Today we’re going to talk about transparency and open companies, specifically the idea of sharing financials with employees. We recently discussed this in our private forum, and the overwhelming response was that it’s a bad idea, but my guests today disagree. Lee and Jake Cook—cofounders of Tadpull—and Hannah Jerome—a Tadpull leadership team member—strongly believe that sharing the key financial results of their business with their team has helped the business. Listen in to hear why they say that allowing staff to see exactly what’s going on financially can increase the buy-in and cohesion of a team.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2pFwYck 

Today’s show is all about retargeting. I’m joined by the co-founder of Shoelace, Reza Khadjavi, who is here to share what makes a great retargeting ad, advice for managing your budget, and much more. Since his company specializes in retargeting—especially for Shopify stores—we cover a lot of ground today. Listen in to learn how to optimize your campaigns if you’re already running them, and if you’re not, you’ll hear lots of great tips for getting started the right way.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2QD2HqP 

Today I’m joined by Kristina Kurcink, a friend of mine who has spent over a decade working at Nike in roles ranging from design all the way to manufacturing. Being responsible for a lot of the production in Asia, Kristina has seen the whole process leading up to the famous footwear coming off the line.

In this episode, she shares key lessons she learned during her ten years working for Nike, particularly some of the manufacturing lessons she learned from being on the ground in Asia. So if you’re doing your own manufacturing—or thinking about getting into it soon—you don’t want to miss hearing what Kristina has to say, as it could help you avoid mistakes and save money.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2NjjksH 

Shopify bans the sales of guns and accessories, even those legal in the U.S., Kroger Gets Into Online Grocery with “Kroger Ship”, Amazon rumored to be in the running to acquire Landmark Theatres, and more.

You can see the full show notes for this episode at  https://www.ecommercefuel.com/august-21-2018/.

The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Amazon's Prime Day is once again the biggest Sales Day in its History, Shopify will roll out augmented reality this fall, Apple introces new Macbook Pro features, and more.

You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-24-2018/.

The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Amazon Jumps into the pharmacy business with $1 Billion Pillpack acquisition, Shopify acquires Return Magic, Paypal Checkout introduces a new feature, and more.

You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/july-10-2018/.

The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

The Supreme Court clears the way for states to charge sales tax, President Trump introduces a new, lean type of health care plan and more.  

You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-26-2018.

The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and interesting content around the web from the previous two weeks.  

Today is part two of my interview with Adam Saraceno, the Chief Marketing Officer of Peak Design. We’re picking up the conversation we started last week on leveraging Kickstarter, but we shift gears to talk about how Adam's company has cultivated and maintained such an awesome culture (while still managing to create super high-quality products), which marketing tactics are giving them the best ROI, and more.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2x90Bcw  

The News Cart features industry news, community discussions, compelling job opportunities and thoughts on life from Andrew Youderian.   

This week in the news:  Amazon's new Echo Look, how your Android phone will soon make phone calls on your behalf and potential GDPR fines on the horizon.  

You can see the full show notes for this episode at https://www.ecommercefuel.com/june-12-2018.

Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com is back for the third and final part of our series on legal issues. So far, we’ve covered trademarks and patents, and today we’re wrapping up with a grab bag of legal questions to round out our series. Listen in to hear John’s insight and advice on a whole random host of legal issues that affect ecommerce entrepreneurs.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2JNV2St 

Today we are continuing our legal series with Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com. John specializes in both IP and businesses on the web—both subjects that a lot of lawyers don’t know much about—so it’s great to have him back on the show.

Last week we talked about all things patents, and today we’re going to do the same with trademarks. This is an interesting and relevant topic, especially given that Amazon Brand Registry 2.0 requires you to file a trademark if you want to have any kind of brand protection. Listen in to hear the crucial things you need to know when it comes to trademarks.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2rsA9EH

Today we’re going to kick off a three-part legal series with Internet, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Lawyer John