that doesn't wanna waste time mowing their own yard, they can just download GreenPal in the App Store or Play Store. Anybody that wants to reach me, LinkedIn's the best way to get me. You can just \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-clayton\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eshoot me a message there\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Great. Hey, Bryan, thank you so much for your time. It's been lovely speaking with you. I'm gonna go and talk to my lawn right now and hopefully inspire it to not die.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBryan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e My pleasure. Thanks for having me on.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant to Learn More?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/first-time-ecommerce-entrepreneur-story\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e8 Months and $1M Later: How One First-Time Ecommerce Entrepreneur Made His Fortune\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/harry-coleman-not-an-overnight-success\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThis Is Not an Overnight Success Story: How Harry Grew His Million Dollar Businesses\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/shutting-down-successful-one-product-store\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThis Entrepreneur’s One Product Store Made $680k in Three Months. Then He Shut It All Down.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/college-students-million-dollar-store\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eMeet the College Student Trying to Graduate While Building a Million Dollar Empire\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003c/ul\u003e\",\"excerpt\",\"When Bryan and his co-founders set out to launch GreenPal, things didn't quite go as planned.And it was something they learned the hard way: investing $150,000 and eight months to have a local developer build their platform, only to have it fail.That's when they realized: If you want to be in tech, you have to learn how to build software.Keeping that in mind, and putting customer service and retention at the forefront of their business, Bryan and his partners drove GreenPal to a $20 million-a-year business.He joins us on this episode of Start Yours to share his inspirational journey to entrepreneurial success and gives us some valuable tips and advice. Whether you're selling physical products or services, this is one episode you'll be learning lots from.We hope you enjoy the podcast and will consider subscribing. Don't forget to hop on over to the Oberlo blog for more content.Short on time? Here's a seven-point TL;DR version: Bryan first taste of the lawn mowing business came when his father told him to get off the Nintendo and mow his neighbor's lawn. From there, he launched a 150-strong lawn mowing business and growing it to over $10 million in revenue. Business can lend your life purpose. It makes you smarter, more humble, and wiser. After spending losing money and time on creating a platform for GreenPal, Bryan and his partners decided to take things into their own hands and learn how to code. A business partnership is, in many ways, more serious and harder to unwind and reverse than a traditional marriage. Customer feedback is not happening to you as the entrepreneur. It's happening for you. To narrow the gap between customer logic and company logic, Bryan himself still dedicates an hour or two a day to handling customer tickets.\",\"seo\",{\"_464\":487,\"_71\":488,\"_179\":489},\"SEO\",\"From Side Hustle to a $20M-a-Year Business \",\"Bryan Clayton, founder of GreenPal, joins us on this episode of Start Yours to share with us the story behind the company's success. \",\"authorV2\",{\"_464\":492,\"_493\":494,\"_495\":496,\"_497\":56},\"ArticleAuthor\",\"name\",\"Shopify API\",\"avatarUrl\",\"https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e?s=200\u0026d=404\",\"isDisabledAuthor\",\"metafields\",[-5,-5,500,-5,-5,506,-5,-5,509,-5,-5,-5,512,515,518,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5],{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":503,\"_504\":302,\"_505\":-5},\"Metafield\",\"value\",\"Episode 70\",\"key\",\"reference\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":507,\"_504\":508,\"_505\":-5},\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=SCGGH6240466556\",\"podcasturl\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":510,\"_504\":511,\"_505\":-5},\"false\",\"noindex\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":513,\"_504\":514,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-03-01T14:48:37+01:00\",\"updatedat\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":516,\"_504\":517,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-03-01T14:33:26+01:00\",\"createdat\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":519,\"_504\":520,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-03-01T14:35:20+01:00\",\"publishedat\",\"imageUrl\",\"imageAltText\",\"imageClass\",\"createdAt\",\"createdAtRaw\",\"modifiedAt\",\"May 3, 2024\",\"modifiedAtRaw\",{\"_464\":375,\"_465\":530,\"_59\":531,\"_71\":532,\"_469\":533,\"_195\":534,\"_476\":537,\"_481\":541,\"_483\":542,\"_485\":543,\"_490\":545,\"_498\":546,\"_521\":535,\"_522\":536,\"_523\":-7,\"_524\":-7,\"_525\":-7,\"_526\":527,\"_528\":533},\"gid://shopify/Article/559904653334\",\"the-money-mindset-difference-how-to-plan-for-success\",\"The Money Mindset Difference – How to Plan For Success\",\"2024-05-03T07:13:22Z\",{\"_464\":472,\"_6\":535,\"_474\":536},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1614004145-blog-headings.png?v=1714720402\",\"The Money Mindset Difference - How to Plan For Success image header\",[478,479,538,539,540],\"mindset\",\"money\",\"your-life\",\"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe Decision to Start Financial Blogging\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Fiona, thank you so much for joining me on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eStart Yours\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. It's really great to be chatting with you and to learn more about what you do and also how we can help our listeners get control of their money and also their mindset when it comes to making money, which I think is a huge topic.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it, and I'm super excited to share some of this knowledge.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, no, let's start at the beginning. It's great to have you here. Tell me a little bit about how you got into financial blogging, and also what sort of has motivated you specifically to help millennials and that sort of age group of people get their shit together when it comes to money.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I love it. Yeah, so I guess it really started when I was around ten years old. The people that influenced me to focus and really dive into finance were my grandparents. My grandparents, they were everything to me. They passed away. That's why I say 'were.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThey built this business together. It was a mom-and-pop shop, basically, nothing huge. But they spent every single day, essentially, of their lives, of their working lives building up this company. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd, unfortunately, due to some poor financial planning, they actually lost everything, the business, and more.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, gosh.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so they mortgaged their house, and they lost their house. Basically, they were, I think, mid-70s or so, and they lost everything and were essentially homeless, living in the streets. And that was... When I saw them go through that, and we obviously helped them out and whatnot, but when I saw my grandparents go through that and the emotional stress... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI mean, granted, I was ten at the time, but I think that just left such a lasting impact and that just caused me to think, 'Okay, first of all, I never wanna go through that. And second of all, I wanna help anyone that I can not go through that same situation.'\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And that's a really great motivator, and I also think we spend so much time when we're young absorbing information, seeing how our parents deal with money, and as you said, your grandparents and seeing, I'm sure, people that you saw to be really successful and then have that burn of losing everything would have been hugely impactful. As you said, it's really motivated you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's really tricky when you look at our elders and the change, I suppose, in the money mindset and thinking about how we think about \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/side-hustle\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003estarting the side hustles\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and stepping outside of the nine-to-five. A lot of our parents and grandparents probably look at that and go, 'Are you crazy?' Or if you change jobs all the time. I freelanced for years, and my grandfather, who was a school teacher for 50 years, was always like, 'Have you lost another job?' He just never really got it, and I'm like, 'No, Poppy, I'm just moving on to the next gig. This is what we do.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut it was a real change of mindset for him to realize that I wasn't getting fired all the time. I was just finishing a job and moving on. I wasn't a bad person. I wasn't a bad employee all the time.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo yeah, it's interesting to see the mindset change between generations, because most listeners who are listening to this now are probably working multiple jobs or wanting to launch side hustles, which is something our grandparents probably would never have considered doing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e That's absolutely right. I think it's just that entire mindset change, and especially now, we live in the internet age where we have so much information virtually at our fingertips where you can basically... As long as you have a computer, WiFi, and some type of dedication, you can definitely \u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-a-business\\\"\u003ebuild a business\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgLCgoWDhgQEg0NEx0VFhUNFxUZHRYfFhUaHysjHR0oHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDsoIig7Oy87OzU7OzsvNS8vLy8vLy8vLzs7NS8vLy8vLy8vLy8vNS8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAZAAACAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBgEDBQD/xAAeEAABBAEFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIDBBIFERMiM//EABYBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQHAv/EABwRAAEDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAASEDERJBUf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8ARamnmV43IWsNEYY98gl+GzKx3V5RzL9nH0Kq1Yal4JGJ+Km5R4JCAQVyGsTySSHJxKhIETtLrWTbX//Z)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004122-83.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004122-83.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004122-83.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004122-83.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004122-83.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so you took this sort of drive, you have a Master's of Science. Is that right? And then also you're into personal finance planning. Tell me about those two degrees, and then also how... We're gonna get to what we're doing today, but how we can help our listeners really build up from steady financial foundations to huge financial success.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Definitely. So back to that story. Ten years old, obviously, you don't really know exactly what you wanna be at ten, but...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No way. But then I was like, 'I wanna be an astronaut, I wanna be a lawyer,” or whatnot, but no. But I think, as you said, that was such a pivotal time in my life. So I think the seed really started growing, from starting at ten years old and then going into the college years, so we're talking late teens, early 20s. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd that's where I really wanted to figure out, I was just curious, I guess. Curiosity is kind of what drove me to learn more about finance because I wanted to figure out what happens between the point when you earn money and the point where you spend money. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow do you actually use money to make more money? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe investing basically. And we always hear like, 'Oh, the wealthy, they have the tax... They use their tax advantages. They use trusts, and they use, I don't know, other investment accounts and etcetera, etcetera.' And I was like, 'I wanna know what they know,' and so that is what really drove me to understand more about finance. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd yes, as you said, I got this Master's degree and really focused on just financial planning because again, I don't want that to happen, what happened to my grandparents. So trying to prevent that at all costs to my family and also anyone that I can positively impact.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's interesting you talking about exploring finance and shares and looking at investments. I think that seems to be at the tipping point for a lot of people who then move into running their own businesses or getting into \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/what-is-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e or launching their own side hustle. It's that sort of initial bit of inquisitiveness that comes in probably like in your teen years or college years when you're like, 'Hang on, all these people are making all this money. Then why can't I do it as well?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I think it's an interesting little spark that a lot of my guests and merchants that we feature on the show experience where they're just like, 'There has to be more than just a nine-to-five, or there have to be other sorts of tips and avenues to explore.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTell me a little bit about when you reached that point in your early 20s. What was it that was the key to you sort of stepping outside and starting to spend your own money to invest and making these decisions that have taken you where you are now? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Absolutely. When I was in college... And as I'm sure you can tell by my accent, I'm from America. So the American school system, at least the way I was brought up, was: You go to college, you find a nine-to-five, you work for 40+ years, and then retire and that's it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd to be honest, I literally, I think I was somewhat brainwashed, I'll admit it, because I never questioned that. I never thought, 'Oh, is that really how life should be, or do you wanna find something that you can build and kind of grow on your own, like a business, ecommerce, whatever?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I never questioned it until I started asking myself more about what's happening when you invest your money? And I think that that path, that curiosity kind of led me to figure out, number one, you wanna obviously \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003einvest your money, but number two, you wanna invest in yourself, and number three, you wanna invest in your network. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so as I really started growing my network and with like-minded people and to be very honest, people that were much, much better than me, I started realizing that there is so much more to life than just a regular nine-to-five, and yeah, that's how I started to really think about starting a website and kind of building this business.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgLChILGQ0VDg4VDh0VFRYNFx8ZGBYVFhUdHzcjGh0oHSEWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDsoIig7Ozs7Ozs7OzsvOzsvLy8vLzs7Ly8vLy8vOzUvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAZAAABBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAEDBQf/xAAgEAABBAEEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIDBAUTITIzERIU/8QAFgEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQMB/8QAGhEAAwADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECESExA//aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A0KzlA2TZqDOaOrxKuZqcDneSwIf4K3v1hJRfljgQQVMpqS7hOiqtSFkxIYElKqhvSNSP/9k=)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004125-84.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004125-84.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004125-84.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004125-84.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004125-84.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBuilding the 45-Year Plan With Delayed Gratification\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's great. So you basically went, 'Okay, there has to be more than this.' Tell me a little bit about you purchasing your first home in early doors when you were quite young. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat motivated you to do that? 'Cause I don't think there are many young people out there that... Well, certainly in my friendship group that did that and actually took a step into that world when we were all probably still partying and dicking around a little bit.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so I guess I must say, as a disclosure, I was always a little bit different than the average person. So for example, I love planning. I mean, even to this day, I have a 45-year plan ahead.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Do you? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I really do. Yes, I know it's sad, but I do.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e You're a financial planner. That's fine. That's what you do. That's your thing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, that's true. That's my excuse. So when I was like 16, 17, I really started forming my plan, informally, so I didn't have anything formal. But I did visualize, 'Where do I wanna be geographically-wise and obviously career-wise too, in ten years, in 20 years, and in 40 years down the road?' So I kind of tried to visualize and informally create this road map of what I wanted to do in my future. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so I think creating a road map at such an early age helped me realize that, number one, I wanted to get through college as fast as possible, because the typical university in America lasts about four years, your undergraduate, and it's a lot of money. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYeah, so I tried to cut that down by roughly two years. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I graduated early and I got right into a career, right into the finance industry, and was able to save as much as I could those first couple of years, at which point I, one, had saved enough for a down payment on a house, and number two, I knew the area and I never wanted to leave this area, which is in Florida. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so I was able to... I searched probably for months. It took a very long time to find 'the' house and then with some negotiating success, that was luck, I'll give it all to luck. I was lucky to negotiate the price down a little bit, but that is basically what helped me buy my first house at 23.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, see you say luck, but I also think that you have demonstrated that you certainly had, as you said, a plan and you were motivated and you saved. And that's, I think, hugely beneficial at that age to be able to have the hindsight to go, 'Let's invest the money.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo you purchased the property and then where did it go from there? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Right. So basically from there, again, I'm not your typical early 20-year-old millennial, now. What I did then, after I bought the house, right, then my next step was figuring out, 'What did I want out of my life?' So for me... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEveryone has a different version of success. Success is subjective. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e for me, success was just finding the time to still work, so earn money, but do the things that I wanna do.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e In other words, I wanted to travel. I wanted to not be bound to an office job. Honestly, when I found out that you do not need to have a nine-to-five to live a good life, I was like, 'Okay. I am not ever doing that again.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo just figuring out, again, my plan, my goals, my short-term, my mid-term, and my long-term goals, and knowing that I wanted to build enough money and invest enough money so I could retire at an early age. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI started maxing out my retirement plans. I started investing everything I could and giving up a little bit, in terms of spending on, whatever it is, going out, partying, nice clothes. And for that, moving it for delayed gratification to get that satisfaction in the future.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgLCgoWDiQTDRIWDhIVFBUNFx8ZGBYVHhUaHy0jJh0oHSEiJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDsoIig7Ozs7Oy87Ozs1Oy8vLy8vLy87Lzs7Ly8vLy8vLy8vLzsvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAYAAACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBQADBv/EAB0QAAICAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAAMEERITMgX/xAAWAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBwL/xAAaEQACAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgARIWED/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDA42L3OAToRuvyajV6ER02OjDidQ4ZV3D2ZWfVXvDBbkoysRabCFaSD22O9hLHckYBq0zYqf/Z)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004128-85.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004128-85.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004128-85.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004128-85.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004128-85.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, and that's an interesting part. I've been reading a lot about the financial independence movement, the FI movement that you might be able to... Yeah, and I think people listening, if you haven't looked into it, it's really worth a bit of delving deeper into what they do. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut the idea is, I suppose, that it is that delayed gratification that people are saying, 'Well, what is the goal in the end? Is it to retire before you're 40 or is it to pay your house fully off?' So what are the sacrifices, I suppose, without going completely nuts and not enjoying life? But it's finding that balance. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it's such an interesting movement, and seeing so many younger people get involved in it, it's fascinating. It's really worth a look if you haven't looked already.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It really is. I think it first started in... This Stanford professor, a researcher, created this experiment, the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://jamesclear.com/delayed-gratification\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003emarshmallow experiment\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, in the 1970s. I'm sure you've heard of it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, tell us. It's great.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so he basically conducted this experiment to determine how personality traits in young children could determine their future success or lack thereof. And what he did was he basically gave the child a choice of receiving one instant reward, which was, I think a marshmallow, one marshmallow, right away, or receiving two marshmallows if the child decided to wait for a certain period of time. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it's so simple, but honestly... So he basically tracked these kids throughout their lives and found that those who elected to get the marshmallow right away instead of getting two in the future, they were actually... They had a little bit less success. They were a little bit more rash, had poor decisions, lack of self-control, a higher probability of living paycheck to paycheck, etcetera. So it's just very interesting. So yeah, delayed gratification, it could be a trait, but it can also be learned, for sure.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eMindset vs Cash Accessibility\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And do you think then looking at the mindset... Let's hone in a little bit on today's topic. With the mindset of making money and being wealthy or having success, does it come back to that for you? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eOr what do you talk to your clients about when it comes to people that come and say, 'Hey, I wanna make a lot of money,' or, 'I wanna be financially independent by this age, how do I achieve this?' Is it partly mindset or is it also just access to cash? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I think you made such a good point just no\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ew. It is, in my opinion, probably 80 percent mindset and the rest is definitely access to cash, ob\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eviously, income earning potential, and a few other factors. But the majority, as you said, is absolutely part of the mindset. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I see a lot of people fall victim to the YOLO, the “you only live once” mindset. So they think, 'Well, you live now, and you're never gonna be 27, 30, or whatever it is, years old, so we're gonna go and spend our money.' But the thing is, of course, life is finite. I get that. But that also doesn't mean you should be spending every last penny you earn. It means to be a little bit more cautious, in other words, invest, because chances are you're going to live to tomorrow. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou're going to live into the future, and you need to make sure that you are also, mentally, you're prepared for it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause I see some clients, they earn... I wanna say they earn about a million dollars a year. A million dollars a year. And they are, I wanna say, in their late 70s, and they are so concerned about running out of money, running out of money at earning a million dollars a year. Just think about that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgFCgoFBQwFBQUFBREJCgUMFxMZGBYTFhUaHysjGh0oHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLBQUFEAUFEC8cFhwvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAVAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB//EABQQAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/xAAWAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwClAHkkAAf/2Q==)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004130-86.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004130-86.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004130-86.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004130-86.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004130-86.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's crazy.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it's insane. But that's because they worked their entire life and they spent their entire life. So they literally have nothing saved earning a million dollars a year. It's just incredible. So they did not practice that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's bonkers and it's also just panic-inducing that people would be at that stage, at that life stage as well, but also when you should be relaxing and enjoying yourself. It floors me that people are still like that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut also, of course they are, 'cause people burn money all the time and do silly things. That's a lot of personal judgment there, but I just panicked myself going, 'Oh my gosh, just think about retirement. Have I got enough money? Who knows... '\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I hear you.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen Is It Time to Leave Your Day Job?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So many of our listeners are nine-to-fivers and who are looking to escape or at least add on to their income to start side businesses. We do a lot of talk about \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/what-is-dropshipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edropshipping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and ecommerce, these are things that you can run whilst doing other things after hours, but also it can get pretty full-on, and especially with the burnout aspect of it as well. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat is some advice you give your clients that you can share with our Start Yours listeners about the mindset when it comes to, maybe not necessarily taking a leap straight away and leaving a nine-to-five, but when is the right time to do it, and both psychologically, but also financially? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd how do you not get too caught up in the excitement of making a couple of sales online and then going, 'That's it, I'm ditching the day job. I'm out.'\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I love this. No, this is a great question. I guess I should start out by saying a couple of statistics. So for example, in America, at least, 45 percent, so close to half of Americans have a side hustle outside of their primary jobs, and that was in 2019, and this number has literally been growing just exponentially every single year, especially in COVID now. With COVID, people losing jobs, that number is just increasing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd on top of that, 73 percent of those who do side hustles earn up to $500 a month minimum, basically, or more, depending on obviously the industry you're in. So just thinking about those two statistics, I think it makes so much sense to consider diversifying their income streams. And what I refer to that, also with my clients being Millennials all the way to those who are 70 and up, is in investing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen you consider investing your money, chances are, you don't wanna invest 100 percent of your money in one stock or in one thing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAs the saying goes, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket,' you wanna diversify. And I think the same thing goes for income. So you have your nine-to-five, and then you potentially have your side hustle. So the question, 'When do you know if you're ready for a full-time or for starting a side hustle at all?' I think it depends on a couple of factors.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNumber one, it has to do with, 'Are you financially ready?' It doesn't matter what type of side hustle you're doing, but are you financially ready? Because chances are when you start a side hustle, you will likely have to invest some portion of your money, it could be your time, it could be your energy, right? You're going to have to invest something to get something out of it, obviously. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo that's number one. I think the most important thing is to research your side hustle, so if it's ecommerce, dropshipping, whatever it is, how much does it actually cost you to invest? And do you have that money readily available? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe second thing is, I would also consider your passion for the side hustle because...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, that's good.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, because... Okay, let's say you wanna earn money. Okay, everyone wants to earn money. And let's say you decide to go for a side hustle, I don't know, like a dog walker, for example. You're a high-end dog walker, but you absolutely don't like dogs and you just hate walking and you just hate everything about it, but you like the money aspect. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhy would you do this if you don't like what you do? The chances of you stopping at some point or giving up are so, so high. So I think the number one thing is figuring out what you're passionate about. What do you like doing, and what actually starts your engine in the morning and gets you up and going? You need that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgLFgoLDhgaDg0VDh0THRYVHRkZHSIaJSEaHysjHSkoHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDUoIig7Ozs7Oy87OzsvLzs7Ozs1LzsvLzsvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAWAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAb/xAAeEAABBAIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEDBAVBFCEiEf/EABcBAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDBwH/xAAZEQACAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgASMQP/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMLSpic/bpElCMrbN9QqUhDL06jsS85vW1V3XpbYgiMyeOGMGdiUj5OeQhFnLSkSK9dmMQNn/9k=)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004133-87.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004133-87.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004133-87.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004133-87.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004133-87.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I think a lot of people say, 'Oh, this is gonna make me cash, I'll enjoy it 'cause it's bringing me cash,' but then the monotony of running the business in the day becomes something that people will just give up on because they're like, 'Oh, this is not for me at all,' or, 'No, I have no interest in the product or the service that I'm supplying,' and it's often forgotten because people overlook that for the money that can come in. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd maybe you can just do something for two or three months and it can make you the cash you want and you can move on. But also, it's about sustaining a business, I suppose, and if you're gonna leave one thing that you possibly don't like or isn't giving you the vibes that you need to keep going, doing the job properly, then yeah, you should consider that if you're entering into a new business, and I think it's not said enough. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I'm really glad you mentioned it and I hope people listening can ponder a little bit on when they choose to leave or what they're choosing to do, and how they can sustain and maintain their sanity and fun, and not just think about cash. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eCash is fun, but it's not everything.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eUnderstanding the Basics of Business\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's absolutely right, absolutely. Okay, so I think the next thing that is important at least to remember if you're ready to start a side business, side hustle, is understanding your business basics. It doesn't mean that you need to be an attorney and set up your own limited liability company or corporation or whatever. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut I think it is important to understand obviously the laws surrounding some of the business basics. Like, do you have to disclose you're an affiliate? Do you have to include legal basic paperwork? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause if you're going to commit to a side hustle, whatever it is, dropshipping, blogging, for example, or whatnot, it could always be that one person out there, and if they find something wrong and you don't have proper legal measures, for example, especially in America, that could financially ruin you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo that's important to do some of that research and not just legal work, but also understand, how do you market this company? How do you get customers? What do you do with your money? How do you reinvest into your business? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo those are some things that I think are really important, and especially understanding trends and possibly shifts within your niche business, very important to understand the market. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I would suggest doing the research way before you begin to invest and actually start and commit that time to your side hustle.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, these are such good points. And also, I think the idea, people make a lot of money, especially in dropshipping, some people have excellent luck and skills, and they make a really tidy profit, then forget that they have to pay tax or forget that they have to move the money, if they wanna move the money offshore. If they're trading in the states, but they live somewhere else, these are all these very boring, but very important... Not boring, they're probably not boring to you 'cause this is what you deal with all the time as a planner. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut I think people sort of get overrun with the excitement of profit and then they get the Debbie Downers when they realize, 'Oh, this is not all my money,' or, 'Maybe I should be investing it in my next business.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo yeah, the forethought and being strategic when it comes to that mindset change is so important, and I suppose that's what successful wealthy people, maybe, I don't wanna put it all in one barrel 'cause some people are very lucky, but get out of it with their pre-planning and their thinking about that sort of stuff.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Absolutely, yeah, and what I've seen happen a lot of times, for at least those people that run successful businesses, is they have a couple of different accounts surrounding their business. So what I'm trying to say is, number one, they have, for example, a regular business checking account, number two, they have an emergency, like a rainy day fund in case, I don't know, they just need to pull themselves over and their employees over during a rough period. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd third, oftentimes, and you brought this up actually just now, taxes, you're responsible for your own taxes, so you need to make sure \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ewhen you get some income, a portion of that income is routed to a third or at least a different account to store up the money for taxes.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Because more often than not, I've seen it often, clients get side swept because they get whacked with a huge tax bill. We're talking $30,000 or whatever it is you make in a year, so it's very, very important you save money for taxes, absolutely.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgFCgoFBQwFBQUFBREJCgUMFxMZGBYTFhUaHysjGh0oHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLBQUFEAUFEC8cFhwvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAVAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB//EABQQAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/xAAWAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwClAHkkAAf/2Q==)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004136-88.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004136-88.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004136-88.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004136-88.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004136-88.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eStarting a Side Hustle: What to Do and What Not to Do\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, yeah, and it's so easy, as you said, new account, don't even touch it, just we move it straight there, it's not even gonna be a problem when the tax man or woman comes to collect later in the year or earlier in the year, depending on where you are in the world. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eLooking at the mindset then as well with your clients, if someone comes to you and says, 'I've had this great idea for a side hustle, I think it's gonna work, I'm gonna give it a crack in the next sort of six months,' what are some of the expenses... Just like thinking about our lives, what are some of the expenses we should be putting money away for to create a runway that not only helps us launch a business, but thinking about personal expenses? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat are some of the bits of advice that you would give your clients, if we came to you and said, 'This is the big goal, I wanna leave the workforce and start my own thing'? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Certainly. Yeah, so I will share a story that I hope will inspire you not to follow in the same footsteps. So this is something you don't wanna do. So I was helping someone who basically went no communication for six months or so. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHe was a 28-year-old earning $140,000 a year, a really great job, was going to become a young executive, but he hated his job, hated every single day of his job, and his goal was to create his own business. Now, please don't do what he did because he, in the middle of the year, without talking to me about it, just up and quit his job and then started... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHe had a little bit of emergency savings, not much, didn't build it up. He started researching his business, started networking and all of that, and actually ran out of money, so he had to find a new job and his business didn't work. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo moral of the story, don't just cold-turkey quit your nine-to-five. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe right way to approach it, or at least one of the right ways to approach transitioning successfully from a nine-to-five to a side hustle or a full-time side hustle, is I think first, you wanna understand what your potential is in terms of income from your side hustle.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe second thing is, I think you need to budget, obviously, for potential expenses within your side hustle. So those expenses could include research expenses, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/target-audience\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003etarget audience\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and market research. You might want to attend a couple of industry seminars, get to know people, that's probably going to cost you lunch or coffee or entrance tickets. That can be expensive. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBorrowing costs, it would be important to know, do you need to buy inventory? Do you have money to buy that inventory, or do you need a loan? If you need a loan, it's important to do your research on which banks are offering the best rates because paying high interest rates for loans can drain your budget in the long term, that's very dangerous. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThen the next thing to consider is potentially insurance. Do you need to insure your business, your employees, if you have any? Licenses, licenses and permits, they can cost quite a bit of money. So to get information there, it would be good to contact your county or the city or town that you live in, they can give you good information about those costs. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then obviously, we're talking about in this technology age, what's the cost going to be to you in terms of technology? Do you need \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-relations-ultimate-guide\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer relationship\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e management platforms? Do you need social media marketing assistance possibly, or content creators to help promote your business, equipment supplies, advertising, promotion? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI can go on all day, but those are some of the real basic expenses that depending on the industry you decide to go in, if it's dropshipping, even blogging or whatever it is, it can cost some form of money, some form of start-up money. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd before you make that transition from your nine-to-five to a full-time side hustle, it's important to understand what those costs will be and have some type of emergency savings set aside for... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf you're asking me, I typically recommend six to 12 months if you're starting a business. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause chances are your business is not going to take off within the first year, it's going to take time, or at least six months. It will take time, and that's where you need your resources, your emergency savings to give you that extra push over the finish line.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgTCgoLDhgPDg0NFhENEhANFx8ZGBYVFiEmJisjGikoHSEWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLDg0OHBAQHDsoIig7Oy87Ozs7NTU7LzsvOzsvLzU1Ly81Ly8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAXAAEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFAAIH/8QAHhAAAgIBBQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMAAkERExQhMQT/xAAWAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBwL/xAAaEQACAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIRAyEx/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDPUoLGAYjHBGx7iCUZathoYov6GFPdsSsZVK9MGXQ1yttpEkq2xs06mSPG6Npo/9k=)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004139-89.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004139-89.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004139-89.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004139-89.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004139-89.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And investing in an hour or two with someone like you would be an ideal thing to do, to be able to sit down and say, 'Here are all my expenses, here are all of the non-negotiables that comes with your lifestyle,' but then also getting a plan together, I suppose, to be able to then say, 'Alright, here's the strategy to launch,' and then a whole another financial plan for the business, but also just being able to maintain your lifestyle to some extent.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Absolutely, it is very important to understand your lifestyle and your non-negotiables. What would you not give up in your life right now? What do you need to live a happy life? And there are obviously some expenses that can be cut, which could be used to be saved or toward your business. But, absolutely, it's very important to understand your budget and kind of figure out how much you need to live.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEverything in Moderation\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Great. Yeah, and that's important, 'cause I think people sort of say, 'Oh, I can live really cheaply.' But then you're also like, 'Well, but you need health insurance,' and perhaps as much as... We've gotta pay the rent to the mortgage. And making sure that you do have some backup money in case things don't go to plan. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut also, there's all this stuff that we joke about now in our Oberlo group, that people sort of go on about the side hustle bro community who are all like, 'You can give everything up. You shouldn't be watching Netflix at night, forget sport,' all this sort of stuff. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou're like, that's maybe true, you could do that for a couple of months and sustain that and think, 'Well, I'm working really hard,' but also you're a person and you're a human and you wanna enjoy life, and I don't know if sacrificing all forms of relaxation or socialization, as much as we can at the moment, is really a great decision to do in the long term for our mental health. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, don't think you need to give up everything just to run your business. That's my little personal message to put out there today, Fiona. I think people really go hard and they \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/feeling-overwhelmed\\\"\u003eget burned out\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and they give up because they hate it, when really that's not living at all.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I could not agree more with you. I mean, I think that is so important to remember. No matter what you do, if it's building a business, if it's studying for school, if it's whatever it is, it's important to lead a balanced lifestyle. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I kind of compare it back to dieting. I tried this diet once a long time ago, and it was basically one apple a day. I was like, 'I'm going to lose 20 pounds.' I was probably 18 at the time, not smart, and I was like, 'I'm going to have one apple a day and that's it and nothing else.' And that diet was probably lasting for three days, and then I went crazy and I ate so much that I gained more than what I actually lost. And since then, never again, right? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eJust think of it as dieting. You wanna have moderation, you can't go all out or nothing, you just can't. It's not possible.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes. No. That's such a good way to describe it. And you're totally right, I'll eat those four pieces of cake, if you tell me I can't have one, so that is the problem.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, exactly.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e This has been really enlightening and great to think about our money mindset and also just a bit about planning and the realities of launching that side hustle or moving into a different industry. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThat can be really exciting, but also it's just great to be prepared 'cause you'll be thanking us and you later down the track, when you know you've got that runway and you feel less panicked if things aren't going 100 percent the way you want them to go immediately, which is a majority of the time for any of us that have started a business.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes, patience is the absolute key. And that is something I have found out the hard way for myself. I'm typically a fairly realistic person, and I thought it would be smooth sailing from probably month nine or whatnot, but it's taken a while, but I think the key is showing up every day, especially when you least feel like it, and that right there is what will separate the successful from the average. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eShowing up every day, that's what will make the difference.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cfigure class=\\\"my-12\\\"\u003e\u003cpicture class=\\\"bg-cover\\\" style=\\\"url(data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAoHBwgHBgoICAgFCgoFBQwFBQUFBREJCgUMFxMZGBYTFhUaHysjGh0oHRUWJDUlKC0vMjIyGSI4PTcwPCsxMi8BCgsLBQUFEAUFEC8cFhwvLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vLy8vL//AABEIAAwAGAMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAVAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB//EABQQAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/xAAWAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwClAHkkAAf/2Q==)\\\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\\\"w-full\\\" alt=\\\"undefined\\\" height=\\\"450 \\\" loading=\\\"lazy\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004141-90.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440\\\" srcset=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004141-90.png?dpr=0.25\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 228w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004141-90.png?dpr=0.5\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 456w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004141-90.png?dpr=0.75\u0026amp;fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 684w,https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1614004141-90.png?fit=max\u0026amp;fm=jpg\u0026amp;w=1440 912w\\\" width=\\\"912\\\"\u003e\u003c/picture\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Damn straight it will. That's excellent advice. Fiona, if people wanna get in touch and learn more about what you do and hopefully be encouraged and inspired, where can they do that? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Certainly. So the first place, the best place would be my website, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://themillennialmoneywoman.com/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ethemillennialmoneywoman.com\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, new posts are shared every week there, so definitely feel free to check that out. The second place would be Twitter, you can find me with my handle, which is \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://twitter.com/the_mmw?lang=en\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e@The_MMW\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, or if you're a Pinterest fan, you can certainly find me there too \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.pinterest.es/themillennialmoneywoman/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ethemillennialmoneywoman\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and I'd love to engage and get in touch with you.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's perfect. Thank you so much, Fiona. It's been great, and I hope people do get in touch and take your advice, still take the leap, but also do it in a way that's not gonna cause any trouble later down the track.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFiona:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's my pleasure, thank you so much for having me.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Thanks, Fiona.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant to Learn More?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/4-key-mindset-shifts-aspiring-entrepreneurs-need-to-become-wildly-successful\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e4 Key Mindset Shifts Aspiring Entrepreneurs Need to Become Wildly Successful\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/financial-freedom\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e10-Step Formula to Achieve Financial Freedom in 2021\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/mindset-successful-entrepreneur\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAn Inside Look at the Mindset of a Successful Entrepreneur\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/entrepreneurial-mindset\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEntrepreneurial Mindset: 20 Ways to Think Like an Entrepreneur\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003c/ul\u003e\",\"There's a world of difference between working for a company and starting your own business. Succeeding in the latter requires a big mindset change, especially if building wealth is one of your goals.In this episode of Start Yours, we speak to Fiona, also popularly known as The Millennial Money Woman. Fiona's a financial blogger and a certified financial planner. Her whole business and driving force is helping young professionals build their own business and start-up empires.We dive into the mindset difference, our perception of money, and what we need to consider when complementing or replacing our nine-to-five job with a side hustle.There's plenty of juicy information in this episode for business owners, regardless of which stage of the journey you're at. We hope you enjoy it and that you'll consider subscribing to our podcast.Want a summary of our chat? Here's a seven-point TL;DR version: It's important to invest your money in money, invest in yourself, and invest in your network. With a 45-year plan in place, Fiona was able to buy her first house at age 23. 80 percent of having success with wealth comes down to mindset. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket. Diversify your income stream. Take time and invest in learning the basics of business before starting. Do not quit your nine-to-five with no prior planning. Make sure a portion of your income is routed to a different account for tax payments. Showing up every day even when you don't feel like it is what will make the difference.\",{\"_464\":487,\"_71\":532,\"_179\":544},\"In this episode, we speak to Fiona, The Millennial Money Woman, about mindsets and what to consider when replacing our nine-to-five job with a side hustle.\",{\"_464\":492,\"_493\":494,\"_495\":496,\"_497\":56},[-5,-5,547,-5,-5,549,-5,-5,551,-5,-5,-5,552,554,555,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5],{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":548,\"_504\":302,\"_505\":-5},\"Episode 69\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":550,\"_504\":508,\"_505\":-5},\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/00hz4144Ly3eqH2BEh0xsP?utm_source=generator\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":510,\"_504\":511,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":553,\"_504\":514,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-22T15:40:56+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":553,\"_504\":517,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":556,\"_504\":520,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-22T15:41:24+01:00\",{\"_464\":375,\"_465\":558,\"_59\":559,\"_71\":560,\"_469\":561,\"_195\":562,\"_476\":565,\"_481\":569,\"_483\":570,\"_485\":571,\"_490\":573,\"_498\":574,\"_521\":563,\"_522\":564,\"_523\":-7,\"_524\":-7,\"_525\":-7,\"_526\":527,\"_528\":561},\"gid://shopify/Article/559904620566\",\"dropshipping-on-any-budget-with-kamil-sattar\",\"Dropshipping on Any Budget With Kamil Sattar\",\"2024-05-03T07:13:19Z\",{\"_464\":472,\"_6\":563,\"_474\":564},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1613379879-dropshipping-on-any-budget.png?v=1714720400\",\"Dropshipping on Any Budget\",[566,567,478,479,568],\"build-your-business\",\"dropshipping\",\"marketing\",\"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTesting Different Business Models\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda: \u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;\\\"\u003eHey, how's it going, Kamil? It's so nice to see you. Thank you for jumping on the call with me today.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No worries, it's a pleasure. I'm really excited to be here\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e S\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eo I was just wondering if you could give us a little bit of an introduction about yourself and your ecommerce story.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so I started... My name is Kamil Sattar. I'm 21 years old, I've just turned 21, May the 10th. And I started back in 2015 when I quit my day job in retail, and then I decided to also quit my college, and then I decided to start my first online business in the buying and reselling industry. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then after a year, I made some good money, built some good connections with football players in the UK, celebrities in the UK. And then that industry itself for myself didn't do too well, so then I decided to look for the business models in 2016, in 2017, and I came across \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-dropshipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edropshipping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I got started with dropshipping and actually started my first store using WooCommerce, and then slowly after, I discovered \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://shopify.com/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eShopify\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and realized that was the better platform to use for a beginner. So then I also discovered Oberlo, which was helpful for my first store, and then the first store I generated which made me good money was a phone case, iPhone screen protector. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt was a privacy screen protector and I was able to do my first $25,000 doing that product.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then forward a year later, I was able to do my first one million in revenue with a business partner. And now, here I am today. And my biggest accomplishments, really, I think, at the moment, was being able to do seven figures in revenue and retain a six-figure profit margin to take home and I've been in a lot of publications at the moment. I've been endorsed by some of the biggest companies in the industry as well, so I've got a lot of accomplishments in the industry. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd considering that I started very young and I'm only 21 now, I've been in the game now for five years, I'm really, really happy with the kind of stuff I've been able to do.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Really cool to hear how many times you shifted \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/statistics/the-best-online-business-models\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebusiness models\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e before you found dropshipping or before you found something that works. I think a lot of the time, with beginners, especially beginners that we've worked with, they come up with a challenge and they aren't able to solve it or adapt, and then they just quit rather than trying something new or altering a method and working on it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEspecially when it comes to dropshipping stores, whether it's \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/easiest-ways-find-winning-products\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ewinning products\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e or setting up a store, a lot of times they quit instead of just adapting. So it's really cool to hear how many times you switched before you found something that really worked for you.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so I actually did two business models before dropshipping. Like I said, the buying and reselling industry was one of them, where I buy high-end luxury goods and then sell them for a profit. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then the other industry that I got involved with was \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.thebalancesmb.com/the-network-marketing-business-model-is-it-right-for-you-3515493\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003enetwork marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e as well. So I actually got involved in something with that, and they just weren't things that I was passionate about. And then when I came across dropshipping, I thought, 'You know what, I'm really passionate about this, I really like the concept of the business model.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd like you said before, people will try something, not get the result from it, and then shift to a different business model because they think, 'Oh, that doesn't work,' but really, there's no such thing as quick success and you have to keep going, keep going, keep going.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1613382690-75.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, and I think it's nice to hear from your perspective because I feel like being 21, people might think, 'Oh, he just started and he just found success,' whereas they don't realize that it took numerous years of you trying stuff and before you kind of ended up here. They just kind of see your age. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I'm happy that you mentioned that because although I started when I was 15 years old, just almost turned 16, when I was at school, in college, I'm not saying you should do this, but I wasn't very good at school, I wasn't very good at college. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI publicly released my school grades to let people know that I didn't do anything, I've failed everything. At the end of the day, at school and at college, I wasn't doing the work that I was supposed to do, I was actually thinking of ideas to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/how-to-make-money-online\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003emake money online\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, so it even started before I actually left in 2015. So it was starting in my school years, and I would just be manifesting making money online. So, really, if I think about it, I've been thinking about making money online for at least six, seven years.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow, okay. That's crazy. Yeah, and it takes some time to get into it, and so that's really refreshing to hear. And I think it was super helpful for beginners because I can totally see people already in the comments being like, 'Yeah, he's 21, he's just special, he's got something and just gets dropshipping,' which, I think one thing we always remind people of is that nobody was born understanding dropshipping or nobody was born understanding \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-facebook-advertising\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFacebook ads\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. It's something that you just have to learn.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, totally. And the other thing I wanna say is, if I can do it, somebody that is dyslexic... I'm dyslexic, so I've been diagnosed with dyslexia, I took some tests... Another thing is, I've failed school completely and I left college. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf somebody like that can come into dropshipping, understand the business model, learn it day in, day out... And the thing that separates me from everybody else is I just don't give up. As soon as I want something, I go and manifest it and I take it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAt the end of the day, there are two options, you can either win or you can quit, you can't lose.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1613382693-76.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat You Can Do With a \u0026lt;$500 Budget\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And I think that that's a great way to get our video started, especially to set people up to realize that while everyone is different, there's not that much of a difference between you, myself, and the viewers watching, it's just kind of what you do with your time, how you adapt, and how you work with challenges and kind of succeed with them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, one of the biggest challenges beginners face, and we see comments about this all the time, is \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/business-launch-no-budget\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebudget\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. When someone is getting started with dropshipping, usually they find it online, we've seen through the data because it's a great way to get started with a business that doesn't require a lot of \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/startup-costs-dropshipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003einitial investments\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, but there are stories of successful dropshippers starting with a zero-dollar budget, a few hundred dollars, and then lots of people, hundreds of people in our comments always saying, 'You need at least $5,000, don't even get started unless you have $5,000.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo the numbers are totally crazy and range from zero to a few thousand, so I'm happy to have you here today so that we could discuss a few different strategies for each type of budget, whether it's a few hundred, zero, or some people have a few thousand and are ready to put the pedal to the metal and scale like crazy.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo let's get started maybe with what strategy you would suggest if someone has a few hundred dollars.? So let's say less than $500, they probably feel a little hesitant, most people, I'm sure with yourself as well, you kind of set a cap for yourself. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEven if they have more, they're like, 'I'm not spending more than 500 to see if this works because I just don't wanna blow and burn all my money.' So what would you suggest for someone with that budget? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eGet on Instagram, Choose a Niche, Work With Influencers\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I really love this question because the majority of people that are starting dropshipping and have started dropshipping actually start with the budget you just said, just $500. So a few things I wanna say before I get into what to do. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNumber one, this is a real business model, so you have to treat this like a business and not a hobby. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf you can't treat this like a real business, you won't make any money. So by me saying that you need to... And if you're on the $500 budget range, you need to invest at least three hours a day every single day for this to even show you any decent results. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow in terms of what I would do with $500 is, I would start an Instagram page, I would find a \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/dropshipping-niches\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eniche\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e that I like. Now, some of the niche's at the moment are your beauty niche, that's always one that works really, really well with the kind of route I'm going down in terms of marketing strategies, so I would find something in the beauty niche, I would build an Instagram page and I would find \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/instagram-influencers\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eInstagram influencers\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI'd also look at \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://mediakix.com/influencer-marketing-resources/tik-tok-influencer-marketing/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTikTok influencers\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and I would also look at Twitter influencers. I focus on those three influencer marketing platforms and I'll DM influencers.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNumber one, arranging a commission structure where I don't pay them upfront, I just send them the product, and then we figure out, 'Look, I will pay you 40 percent of the commission you make from basically sending traffic to my website.” \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo instead of you paying them an upfront payment of let's say $50, there's no risk 'cause you're only paying them if they actually get the money through to the actual store. So that's the actual strategy that I'd recommend everybody takes. Go onto Instagram, find some influencers. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou can use a website called \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://clouthq.com/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eClout HQ\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, which is completely free. They've got a directory and you can search by niche, by followers, by engagement, and it will give you the list of influencers they recommend and just DM them, just saying, 'Look, I wanna do a collaboration with you, let's do 60-40 percent, I'd take 60, you take 40, and then I'll give you an affiliate link,” and then basically work from there.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Okay, super cool. So two things that I got out of your answer. So the first thing I noticed is Instagram influencers, but with an affiliate link, which is I think really important, I know when I started dropshipping, I totally just blew so much money sending influencers the products and then money ahead of time, not realizing what their engagement rates were like, not actually looking at if they even had engagement from a real audience. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I feel like that's a great safeguard to make sure that first of all, you save your wallet and it's a lower risk for you, and second of all, it's super helpful because I feel like they'll be much more inclined to actually promote the product rather than pop it up randomly for one second just because you've already paid them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf they're making a commission, they're going to take the extra time to actually promote it and include it in multiple stories or whatnot, so I think that's great to hear. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd the second thing that I noticed from your answer is no Facebook ads. So you would suggest that if someone has $500 or less, Facebook ads is not for you right now, until you, let's say, maybe grow your business or I'd love to get your input on that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAvoid Facebook Ads To Cut Costs\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh yeah, I got some knowledge to give these people today. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo basically, avoid Facebook, Google, till you've got at least $1,000, okay? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eVery minimum, because these platforms they're getting very expensive now. Now, the great thing that I love about \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/influencer-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003einfluencer marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e is you can collect data. So even though you're doing Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter influencer marketing, you can still get the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/facebook-pixel\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFacebook pixel\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e on your Shopify store, and even if you're getting traffic from those three marketing platforms, you can use that data you receive to do lookalikes on Facebook. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo let's say I've spent $500 on influencer marketing, I've made back $2,000 in profit, that's just a theoretical kind of little breakdown, then let's say I've collected enough data. I've got enough data now to go onto Facebook, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.facebook.com/business/help/465262276878947\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecreate a lookalike audience\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, for those that don't understand what lookalike audiences are, it's basically somebody Facebook creates from people that you've driven to your website in the past. That way when you're targeting people on Facebook, it's a lot more accurate and the results are gonna be a lot higher. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo basically, you're skipping the testing phase on Facebook and you're getting straight into warm marketing and targeting. That way the chances of you getting results on Facebook are a lot higher and you're gonna lose less money. So that's the reason why I love going through the influencer marketing strategy because you basically clout the most expensive part of Facebook, which is testing lots of different audiences, interests, and whatnot.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1613382696-77.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Awesome, yup, I completely see what you mean. So just to catch our beginners up, in case anyone has not heard of a Facebook pixel before, just to get everyone up to speed, so a Facebook pixel is a small piece of code that you put in your \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/shopify-stores\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eShopify store\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's extremely easy to install, takes about 10 minutes, and all it does is collect information about your audience, traffic, people who are coming to your website, people who are bouncing from your website, actually pressing a button, or a CTA, or just leaving. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd when we talk about warming up the pixel, that simply means sending more data to your website with the Facebook pixel on it so that it starts to understand who makes a good audience and a real potential customer and who does not. And that way, if you warm up the pixel, you will not have to spend money warming it up in the future with Facebook ads. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo that's just a quick debrief, but we have lots of other videos on both of our channels about the Facebook pixels, so you can always learn more, but that's just a brief introduction. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow long would you say this strategy would take to get off the ground and running until you have enough to jump into Facebook ads? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWork With Micro-Influencers\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so basically, you wanna be DM-ing at least 50 to 100 influencers every single day because at the end of the day it's called, the numbers of average, the law of numbers; like you're not gonna get a reply off every 50 people you messaged, you might only get three or four. So you have to keep going, keep going... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd when you do this strategy, just face that you are gonna get rejection. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSome people say, 'No, I don't wanna work with you.' That's fine. Don't let that hurt, don't let that put you down. Just keep going, keep going, keep going. Because trust me, there will be somebody out there that will wanna work with you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow when you're using this strategy that I'm recommending today, you should be looking for something that we call a \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/micro-influencers\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003emicro-influencer\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, which means somebody that's got a smaller following. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo somebody, let's say, under 100,000 followers on one of those \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/social-media-sites\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003esocial media sites\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. Now because they have fewer followers doesn't mean they're not gonna be as good. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eOn the other hand, typically, they actually are better than bigger followers because their channel is less saturated, they've done fewer promotions, which means the audience is more perceived to actually take on these paid promotions.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo that's what I'm gonna say: Do 50 to 100 a day if you can. If you can't, try and do at least 30 a day because trust me when I say this, you will only get, let's say, between five and 15 replies a day, at best, typically for myself. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1613382698-78.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Let's make another note everyone. That's 50 to 100 every single day. I used to... I've worked now for a few years with Oberlo. And I can tell you how many people messaged ten influencers and are like, 'This strategy doesn't work. This strategy doesn't work at all.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo it's really important to note, everyone, that it's going to take some grinding. It's gonna become easier over time once your Instagram page has more \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/social-proof\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003esocial proof\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, once you have more followers. But at first, it's going to take a lot of grinding. So it's better to know that ahead of time and know what you're getting yourself into before you spend any money. So thank you, that's super helpful. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat You Can When Bootstrapping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eLet's move on to our next budget. So this budget, it's one of the most popular and one of the most popular requests we see on our channel, on our Instagram all the time, and that is for someone that has no budget, they have the bare minimum or they're absolutely determined to bootstrap it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThey're willing to pay for their domain and their, let's say, monthly Shopify fee, but they do not want to spend a single penny otherwise. Whether it's by choice, by circumstance, some people just don't believe in the model, and they're like, 'I'm gonna bootstrap it until I realize that this actually has some validity.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo is there a strategy at all for that? And what would you suggest it to be? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, so this strategy is similar to the other one that I mentioned today. Now, with the other strategy I mentioned today, you might wanna start paying influencers well a bit of money. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut when you start with absolutely no money, you must be doing at least, at least four hours to six hours a day. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause when you've got no money and you're just using the time to try and make you that money, you're gonna have to spend a lot of time trying to get the momentum going. Now it's gonna be similar, you still wanna stick to the influencer marketing route. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut this time, you also wanna try and build your Instagram page at the same time. So you wanna post on your Instagram at least three times a day, you wanna be trying to comment on other pages, try to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-get-followers-on-instagram\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eget more followers\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. You really wanna try and grow your Instagram page to build more authority. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd this time, you wanna be messaging two times more than in the last strategy, so you wanna be messaging between 75 and 150 influencers a day and you wanna do that on each platform: Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, all in the same day. So you're really going out there and blowing up the last method but you're trying to do it more often than not.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Now with \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-affiliate-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eaffiliate marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, it's nice because you don't have to... Other than, let's say, them getting the product, again, you don't have to worry about paying them upfront. So I can see how the strategy is good for someone with absolutely zero budget. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo you would suggest that if someone is getting started with zero budget that they should use all the social channels, not focus on one. Not just Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok, but instead use all three of them.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e All three and like I said, with this strategy, you need to be putting at least four to six hours in a day. And the reason why, and probably thinking, 'Damn, that's a lot of time,' is because, trust me messaging 100, 250 people a day on each platform can take between two hours on each of them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo if you divide that by three, you can see the kind of hours you need to be putting in. And Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram are the three ones that tend to get you the best results. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow a massive tip, Twitter and TikTok are the two most untapped, most profitable influencer marketing methods at this current time. Instagram's not as good as those other two platforms in this current time we're in today.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBuilding Your Social Media Pages\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e If I was just getting started and I had no budget and I was messaging influencers, I think my first concern as a beginner would be that I have no social proof. My Instagram is looking really... I may have tons of posts, but I have like, let's say, I don't know, maybe 30, 50 followers. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat do you think... What amount of followers would you suggest someone works towards that would be good enough social proof? Or is that not important at all? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1613382702-79.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I love this question 'cause a lot of people ask this now. In terms of when you're starting and you're trying to go down this influencer marketing route, and this applies to every social media platform: Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, so this applies to every single one of them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, does it matter that you've got to following? Me personally, I don't think it does. Now you do need at least 10 followers, I do recommend getting at least ten followers and you can get that from your friends, your family, whatnot. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDo not pay for followers. That is just a massive no-no. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDo not do it, okay? Just don't pay. Now you can get... Like I was saying, getting your friends, getting your family to support you. If not warm your Instagram account up, warm your Twitter account up, warm your TikTok account up.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDo a week of just posting, trying to get viral content, trying to get mentions, trying to get tags, just try and warm it up for a week, if you're worried. Now, I don't think you need 100 followers. I think just ten followers with at least five posts on your platform is more than enough. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause when you work with an influencer, they're gonna post it on their page, not your page. They might mention you on the page but the likelihood of them clicking on you is very unlikely because normally when you work with an influencer, they'll put the link in their description, or on Instagram, they might put it on the swipe ups. So if they view the story, they'll swipe up. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo that way, they're never gonna see your page because they're going straight to your website, so they don't... It doesn't really ever matter as long as you've got at least five posts on there, decent content, you need content, then you're good to go with these ten followers.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Awesome. Now, one thing that I think a lot of beginners have been kinda worried about right now, especially with the coronavirus and all that going on, is they wanna jump in and get started and they don't wanna have to wait for a \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/test-orders\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003esample product\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e to take content shots or take their own product photos.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDo you think it's imperative to take your own product photos for Instagram and TikTok, or do you think you can get away with using the ones on AliExpress and kind of re-making them a little bit, editing them a little bit? What's your take on that? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Beautiful question, love this one. Now, it all depends on the platform. Every platform is different. The kind of content you should post on every platform is different 'cause the behavior on the platform is totally different. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWith Twitter, this is the bit, Twitter is the easiest one to get content for, it's so easy. And I made a challenge video on my channel showing the process of Twitter influencer marketing. So it's definitely something good for those guys to watch. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow in terms of \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/twitter-influencers-boost-sales\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTwitter influencer marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, you basically wanna get... You wanna get footage, video footage where it looks realistic, it looks like the influencer that you're working with actually posted it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt doesn't need to look flashy, it doesn't need to look good, it just needs to look raw in the flesh. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo you can get that kind of content on TikTok. So you'll actually find all my content for Twitter influencers on TikTok and I make sure that I source the credit of the person that made the video by leaving the source credit. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThat way, obviously, I'm not doing anything bad, I'm actually giving credit to the person that owns the content. And you should always also try and ask them if you can give permission for them to use it, obviously for your own benefit. That's Twitter out the way.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, in terms of Instagram, now, if you wanna try and get your product to your influencer as quickly as you can, you can actually order pretty much the same products on Amazon and get them sent out a lot quicker. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo instead of waiting 40 days, go on Amazon, they'll get it within a couple of days. So that's a great way of getting around that problem. Now you can get away sometimes using the content you can find on AliExpress, also YouTube. But again, you should make sure that you've got permission to use that content if you can. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIn terms of TikTok, the best content you can make for TikTok is actually getting that product sent to yourself or sent to somebody that knows what they're doing because with TikTok, it's all about having a laugh, it's all about... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's like comedy, kind of, videos, if that makes sense. So you need to try and get yourself to be enjoyable and laughable whilst making that content and that's those three platforms covered.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1613382705-80.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat You Can Do With a $1,000 To $5,000 Budget\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Now, let's move on to our last category. So there are definitely people out there who have a few thousand dollars saved and are ready to invest in ecommerce. I think it's been a few years now since people first discovered dropshipping and we're feeling and we didn't believe that it was true or thought that this was a scheme of some sort. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut now I've seen how many successful people have built businesses online with dropshipping and want to do the same. So let's say, for example, they have at least $1,000 to $5,000 to invest, what marketing strategy would you suggest for them? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Okay, this is a beautiful answer, this one is. Now, if you're working within $1,000 to $5,000, you should definitely look into Facebook ads and potentially \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/google-ads\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eGoogle ads\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut Facebook Ads is the one that I'd recommend the majority of people focus on. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's easier to learn personally and it's a lot more scalable than Google and the kind of approach you can use on Facebook is a lot wider than Google because obviously, Google \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/seo-sem-faqs\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003esearch engine marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, there's only a certain amount of products that can work well for Google. But I'd be focusing on your Facebook ads. Your Google ads... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow something that most people don't talk about, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/youtube-ads-beginners-launch-first-campaign\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYouTube ads\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e are one of the best strategies at the moment. Very cheap cost per clicks, very cheap cost per results and that's something that my business partners and I are working a lot on at the moment.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow, okay, so Facebook ads. So you would actually suggest that someone should just jump straight to the Facebook ads instead of starting with the influencer marketing that you suggested before? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, because with influencer marketing, it's very time-intensive. Now, even if you're willing to pay these influencers, it still takes time 'cause you have to message them, you have to agree on contracts, I hope that you guys are sending these influencer contracts to make sure that when you pay them they stick to what you tell them to do obviously, they can't break its terms. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo that can all take a lot of time, obviously, getting them to post it, that can take a lot of time. So with Facebook, obviously, you're just gonna set up your campaigns, publish, and they're off. You're gonna get results coming in, whether it's clicks, views, visitors, sales, it's gonna come in a lot faster than the influencer route.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Got it. So I think overall, it's pretty clear that if you have less money to get started, it's still possible, but it's gonna take way longer and a little more time invested. And then if you have more money, it will just be faster for you to kind of get off the ground, and in terms of getting off the ground, getting customer information, warming up your pixel and start running bigger ads to more people. So that's really awesome to hear. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Something I do you wanna say, though, I don't want people to think, 'Oh, I've got all this money, I'm gonna \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-be-successful\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebe super successful\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, super quick. I'm gonna have more of a chance of winning than these guys on low budgets.” \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't know what you're doing because you don't have the skills or the knowledge, you can have all the money in the world, you're gonna lose it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo don't think because you've got lots of money, you're gonna get a lot of success because if you don't have the knowledge to go with it, then nothing's gonna happen. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo don't get cocky and think, 'Oh, I've got this money, I can get the results.' Make sure that you educate yourself first and then do it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1613382711-82.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eLearning Facebook Ads\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, I completely understand. I think definitely the first time I ran Facebook ads, I thought, easy. I'm just gonna put up some money into this then... Yeah, it was a really good learning lesson, it's still, it doesn't matter how much you have, it will still take you a lot of time to actually learn it, and that's a really, really important point to make. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, when it comes to running Facebook ads, how long would you suggest learning them. We can just touch on this briefly because Facebook ads can be its own video, and I know you have a lot of videos on your channel dedicated to Facebook ads. So everyone, don't forget to check those out for more in-depth. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut if someone is just getting started, should they take a course on Facebook ads first? Should they watch... How many videos should they watch? What do they need to know before they're like, “Okay, now I can... The money I've saved, I feel confident to start spending it”?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, 100 percent this is very good. Don't just go and dive into Facebook, just don't do that. You're gonna lose a lot of money. Now a few topics I wanna cover about Facebook ads is, you wanna kind of understand the platform, you wanna understand what they mean, you wanna understand what the metrics mean. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThings like CPM, CPCs, CTRs, that's probably gonna mean nothing to a lot of you guys, but it's important that you understand what these mean, the KPIs, and you must understand them. Now you can go on to YouTube for free and find out what all of this means. Now you can go to courses and get this done a lot quicker, or you can just go online and find some free content to help you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, what I will say is, if you're gonna learn from somebody or somewhere, try and stick to one person. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause with Facebook ads, everybody has their own way of doing it, everybody has their own strategies behind it. So if you’re learning from person A, person B, and Person C, and putting it together, it’s not gonna work. Learn from one person and follow their strategy and how they do things. Because if you learn from all the people, it's gonna be an absolute mess.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, I think that's a great point. When we started this channel, we were interviewing successful dropshippers and I think our idea was that as we interviewed more people, we would kind of get one puzzle piece for Facebook ads, another puzzle piece, and we would make one simple, an easy-to-follow guide for Facebook ads. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it was so crazy to see how different everyone's strategies are and completely different. Even when it came down to certain buttons or certain settings, people were die-hard one way or die-hard the other way, and they're like, “The other way, it's never gonna work for you.” \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd yet, both had results, amazing results, so I completely agree. For everyone listening out there, just... You have to trust... This is one difficult thing. You just have to trust in a strategy, especially if someone has proven the results to you and you've seen them, just stick to it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDon't start flip-flopping because that's when you'll see a lot of money loss, which none of us want for you. So that's extremely helpful to hear. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, when it comes to Facebook ads, would you ever suggest, for someone that does have lots of money to spend, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/outsourcing-ecommerce-strategy\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eoutsourcing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Facebook ads to, let's say, for example, someone else or should always learn it yourself because you'll find better results? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause we have seen people in the past ask us, “Is it better if I hire someone on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.fiverr.com/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFiverr\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e to do this?” for example. So what's your take on that? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, I love this question, it makes me chuckle a little bit 'cause a lot of people even ask me this on my Instagram and I'm like, 'Oh no.' Let me explain this to you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf it was as easy just to hire someone on Fiverr and do it, then a lot of people would be rich. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, Facebook ads, in terms of the dropshipping business model, in terms of all the things that come into it, things like product research, website development, in my opinion, 70 percent of the success comes from the marketing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow if you can't learn how to do Facebook advertising yourself, then honestly don't do it. Now, me personally, with multiple stores, I have VAs that do my \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-service\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer service\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e for me, do my order fulfillment for me, etc. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut the one thing that I'll never let anybody else touch for me is my Facebook ads because I am very, very passionate about... I'm an expert, I've been doing this for five years, I know what to look for and I don't know many people that can replace my kind of knowledge. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, if you do wanna go out there and hire somebody, this is God's honest truth, you need to be spending... You need to be paying an agency at least $10,000 a month. Those kinds of agencies that charge that money know what they're doing. Anybody else, honestly, they don't know what they're doing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1613382708-81.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMagda:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow. Okay, for everyone out there, I think that was so helpful to hear from someone who's an expert. If you don't have $10,000 to invest per month for Facebook ads, don't bother wasting your money and just take the time to learn it instead. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWow, that's a really great lesson. I really appreciate that because I think that sets a nice hard-line for people where they're like, well, much money, 'cause I know some people still out there, will be like, 'Well, I can spend a little extra money,' but it's just not worth it. And I think ultimately, for a lot of beginners too, it's important that they understand that in this business, you do everything at first. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou are the marketer, you have to run the Facebook ads, you have to do customer service, and that comes with the job. That comes with running this type of business at first, and you either need to accept it and just start learning or maybe consider another option because that is the fact of the matter. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo that is so helpful to hear. Yeah, any final comments? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKamil:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I just wanna a massive thank you to Oberlo for having me on their channel today, I hope you guys have learned a lot, and Oberlo is a great company doing a lot of great things for the community, and what you guys are one of the day-ones in the industry, so I really do appreciate you\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant to Learn More?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/500-launch-budget\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eCan You Launch a Dropshipping Store for Only $500?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/business-without-advertisement\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe $0 Ad Budget: How They Grew Their Business Without a Single Advertisement\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/spent-200000-facebook-ads-heres-learned\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI Spent $191,480.74 on Facebook Ads. Here’s What I Learned.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/business-launch-no-budget\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e[Podcast] On a Tight Business Budget? Here’s How to Make It Work \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003c/ul\u003e\",\"How you should market your dropshipping store depends on your budget and the amount of time and money you're willing to invest. Only have a few hundred dollars to spare? Bootstrapping it? Or do you have a couple of grand saved up?In this episode of Start Yours, we speak to Ecom King, Kamil Sattar. Kamil went from failing grades in school and working two retail jobs to making seven figures with dropshipping. Today, he runs a very successful YouTube channel where he helps aspiring entrepreneurs like you build successful ecommerce businesses.Kamil dives deep into the three tiers of marketing budget and how you can make the most of each.If you're enjoying our podcast, we hope you'll consider subscribing.Short on time? Here's a seven-point TL;DR version: Kamil dabbled in buying and reselling and network marketing before discovering dropshipping. At the end of the day, there are only two options. You can either win or quit. You can't lose. With a $500 or less budget, pick a niche, invest your time in working with micro-influencers, and avoid Facebook ads. Avoid Facebook and Google ads until you have at least $1,000. If bootstrapping, build an Instagram page, reach out to at least 75 influencers every day, and focus on Twitter and TikTok as well. The content you post on every platform is different because the behavior on these platforms is totally different. With a budget of $1,000 to $5,000, dive into Facebook ads and do it yourself. Educate yourself around the metrics and KPIs.\",{\"_464\":487,\"_71\":560,\"_179\":572},\"How you should grow your dropshipping business depends on your budget. We speak to Ecom King, Kamil Sattar, for some practical tips, advice, and insights.\",{\"_464\":492,\"_493\":494,\"_495\":496,\"_497\":56},[-5,-5,575,-5,-5,577,-5,-5,579,-5,-5,-5,580,582,584,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5],{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":576,\"_504\":302,\"_505\":-5},\"Episode 68\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":578,\"_504\":508,\"_505\":-5},\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4qHOdJPgfHvwhnStfvsn8z?utm_source=generator\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":510,\"_504\":511,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":581,\"_504\":514,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-17T12:27:55+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":583,\"_504\":517,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-15T10:57:57+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":585,\"_504\":520,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-15T11:07:08+01:00\",{\"_464\":375,\"_465\":587,\"_59\":588,\"_71\":589,\"_469\":590,\"_195\":591,\"_476\":594,\"_481\":595,\"_483\":596,\"_485\":597,\"_490\":599,\"_498\":600,\"_521\":592,\"_522\":593,\"_523\":-7,\"_524\":-7,\"_525\":-7,\"_526\":527,\"_528\":590},\"gid://shopify/Article/559904587798\",\"mindful-marketing-less-bs-equals-more-sales\",\"Mindful Marketing – Less BS Equals More Sales\",\"2024-05-03T07:13:16Z\",{\"_464\":472,\"_6\":592,\"_474\":593},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1612872901-blog-headings.png?v=1714720397\",\"Mindful Marketing – Less BS Equals More Sales podcast image header\",[566,478,479,568],\"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat Is Ethical Marketing?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Amie, thank you so much for joining me on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eStart Yours\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. I'm excited to talk about marketing and branding, and how we can communicate better with our customers or clients. But firstly, thanks for being on the show.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Thank you for having me. I'm really excited to be here and especially to talk about \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/marketing-ethics\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eethical marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, which is my favorite topic of all.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes. Well, let's start with that because when I first learned about what you did, I was like, 'This is actually very intriguing,' so I think a lot of people want to do what you put out there but don't really know what it is and how to do it really. So, let's talk about what ethical marketing is and how you came to be doing what you're doing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, for sure. I think ethical marketing, as a concept, has always been there. But probably not at the forefront as much as other \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/beginners-guide-7-types-internet-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003etypes of marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e because it is an alternative way of doing things, especially in online business where everything is kind of the opposite because it is done in a way to make the buyer make a really quick decision. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen I first \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-an-online-business\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003estarted an online business\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, it was about... I'm in my fifth year now, which is crazy to think about, but when I first started, I was sucked in by all of the kinds of marketing that I try to repel now. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut that was about the hustle mentality, that's just about manipulating stories and shaming buyers. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd this is done really subtly in a lot of ways, so it's not... The people that use these marketing tactics aren't bad people, for the most part, but it is a way where marketing is done to essentially gate-keep so that people feel really compelled to make decisions and be \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/impulse-buy-products\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eimpulse buyers\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e so that marketers and entrepreneurs can make money in a really quick way. And that's just one example of ethical marketing there.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eA lot of other ways that people do this, there's pricing that can manipulate people into making decisions. There is storytelling, there are ways that communities are formed so that people make decisions in ways that aren't right for them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it's not just about decision-making, there are lots of things that are done to sell products and services in ways that just ethically they don't sit right with me and a lot of other marketers, but yeah, it's a sliding scale, of course.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it is a sliding scale. And I think, as a consumer, we are served ads so many of our online experiences, especially with Instagram and Facebook and the way that they've now structured their platforms, it's very hard to know what's an ad and what's a genuine post. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd also the content in those ads can sometimes... Are designed to make us feel bad about a personal circumstance or a problem and then sell us something, which I realize the fundamentals of marketing, or selling a product, it's like: find something, solve a problem, give a solution. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut also by making someone feel pretty bad about themselves or their personal circumstances. It's not great. It's not that positive really.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Exactly. And I feel marketing doesn't have to be that way, but it always has been. So, I think challenging the status quo and the things that online business has come to cultivate is a really good way to think about your own marketing and the way that you are making other people feel because \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003emaking unethical marketing choices in your business harms you down the line more than anyone else.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612872880-68.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And I think a lot of our listeners are selling physical products, or they're running online businesses and really struggle with the idea of sales, and marketing their product without it feeling skeezy or sleazy. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eLet's talk about how you came to make this decision in your career, to move into this and help people rewrite their marketing, I suppose, and how they sell themselves and their products. And how we can then transpose that into helping our listeners maybe take that step as well in what they're doing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEthical Marketing Guidelines\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, for sure, because I don't think it's just something that magically comes to you. You don't just start a business on day one and you know everything and you...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And especially in terms of being ethical. When I first started my online business, I'd been in marketing for two years. I'd been at uni, I was doing internships, and the reason that I wanted to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.ryrob.com/why-freelance-while-working-full-time-and-how-to-do-it/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003estart freelancing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and start doing my own thing was that I didn't wanna work a nine-to-five and I wanted to make more money. And that was my main goal. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI wasn't thinking about the way that I could impact people in a really positive way. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI wasn't thinking about what I do now, where I'm able to essentially help people in their businesses in a way that changes their life in some way. I wasn't thinking about that at all. I was just like, 'Me, me, me. How can I grow this?'\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then I was able to evolve as a business owner and a person because I think business is just the biggest personal development project you could go on. But I was able to question a lot of what I was doing. I really went internal with it when I did make the shift because I knew by speaking out about these things, I was leaving everything that I was doing open to criticism. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I am fine with criticism when it is constructive. That's why I started my podcast. I wanted to have more critical discussions around the things that we do to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/personal-branding\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003egrow our personal brands\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and to sell products and services.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI think the first place to really start is to think about what's important to you and what is important to the people that you are serving. So, ethics are very nuanced and everyone comes from different backgrounds and has different experiences, so we can't expect everyone to have the same ethical stance. That would be completely unfair and would just not be helpful in any way. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut I do think there are four things that you should consider when you are looking at your own ethical marketing guidelines. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI think having guidelines is the first thing to do. The first thing to think about is actually having a structure and thinking, 'What will I accept and what won't I accept when it comes to business,' starting with your pricing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI think \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003epricing is one of the biggest ways that people do manipulate people into making decisions. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd because a lot of people don't consider that a buyer is at many different stages when they are making a decision, pricing is a way to make people essentially impulse buy, which my... In the way that I think about my own ethics, I want people to be buying things because there is a reason behind it, and they are empowered by that decision, essentially.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612872884-69.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eA very popular episode on my podcast is around charm pricing. And this is done in many, many different industries, and I think it's one of those gray areas. I don't think it's good or bad, but it is something to consider. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's when, say, your product is $100, that's what you have decided it's worth. But instead of $100 you actually sell it for $97, or $98 even, or $95. So you're trying to make it... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's a psychological tactic where you're trying to make it appeal less expensive than it is.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThat's just one pricing tactic, but there are a lot of ways that people will bundle things together and say they're valued at $20,000 when potentially they're not if they are sold separately. No one's gonna buy all those products separately, first thing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd the fact that people will value things that have never been sold, which I'm pretty sure there are some marketing guidelines in Australia where you can't do that. I think if you are saying something is valued at a certain rate, and then you sell it at another price point, then that is actually contradicting yourself firstly, and not ethical.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I was just gonna say to you, I was watching trash TV as... It's my passion. Probably House Hunters is something amazing that makes me feel really good.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Love it, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e But, yeah, it's great. I go numb in a lovely way. But in the channel, they do have a lot of the infomercial sort of things. And I was... Interesting that you just started mentioning all these add-on things. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThere was some sort of, I don't know, drill or something that they were selling and then they were like, 'But if you buy now you get blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.' And all this extra crap that you would think, 'I don't really want any of that stuff. I don't really need it.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut, of course, as you said, the psychology behind it is, 'Oh, but I'm getting all this stuff for free.' Even though in my normal life I just wanna buy the drill. I don't need these 18 other extra bits that are gonna sit in your cupboard for six years and then you're like, 'Where did this stuff come from?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, it really interested me that you mentioned that because that was like a beacon of consumerism that was sticking out for me recently and thinking, 'We don't need all this extra stuff,' and nor does it entice me to buy that drill when I just think about what the hell I'm gonna do with all that extra trash.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, I completely agree. That's what these tactics are designed to do. They're designed to overload you with things so it appears that you're getting a really great deal. But in reality, it's just things that you either don't need, you don't want, or you would have never have made that decision if they didn't put all of this other sparkly stuff into the bundle.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEthical Pricing: Know Your Ideal Buyer\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. So, when we're looking at pricing... I think pricing is such an interesting conversation 'cause a lot of our listeners are selling physical products that maybe other people are also selling, and it comes down to how you market that product to stand out from the rest, which I suppose is the basis of all capitalism and selling things.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e For sure.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e How do we assess... Let's just pick, I always go pot plants 'cause it's... I just love a pot plant and they've been a very popular item. Or pot plant holders, or whatever. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf we're selling Aleisha's pot plants, and we're thinking about the ethics of pricing and how we can also still run a business and stand out from our competition, but how do we go about thinking and considering our \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/ecommerce-wiki/profit-margin\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eprofit margins\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and pricing without being skeezy, and using these tactics that potentially aren't gonna get us ahead anyway? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, exactly. I think in terms of your pricing, I always say this, but pricing is a positioning strategy, and what goes into your positioning strategy is your ethics essentially. And, of course, we're all running businesses here, whether you sell this pot plant as your main product, or you're a marketer, you have to make money at the end of the day, and you have to make a profit in your business.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612872888-70.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd one of the things that I always think about when people are thinking about what they should charge for their product, or their service, is the... I don't know if you've seen this, but there's the Tiffany \u0026amp; Co. Paper clip. Have you...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, my gosh.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Have you had a look at that? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No. But I just feel gross now that you've just said that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. So, this is thinking... I think when you are pricing, you need to think about who you are targeting your products to, and everything that goes into them making a decision. So the Tiffany \u0026amp; Co. Paper clip is exactly what's on the label. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's a paper clip, and they sell it for $2,700.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Shut up. You kidding? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I am not kidding. You can Google that, and it's on their website right now, but...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, my goodness.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And there are ethical things you could think about there. But for someone who is trying to sell a pot plant and that they are thinking about what they should price it, it's going to be more about who you're targeting. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, you could sell it for $2,700, if that was your positioning strategy. But if you are targeting... \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eKnowing your ideal buyer, more than anything, is going to help you price in a way that's ethical.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e This is a great point. And I'm just still getting over the paper clip. I'm just thinking I'll need a couple of minutes to think about the world and where we're at, where they're selling that sort of crap.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I know.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612872890-71.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's good. Okay. We're thinking about our audience, we're thinking about the value of our product, I suppose. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTell me a little bit more about then, if we've priced our pot plant holder in the right way, how to then use your amazing ideology to then go into writing our copy, and selling our brand in a way that stands out from other brands without being gross? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eUse Storytelling Ethically\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, for sure. And I think that goes into a few of the other guidelines that I recommend just anyone looks at and forms their own kind of decisions on. But \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://yoast.com/what-is-storytelling-and-why-should-you-use-it/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003estorytelling\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e is a massive part of marketing, and there's a way to do it where you are inspiring people to take action, and then there's a way to do it when you're just straight-up manipulating people. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, when thinking about your storytelling, you've got to be thinking about what you're leaving out\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eA story that is familiar – and I've seen it in the dropshipping world – has been, 'I had $25 in my bank account and now I'm a millionaire,' which, that's great that you're now a millionaire. But what are you not sharing? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWho are you influencing by leaving this out? Who are you making buy your product, or your service, or your online course because you're telling this story that leaves out a lot of details? Say you did have only $25 in your bank account, and that's the story you're telling. What about the other stability in your life or the other privileges that you have? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it doesn't need to be that your stories, your marketing, and your copywriting are completely raw and it's just the most transparent thing in the world where you're almost telling a sob story. It's not to do that. But it's thinking about:\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e If your copy is taking advantage of the buyer, then it's probably not a good thing to be leading with. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd thinking about your ethics and having brand values is going to help you actually sell these products better and help you down the line. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf you are selling something with a story that is over-inflated, that is just gate-keeping, is limiting information, influencing people to buy something they wouldn't normally buy, then that's gonna cause you business problems down the line. You're gonna have more people asking for \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/handle-refunds\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003erefunds\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, more people returning your product. You're gonna have more people just causing issues for you, really.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. The bullshit scale, I think, especially in \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-dropshipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edropshipping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and ecommerce could be pretty far and wide. And I do agree, the bro market as we... I've been a big... It's been a big goal for me over the last year or so, is to really unpack some of the... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd we say 'bro marketing,' it's just, if no one's heard this phrase, you're a big advocate of shutting it down, but it's these usually dudes who sit on their Lambos, they tell their stories, as you said, that are often very puffed up with rubbish, and they're promising the world but they're not really giving any actual strategies or tactics to actually make that happen.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e Exactly.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612872892-72.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And people get sucked in because they use storytelling, as you said, it gives people hope that they can have overnight success, which is really unlikely and also something that's quite manipulative. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, yeah, how do we shutter that out, especially if we're starting a business and we are... You mentioned on your website that you bought a lot of these courses. I've done the same thing, where I've gone, 'Oh, this can help me.' But also you get really... In the end, I felt I found it all quite overwhelming, with all the information that was being shared and not really very helpful. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, how, if we are starting a new business, do we put the shutters up and not absorb all of that rubbish? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. I think it's really hard to not, especially when you are first starting because there's so much free information out there that is trying to suck you in so that you will buy their paid programs, which is a tactic and it is used and it can be used in an ethical way. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut we have really gotta think about if these people have ethics or values that align with ours, firstly, and before you go into buying anything, you should really be thinking firstly about, “Is this person credible. What is their background? Are the people that are giving them testimonials, are they truthful, are they based on programs five years ago, or are they recent? Are they relevant? Are they timely?” And just doing your own bit of background research. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, it's not always going to be possible. Sometimes you do get sucked in by a really good deal, and sometimes those programs are really good. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut it's just thinking about ways that you can decipher what's important to you, where you're spending your money, and where you're getting your information from.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBalancing Persuasion and Ethics\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Okay. Then looking at if we're writing marketing copy and we're selling a product or a service, and we wanna really just make sure we're communicating while obviously still being transparent and honest to a point, but also still wanting to make a sale, you don't have to be disagreeable, and that's, I suppose, with the way you write copy. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut how do we go about writing something that's still persuasive but lacks a bit of the bullshit? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e You really need to think about your sales language and how it influences someone to buy. Are you using fear-based tactics? Are you making someone feel bad so that they can make a decision? Are you discounting a whole lot of background, a whole lot of privileges, a whole lot of experience that they may not have? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I think that comes into a lot of the offers that you create in your business. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, before you even think about the copy and your Instagram captions and things like that, you've got to think about how you're actually packaging up these offers and how you can actually identify gaps in where people are at the stage of the buying journey, as I mentioned before. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause I think, especially if we go back to that previous point of what information you are purchasing or who you are listening to, an early-stage entrepreneur is going to be very different… I consider myself to be an early-stage entrepreneur, and I'm in my fifth year now. But when I was six months in, I was completely different from where I was 12 months ago. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, thinking about the copy that you are putting on your website and your social media, it's gotta be targeted at the person that you want to buy in a way that doesn't shame them\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, in a way that doesn't make them feel like they're making a decision because there is no other decision. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI think many marketers, and even... I guess, because people who are \u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-a-dropshipping-business\\\"\u003estarting dropshipping businesses\u003c/a\u003e have product-based businesses, they are also marketers. In a way, you have to become the marketing arm of your company.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612872895-73.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, I think it's a sole marketing situation, in a way, 'cause you're not developing. When you unpack what a successful \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e person is, it's really about marketing and strategy beyond also having a good product that people wanna buy, but really how you sell it and how you communicate that to customers. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd that's why we've seen so many people that are like, 'Okay, I've got some flippy sunglasses that fold up and are cool.' And someone... We've had a lot of people that are like, 'Oh, I've had success with this.' And a lot of people haven't had success selling the same product 'cause they've got a very different tactic and strategy behind their marketing. So, yeah, I agree with you, it's to really be part of the game.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, for sure. I think a lot of it is about marketing and \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/branding-statistics\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebranding\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and making sure that you have a point of difference. But in saying that, in your copywriting, your point of difference isn't... I think a lot of people use competitive messaging that paints anyone else in a terrible light so that they can sell their product as better. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut that is not the way to sell something in a way that is ethical. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's more about creating something that you can share the benefits of, that you can be... Obviously, there are things in marketing where you are trying to hit a pain point. But I don't necessarily like the word 'pain' here because it implies that you're trying to... I mean, you are trying to solve a problem, but it does imply that anyone who is buying has a problem. I don't go and buy, for example, a dress because I have a problem. I may, if I don't have something to wear or maybe retail therapy, things like that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut I think if we stop looking at all of our marketing as being so focused on problems and more focused on solutions, then it's going to be better language and people are going to feel a lot safer, making decisions that they feel have been informed rather than forced.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, I like that, Amie. That's really nice. It feels very positive. And also... I always think about, if you're starting a store, if you showed your friends, would you be something you'd be happy and proud of to say, 'Oh, this is the thing I'm selling, this is how I'm selling it,' and if there's an element of, 'I feel a bit bad about this,' or, 'This feels manipulative,' then maybe you need to step back and think, 'What can I change, or what can I tweak to make it less skeezy or less... ' Something that you're not proud of, basically.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, exactly. It's thinking, 'Would I be happy buying from me?' Putting yourself in your buyers' shoes, reading through your sales page, and thinking, 'Is this something that accurately represents my product, my values, what the experience is, my brand?' Yeah, there are many things that you can ask yourself.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612872898-74.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Now, you host a podcast, you've launched it recently. I've been listening and it's really good. The \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-authority-amie-finlayson-vtJxwesfn-Y/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eGood Authority\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e podcast is where we can listen, and you do talk about this a lot more in depth. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou've done some great episodes that have given me a little kick to think about what I wanna present on my show, but also just about how we can empower people to make positive decisions when it comes to their business and also how they communicate, and not perpetuating this 'bro' stuff, which is just boring after a while.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it does. All of the messaging just ends up sounding the same. And on my podcast, I hope to continue to have discussions where people can talk about these things and decide what is ethical to them because it's not gonna be the same for all of us.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No, exactly. It's a malleable thing that, I suppose, depends on who you're selling to, who you are, and what your brand is as well. I hope people check it out, the Good Authority podcast. And also people can work with you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTell me a little bit about where we can get in touch and learn more about what you do. By the way, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://amiefinlayson.com/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eyour website\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e is fantastic. I would like to climb inside it, its colors are gorgeous.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. I feel like my... I wanted my branding to stand out in a way that was different from all of the bro marketing that you do see. There are no fancy cars on my website or I'm not holding any cash.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e You're not sitting on a private jet. That's not really a private jet, that's really a fish.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I'm not, didn't rent a private jet for the day. But to work with me, I offer business and marketing strategy for marketers and entrepreneurs, so basically, anyone that is looking to create a sustainable business through a personal brand, through their content, through their social media marketing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I do that through... I have a mastermind that is currently enrolling, and you can go on to my website, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://amiefinlayson.com/mastermind\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eamiefinlayson.com/mastermind\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. I also host a VIP Day, where we structure your entire business for growth in a day. And I'm always on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://instagram.com/amiefinlayson\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eInstagram\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, so send me a DM and I will definitely reply.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, that's fantastic. I think people, if you're investing in building a long-term business, and I know a lot of people who are dropshipping will... They rotate and they do a different brand building, but it is good to have some sort of, obviously, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2020/02/why-brand-integrity-matters-and-how-to-get-it.html\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebrand integrity\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and to build something that is going to last, rather than just flash-in-the-pan rubbish. So, I highly recommend people get in touch and learn a bit more about what you do. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAmie, it's been a delight to chat with you, and I hope people go away thinking a little bit more about the wording of their marketing, but also just about the ethics of what they're doing, running their businesses 'cause if more people do that, I think we probably have a little bit more trust in the industry and also feel comfortable that what people are selling is exactly what you're gonna receive in the mail or in a course.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Exactly, agreed. I think... And then their businesses will be better for it, too.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, you're gonna make more money. If you're selling less rubbish and marketing stuff that doesn't exist, then...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, less stress.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Exactly. Ultimately it'll come out. That's good. All right, Amie, thank you so much again, and I hope people check out the podcast and change the game with their marketing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmie:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Awesome. Thank you so much.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant to Learn More?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\\n\u003cul\u003e\\n \u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/ethical-business-ideas-coronavirus-economy\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat To Sell in a Coronavirus Economy: 19 Ethical Business Ideas\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n \u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/social-responsibility-marketing-examples\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e7 Examples of Awesome Social Responsibility Marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n \u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-succeed-marketing-during-covid-19-pandemic\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow To Succeed With Marketing During the COVID-19 Pandemic\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n \u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/sustainability-tips-dropshipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow To Dropship More Sustainably (and 9 Products To Help You Get Started)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003c/ul\u003e\",\"There's no doubt marketing is an integral cog in the day-to-day running of an online business.But while we're all in it to sell, make a profit, and ultimately grow, it's still important to maintain a sense of integrity and ethics.In this episode of Start Yours, we speak to Amie Finlayson, an expert in digital and ecommerce marketing. Together, we dive into ethical marketing, what it is, and how online entrepreneurs can apply it to their businesses.We tackle the role of pricing as well as copy and how these can be tweaked so that you're marketing and selling ethically.If you're enjoying our interviews, don't forget to check out the Oberlo blog as well. And we hope you'll consider subscribing to our podcast.Want a summary of our chat? Here's a seven-point TL;DR version: Making unethical marketing choices in your business harms you down the line more than anyone else. Pricing is a positioning strategy, and what goes into your positioning strategy is essentially your ethics. Really understanding your ideal buyer is going to help you price in a way that's ethical. If your copy reads like you're taking advantage of your buyer, it's probably not what you should be leading with. Having brand values help you sell better and help you down the line. Competitive messaging that paints someone else in a negative light is not ethical marketing. If we stop looking at marketing as so focused on problems and more focused on solutions, we will have better language and people will feel safer making decisions they feel have been informed about rather than forced.\",{\"_464\":487,\"_71\":589,\"_179\":598},\"Digital and ecommerce marketing expert Amie Finlayson joins us on this episode of Start Yours to discuss ethical marketing practices for businesses.\",{\"_464\":492,\"_493\":494,\"_495\":496,\"_497\":56},[-5,-5,601,-5,-5,603,-5,-5,605,-5,-5,-5,606,608,610,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5],{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":602,\"_504\":302,\"_505\":-5},\"Episode 67\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":604,\"_504\":508,\"_505\":-5},\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/20PZcvILVSH9i17aRw7llV?utm_source=generator\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":510,\"_504\":511,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":607,\"_504\":514,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-04-15T19:59:34+02:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":609,\"_504\":517,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-09T13:18:33+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":611,\"_504\":520,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-09T13:30:03+01:00\",{\"_464\":375,\"_465\":613,\"_59\":614,\"_71\":615,\"_469\":616,\"_195\":617,\"_476\":619,\"_481\":621,\"_483\":622,\"_485\":623,\"_490\":625,\"_498\":626,\"_521\":618,\"_522\":615,\"_523\":-7,\"_524\":-7,\"_525\":-7,\"_526\":527,\"_528\":616},\"gid://shopify/Article/559904555030\",\"the-multitasking-myth-how-to-be-more-productive\",\"The Multitasking Myth: How To Be More Productive\",\"2024-05-03T07:13:14Z\",{\"_464\":472,\"_6\":618,\"_474\":615},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1612196503-how-to-be-more-productive.png?v=1714720394\",[478,479,620,540],\"productivity\",\"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat Happens When You Switch Attention\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Dave Crenshaw, thank you so much for joining us on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eStart Yours\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. You are a productivity expert. I have so much to learn from you. I know that a lot of people out there might be struggling with what to do, multitasking, and how to get stuff done. And you are the man to answer all the questions. So, thank you for joining us.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, glad to be here, Aleisha.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Dave, it's been a really tricky \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e– t\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ehis is an understatement \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e–\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e past year. We are into a new year now, and a lot of people are finding themselves working from home. \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/remote-work-statistics\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eRemote work life\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e has become the norm, which is pretty bizarre, but it was so great for some people. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTalk to me a little bit about how your perspective of remote working and also multitasking and productivity has evolved over the last year or so.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Sure. Well, first of all, I'm someone who has \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-work-from-home\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eworked from home\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e for over 20 years, so it's not unfamiliar territory for me. I've been helping people, especially entrepreneurs, people who use your product, be successful and be focused. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd the biggest challenge prior to this is really the same challenge that we have now. It's just amplified, which is switches of attention. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIn my book, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Multitasking-Doing-Gets-Nothing/dp/0470372257\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Myth of Multitasking\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, I talk about how multitasking the way most people think about it honestly doesn't exist. What is happening is switch tasking, meaning your attention… If you try to do multiple things at the same time, like listen to this podcast while typing an email, you're not really doing both. You're just switching rapidly back and forth. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, now, yeah, you put people into the work-from-home situation, and the opportunities to have your attention switch magnify. Now, we've got kids asking for attention, we've got the dog wanting us to take it outside. We've got all these different inputs. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo where I come from is we have to build a strategy, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ewe have to create useful boundaries in our day to allow us to do our most valuable work for the most focused amount of time.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\\\"Dave Crenshaw on creating time boundaries\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612196480-60.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I'm so glad you mentioned all the distractions 'cause I know I'm recording from my lounge room. We literally have a plumber, our toilet was blocked yesterday, we've got a plumber, a lovely plumber who's doing some work in the next room. The kids are here, everyone's running around, and I really enjoy all this chaos. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut also, my attention span has, I think, reduced and I'm very quick to jump up and say, 'I'll help do this, I'll do this.' And although I'm a hard worker, my employers, if they're listening, it does feel that I struggle to maintain that focus as I used to do in, probably, an office environment. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYet, as a caveat, I will say, I know in an office environment I was getting up and socializing a lot more than I do at home, especially when there's no one here and the activity isn't happening. So, in a way, I was thinking about it the other day, that there were other distractions in an office that were different from the home distractions, but we're always being distracted ultimately in the workplace.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Right. And much of it is our own doing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Ideas that pop into our head, those can distract us. Just really anything, notifications, the emails coming in, text messages coming in, there are so many different ways that we can get distracted. And so we have to say, look, when this happens, we're paying a cost. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI talk about how when you switch, there's a switching cost to be paid, and there are four things that happen whenever your attention switches. Well, three main effects, and the fourth one depends on if someone's involved. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, the first one,\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e things take longer.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So anything that you're attempting to do whenever you switch out of it to something else, and then switch back, you're dramatically increasing how long it takes to complete something. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNumber two, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eyou make more mistakes. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIn fact, there was a study that was done by Michigan State University here in the States, that found that it took just \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/brief-interruptions-spawn-errors/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e2.8 seconds of interruption\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e to double the number of mistakes that you make, double the likelihood of you making a mistake.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, my goodness. That's crazy.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, number three, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eyour stress levels increase. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, you think about what it's like to try and focus on something, and then one extra input comes in. One child asks for attention, one other person sends a text message, and you can feel that stress just well up inside. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then the fourth, if there's a human being involved, if you switch tasks on them, if you don't give them 100 percent of your attention, you're communicating to them that they're not important. You're communicating they're less important than whatever it is you happen to be doing on your phone at the time.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\\\"Dave Crenshaw on what happens when you switch attention\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612198033-start-yours-blog-quotes.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That is a common... And I would say outside of work, even in relationships, I know if my partner is texting and I'm like blah, blah, blah, blah, talking, and then he doesn't look up when he's texting and I get a bit shirty. We've discussed this and he's like, 'I'm just focusing on returning this message, and then I'll have a chat with you, and then I can give you my attention.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I need to as a person, a human, understand that we don't have to be multitasking all the time. But my expectations are, 'Hey, you should stop doing your text messages and listen to me,' which I don't think is very fair. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut also it seems to be where we're at as a society, that we're being told, 'You should be able to do all of this stuff at once,' and that's okay. And if you can't, you're failing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Right. And that's just not true. Part of the problem is we have become a culture of people who pride ourselves on being busy, as if busy is a badge of honor, but it's not. It's a white flag of surrender. It's saying that you're not efficient. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd part of the obstacle that I have to overcome, and part of what I address in my book, \u003cem\u003eThe Myth of Multitasking,\u003c/em\u003e is helping people recognize that activity is not the goal.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe goal is to achieve a result. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd if you can achieve that result in a matter of a couple of minutes, well done. We don't have to constantly be jogging and running and moving around in order to achieve the results that we want to achieve in our career, in our life, in our business.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe Culture of “When”\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Do you think... Actually, I wanna share before I get to that. There was a tweet that I screen grabbed when I knew I was going to be chatting with you, and it's by Kenz Hadley, and she said, 'Yesterday I completed a chore that I've been putting off for five months. It took me 20 minutes, I will learn nothing from this,' and it's had 800,000 likes and it really made me giggle 'cause I'm like, 'This is the problem.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI really wanna talk to you about your advice for how we actually get on top of this, but I know I create lists, I set a Google calendar reminder, things pop up at me all the time. And yet when they do, I feel that sense of doom and gloom and panic that you just mentioned before, and stress of going, 'Oh my gosh, I've gotta do this thing.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then often I find myself saying, 'Alright, I'll just move that calendar notification to next Tuesday, and then I'll definitely do this task.' But then having moved it, I feel this burden and pressure going 'Alright, next Tuesday, definitely gonna do that task.' And I do not do it, and I'm a doer, but it is a burden. It is a super burden. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, how do we go about rearranging our existence to not feel that burden? And this is a big question, I know we can't solve this in 25 minutes, but at least we could kick it off...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No, but I can give some starting points, I think. I think I can do something that helps.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Good, that's good.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And part of it is you have to shift from the culture of “now” to the culture of “when.” The culture of “now” perpetuates this feeling like if I have to do something, I have to do it now, or it's not going to get done. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eOr if I have a question for someone else, I need them to answer it now. And if they don't answer it now, I send them a text message, and if they don't answer the text then I call them, and it just... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat happens is when you live in the culture of “now” you're perpetuating switch-tasking because now you're just peppering yourself and others with all these to-dos.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I found that the average person operates in a horizon, a time horizon of about two weeks. In other words, they think, if I can't get this done within the next two weeks, I can't do it. That is an incredibly compressed amount of time to give ourselves to accomplish significant things in our life.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\\\"Dave Crenshaw on time horizons\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612196486-62.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Huge, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. So, I'm actually a fan of strategic procrastination, I preach it, I believe in it. And what that says is, if something is important, it should be done... The most important thing should be done now. And then the next most important thing should be done a day from now or two days from now. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd if something isn't important, we should push that thing off as long as we possibly can. A year, two years, whatever is reasonable. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe question you wanna ask is, 'How long can this wait?' Rather than saying, 'Can I get this done in the next week?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd when you start doing that, you stop feeling that pressure to constantly perform and you start to leave open spaces in your days and in your weeks, so that when interruptions happen like... I won't go into the details but we had a major emergency happen, unexpected recently. And because I had buffer time built into my calendar, we had the room to deal with it without feeling tremendous amounts of stress.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut if you schedule your days back to back to back, and every single appointment just as tight as you possibly can, the moment something unexpected occurs, your world falls apart.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. Do you think... That's such a great point. 'Cause I have access... This is in our organization, I have access to other people's calendars to book meetings, and sometimes when I go into other people's calendars that look really full and colorful and beautiful, I panic a little bit 'cause I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, my calendar doesn't look like that.' Not that I'm not doing the work, but it's just not how my brain works. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it sometimes makes me feel very... Well, just not great at my job when I'm looking at that, but it's nice to hear you say that, that perhaps we don't need to schedule 15 minutes of nothing time and maybe instead schedule two hours of a buffer zone as you said, and still feel like you're doing a great job.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSchedule Your Time Smarter\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it depends on your position. It depends on the role that you play. Some roles are highly prone to interruptions. For instance, if I'm in a \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-service\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer service\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e position or I'm in a business where we have to respond in an instant. Like, I've consulted auto repair companies, they have to do that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo what I tell someone who's highly interruption-driven, you probably shouldn't schedule more than 30 percent to 40 percent of your day. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIn business, that's probably more typical, I would say probably leave around 30 percent to 40 percent of your day open, that gives you breathing room for the interruptions. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut then here's the beautiful thing, when they don't happen because sometimes they won't, it feels like you have bonus time. And because you're operating in an area of being less stressed, you're far more productive. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTypically, a client who's been through my training program can reclaim about one extra work week's worth of time every month.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow, that's impressive.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e And it sounds like an exaggeration, but it's very true.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\\\"Dave Crenshaw on time scheduling\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612196489-63.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e What do you think about the people... I've got a friend who's extremely intelligent, really good at his job, but he said, 'You know what, if I get into the office really early in the morning before everyone arrives,' and this is sort of pre-COVID times, but we were just talking about this recently, he's like, 'I can get in there and I can do two hours of focus work, I can just smash it out, and then when people come into the office, then I start my day of talking and doing meetings.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut really the core part of his day is done in those first two hours. And it was great, we were talking about working from home and productivity, and I said to him, 'Yeah, I sort of feel the same way. I know if I do my interviews and do my show notes and record, I can really get things done.' And then you've got the rest of the day to feel like you can think and plan and be creative. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow do we get to the point where it became the norm to work eight hours and people to think we should be solidly focusing and being productive for eight hours 'cause I don't think that's humanly possible. I don't think anyone can do that. But it seems to be what everyone's saying we should be doing, which is weird.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No. And that story of your friend is really interesting because I also run into situations where people say, 'My most productive time is when I'm on vacation,' or, 'the weekend.” And that is not necessary. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWe can create a culture in the workplace, we can create a culture even with our customers that says, 'Here is the time when I'm going to make myself available.' Now, I'm going back to that principle of “when,” right? This is when I'm going to be available for your interruption or for you to schedule yourself into my calendar for a meeting. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThen here is the time where I'm going to do my focused work. And I talk about this in my LinkedIn Learning Time Management Training, time management fundamentals. I talk about focusing on your most valuable activities. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThese are the one or two things that you do that are worth the most per hour. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eMeaning if you had to hire someone else to do it, it would be the most expensive to replace. And you want to \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eschedule out the most amount of time during the times where you're least likely to be interrupted to do those MVAs, those most valuable activities.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt is very possible to do this, but what people run into is they're so afraid of saying “no,” they're so afraid of holding the line with their boundaries that they default to letting other people interrupt them with whatever it is that they're dealing with in the moment.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\\\"Dave Crenshaw on time management\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612196492-64.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. We've all sort of become a bit 'yes' men in this situation, 'yes' men and women, that is, you do feel obliged. And I think especially working from home or \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-a-business\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003erunning small businesses\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e where you think, 'Well, I must get this opportunity, I must step up, 'cause I don't want people to think I'm not doing work.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou do sort of become a lot more... I think I've become a bit more obliging with saying, 'Alright, I'll do an after-hours meeting,” or, “I'll step into the weekend to do some extra work,' which normally I would probably not do. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow do we go about maybe creating better boundaries with \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/time-management-tips\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003etime management\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and especially then transposing into being more productive and doing better work for the people we're working for or for ourselves.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTime Management: Setting Boundaries\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Sure. And I wanna say that I am a big believer in being highly responsive and in taking care of your customers and responding. The problem is, we run into a paradox, and it goes back to that first principle that I said, or the first cost of switch tasking. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen you switch, things take longer. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo sometimes when people think that they're being more responsive by allowing themselves to be interrupted or taking these meetings at odd hours, they think that they're doing things faster, when in fact they're doing things much, much slower, around 50 percent to 100 percent longer when they jump to something the moment it comes in, rather than saying, 'Here's the moment when I'm going to deal with this. And when that time comes, I'm gonna give it 100 percent of my attention.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, just from one simple example, you can ask yourself... Because one of the problems that people have is they're constantly checking email, just send and receive all the time, or maybe even worse, they get a notification on their screen, on their phone every time an email comes in.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd in fact, \u003ca href=\\\"https://www.rescuetime.com/\\\"\u003eRescue Time\u003c/a\u003e, which is a nice little app that helps people recover time, found that \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003esix minutes is how long workers on average take before checking their email or instant messages, that's ten times per hour.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Are you kidding? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's... I feel a bit... My tummy just lurched there 'cause I'm like, 'Oh my God, I'm guilty of this.' But also, 'Oh, that's exhausting.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And that's the average. That means there are plenty of people doing a lot worse than that. So I ask the question, consider your position, consider your industry and say, 'How long can I wait?' When is the latest that I could check my email? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd let's say you... Even on the extreme end, you say, 'I can't wait more than an hour.' Great, then you have an appointment once an hour on the hour, maybe five minutes before the end of the hour, to check your email. That means you're only checking it eight, nine times a day instead of 50 to 60. And that is an incredible time value gain. That's where we start to reclaim that one workweek every single month.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e Even eight to nine... Even eight to ten times a day still feels like a lot to me. But then when you said 50 times a day, oh my gosh, what are we doing to ourselves?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\\\"Dave Crenshaw on checking emails and messages\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612196494-65.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I'm being generous to make people feel comfortable. Honestly, I find it's best to set it up around three times per day to just check, and then I have time set for processing, which means I bring my email inbox to zero completely on Monday morning and Friday morning.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, that's a good goal. It's a great goal. A lot of our listeners are \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e merchants or potential small business owners, they might be wanting to leave their day jobs or just run side hustles. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf you are looking to start a \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/side-hustle\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eside hustle\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and I think this is where people become quite overwhelmed, and I have personally been in this position where you are working a day job and you are adding on with an extra project, can you give some advice about people who are starting that or who were in it and freaking out and stressed off of their nuts because they are... Don't know how to manage time. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat are some of the easy things that we could start to do to prevent us from going loco? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. I'd start with an exercise that I cover in the book called “the time budgeter.” In its simplest forms, you're just looking at the 168 hours that you have, everyone has per week. And you ask yourself the question: How much time do I want to devote to this side hustle? And how much time do I want to devote to sleep and to family and to my day job? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd you just start estimating the numbers. It has to tally up to 168 hours, you've gotta balance that budget, so to speak. And in fact, that's how I think of work-life balance. I think of it like making sure that you're living within the means that you have, not that it should be a 50 percent to 50 percent equation. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, you say, 'Alright, each week I should spend ten hours on my side hustle,' just throwing out a number. Then the question becomes: When do those ten hours take place? Are they going to take place all day Saturday, are they gonna take place two hours per night on the weekdays? We start with the number and then we can work backwards and create that structure in our calendar. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe calendar is the most powerful tool that everyone has at their disposal yet few people use properly.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e What are some tips then about using the calendar properly and actually not doing what I do and just going, 'Woop, let's just move that one to next week. I'll do it next week.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eReplace the To-Do List With a Calendar\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. Well, the first is to replace the to-do list with the calendar. I'm a pretty big advocate against using a to-do list. And the reason is that \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ea to-do list is the absence of control.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat I mean by that is, you're just going to add things to the list and then check them off when you have an opportunity that is allowing yourself to get blown around with whatever interruptions take place. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, instead, we wanna take those items off the to-do list, look at the calendar objectively and say, 'When is a time that I can reasonably get this done?' And 'How long do I think it's going to take?' And then over-estimate. If you're not... If you don't feel like you've got a good time estimation muscle, double your estimates.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, if you think something's gonna take half an hour, schedule an hour. And then once you start getting used to it, you can be more accurate with your guesses on the calendar. But just start allocating that time, and then when the time comes, you respect that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd the reason that works versus a to-do list is that you budgeted the time, it's been set aside. Now, all we have to deal with is the psychological mental games that you might be playing with yourself to encourage procrastination. But honestly, those are pretty easy to solve, what's a lot harder to solve is when you just haven't given yourself the time to do it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\\\"Dave Crenshaw on to-do lists\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612196497-66.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, I'm taking on this on board and I'm gonna do this, this is gonna be my 2021 goal.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Great.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e 'Cause I'm the queen of procrastination, in a lot of ways, but then I put my head down and I really get things done. But also, the procrastination does have a bit of a shame cycle of me thinking, 'Oh, I should have done that.' And then when I go to relax and I think, 'I should be relaxing more.' And then when I relax, I worry about all the things that I didn't do. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, I'm going to be very proactive, 'cause then it ruins relaxing time, it's like, 'Oh what? I can't win because I'm going around and around in circles.' So this is inspiring me to be a lot better with my scheduling, but also not feeling the guilt when I'm relaxing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd that's a weird thing to feel when we're... I suppose a lot of us having been in our homes for the last 12 months and not going out and doing things. It can be hard to separate relaxing and working time now, 'cause it's all just blending into one big blob of time. How do we fix that? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. And your brain is okay with giving you permission to relax as long as it's confident that the schedule you've created is going to work. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen you give your brain a “when,” your brain gives you permission to wait until that time arrives.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSeparating Work From Home in One Physical Space\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So, looking at our workspace, especially at home, and whether you are working for someone else or yourself, how can we set up a working physical space to help us with productivity and also be able to maybe separate the workspace and then also our home life, where we can relax and put the TV on or go and do all these other tasks that can be distracting in a workday, and instead actually just focus, get stuff done, and then enjoy the relaxing time? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So, I like to think of the workspace in terms of the five senses. So, you start with sight. What is it that you see, is there anything that's visually distracting? What do you hear? Are there ways that we can minimize the noise? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFor instance, one person was being distracted by the noise of their family outside of their office. So we just implemented white noise, just a fan. Touch, you take a look at the ergonomics. Are there things that you're doing that are causing you to be uncomfortable and shift your position too much? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eLet's see, I've got taste. So that means that you've got snacks that are handy, close at hand, and also snacks that give you energy rather than causing you to switch your attention away because you're feeling run down. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then this is always a fun one, but sometimes it'll crop up: smell. Are there any phantom smells that are occurring? Sometimes you stop and hesitate… Usually, that's not a big one, but it's something to consider. It's just kind of a fun way to analyze your workspace and see: How can I reduce distractions here? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's great. Well, I'm going to reassess I'm trying to re-do my \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/home-office-ideas\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ehome office\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e a little bit, and I'm going to definitely take into consideration some of those things. The snack idea is great 'cause I'm really good at getting up and going to the kitchen and making a coffee, da da da da. Then I'm like, 'Oh, this has been 25 minutes, where has that gone?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut you're right, if you've got it there, it stops that getting up. But also it's good to get up and walk around, just do it with purpose, schedule it in.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, and that's a good place to kind of wrap up, I think, which is, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ethere is value in taking breaks. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd in fact, I have a whole other book that just talks about that, the power of having fun and taking a ten- to 20-minute break, perhaps every 90 minutes or so is really valuable. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut we go back to that principle of doing it on the calendar, having a clear “when,” and committing to that break and using it rather than trying to squeeze it in after you get your work done. That's not going to be productive in the long run.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\\\"Dave Crenshaw on the value of taking breaks\\\" src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1612196500-67.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e No and your back and body will say, 'Thank you so much for letting me get up and walk around and not be a weird old crooked back person,' like I can be when I just sit for seven hours and then go, 'Why haven't I gotten up? Why haven't I moved? What's going on?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDave Crenshaw, you're a delight, and I \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-motivate-yourself\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003efeel motivated\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e to do better this year when it comes to multitasking and also you've inspired me. I just counted, I've got like 28 tabs open on my freaking computer and I'm going to fix that now and we didn't even get to that, but I just needed to... Like going to confession. I just needed to confess to you, I'm gonna improve, I do not need those tabs.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Know your weight, no more.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Exactly. Dave’s \u003cem\u003eThe Myth of Multitasking: How 'Doing It All' Gets Nothing Done\u003c/em\u003e is out now, and I'm sure people can purchase that via Amazon or their bookshops, support some local bookshops, let's do that as well. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd if people wanna get in touch, also, you've got some amazing courses as you said, where can we learn more about what you do? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, my website is \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://davecrenshaw.com/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edavecrenshaw.com\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. Crenshaw is C-R-E-N-S-H-A-W. And I mentioned my time management course, if you go to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://davecrenshaw.com/time\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edavecrenshaw.com/time\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, that'll take you right to that course on LinkedIn Learning. And usually, they have a free trial.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's fantastic. Well, thank you so much for sharing your insights. I know people will leave feeling good and clearing their big silly task list that is not helping them at all. So thanks again, and I hope we can talk again soon.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDave:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Thank you, Aleisha.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant to Learn More?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/want-to-be-10x-more-productive-start-building-systems\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf You Want To Be 10x More Productive, Stop Setting Goals and Start Building Systems\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/productive-morning-routine\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow To Start a Productive Morning Routine for Success (Proven Method)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/productivity-music\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eProductivity Music To Concentrate and Focus (8 Best Playlists)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/want-to-become-more-productive-than-97-percent-of-people-read-this-immediately\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant To Become More Productive Than 97 Percent of People? Read This Immediately.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003c/ul\u003e\",\"Multitasking has become a common topic of discussion over the past year, as workers shift to a work-from-home arrangement as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic.But just how effective is it? Does it really help us become more productive?Not according to Dave Crenshaw.Dave is the author of the book The Myth of Multitasking: How \\\"Doing It All\\\" Gets Nothing Done, in which he provides a solution to the chaos of distraction that multitasking can create.He joins us in this episode of Start Yours to break down what actually happens when we multitask as well as provide game-changing time-management tips about how we can be more productive as we work from home. Finding yourself constantly distracted and stressed about your never-ending to-do lists? This is one episode you do not want to miss.If you're enjoying our podcasts, don't forget to subscribe.Prefer a summary? Here's a seven-point version of our conversation with Dave. If you try to do multiple things concurrently, you're really just switching rapidly back and forth instead of doing both. Every time you switch attention, things end up taking longer to do, you make more mistakes, your stress levels increase, and you're communicating to people you're dealing with that they're not important. You should be asking, \\\"How long can this wait?\\\" instead of, \\\"Can I get this done in the next week?\\\" As an entrepreneur, you should leave around 30 to 40 percent of your day open to interruptions. Schedule the most amount of time during the period you're least likely to get interrupted to do your most valuable activities. On average, workers check their emails and messages every six minutes. A to-do list is the absence of control. Switch it out for a calendar instead.\",{\"_464\":487,\"_71\":615,\"_179\":624},\"Dave Crenshaw breaks down what happens when we multitask and provides game-changing tips about how we can be more productive as we work from home. \",{\"_464\":492,\"_493\":494,\"_495\":496,\"_497\":56},[-5,-5,627,-5,-5,629,-5,-5,631,-5,-5,-5,632,634,636,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5],{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":628,\"_504\":302,\"_505\":-5},\"Episode 66\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":630,\"_504\":508,\"_505\":-5},\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4c0PAxm0EFfl7MGOutVA29?utm_source=generator\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":510,\"_504\":511,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":633,\"_504\":514,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-17T12:15:24+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":635,\"_504\":517,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-01T17:44:58+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":637,\"_504\":520,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-01T17:48:43+01:00\",{\"_464\":375,\"_465\":639,\"_59\":640,\"_71\":641,\"_469\":642,\"_195\":643,\"_476\":646,\"_481\":648,\"_483\":649,\"_485\":650,\"_490\":652,\"_498\":653,\"_521\":644,\"_522\":645,\"_523\":-7,\"_524\":-7,\"_525\":-7,\"_526\":527,\"_528\":642},\"gid://shopify/Article/559904522262\",\"how-to-launch-your-digital-product-business\",\"How To Launch Your Digital Product Business\",\"2024-05-03T07:13:11Z\",{\"_464\":472,\"_6\":644,\"_474\":645},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1611836033-blog-headings.png?v=1714720392\",\"How To Launch Your Digital Product Business \",[566,647,478,479],\"business-ideas\",\"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eGetting Started With Selling Digital Products\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha: \u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDan Henry, thank you so much for joining me on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eStart Yours\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. I'm so interested in what you do and also sharing a whole different pathway potentially for our listeners. A lot of our Start Yours listeners are selling physical products, they're really successful in the world of ecommerce and dropshipping, or at least have the drive to be very successful. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut I thought this topic today about how to launch a digital product business would be great, to hopefully inspire some of our listeners to broaden their horizons a little bit when it comes to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and marketing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I'm happy to be here. This is awesome.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, tell me, Dan, how you firstly... Pre-successful business Dan, that I'm talking to today, not to say you weren't successful before, but you had a couple of hiccups, I believe. Tell me a little bit about how you got into this world and some of the potential roadblocks that you hit along the way.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Sure. So I’ve been a digital marketer since 2009, and I was doing okay. It was about 2012, I was doing okay, I was getting back on my feet, I had a rough few years and had some ecommerce stuff going on, I had an agency where I did \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/digital-marketing-made-simple-complete-beginners-guide\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edigital marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e for local businesses. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I was just starting to get back on my feet, and I got a letter from the IRS that said I had messed up my books from a previous business several years prior, and I owed $250,000.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow! \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e In back-taxes. And so that was actually the best letter I ever got because what happened was, I started researching online like what's the fastest way to make a lot of money fast? And when I say a lot of money fast, I'm talking about profit. 'Cause if you start a company or like ecom, if you make a million bucks in ecom, a lot of people will take home 150 grand, 200 grand, and that's not making a million bucks. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I was like, 'Alright, what's the fastest way to make actual money that I can use to pay the IRS?' And every article I read all said the same thing: digital products, online courses, coaching... That was it. I really couldn't find anything else that wasn't that that fit that criteria. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so I studied that and I decided to launch an online course around what I was doing at the time, which was digital marketing for local businesses. And the first day that I did it, I got on a webinar, which is like a live presentation and then you make a pitch, an offer, at the end to buy a more premium version. And I thought, I was like, 'Alright, well if I... ' So I was selling it for $1,000 and I was like, 'If I sell 10 copies, that's $10,000. I can send $10,000 to the IRS and get 'em off my back.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWell, that first night I did $48,000 in sales. 48 copies.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And then I did it again a week later for those who couldn't make the first training, we did another 52 sales. So it was like $100,000 in my first couple of weeks doing it, and I was like, 'Alright, well, clearly, this is the industry I need to master and become a part of.” And five months later, I had hit a million dollars in sales for my course. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFast forward to today, now we have million-dollar months, a lot of the times, we've scaled to over $20 million in sales. And as well, I've even, through the use of a virtual event, had a million-dollar day.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow! \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So there's a lot to unpack within that in terms of different mistakes and things I wish I knew then that I know now. And for my clients, because for the longest time I was selling that course on how to do local business marketing. I stopped selling that course after we hit about $8 million in revenue, and I started helping other people that wanted to sell their advice online, wanted to sell courses, coaching. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThat was my new passion 'cause I had done so well in it. And I wrote a book called Digital Millionaire Secrets, which was all about my journey to about $10 million, selling my advice, and that book became a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, and it brought my company a ton of clients. People read my book and then they decide to become a client, and it just really blew things up. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so, there's a lot I can share on mistakes, there are some things I can share for ecommerce sellers, or for people that primarily wanna sell digital products. So I'm happy to give some value to your audience today.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhat Is a Digital Product\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, and we're happy to receive the value 'cause I think a lot of people, especially in the previous 12 months, we've been through a lot of hardship and a lot of people are trying to pivot away from their day jobs, wanting to leave their day jobs or also just not having access to a day job anymore. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo ecommerce and digital marketing and creating your own product, whether that be a physical product or, as you said, a digital product is something that I know a lot of people are really keen to learn more about. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTell me a little bit about... Let's unpack a bit what a digital product is. If people are listening and they've never thought about this angle, let's just go back to basics. You mentioned courses. What else sits under that digital product umbrella, before we sort of go deep diving? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e Well, I like to think of it as anything that is really information-based. So, for instance, \u003ca href=\\\"/blog/best-free-online-courses-start-today\\\"\u003eonline courses\u003c/a\u003e, ebooks, guides, masterminds, whether in-person or online, coaching, consulting, software even, because we help a lot of software people, because the way in which you sell software is extraordinarily similar to the way in which you sell info.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611835850-53.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFor instance, you don't always have to make info your main business. If you are an ecommerce seller... Just to give you a practical example, let's say you sell barbecue items like grills and tools and sauces and stuff. You could easily pack on an extra hefty, hefty chunk of profit on your P\u0026amp;L by simply offering a cooking course or a barbecue course. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecause think about it, if you have a cost of goods on something, you have to pay that cost of goods, you have to get that stuff from China, or you have to dropship. There has to be not only logistics but the cost of goods in everything you sell. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhereas if somebody puts a bunch of stuff in their cart for barbecuing and they see, 'Oh, I can also buy this digital product, this course,' or even an ebook on recipes, it could be anything, you can easily... 'Cause there's no cost of goods there. There's no logistics. They just get a username and password.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFor me, any ecommerce seller who is doing ecommerce as their main business, and they have a \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/ecommerce-how-to-start-and-succeed\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003esuccessful ecommerce store\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and they're not selling some sort of info product on the back-end, or not even the back-end, just on their site that somebody can just add to the cart, you're just basically giving up money. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFor instance, we're actually starting a physical product business next month. Well, we started it, we're gonna start selling next month. But I designed my own planner. Because I used to buy these planners, and I bought the top ten planners on the market, and I didn't like any of them, and I thought, 'This is for people that buy planners, not for people that wanna get things done. This is for people who think planners are cool.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI said, 'I need to get things done,' so I designed my own, and I went to Kinko's and had a bunch printed out and I used them myself and attacked it from like a high-level CEO type of perspective, and then I started giving them to my employees, and they were like, 'Wow, this is the best planner ever.'\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so I was like, 'Well, let's sell this,' so we created a planner. And what we did was, in the planner, we give away a free product... 'Cause it's a productivity planner, so what do we do? We give away a free productivity class with the purchase of every planner. And we share a ton of valuable information in that class. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut then at the end of the class, we say, 'Hey, listen, do you wanna take your productivity to the next level? Sign up for our legendary productivity course.' And so there's that back-end there, where, look, if you buy a planner, you're obviously trying to be more productive, so a digital product on productivity is that next logical step. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eJust like if you have cooking tools, the next logical step is a cooking course.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHowever, I will tell you that the bulk of our revenue does not come from tacking on an info-product to an ecom site. Our main business is info, and specifically higher-end info, a more VIP red carpet experience than just sending someone a username and password and having them watch videos. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd that's what we teach our clients, and it allows you to not have to deal with a lot of the problems that most course sellers and info product sellers have to deal with while making more money and giving a better result to your clients. So that's something that I can cover as well.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBecoming an Expert in What You Sell\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, I think that's really interesting, especially just to jump back and really reiterate what you said about people selling physical products with the add-on digital products. So also it's great for \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/guide-to-seo-101\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSEO\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e if you have extra content on your website as well, and using a simple... When you're adding to cart and having that pop-up and say, 'Do you want the cookbook or would you like the planner?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAs you said, there are so many different opportunities for people to make extra money. And it's free money once you produce the digital product. You're not having to buy it or do any extra work for it. So that's such a great point. So thank you for really bringing that home.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen you are looking at creating a digital product, and as you said, if you are potentially moving into a high-end digital product, reading and researching about what you do, I feel like a lot of the question that comes up is people say, 'Oh, I'm not really an expert on anything. What do I write my book about?' or, 'What is my course about?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd that really got me humming because I think everyone has something they're really interested in or knowledgeable about. But it does take an extra special push sometimes for you to realize what that is. So what is some advice you give to people who are considering creating a product, but then have that moment of doubt or really can't figure out what it is that they wanna inform and help people with? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, there are a few ways I can attack that one. Number one, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eeverybody who's ever done anything worth anything has had doubts in the beginning. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThey just have. It's part of being a human being. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd a lot of times as humans, we look at the human condition and we say, 'Well, if I feel doubt, if I feel pressure, if I \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/feeling-overwhelmed\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003efeel overwhelmed\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, that must be a sign that I shouldn't do it,' and in fact, that's just you being human, and you gotta recognize that and still move forward. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut a lot of people don't realize that they're experts in something because they feel like they have to be at the top of the market, they have to be the best in the world, and that's just not true. In fact, that intimidates people, sometimes.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611836378-start-yours-blog-quotes.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI mean, if you were trying to start a restaurant, if you had two choices between a class from the CEO of Subway and a class from a local restaurant owner who owns three or four family restaurants, a lot of people would choose the three or four family restaurants over the CEO of Subway, 'cause they just can't relate to that, that's just too high up on the food chain for them to relate to.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut that said, almost everybody listening right now is an expert in something. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen I was in college, I paid my way through college by teaching people how to use their home recording software. And that was something I learned through Google and college classes and just doing music recording on my own. You only have to be one step ahead, and you can do that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut the other way to really think about this is if you were to say to yourself, 'Well, I really wanna do this business, I'm not an expert in anything.' Well, then, become an expert in something. That's what I did.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo for instance, when I started running \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-facebook-advertising\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFacebook ads\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, I ran them for my bar. I owned a bar in the tiny town of Spring Hill, Florida, and I ran ads for the bar. And so, when I ran ads for the bar, that's where I learned Facebook ads. And then after I sold the bar, I started doing ads for other businesses, so I got paid to do that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then I started doing one-on-one coaching calls to teach people how to run ads, and then I developed a course. That's what gave me the idea to do the course because I read that article and all that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo a lot of times you can start in sort of an alpha or beta mode by just saying, 'Hey, let me go out and teach someone,' even if you have to teach somebody for free. And here's the thing, when you start working with people, when you know how to do something, it doesn't necessarily mean you're a good teacher. You have to teach to be a good teacher. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so you get out there and you help somebody with something and you get them a result, and you get that much better at teaching, then you help somebody else, and you help somebody else. And for instance, in the course of four years – four years – I went from offering a one-on-one coaching call for free just to get a testimonial, just to get somebody to say, 'Hey, I spoke to Dan and he gave me great advice and it worked,' to today I charge $55,000 for consulting, and I sold three of those last week, just last week. But that's because I never let up and I pursued the mastery of my craft relentlessly. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd that's the thing, is you're probably already an expert in something, you know a lot more than somebody else, and so you begin teaching, you begin helping. And that makes you more of an expert and more of an expert. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe best way to learn something is through teaching it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e You get pretty decent at it, you get started, and then you start teaching others. I mean, look at martial arts. I mean, you start learning martial arts, if you do Jujitsu, by the time you're a Blue belt, you're already helping other students. Then you get to Purple belt, you're running classes. Then you get to Brown and Black Belt and you're teaching classes and opening your own schools.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI mean, you not only learn by doing, but you learn by teaching. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's just a natural flow of information. It's the passing of the torch in multiple layers. And so, by getting down there and doing it, you're going to become better at it, you're gonna become more of an expert at it, you're gonna get better results, you're gonna become more of an authority and your prices are gonna go up, your results are gonna go up. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eB\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eut if you just sit there and say, 'Well, I'm not enough of an expert yet.' Well, that's why you're not, 'cause you're sitting there saying that you're not enough of an expert, you're not moving forward, you're not pushing the envelope. And that's what you need to do, you need to constantly push the envelope, and watch it happen.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611835855-55.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And I like that you say that, and regardless of people, what business they're running. I think we all come across entrepreneurs who are wanting to be entrepreneurs but are always hesitant, and as you said, that fear of not being at the right level or not ready to push the button yet, you've still gotta make tweaks on your website or you need to hone in on your product a little bit more, I think it's totally natural, but it is that leap that you need to take. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd the beautiful thing, I think, about digital products, is that you can tweak them, and you can keep upgrading them and changing them as you go. It doesn't mean that you've created a product in a factory in China and you've ordered 20,000 of them and you're stuffed if you do or stuffed if you don't. Whereas in digital, you can jump in and make an instant change.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eGetting Your Hands Dirty\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Tweak it, change it, yeah. And I can tell you this, and this is not just digital products, this is any business. And I do not think you can find an exception to this rule, and I believe this to be true. If you've been in business for some time, even a little time, and you're not yet a millionaire, it is because of one thing and one thing only: You are doing too many things that are unnecessary. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou're spending your time doing things that you don't need to do, like tweaking your logo, tweaking your website, wondering, going to conferences and hugging people and slapping hands and smiling, that's all great but that's not gonna put money in your bank account. Getting down there and getting your hands dirty and doing it and doing the uncomfortable thing... And here's the other thing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNothing starts out great. It has to start out okay for it to be better, for it to be good, for it to be great, for it to be fantastic, for it to eventually become legendary.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eMy clients get way better results today than they did two years ago compared to four years ago, my prices are higher today than they were two and four years ago, my ability to teach is better today than it was six months ago, eight months ago, a year ago, because you naturally get better. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so one of the biggest things that you have to keep in mind is you have to begin, and it's gonna suck in the beginning, it's gonna not be that good. It's going to be 'meh' in the beginning, and that's what it's supposed to be. That's how it becomes fantastic, that's how it becomes legendary. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI mean, look at Jeff Bezos. There's a famous picture of him online sitting in this very modest office with a banner hung up on the wall with the word “Amazon” spray-painted on it. And now, until recently, he was the richest guy in the world. And so that just goes to show you that you have to be okay with it starting out mediocre for it to one day be great.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611835858-56.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ePricing Your Digital Product\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, take those risks, people. And they're not even big risks, especially when you have success or even a little tiny bit of success that you can then plow that idea into your next business. I'm a big believer in just doing what you wanna do at that moment and not just thinking about it because you're never gonna get anywhere with just thoughts. Thoughts are good, but they're not gonna make you money. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTell me about pricing, 'cause this seems to be a big issue in the world of digital products. Well, same with physical products, we talk about pricing all the time, and I think sometimes people really underestimate what people are willing to pay for things. But we spend a lot of time looking at other people's products, and other people's marketing, and that can sometimes, I think as an ecommerce person, really distract from what I'm doing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo what is your advice for first-time digital product launching people? How do we go about even starting to price our beautiful products? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, one of the biggest mistakes that people make, and I don't expect everybody that listens to what I'm about to say to agree with this. Go re-listen to this in two years, and I guarantee you you'll agree with it. But the thing is, is that people vastly under-charge, and what you don't realize is when you under-charge, you do a massive disservice to your clients. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's sort of like that whole idea, you get what you pay for, and it's better to buy it. For instance, imagine you go to the cheapest guy in town to put a roof on your house and he does it wrong, the roof leaks, now you gotta buy a whole roof all over again, when if you just would have gone to somebody reputable or the best, you'd have saved more money in the long run. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd the thing is, if you're the cheapest, nobody expects you to be the best, and if you're the best, nobody expects you to be the cheapest.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I recommend you start out high-ticket, meaning at least $3,000. I don't care what you teach, at least $3,000. Unless you're teaching something like how to... Something really, really... How to clean your desk or something, but even that you could turn into an organizational coaching program. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI know somebody that charges $10,000 for marriage coaching. And you think, 'Well, who would pay $10,000 for marriage coaching?' Well, think about what's at stake. If they get divorced, what do they stand to lose? Only half of everything they've ever worked for. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThat's the thing that people don't think about. If you do a good job, and you are able to work closely with your clients, you're 100 times more likely to get the result than if you just charge them $200 and make them log into a dashboard. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI'll give you an example, and this is the other thing, is a lot of times people try to come out with these small products like tripwires and these $40 things, 'Oh, if they buy this product, then maybe they'll buy the next thing up,' and that's a myth, it's an urban legend in digital marketing. It is much easier to sell somebody on high-ticket as a first purchase, absolutely. It's just as easy to sell a $5,000-program as it is a $500-program.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd the other thing is there are two types of buyers in the marketplace: there are low-ticket buyers and there are high-ticket buyers.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd these buyers are pre-wired to either buy low or high. Now, yes, you can take a low-ticket buyer and you can turn them into a high-ticket buyer. But it not only takes a lot of time to do that, but it also takes a lot of mindset work. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen you have somebody that’s already okay with paying a premium price to get a premium result, they're easier to sell to because they're already wired that way, and they are easier to work with 'cause they're okay with getting skin in the game. They're a premium client, and they will listen. They will be more coach-able. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so you will get better results. You'll have easier-to-deal-with clients so you won't pull your hair out. You'll make more money, more profit, you'll need less staff, and you will ultimately have a more scalable business. If you sell a product for $200, you gotta get 5,000 people to buy it, to say yes, to make a million bucks. If you sell a product for $10,000, you gotta get 100 people to say yes. You know what I mean? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And it's not that difficult to provide a higher quality, more VIP experience for your client. People say, 'Oh, I just want passive income.' Well, if you want \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/passive-income\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003epassive income\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e then you're not an entrepreneur, you're an investor and you should go learn investing, you should go learn stocks and maybe cryptocurrency and real estate. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut if you wanna be an entrepreneur you shouldn't ever mention the word passive income because that's just not what entrepreneurs do. Cooks do not clean, housekeepers don't cook, and pilots don't drive submarines. If you are an entrepreneur you shouldn't be talking about passive income. If you are you need to look up the definition of an entrepreneur.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611835860-57.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTaking an Active Approach\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it's true, because I think a lot of people also... We predominantly speak about running ecom and dropshipping businesses, and there is certainly... And it's something we have been really working on trying to clear this attitude that it's a “signup and walk away from a website” situation. Where the world of ecommerce requires a lot of touchpoints for people to make that commitment to buy something. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut also from the back end, it's a lot of touchpoints of working with manufacturers, making sure your shipping is on time, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-service\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer service\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e takes up a lot of extra time. There is nothing passive about running any of these businesses. So I'm happy that you said that because I do think people enter into these relationships and really get a bit of a cold wake-up call when they realize, 'Oh, I'm gonna have to work pretty hard to make this happen.'\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then they leave, they give up, and that's a real shame that we see a lot of drop-offs when actually, if people are on to a good thing they just need to work harder and also think about marketing, think about \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-scale\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003escaling\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, think about pricing. And also what they actually wanna be doing with their lives, and if it's just plug and play.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, also thinking about investing in learning how to do all that stuff. You know? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes, exactly. Yeah. Yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Imagine if you were to climb Mount Everest, would you do it without a guide? No. You wouldn't. Because you would fall to your death on jagged rocks. But yet people try to build a business without a guide. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eOr would you buy a private plane and not learn to fly? How are you gonna fly the plane? You know what I mean? Would you conduct brain surgery without going to medical school? Would you defend somebody in a court of law without going to law school? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut people somehow think they can start businesses without hiring a consultant who has already built a successful business. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then, 'Oh, I'll just watch free videos on YouTube.' Well, I'm still waiting to meet the guy that built an eight-figure business from watching YouTube videos. I don't know where that guy is. And I don't know him.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, if he's around, I'd like to interview him or her.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e If there is, it's probably an alien. Because I don't think anybody on this planet has done that. Look, I've spent maybe $300,000 easily on direct coaching. But if I were to take everything, events and everything, I've probably spent maybe about half a million on my own direct education.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. That's great.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I've turned that into $20 million\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. People, they wanna build a premium business, they wanna charge more, but they're not willing to pay more to get that help. And that's an internal conflict. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eOne of the first things you can do to be able to charge more is to pay more yourself because you get what you are.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e They always say; You're the average of your top five friends. The thing is, if you're a low-ticket buyer, it's gonna be very difficult for you to attract high-ticket buyers. But if you become a high-ticket buyer, then you will attract that same energy in your life. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThere's a reason wealthy people buy quality products. It’s because they appreciate quality. And when they appreciate quality and they appreciate something done right, they attract people that also have that appreciation, and therefore their wealth and prosperity grows as well. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut when you always have this money mindset of, 'Oh, everything's gonna be cheap. I should just get it cheap.' I shouldn't spend that much. I'll just find it cheap or I'll find it for free or whatever, you attract that same energy. And so you get stuck in this never-ending loop of poverty. And that's what a lot of people just don't realize.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611835863-58.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it's true. It's totally the mindset. And it's great to hear you encouraging 'cause I think a lot of people just give up on things so quickly. I'm always like the biggest cheerleader, especially speaking to merchants on this show who've had great success. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut the overarching message they come out and say is investment in self, exactly, and is also an investment in \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/time-management-tips\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003etime management\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and realizing, as you said earlier in the interview, not focusing on menial tasks, especially... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI'm a big fan of outsourcing. If someone else can do it better for you, especially if it's customer service you can hire someone to do that so you can focus on creating a better product. Or being able to write better marketing copy. Or thinking more about where you wanna take your business. Even scaling is such a big topic. I know we've probably not got enough time today to talk about that as much. But scaling is where it's at, I think.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe Math Behind Providing a Better Product\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well scaling is math. I can just give you one quick concrete example. Scaling is math.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Go for it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Right. So I used to charge a thousand... And I don't care, I'll tell you my prices. I used to charge a thousand dollars. And for a thousand dollars you got a private Facebook community, you got access to videos and all, and they were great. It was great information. I got good results, don't get me wrong. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut now I charge... My minimum fee to work with us as a client is $10,000. That's the cheapest thing I have. We have a $10,000 group coaching program. We have a $55,000 mastermind, which is my private mastermind. And then I do one-on-one consulting days for $20,000 on my... I just purchased a 60-foot Horizon yacht and we do business consulting on the yacht and make it an experience and all that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThat's very different than charging a thousand dollars. But let's just look at the 10X. The $1,000 versus $10,000. So on the $1,000 one you got video lessons, this, that, and the other thing. On the $10,000 one, there are four coaching calls every single week. Four. There's beginner, and advanced, a tech support call and a sales coaching call. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo here's what happened. I noticed that when we actually spent the money, which we were able to 'cause we charged more, to put those coaches in place, to create systems with manuals and just... I had more money to create this stuff. I could pay a team to make this product better. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I ended up charging 10 times more. But the product was 100 times better. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd so with that extra support, people would go out and get such a better ROI than... 'Cause imagine, would you rather turn a thousand dollars into $10,000 or would you rather turn $10,000 into $100,000?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, I'd rather turn $10,000 to $100,000.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Right. 'Cause you make $90,000 more.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's a lot of money.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And so \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ewhen you have more help and you have a better-quality product, you get better results so much so that it far outweighs any money you would save in going cheaper.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And that's what I realized. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I had a pretty decent reputation prior, but my reputation and my recognition soared when we charged more because we just got better results. We were able to afford to work with clients so much better. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd we built getclients, cause that's the name of my company, getclients.com. We build getclients.com up, from, 'Hey there, here's this Dan Henry kid who's making some splashes, making some waves,” to where I've been able to share the stage with people like Russell Branson, Tony Robbins. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I will say that the number one thing that made that possible was being able to provide a quality product, and in order to do that you have to charge more, period.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611835866-59.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Dan this has been really enlightening and also inspiring for me. I run an ecommerce business, and I'm glad you said it 'cause I sell physical books, but I also have a digital product, which was just an add-on. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I'm really glad you said that anyone selling ecommerce sort of physical products should be doing that. 'Cause I write wedding planning guides as my \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/side-hustle\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eside hustle\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. And then I do an add-on product which is just a sort of digital version of one of the books. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it's a really easy way to make a little bit extra for me into my check out. So it's fantastic that... I feel validated. Thank you very much. But also inspired to maybe take it up a notch and do some extra things.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So thank you so much for sharing your insights, Dan, and being really transparent. And also going through the process with me. And hopefully, you've inspired some of our listeners to... Well, invest in themselves and hopefully get in touch with you to see what they can do to work with you. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd also take the leap if they haven't done anything and they're thinking about it, and sitting on their hands as my dad would say. Actually making them move. Really been great to just chat with you.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Awesome, it was absolutely fantastic coming on, and I hope we can do it again sometime.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I really do too. And Dan, if people... You mentioned your website, but if people wanna get in touch, wanna learn a little bit more about what you do. I know you have some really great information out there, where would you guide them to get in touch with you? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So if you go to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://getclients.com/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003egetclients.com\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, that's like the central hub of everything I offer. On that website, you will find a link to get my Wall Street Journal best-selling book, Digital Millionaire Secrets. The book is free, we just charge for shipping. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThere's also fantastic training there on how to grow a digital product business. There's a great blog where I have tons of free content, YouTube videos, articles, and my podcast, The Dan Henry Show. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo getclients.com is sort of just like a hub for everything that I offer and put together a ton of free information on there. I think you'll definitely enjoy it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's awesome, Dan. Well, thank you. And I would love to speak with you again and take this a little further and learn a bit more about how people can, as you said, scale and also really learn more about how they can charge more for what they do.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Awesome, I would absolutely love to come on again, thank you so much.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Thanks, Dan, take care.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant to Learn More?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/4-key-mindset-shifts-aspiring-entrepreneurs-need-to-become-wildly-successful\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e4 Key Mindset Shifts Aspiring Entrepreneurs Need To Become Wildly Successful\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/entrepreneurial-mindset\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEntrepreneurial Mindset: 20 Ways To Think Like an Entrepreneur\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-charging-10x-more-for-your-services-and-get-way-more-customers-as-a-result\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow To Start Charging 10x More for Your Services (and Get Way More Customers as a Result)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/pricing-strategy-for-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ePricing Your Products – Pricing Strategies for Ecommerce Businesses\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003c/ul\u003e\",\"An eight-figure earner today, Dan Henry's journey didn't start off easy. Back in the day, he was a broke college dropout delivering pizzas. Today, not only is he a Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and USA best-selling author, but he's also been featured in Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine. In his road to success, he accumulated $250,000 in IRS debt. It was this debt that kickstarted his journey to building a business that's earned him over $15 million. This is his story. If you're looking for advice on scaling a business, especially one selling digital products, tune in. He dives deep into becoming an expert, pricing, and the math behind scaling. Craving for more juicy content? Subscribe to our podcast and don't forget to check out the Oberlo blog. Want a condensed version of our chat with Dan instead? Here's a seven-point summary: Dan paid off his $250,000 IRS debt by selling and creating 100 copies of a digital marketing course, priced at $1,000 each. If you're not selling an info-product on the backend of your ecommerce business, you're basically just giving up money. Doubt, pressure, and feeling overwhelmed are just signs of a human being. You gotta recognize that and still move forward. You learn not only by doing but also by teaching. The best way to learn something is through teaching it. It has to start out okay for it to be better, for it to be good, for it to be great, for it to be fantastic, for it to eventually become legendary. If you are an entrepreneur, you shouldn't be talking about passive income. To provide a quality product, you have to charge more, period.\",{\"_464\":487,\"_71\":641,\"_179\":651},\"In this episode of Start Yours, Dan Henry talks about his journey to building a successful digital product business and provides tips on how to do it.\",{\"_464\":492,\"_493\":494,\"_495\":496,\"_497\":56},[-5,-5,654,-5,-5,656,-5,-5,658,-5,-5,-5,659,661,663,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5],{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":655,\"_504\":302,\"_505\":-5},\"Episode 65\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":657,\"_504\":508,\"_505\":-5},\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3lsxQrFdkggDysgNGG5c32?utm_source=generator\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":510,\"_504\":511,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":660,\"_504\":514,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-04-16T17:02:46+02:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":662,\"_504\":517,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-01-28T13:30:17+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":664,\"_504\":520,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-01-28T13:33:27+01:00\",{\"_464\":375,\"_465\":666,\"_59\":667,\"_71\":668,\"_469\":669,\"_195\":670,\"_476\":673,\"_481\":674,\"_483\":675,\"_485\":676,\"_490\":678,\"_498\":679,\"_521\":671,\"_522\":672,\"_523\":-7,\"_524\":-7,\"_525\":-7,\"_526\":527,\"_528\":669},\"gid://shopify/Article/559904489494\",\"the-pathway-from-full-time-work-to-your-own-dropshipping-business\",\"The Pathway From Full-Time Work To Your Own Dropshipping Business\",\"2024-05-03T07:13:09Z\",{\"_464\":472,\"_6\":671,\"_474\":672},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1611669390-the-pathway-from-full-time-work-to-your-own-dropshipping-business.png?v=1714720390\",\"The Pathway From Full-time Work to Your Own Dropshipping Business \",[566,647,567,478,479],\"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEntering the World of Ecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha: \u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEmma, such a delight to have you on Start Yours. Welcome to the show. I'm so intrigued to learn about your \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-dropshipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edropshipping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and ecommerce journey. But first, where are you and what got you into this world of ecommerce? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Well, thank you very much for having me on the show, Aleisha. I am based out of Melbourne, Australia, and I originally started my dropshipping journey in December of 2019, so almost 12 months now. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd essentially, what got me started was seeing the success that some of my other friends were having with \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/online-business-ideas\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eonline businesses\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. And I just kept seeing it and I'm thinking, 'I've got to learn what they're doing and how they're doing it, and how I can get involved.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSome of them have gone on to have some very successful brands and stores, and it's awesome to be around that all the time, and that's really what caused me to get into it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's so interesting. With the people I interview on the show, so many of them learned about this whole world through friends or on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-reddit\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eReddit\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and they're like, 'What's dropshipping? What's happening here?' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's not something that I think is widely talked about outside of the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e community, so it's really great to see that you were socializing with the right group of people that got you into it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I know. But at the same time, I think, even in Australia, in comparison to some of the other countries, this is huge in America, for example. And I think we will follow the trend here and start to talk about it more and more people get involved. But yeah, I was in the right place at the right time really.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e What were you doing beforehand? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I used to work for the federal government, funny enough. So I used to work for the social welfare agency, Centrelink, and help people that weren't in the position to... They might have lost their job or will be studying and need that extra support. Yeah, I used to work there.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e When you dipped your toe in and your friends were like, 'Here's something interesting to have a look at,' how quickly did you make the decision to leave your career and actually focus on dropshipping? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e For me, I was very fortunate that I found a product that I was very passionate about and I could put all of my energy into, and I saw success quite quickly. And a lot of people can achieve results in a very fast time frame. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt is a very fast-paced industry, in my opinion. A lot can change within a matter of a week. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut for me, yeah, I literally quit my job within... It was April this year, so within four months. I loved my job. I loved my job. But the thing for me was that, even if I went there and put all of my hard work into that, it was gonna take me 10, 15 years to get promotions and get to the top level where I wanted to be. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then I'm watching my friends create these businesses and they're pouring the same amount of energy into it and creating something huge. So I was like, 'I'm gonna invest more time and energy into creating a brand,' and that's what really pushed me to excel in it really quickly. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut yeah, I quit my job within four months, which was phenomenal, and I haven't looked back.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo yeah, very fortunate for what's happened this year, and obviously, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/24/covid-19-pandemic-accelerated-shift-to-e-commerce-by-5-years-new-report-says/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce has just boomed\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e this year because of COVID as well, a lot of online shopping, so yeah, I think I definitely got in at the right time. But in saying that, the statistics for next year are even crazier.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669357-60.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it's extraordinary. I think, yeah, the timing is great. I think, when you talk about ecommerce and the community, we've been very lucky and I think Shopify is a great company. They’ve been really supportive of brick-and-mortars trying to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/moving-your-business-online\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003etransition into online\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. I think a lot of people are thinking outside the traditional retail box, so it's exciting to see where it's all going to end up. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen you first heard about it and you said, 'Okay, I'm gonna give this a go,' how quickly did you \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/easiest-ways-find-winning-products\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003efind a product\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e or get into a niche and start that first store? 'Cause I often think that this is the biggest point that people falter a little bit and go, 'Oh, I like the idea. I wanna do all this stuff but I don't know how to start,' and then they wait for months and months and it never happens.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Exactly. I think a lot of people can put a lot of self-doubt in their own minds and it really is a psychological hurdle that you've got to overcome. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou can spend, literally, weeks, months, years, if you want, looking for the right product and you're not going to know before you give it a go. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo for me, I found a product. And creating a website with Shopify online, it's very user-friendly, you can \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-i-launched-my-ecommerce-store-in-less-than-30-minutes\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecreate a Shopify store\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e literally within hours. For me, I got off the ground within about a week with the right guidance. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, I think that's also where a lot of people come unstuck, as you mentioned. They don't really know where to start and it seems to be \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/feeling-overwhelmed\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eoverwhelming\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. But I think having people there for myself and my friends mentor me and make sure that I went in the right direction because they've been in my shoes before. So that definitely was a huge help. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut for me, I found a product using their methods and things like that, and was able to get started within a week. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then for me, I was also very fortunate, I made sales on my first day as well.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Did you? Wow! \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. I made a real, full sale. So I was just over the moon. I was like, “Wow, what is this?” And I used to print-screen my little Shopify results and think, “Well, this is crazy. I've made a couple of hundred dollars with my online business,” and I was like, “That's it, I'm happy,” then from there it's just scaled phenomenally.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669361-61.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSucceeding in the Pet Niche\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, the cha-ching noise, we always talk about that. It's addictive. It's good. Yeah, you want more. So that's extraordinary, getting a few sales. I think a lot of people, again, feel really disheartened when they can't get those sales in the first couple of weeks. So I suppose you were very lucky. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut it also showed that you have picked the right product and maybe have the right-looking store. What's your \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/dropshipping-niches\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edropshipping niche\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e actually? We should reveal a little bit about what you got into. What was the niche that stated all of your dropshipping journey? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So for me, I went down the very passionate path of the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/dropship/pet-supplies\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003epet niche\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. Even throughout 2020, even in Australia alone, just talking... Obviously, I sell to many other countries, but even just here, there's been a massive demand for people buying pets. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI think as people were spending a lot more time at home throughout COVID, they sort of notice, “Well, I could get a pet, whether that be a cat or a dog and so forth.” So yeah, I opened up a pet niche, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/one-product-business-entrepreneurs-simple-formula-success\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eone-product store\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and yeah. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI found that a lot of people love their pets and they don't mind spending what they need to on their pets to get them the right product.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's great, and it is. It always goes back, I think we talk about the pain points and also just where people want to spend their money. And you're right, look at the... You go on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/google-trends\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eGoogle Trends\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and you look at the stats, especially within Oberlo as well, and seeing what people are willing to spend on the pets, especially as you said, they're at home, they're playing with them, they're sitting with on the couch, they're sitting next to them in the home office. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWe're not going out and spending money in restaurants and doing extra things, so that's a really great place to be.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And they’re on Facebook and Instagram and there's an ad, and you're like, “Oh, I'd love to get this for my little guy.” It's definitely been a really good journey in that industry. Since then, I've also looked into a few other different niches, but the one that I'm focusing on now as well is women's hair and beauty, so that's obviously a massive market too.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Do you, it's great because I'm assuming you have pets or a pet? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes, I do. And he's been a very great model of the product.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That was my next question, “Do you use your pet for some imagery?” Because that really helps when you've got a free model on your hands.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I definitely did use him. But in the same sense, I find that shoppers are getting smarter, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003epeople are getting smarter with \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/online-shopping-statistics\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eonline shopping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e nowadays\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. So it's like if you open your Instagram and every model that's on there is promoting a face mask or like he's my new... Whatever it may be, they're holding it, and they've got a discount code. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYes, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/influencer-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003einfluencer marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e does work and it's huge. But I think the difference that I found with the pet niche was that people will take a photo of their dog or cat looking really cute in whatever they're in, like whether it be a pet bed or in a little harness, whatever it is, using a new toy, there are so many things that I've seen in the pet industry and it's not salesy, like you'll take a photo and they're happy to tag a business or share where they got the product from. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I think it doesn't come across as too pushy as I mentioned, whereas sometimes, as I say, some people are almost getting smarter with the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/instagram-influencer-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eInstagram influencer marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. So to me, I found that I got a lot of content for free, which was awesome because people were happy to take photos of their pets and send them through and promote the brand almost for free, which was awesome.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And it's so easy, I mean, there are so many plugins now within Shopify that you can just pull. If someone used your hashtag or pulled your user name, that pulls it straight onto your front page anyway, so you've got that \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/social-proof\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003esocial proof\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e straight away that is just instantly there. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it's so powerful as well because as you said, you totally feel that... I know if I can go on a website and say someone else wearing a top that's in three or four different body shapes, I feel much better about buying the item 'cause I think, “Alright, well, someone that looks sort of like me, I can buy it,” rather than just the model, so it's very powerful.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669365-62.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And it's also that as well because again, you've got all sorts of different pets, so all sorts of sizes, so to speak. So when they can go right on to the website, see the social proof being the reviews, the Instagrams, all linked up every time I post on Instagram, the latest images coming up on to the website, so they can really see what other people and other pets, you know, how they've used the product, and that it can be used across numerous different breeds and things like that. So yeah, it definitely has helped, all the different apps in the background of Shopify for sure.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eA Day in Dropshipping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Tell me a little bit about your day, 'cause I'm always fascinated to learn about the day of the dropshipper, and also, I know we're gonna talk a little bit more about \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast/product-manufacturing-secrets\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ewhite labeling\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and going into your own products. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut I think \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/time-management-tips\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003etime management\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and thinking about what it actually takes to build a store as you have over the past year fascinates me, and I know our listeners are also really keen to learn about the processes of actually running a successful store. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd we are very much trying to sort of swerve the viewpoint that it's just like a plug and play situation, 'cause I know you work really hard and you've put a lot of effort into it. So talk me through a little bit about your average day when it comes to working and building your business.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, for sure. So when I first started the business, I wanted to do absolutely everything. It was like, “I will do the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-service\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer service\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e emails, I will respond to comments on Facebook, I will upload on Instagram, I will go in and manually fulfill orders.” \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou name it, I was doing it, for literally probably the first two months. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then still working a normal job, I found that customer service, and I've learned this straight away, is number one, obviously in line with having a quality product. But \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer service really should be at the forefront of your business for it to have that longevity that you need\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo for me, when I first started dropshipping, I wanted to do it all and I wanted to keep it all in my own hands so I could manage the quality, I suppose you could say.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo a normal day, once I left my nine to five, I'd be checking my ads, because that was primarily how I was generating, or how I have generated income for this business, things like responding to customer emails. I have now got assistants that help with the customer service, or the customer service representatives. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThings like even just checking to make sure that the website... I always like to go in and have a look at it and how it's looking, because even something as simple as your website banner, for example, if you've got some sort of code in there, or if you're running a deal for that week, you know... Even Black Friday...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI went on a website recently, and they're still saying Black Friday, all this, and I'm like, it was three weeks ago now. So I like to check the website and make sure everything's still looking neat and tidy and that nothing is... No coding has come out of place. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo yeah, I do spend a lot of time, to be honest with you, still very much so in the business, but as it's grown, I realized that I also need to \u003ca href=\\\"/blog/outsourcing-ecommerce-strategy\\\"\u003eoutsource things\u003c/a\u003e to make sure that the quality is maintained and that I don't personally burn out.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669367-63.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo as I said, getting customer service representatives for the email side of things. I now have some help when it comes to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/create-content-strategy\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003econtent creation\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. Obviously, every time we launch a new product now, and we will discuss, as you mentioned, private labeling. But as I launch new products I make sure that I get the content created by a professional photographer more so than just myself on my iPhone. There are little things that do help. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut I think if I was to be telling someone that's starting out, like, you don't need to outsource all of your things from the get-go. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou wanna learn all the mechanics of your business and you wanna be able to grow with the business. Don't outlay a lot of money to begin. As you're making money, I like to say that's when you can start to look at, as I say, something as simple as getting a photographer to take your photos as opposed to you doing it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI don't think it's necessary, you just need to get started, and I think, again, it comes back to that psychological hurdle. A lot of people will put down in their own mind, 'Oh, I don't have this, I don't have that.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd to be honest with you, when I look back at my first website, I've had upgrades since then in the last 12 months, but I'm still proud of what I had. It was very simple, but it had what the customer needed to see and know about the brand. So it was still converting, but obviously, when you make some updates and upgrades along the way, your \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/conversion-optimization-for-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003econversion rate\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e will get better as well.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, in a normal day, it's still very much so in the business. But yeah, as the year has gone on and I've moved into private labeling, because of the quantity and the size of the products that I have, I have now used a warehouse facility to be able to pick and pack my orders for me because I personally can't do it in my own home. But yeah, and then the other elements have been pretty much either outsourced or kept in-house and I still very much so do a lot of it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eShifting To Private Label\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's great. And so when do you move from dropshipping to source your own product? Talk me through that process.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I think for me, again, as I mentioned, you want your customers to be happy and want them to come back. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou realistically, for a long-term business, don't wanna have to be paying to acquire a customer every single time\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. So even \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eword-of-mouth\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, for example, referrals and things like that, you want your customer to have had such a good experience that they wanna go and tell ten other people. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I think sometimes, and especially this year with dropshipping, it's still a very good method to do, and I highly encourage it. But I think you've got to know, as you say, when to pivot from that to private label, because, again, you'll probably find little things such as maybe \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/international-shipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eshipping times\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, customers might not want to then refer other people to your business if they may have had to wait a few weeks longer than what they would if you were to send it yourself. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut other things as well like even the quality. You can check over the quality when you're in control of that as well. But yeah, for me, I would recommend someone who’s scaling their business, depending on what the product is, there are obviously different variants, but I'll be looking at price points and things. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut I'll be looking at it when you're getting 50-100 orders a day and consistently. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd obviously, if the product is an evergreen product where you're gonna be able to continue to sell it, then I would look at either getting an agent that can get it quicker and at a cheaper price for you, because as you scale you wanna keep your \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/pricing-strategy-for-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eprofit margins\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e as high as you can as well, so yeah, generally around that sort of 50-plus orders a day, I would recommend, personally, but yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669370-64.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And did you use the same manufacturer that you were working with your dropshipping, or you found a whole new manufacturer to start white-labeling your products? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I actually found a whole new manufacturer and went down the path of getting samples, obviously, to play it safe. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWhen you're placing such a huge order value, you don't really wanna do that without seeing the product. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I got samples, went back and forth, I actually tweaked the product quite significantly to be able to have a \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/unique-selling-point/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eunique selling point\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e that was different from anyone else. So I really took the time to have a look at all the feedback that I've had in the time that I was dropshipping it and couldn't change the product, put onboard that feedback and implemented those changes so I could improve the product and have a better customer satisfaction rate and things like that, so that I have those return customers. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd even now, looking at the business, since I have gone down a private label path, I have got quite a significant \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-retention\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer retention\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e rate. And it's not necessarily in products that you need to buy multiple times, if that makes sense with you, so it's really good to see that for me because it just proves that the quality is there and that they're happy and they're coming back, which is ideally what you want. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAs I said, you don't wanna have to be paying every time to acquire a customer. Yes, I'm really happy with that. That's one thing that I've really been proud of since moving down the private label path.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's excellent advice, and it's so good that you mentioned keeping track of customer feedback to then use later on. I've talked to people who said they've just got a file and every customer service email with this comment specifically about the product that they grab, they get an executive assistant or a VA to just grab that and put it in an Excel spreadsheet. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo at least you can go through and say, 'Oh, the sizing's quite big,' or 'This could be plastic instead of wood,' or whatever it is. It really is such valuable insight, I suppose, when you get to that stage of having to then go to a manufacturer and say, 'Can we just,' as you said, 'tweak this or improve this?' It makes a big difference when you've got all of that feedback to work with, I'm sure.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I 100 percent agree and I definitely think I've even seen that customers that I wouldn't have got previously, I'm now capturing because I have made those tweaks to the product. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, yeah, I would recommend, as people start dropshipping and even creating brands, and doing ecommerce long-term and full-time, you really need to put your customer first and take on everything they're saying 'cause they will tell you the improvements you need to make in your business, you just need to listen, so yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669379-65.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWomen in Ecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I'm not too focused on our gender but we're both women in the ecommerce industry and it doesn't seem to be as prominent, I suppose, when we're going through \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-facebook-advertising\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFacebook ads\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. I know, as soon as I got into this world, I started getting served all these ads with guys sitting on Lambos and fake private jets, and I get a bit annoyed by those. But it's quite interesting to see it's not as female-skewed. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDo you have a lot of female friends in the industry? Are we just not seeing them flashing their cash on Facebook in these ads or do you just think it's far more of a male-dominated industry at the moment? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e A couple of things with that. I think, for me, I've got a lot of friends, as I mentioned, and a lot of them are males. So, unfortunately, no, I don't think it is a... I think it is a male-dominant industry. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut at this point in time, I also think there are a lot of women that want to create something but I almost think that they're a little bit scared or on the fence. And if we go back to the beginning where we were talking about overcoming that fear and just putting yourself out there, and giving it a go, and creating something, we're not reinventing the wheel most of the time. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWe're just making sure that we're selling something that's good and having a unique selling point that is different than anyone else that's selling it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo for me, I have a lot of male friends that are in ecommerce and have done well with it, and I definitely think there's a stigma almost, as you mentioned, there are a lot of people sitting on rented cars and in jets, and things like that, that diminish the industry a little bit. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut yeah, I think there are a couple of big-name women in business and in ecommerce but they just... They're almost busy running their businesses, not putting themselves out there.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, that's a good point.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I definitely think there are women in the industry but it is very male-dominant, that's for sure. But hey, 2021, let's see who comes through.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Let's change that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Exactly right. I'm trying to work with some women now, females that are young, they're hungry. One of the clients that I work with is actually in her mid-30s. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo there's no right time to start. You've just gotta start. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut yeah, I'm definitely finding there's a lot of interest about learning how to do ecommerce with females, but it really is a male-dominant industry that we've got to break that crack, almost.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. Well, let's get to you doing some training and sharing the expertise that you have accumulated in the... You've been doing this a lot of information and I'm so happy to hear that you are starting to share that as well. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I agree with you, I think, just going back to the females in dropshipping and ecommerce, for me, it's like the ideal industry. I've got friends who are new moms and they're at home who have got the marketing and they've got the tech skills to do it, and I'm always pushing, saying, 'If you're bored and especially during COVID as well, not going back to the office, this is the ideal opportunity for you to jump in and explore this world.” \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd also, so many people during university years as well. I think of all the years I poured beers and waited tables and I'm like, 'Man, if this was the realm when I was at university, I would have jumped for the chance to do this.' So hopefully, we see more people, boys and girls, everyone involved.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e \u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAll you need is a laptop or access to a computer and the will to wanna learn it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Again, it doesn't matter if you are male or female. Nothing against the men but I think they're the ones that have...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e Come on, ladies. The guys are doing fine.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669382-66.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Have access to an internet connection, literally, and you can get started with this. There's a lot of free information on the internet, you've just got to start looking for it. But with that comes a lot of trial and error as well. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo if you do know someone that's doing it or you have access to reach out to someone that is already in the position you wanna be in, then I would recommend you do that as well so you can get that guidance from them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd I personally don't know everything, I'm still learning every single day. My friends that have been doing this for five years are still learning every single day. You're never gonna know it all but with my experiences that I've had moving away from dropshipping to private labeling, for example, if I can share that knowledge with whoever and it helps them, then that's great.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ePaying It Forward\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So tell me, you've still got the pet niche store happening. You're moving into beauty and hair care, which I think is great. It's a whole another area that is booming at the moment and certainly piques my interest, and now also, you're doing some training and sharing your knowledge and information about what you've learned. Tell me more about that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, sure. So I have put together... I've found, over the last few months, a lot of my friends, actually, funny enough, from different circles, I've got all sorts of different friends but from different circles that don't have access to the other people that I was referring to earlier. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThey've reached out and said, 'I wanna learn what you're doing because it honestly has changed my life and made me more of a happier person, so to speak.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWith that though, comes time and needing to be able to allow my time to that, so because I kept getting asked, I thought, 'Alright, I'm gonna put together sort of a step-by-step course that will be able to walk them through how to do it,' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo I put my methods and all my knowledge and resources into a program for my friends. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then a number of them have had success and given me really great feedback, so then I felt comfortable now to open that up to complete strangers and help people more broadly. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAs I mentioned earlier, I think it's a very hot industry overseas. The US, Canada, there are a lot more people doing it there, but there are still a lot here, but it's not as known, so if I can help more people with it, then I feel like I've done my dues. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut yeah, and then with that basically now I have taken on-board students, if you wanna call it or clients, and they're learning my strategies as well. So I spent a lot of hours of my own time this time last year just pumping it out, so it's a great time to invest in yourself and start learning a new skill. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd yeah, there are a lot of things that you can take away even from dropshipping and that you can implement into your everyday life. Even little \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/online-marketing-strategies-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce marketing strategies\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e that you'll learn through dropshipping, you can implement that in other life situations as well. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo at the moment, the course has been live for quite a number of weeks now, and I've been working with a lot of people and getting a lot of good feedback which is good.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYeah, and then obviously, the hair and beauty brand that I'm working on, that one, I'm not gonna go down the dropshipping path on because I already know that this product is going to do so well. It's something that I've personally, it's a problem that I've had for a very long time myself, so it's fixed it for me, and I'm thinking this is gonna change lives. So I'm really excited to launch that in January and then potentially branch off with other products as well later next year. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo it really is a repeatable process in my opinion once you know what you're doing and you've been able to get your head around it and get confident.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI wouldn't tell people to bite off more than they can chew in the beginning. I think you need to take your time and learn and set goals, and even if they're only smaller goals, once you achieve them, they're mini milestones almost, you'll feel really good about it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669385-67.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e You've got so much going on which excites me because it means we can catch up again in the new year and we can report back about the hair care. I really wanna know more about that. I know you're sitting on it for the launch, but I'm very keen to learn more. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd also just it'd be great in the future to explore a little bit more about working with manufacturers and also \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/brand-strategy\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebranding\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and marketing, which I know you're very good at. We haven't hit very much on in this episode, but let's definitely explore that in future episodes, if you are keen to come back on 'cause I think you've been fabulous and I think you've got a lot to give, so it'd be so great to have you back in on.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e We can sit here and talk for hours almost on ecommerce. It really is a beast of an object, and once you learn how to master it, you can have phenomenal success with it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo yeah, I'd love to come back and talk more about branding. I've done a lot in that place in the last few months, and then obviously with the new brand that's launching, I'm doing a lot of influencer marketing on that one because of the product that it is. So yeah, lots more to share, and I would love to come back on.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That is perfect. Now tell me where we can get in touch with you, especially if we're interested in learning more about the course or just connecting with you on Instagram, or on the web and learning more about what you do? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, sure, so my Instagram handle is \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.instagram.com/emm.cunningham/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e@Emm.cunningham\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. Unfortunately, @Emma.Cunningham was taken, but that was the next best available handle. But in saying that, I feel like it already makes me friends with people when they call me Emm. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo yeah, that's my Instagram handle. If anyone wants to chat, or pick my brains or even just follow me for my content, then please do, I'd love to meet you all.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e She does good content. Can I say that's how I found you? Through Instagram. Searching through someone else's account, you get to go down the dark hole of Instagram. I've whiled away seven hours, but I found you and that was great. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I had a great holiday with my aunty four years ago. One of those.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's going, did I click like? That looks weird. Well, I hope we have inspired people, especially over the holiday period where, as you said, people do tend to lie around and think about changing their lives and often don't end up doing it, but this is the perfect opportunity to give it a crack and explore dropshipping and ecommerce and really make the most of it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e Honestly, the only regret I have is not getting started sooner with dropshipping. Honestly, it truly did change my life this year, and I think the more that people can put themselves out of their comfort zone, the higher the reward almost, so, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1611669387-68.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, yeah. That's great. Emma, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge on \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eStart Yours\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and I really look forward to speaking with you again.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Alright, thanks, Aleisha, have a good day.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant to Learn More?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/beginner-case-study\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eTales From a Beginner Dropshipper: The Highs and Lows of a Newbie Starting a Store\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-a-dropshipping-business\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow To Start a Dropshipping Business in 2021\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/startup-costs-dropshipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow Much Does It Cost To Launch a Dropshipping Store?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/16-dropshipping-tips\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e16 Dropshipping Tips for New Entrepreneurs You Need To Know\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003c/ul\u003e\",\"Just two years ago, Emma Cunningham was working a full-time job with the Australian government. Today, she's since quit her job and has no regrets. That's because not only is she the owner of a successful dropshipping store, but she's also created a course, moved into private labeling, and is launching yet another online business.Needless to say, her life's been turned upside down over the past couple of years – for the better.Though Emma was pretty lucky to have friends who mentored her through the dropshipping process, there was still plenty she had to learn.In this episode of Start Yours, Emma spills all about how she found her niche, what her day-to-day looks like when running a dropshipping business, the importance of customer service, and more.Whether you're new to dropshipping or are thinking about dipping your toes into the world of ecommerce, this is a value-filled episode you don't want to miss.If you enjoy our podcast, do consider subscribing. Don't forget to also hop on over to our blog for more juicy ecommerce and dropshipping content!Short on time? Here's a seven-point TL;DR version of our chat with Emma: Surrounded by friends in the right places, Emma got her dropshipping store set up in a week and got her first sale on the very first day. You can spend weeks, months, and even years thinking about it. But you won't know if it's going to work until you start. Customer service must be at the forefront of your business for it to have longevity. If you're just starting out, you do not need to outsource everything from the get-go. For a long-term business, you don't wanna have to be paying to acquire a customer every single time. Don't move to private labeling until you're getting at least 50 orders a day consistently. Take your time, learn, and set goals, even if they're only smaller goals.\",{\"_464\":487,\"_71\":668,\"_179\":677},\"Emma Cunningham only entered the dropshipping world 18 months ago. But she's learned and achieve loads since. Here's her story.\",{\"_464\":492,\"_493\":494,\"_495\":496,\"_497\":56},[-5,-5,680,-5,-5,682,-5,-5,684,-5,-5,-5,685,687,689,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5],{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":681,\"_504\":302,\"_505\":-5},\"Episode 64\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":683,\"_504\":508,\"_505\":-5},\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4o2wizpGHLtYS0VB3MQMQ2?utm_source=generator\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":510,\"_504\":511,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":686,\"_504\":514,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-02-17T12:15:25+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":688,\"_504\":517,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-01-26T15:05:54+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":690,\"_504\":520,\"_505\":-5},\"2021-01-26T15:19:27+01:00\",{\"_464\":375,\"_465\":692,\"_59\":693,\"_71\":694,\"_469\":695,\"_195\":696,\"_476\":698,\"_481\":699,\"_483\":700,\"_485\":701,\"_490\":704,\"_498\":705,\"_521\":697,\"_522\":-5,\"_523\":-7,\"_524\":-7,\"_525\":-7,\"_526\":527,\"_528\":695},\"gid://shopify/Article/559904456726\",\"making-10-million-in-one-year-with-dropshipping\",\"Making $10 Million in One Year With Dropshipping\",\"2024-05-03T07:13:06Z\",{\"_464\":472,\"_6\":697,\"_474\":-5},\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/articles/1608008905-e45.png?v=1714720387\",[478,479,480,139],\"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eGetting Into a Business Partnership Together\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Andreas and Alexander, thank you so much for joining me on Start Yours, where you have been, both have been \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/successful-pet-business\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003efeatured on the Oberlo blog\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e previously, and it's been really great that you have been so transparent with your journey. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eLet's start from the beginning, though, if people haven't read about your story. How did you guys meet, and then come to be managing such a profitable \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-dropshipping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003edropshipping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e store? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, the Oberlo blog, I think Andreas, it's already one year ago? I'm not sure.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes, over one year, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, over one year. And since then, there have been a lot of changes.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, good, well, let's catch up on the changes, that's great.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e We build it from the ground, with nothing, I would say. And then we scaled it up. And I think the interview from over one year ago, that was at the point... I think, at this point, we made $500,000 per month, Andreas, yeah? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes, $500,000 per month, it was, definitely, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow! \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, and then we changed it to over $1 million per month. And now, we hit, after two years, to $10 million.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's crazy, and that is, I think yeah, you've probably... I definitely say you've reached the sort of heights of... The dizzy heights of profits that a lot of dropshippers would absolutely just dream of hitting. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, what really intrigues me about your story is that you have now got this very profitable store in the pet niche. But in the blog and the interviews that you've done previously with Oberlo, you really share a lot about how you started previous stores, like so many other dropshippers, and that you maintained the drive. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd you, even though those stores weren't as successful as this store, you kept going. So can we get back to how you guys started your friendship, and then also progressed into being business partners as well? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I can explain it a little bit. I think I met Alexander some years ago already, I'm not sure, about five, six, seven years ago. We started many different businesses. So we were in sales, we were in cryptocurrency, we tried so many different things, but the big deal was not there. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd yeah, Alex and me, we lost money many times. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then Alexander came up with an idea. He wanted to do dropshipping. And I have heard about this once or twice, but I was not sure what it was, really. And Alexander sent me some links, and then we started to get into this topic. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd that was also the time where we heard the first time of Oberlo and Shopify. And so we registered our first \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/shopify-stores\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eShopify store\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and we really started finding products with Oberlo and... Or we found them on AliExpress and connected them with Oberlo and built our first stores, but we really had a hard time. I think, Alexander, maybe you can explain a little bit for our first time.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Our first store, I think we made a turnover of $200, maybe not more. It was selling seven or eight products, it was not really special. Then we closed the store, we sold it for $300 or $400 on the exchange market rate.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Right, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And because this was in the niche about rings, in the jewelry niche, and we quit the store. We sold it because at the first moment we thought, “Okay, in this niche, there are too many stores.” So, we say, okay, let's search for a new niche, and then we make a new store. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI think we had maybe one sale from the new store. This was really bad, it was a \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/general-store-formula\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003egeneral store\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e with all that stuff from China. This was a bad idea. Then we also sold this store, I think for $200, not much money. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then I came up with the idea to make a pet store, in the pet niche. Because at this point, I did some research about the market, and I came across some blogs and when people have... For example, when you are a pet owner and you have $100 in your pocket and this is the whole money for your month when you've already paid all your bills. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003emost pet owners don't buy a TV or go out with the money, they buy some stuff for their pet, and that was my decision to hit this niche\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and try this niche because the people love their pets. And then we started the store, what we own now.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1608008874-46.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's really interesting to me, that you think about the emotional connection that people have with their pets.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That was the point of that story, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, and I think it's a really interesting point to sort of hit on because a lot of people who have successful stores, especially when they are looking at a niche store. I spoke to someone recently who he, again, not revealing too much about his product that he was talking about, this is a product you can use in a relationship, you can use to snuggle together in winter if you're in a couple or a friendship. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHe was sort of saying the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/marketing-principles\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003emarketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e really set him aside that he could hit on the emotional points of selling this product rather than just going, 'It's a vegetable cutter,' which is great. Not dissing the vegetable cutters, but it's hard to really connect emotionally with something that's gonna cut vegetables. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut as you said, people love their pets and wanna spend money on their pets and any other situation. He said, people love to snuggle on the couch together, especially during COVID 'cause we've got nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, so.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I think the relationship from the pet owners to their pets, especially in the COVID time, got stronger. Of course, I think so.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe Decision To Go Niche\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's so interesting. And so, just jumping back to your other general store situation, 'cause a lot of people are given the advice early on when they're \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-a-dropshipping-business\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003elaunching dropshipping stores\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e that general stores can be great, which I still think they can be. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut can we go back to some of the products that you had before you hit the pet store, and it really was a success, why did your general store not hit the marks that you thought it would? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e This is a simple answer because at that moment we did not have the knowledge about \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-facebook-advertising\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFacebook ads\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and all the stuff. I'm pretty sure that at the moment when we started the general store, we would have gotten it profitable. What do you say, Andreas? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes, for sure. I think, in the beginning, we had no idea about Facebook ads and all the other channels and of the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/product-pages\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eproduct pages\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and conversion rate, things to optimize everything. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, yeah, and we started with general stores with no knowledge, so there were really no sales and no profit. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut if we were to start it now, I think we could get it profitable. But I think it's time for \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-choose-a-niche\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eniche stores\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, it's time for brands. There are big, big competitors out there like Amazon and, yeah, general stores are for... In my opinion...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e We also know people, they make a lot of money with general stores. You know, Andreas, the guy from Paris? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Sure, sure. Yeah, I know, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e They make a lot of money with general stores too.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Also, a business partner of mine has at the moment a small team, and they have a general store, and they test a new product every day. And they do it as long as they \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/easiest-ways-find-winning-products\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003efind winning products\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and they already found two winners, and then they start to build out niche stores for that, and that's a very good tactic.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1608008881-47.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, and just for people listening who might be new to the concept of a general store, can we just break down what a general store is? I probably should have done that before that, but let's just explain to everyone quickly what a general store is.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it's just a store where you can find different kinds of products. For example, pet products, technical products, or gadgets, home and garden products. So, you can find different stuff, and it is one name reseller. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFor example, 24hoursales.com or something like that. It's just a general overview of different products and not like a garden brand or a home and gardening brand with one specific product.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHitting $10 Million and Working as a Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Thank you for that. Let's move on to then, you've started this pet store, and as you both said, it's been incredibly successful. I'm sure you had the drive and the goals to make it that successful. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut did you have any idea that you would hit the $10 million mark? Like that is bonkers to me. It's so much money, it's so much profit, it's amazing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Our first goal was to hit $1,000 per day in turnover. So, that was not so hard after we were a little bit better in all these things. Then our next goal was $100,000 in sales till the end of the year, and we really achieved I think more than $100,000 in sales, in around three months. So that was really, really fast. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then the next big goal was the first million, so we hit that after I think, nearly one year. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then we added another year and I think two months, so 14 months, and we hit $10 million. So when you are in it, and when it's running, and you build your team, and you put all of your energy and effort inside it, then it grows much faster than in the beginning.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Let's talk about your team then, because a lot of people start as \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/solopreneur\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003esolopreneurs\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, you know, entrepreneurs on their own, and you are lucky enough to have each other and the support of each other. How do you work together? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then also, who else have you got on your team to help you out? Because obviously, you have a lot of orders coming in, you’ve got a lot of \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/customer-service\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecustomer service\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e to work with, and I can imagine there are probably quite a few people involved in your business. So can you talk me through how that all works? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. We started small first, we were only together. We answered the support emails from the customers. When we had some issues on the home page, we fixed it by ourselves, because the home page wasn't, in the beginning, really special. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut with time and time with more sales, more \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/website-traffic\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ewebsite traffic\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and all that stuff, the team also grew. We hired some customer support agents, I think at the moment we have... How many, Andreas? I don't know.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e In our best time, we had around 17 full-time employees for customer support. At the moment, it's around 10.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And the whole team grew with a developer. The first time we met this developer, he helped out with some technical issues, and at the moment, he's already, I would say, a full team member of our team because he works every day on the brand. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd yeah, the team grew with time. So it's also a point, if\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e you earn more money, you have more money to spend for the team, f\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eor more professional developers, for more professional \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.oberlo.com/blog/guide-to-seo-101\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSEO\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e specialists and all that stuff.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e We also have an \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-email-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eemail marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e team, we have a legal employee, then we have a design and video team, then we have the management, Alexander and me, and also the... As he said, the head of development. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThen we have \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/facebook-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eFacebook marketing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e guys, then we have the conversion optimization guys who optimize the funnels and the web page, and everything, with us together. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo all in all, in good times, we have over 50 people working on the brand together.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1608008885-48.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Is that \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/feeling-overwhelmed\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eoverwhelming\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, thinking about you having to manage all those people? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e These people are very good at it. So we hired agencies, for example, so they know what they do, and they just work very... They are more or less self-employed and doing this for different companies mostly, and they show us the stats and the numbers, and we see if it's fine, they can make small decisions by themselves, only the big decision with us. So everything works fine, now.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDay-To-Day Responsibilities\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It must feel really good to be able to palm off some of those tasks. 'Cause I know, when you first start and you're doing everything, and I did an episode recently about five things that you could outsource immediately when you first \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-to-start-a-business\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003estart a business\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and even if that means taking a bit of a hit to your profits. You can sometimes get very involved in a certain task and realize you've been through a whole day of activity because you're trying to fix a little bit of code or something if you're not a coder. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo it is, I'm sure, very satisfying to be able to hire people to do some of those tasks, so you can plan and do other things, which leads me to my next question. Talk me through what you guys both do day-to-day in the business? And how that works, how you work together, and help keep building this wonderful business? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Everybody has his, I would say, \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/to-do-list-apps\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eto-do list\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, and everybody works on their to-do list. And there are some, I would say, some bigger points that we've done together. This is the day-to-day work with the big things on the page or on the shop we've done altogether with the developer, me, Andreas, and all the team. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd there are some small points, for example, I manage the products in the stores and when I have time, I set up a new product. And everybody has his work in the company, so my work is to set up new products, searching for new products, product research, which products our competitors use and I look at that stuff. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYeah. This is all my part in this company, setting up new products, searching for new products, I would say marketing for new products, and yeah. Andreas, you can talk about your part.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes. I speak with the agencies mostly with the Facebook marketing agency or with the sales tax employees in the US to be sales tax compliant or with things like \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/bookkeeping\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebookkeeping\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e things or management things with the government or something like that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eI also have my list, I work on my list every day, and this list is getting longer and longer because it never has an end. I think the same as Alexander's list. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then I check all the groups, we have Skype groups, WhatsApp groups, Slack channels, all the different kinds of \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.proofhub.com/articles/team-communication-tools\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ecommunication tools\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e with the different partners and agencies. And if there are any questions or invoices to pay or something like that, I check these groups. I do my tasks, Alexander is doing his tasks and this is the same every day with new challenges.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's really nice to hear that you guys are both still very busy. It's a hugely profitable business, but you are... Obviously, the work doesn't end. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd one of the goals of this podcast, and I know that the Oberlo blog used to say, 'Hey, dropshipping and \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/what-is-ecommerce\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eecommerce\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e is a wonderful business to be a part of, but it's also not a set-and-forget business. It's not something you can just set up and walk away and not have to check in.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it's really great to speak to entrepreneurs like yourselves that, really, have achieved amazing results, but also are saying, 'Hey, there is still a lot to do every day. And every day, the list gets longer and longer.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah. So \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ethey should see dropshipping, really, as a real business where you invest money and time, and where you really have to see all aspects of business like legal, marketing, financial things, employees, human resource, all together, and not just setting up a website\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eOkay, it's easy to set up the website and \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/how-i-launched-my-ecommerce-store-in-less-than-30-minutes\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eset up a Shopify store\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e and start. But if you really want to gain profits or make a brand out of it, you will need all this other knowledge, as well.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1608008889-49.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDifferentiating Themselves From Their Competitors\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And can we talk through when you first started the pet store, what were some of the key things that you think made your store stand out and become the success it is? I know this is a very general question. You've really tinkered and you've worked hard to build it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut what made it different from the other stores that you'd launched, and also your competitors? Because clearly, you're doing a lot of right things to make your store the go-to place for pet supplies.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e There were points in the marketing, there were points on the product, and every part of the company. Because we, we also had a product that our competitors have, but we improved that product, I would say. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo we take products, what's on the markets and improve them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd we also, we check out the pages from the other guys, and we search for their mistakes on the sites, and we improve our site so that the... I search for the right words in English. For a person that uses, for the first time, his MacBook or his laptop, something like that, when they go on our site, that they can order. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo it's not complicated all that stuff; it's really simple to order a product. For example, when I give my grandmother my computer, and I would say, 'Order this product there.' And if she is able to order the product, I know the page is made for everyone because when my grandmother can buy it, everyone can buy it. And...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes. That's such a good point. Alexander, I just wanna stop and say that, again, everyone, listen, this is such a great point. Send someone that's not as technically as capable, perhaps, as yourself or your friends, to your website and get them to see if they can buy your product. If they can't, you're missing out on a whole demographic. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt's such great advice. It's so simple, but I think a lot of people would completely ignore that and then assume that their website's fantastic. That's really great. Sorry, please continue. I just got very excited by that.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And yeah, and the marketing we... We make a lot of good \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/complete-guide-video-marketing\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003emarketing videos\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. Andreas, maybe you can tell more. And one big point is, we learn a lot about Facebook marketing. So this is also a big point of it, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e But what we saw out there, there are so many competitors out there, and you will never be the person who'll launch a website with one product and no one else has this product. This will never happen. So we analyzed all the competitors and we saw, 'Okay, on that website, we would make this point better, on the other website, we want to make that point better.' \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd our website was just a mix of all the competitors' websites, but only the best things made better with perfect marketing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo yeah, that's it. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eYou don't have to invent the wheel. You just look at what works and makes it a little bit better, and then you can be the market leader.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And with our product, we are the market leader online in the United States, and that was not easy to reach. And we built this bigger and bigger in the next few years, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1608008893-50.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Is your business still 100 percent dropshipping? Or have you gone into white-labeling and \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast/product-manufacturing-secrets/\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eproduct manufacturing\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That is a good question. In January or February, our plan was to buy a big stock, big stock for our warehouse. And so at this point, we would change from a dropshipping company to a real ecommerce company because we have all our products in stock in the warehouse. But then, Corona was coming. And this destroyed our plan. And so yeah, we are back in the dropshipping business and...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, right.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e We are waiting for the whole situation in the whole world to return to normal. And then we get back to the topic and yeah. And we try again, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e We invented new products from scratch. So we have product designers now, who make with us together, new products of our actual winning products. And yeah, so we also have warehouse partners. So you need a really, really reliable seller or supplier. So we found that in combination with a warehouse, which is doing the packing and the shipping and the quality control, and everything. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo everything is really optimized, so everything goes very smoothly, and we can send thousands of pieces per day. So in our best days, we sold over 1,500 products per day, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And this needs a really good structure in the background. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf there is anything with Excel sheets or unreliable suppliers or warehouses, you can forget it.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eCommunicating With Suppliers\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Tell me a little bit about that communication. I had a wonderful guest on, Kian, last week, who was all about working with wholesale manufacturers. He goes to China all the time. So, he was sort of talking a little bit about exactly what you were going to do in January, that you would take hold of the product and then maybe white-label it or manufacture it from scratch. But he was sort of far down in the future saying, if it works, you can then make it your own. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eBut tell me a little bit about how you developed those relationships with your manufacturers to make sure you could fulfill those 1,500 orders a day ‘cause that's a lot to go wrong if they don't do their end of the deal.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e It's very easy, it started really small. So, we tried different suppliers, we started with ten pieces per day, 20 pieces per day, and then many suppliers failed to be reliable. So, they really made mistakes and it was horrible, so we switched suppliers and we had some of these switches until we found a really perfect supplier and factory and warehouse partner. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd then we scaled up a little bit more and more, and now we have a 100-percent reliable partner, so we can pay a lot before they ship the product, so they have a pre-payment from us in a high amount and they ship, and everything is perfect now, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's great. So, you've really maintained those relationships over the last couple of years to really build this business then? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yes, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eit's a really important point, to have a good relationship with your agent or supplier, because if they do a good job, the business is running. If they make big mistakes, it can destroy the business.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e We even got a Christmas present from our supplier.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Oh, that's great. Yeah, 'cause Kian also said in that interview, he said he sends gifts, he's on WeChat talking to them, really talking about his life and their lives. So, they've really developed a friendship.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, we're also talking on WeChat and Skype with our supplier.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e WeChat and Skype, yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1608008897-51.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eLooking Ahead and Some Advice\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e So, what's next for both of you? Is this a long-term business for you both, or is it something that you are also tinkering with other stores or you found your brand, you found your niche and this is it? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I think we've found our brand with this. And we have a person we admire, so we both like \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast/ezra-firestone\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eEzra Firestone\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, so maybe you know him? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And Ezra Firestone did 100 million with Boom, was his brand in four years.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I think for one week, he hit 100 million.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Wow.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e And the main turnover of this 10 million came from the past one and a half year, so we are on track and our goal is also to reach 100 million in the next few years. We don't know when, but this is definitely the goal, and we produce new products, we search for new markets, we make better marketing, we make a bigger team, and it's definitely possible. So, that's what we do the whole day.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e That's amazing, and Ezra is such a great, I'd say mentor and someone to look up to. We had him on the show last year, and he is just a giver when it comes to things like this.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e He's Jesus. He looks like Jesus.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e He does look a bit like...\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Ecommerce Jesus.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Ecommerce Jesus. I totally agree though, and he's also just someone that you can go back and read all of his past blogs and watch his videos and get so much information for free, and feel guided and supported along the way, so it's really great to have people to look up to you like that. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAny sort of last advice, if you are listening now and thinking, 'Gosh, Andreas and Alexander have really put their all in', and do your best advice you can give to new dropshippers and ecommerce merchants to keep them going and hopefully get them to get to where you are right now? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e \u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eDo not give up because at the start, in the first weeks or maybe months, I'm sure you are not earning money, \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003ebecause we were not earning money for one year, approximately. And I would say most people, when they don't earn money for one year, they would give up, but yeah. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIf we had given up, the brand would not be here. So the $10 million where... \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eMost people give up too fast.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\\\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0840/8370/3830/files/1608008901-52.png\\\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, I have an example. So, in the past, we did some coaching too, but we stopped this because we had no time anymore for that. But Alexander and I, we recorded a video course, so we sold it sometimes, and two or three people I coached personally, one-to-one, and they knew that this would be a hard task to be successful in dropshipping and ecommerce. They’ve been on it for one year, I think for one year. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThe first person, he got a store with around $80,000 in turnover over the first 10 months but no profit. So, he spent around $90,000, so $10,000 loss over 10 months and a lot of work. But now they have a new dropshipping business for three months, and he found another partner, and in the last days, he generated already, sometimes over $700 profit per day. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eSo, this took him one year and he earned nothing. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eAnd it's always the same. So, when you start dropshipping or ecommerce, you have to keep in mind, you will need a lot of time and a lot of money first, and after a long period, you will see results. And this is the time you have to stay, you have to be strong at this time and don't stop. If you stop, you will lose over 90 percent. Now, that's the thing.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e You are 100 percent correct. I think that it is the momentum, and it is just not... It's staying in your lane in the sense that you're not looking at what everyone else is doing, you're just trying to keep your thing going and building up, yeah. It's wonderful advice. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt is so great to hear that you've had this amazing success, but also you have a friendship as well that seems to have been able to be sustained throughout all of this, so congratulations on that. I'm excited to see where you go in the next year. As you said, you've got these huge goals, and I have no doubt you will achieve them. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eNow, if people wanna get in touch, you seem very open to people learning more about what you're doing, tell me where people can reach out and follow you and learn more? \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Yeah, it's really simple, and I am on Facebook and \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.instagram.com/alexander.pecka/?hl=en\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eInstagram\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e. Everybody can reach me there. My name is Alexander Pecka. Everybody can find me there. And yeah, sometimes I need a little bit longer to answer all their questions, but I answer all, with time.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Right.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e I'm also on Facebook and Instagram, and they can find me \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"https://www.instagram.com/koenig_andreas/?hl=en\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eon Instagram\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e or Facebook under Andreas Koenig, K-O-E-N-I-G, yeah, and I will also reply.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAleisha:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Fantastic. That's very kind of you. And if you want to learn more about Alexander and Andreas's wonderful journey, you can head to \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/podcast\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eoberlo.com/podcast\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e, where you can find today's show blog. I will also link to the previous blog that was written, as you said, about a year ago, and we'll be able to provide all the links to your Instagram and LinkedIn as well within that blog. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eIt was so nice to share the time with you both and thank you so much for being so giving with your information as well, I'm sure people have learned a lot from today and feel really motivated to get back into their stores, do some tinkering and hopefully reach the dizzying heights of success that you have both reached as well. So, thank you so much for sharing and being on Start Yours.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndreas:\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003e Sounds good.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eWant to Learn More?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/make-your-first-100000\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eHow To Make Your First $100,000 Quickly\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/guys-ecommerce-store-went-zero-100k-3-months-discussion-facebook\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eThis Guy’s Ecommerce Store Went From Zero To $100k+ in 3 Months After a Discussion on Facebook\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/doctor-to-ecommerce-entrepreneur\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eA Near-Death Experience Led This Entrepreneur To Start a Store and Make $20,000 in Three Months\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003cli style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\" aria-level=\\\"1\\\"\u003e\u003ca href=\\\"/blog/college-students-million-dollar-store\\\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\\\"font-weight: 400;\\\"\u003eMeet the College Student Trying To Graduate While Building a Million Dollar Empire\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\\n\u003c/ul\u003e\",\"When Andreas and Alexander first started dropshipping, their goal was to hit $1,000 per day in turnover. It took a year of trying, failing, and making absolutely no money, but they eventually got there.Today, their business is absolutely thriving. When we spoke to them around two years ago for a blog feature, their pet business was making $500,000 per month. Now, they've hit the $10 million-per-year mark.If you need a hit of inspiration, this is one interview you want to tune into. Alexander and Andreas join us on this episode to talk about their mistakes and experience and also share with us some tips and secrets behind their success.Want to learn more about dropshipping and running a business? Hop on over to our blog for more practical, informative articles and inspirational stories.Here's a seven-point TL;DR version of our chat with Andreas and Alexander: They decided on the pet niche because of the emotional connection people have with their pets. Their first few ventures failed because they were inexperienced with Facebook ads and marketing. Today, they have around 50 people on their team working on their business together. Dropshipping is a real business where you invest time and energy into aspects like legal, marketing, etc. It's not just setting up a website. You don't have to invent the wheel. Just look at what works, make it better, and you can be the market leader. It's important to have a good relationship with your agent and supplier because they're integral in the running of your business. At the beginning of your journey, don't expect to make money. But don't give up.\",{\"_464\":487,\"_71\":702,\"_179\":703},\"Making $10 Million in One Year With Dropshipping \",\"In this episode of Start Yours, entrepreneurs Andreas Koenig and Alexander Pecka talk about their journey to making $10 million a year with dropshipping.\",{\"_464\":492,\"_493\":494,\"_495\":496,\"_497\":56},[-5,-5,706,-5,-5,708,-5,-5,710,-5,-5,-5,711,712,714,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5,-5],{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":707,\"_504\":302,\"_505\":-5},\"Episode 62\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":709,\"_504\":508,\"_505\":-5},\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=SCGGH4260628143\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":510,\"_504\":511,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":633,\"_504\":514,\"_505\":-5},{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":713,\"_504\":517,\"_505\":-5},\"2020-12-15T06:16:18+01:00\",{\"_464\":501,\"_502\":715,\"_504\":520,\"_505\":-5},\"2020-12-15T06:37:21+01:00\",{\"_717\":30,\"_718\":56,\"_719\":30},\"hasNextPage\",\"hasPreviousPage\",\"hasThirdPage\",[\"U\",\"https://www.oberlo.com/podcast\"],[722,726,730,733,735,739,743,746,750,752,755,758,760,764,766,770],{\"_59\":647,\"_71\":723,\"_179\":724,\"_725\":566},\"Business ideas\",\"Ready to start a business, but unsure what to do? No problem. Check out tons of business ideas. Get inspired. Unlock everything you need. Build your empire.\",\"parentHandle\",{\"_59\":727,\"_71\":728,\"_179\":729,\"_725\":139},\"a-day-in-my-life\",\"A day in my life\",\"What's it really like to own a business? Spoiler alert: it's not always pretty. Hear real-life stories about a day in the life an entrepreneur. No BS.\",{\"_59\":538,\"_71\":731,\"_179\":732,\"_725\":540},\"Mindset\",\"Optimistic but real. Relentless but compassionate. Your mindset is everything if you want to be a successful entrepreneur. Learn how to raise the bar.\",{\"_59\":566,\"_71\":132,\"_179\":734},\"Wanna build a business? Check out articles, podcasts, videos, and ebooks about the skills you'll need - from business ideas to marketing to case studies.\",{\"_59\":736,\"_71\":737,\"_179\":738,\"_725\":566},\"case-studies\",\"Case studies\",\"Hear from entrepreneurs who been there, done that. Dive into case studies on podcasts, ebooks, articles, and videos.\",{\"_59\":740,\"_71\":741,\"_179\":742,\"_725\":139},\"my-first-90-days\",\"My first 90 days\",\"The first 90 days of your startup are the make-or-break. Check out real-life stories from entrepreneurs who weren't afraid to get their hands dirty.\",{\"_59\":539,\"_71\":744,\"_179\":745,\"_725\":540},\"Money\",\"Money. It's on everyone's mind. Check out podcasts, ebooks, articles, and videos to master your personal finances, set money goals, and smash them.\",{\"_59\":747,\"_71\":748,\"_179\":749,\"_725\":566},\"design-and-branding\",\"Design and branding\",\"Don't scare customers away with an ugly website. Unlock everything you need to build a beautiful ecommerce store and a memorable brand that customers love.\",{\"_59\":139,\"_71\":140,\"_179\":751},\"A collection of articles, podcasts, videos, and ebooks with real-life stories from other entrepreneurs. Learn something. Get inspired. Start your own.\",{\"_59\":480,\"_71\":753,\"_179\":754,\"_725\":139},\"Raise the bar\",\"It's one thing to be successful. But are you working to make things better for everyone else? Hear real-life stories of entrepreneurs who are raising the bar.\",{\"_59\":620,\"_71\":756,\"_179\":757,\"_725\":540},\"Productivity\",\"To be a successful entrepreneur, you have to grind. Every. Single. Day. Check out podcasts, ebooks, articles, and videos on how to be more productive.\",{\"_59\":567,\"_71\":357,\"_179\":759,\"_725\":566},\"Learn how to start a dropshipping business, including ideas for what to sell. Podcasts, articles, videos and ebooks that will teach you how to start.\",{\"_59\":761,\"_71\":762,\"_179\":763,\"_725\":139},\"starter-stories\",\"Starter stories\",\"It takes guts and hard work to be an entrepreneur. Listen to real-life stories about people who nailed it, and what you need to start your first business.\",{\"_59\":540,\"_71\":136,\"_179\":765},\"Mindset. Wellness. Productivity. Money. Check out articles, podcasts, videos, and ebooks about the things that make good entrepreneurs even better.\",{\"_59\":767,\"_71\":768,\"_179\":769,\"_725\":540},\"wellbeing\",\"Wellbeing\",\"Avoid burnout. Stay resilient. Take care while you grind. Learn wellness tips for entrepreneurs. Your business health is only as good as your own health.\",{\"_59\":568,\"_71\":771,\"_179\":772,\"_725\":566},\"Marketing\",\"Online marketing is a beast of its own. Check out podcasts, ebooks, articles, and videos on marketing your ecommerce business. Tame the beast. Grow your empire.\",\"($locale)~~layout\",\"actionData\",\"errors\"]\n");</script><script>window.__remixContext.streamController.close();</script>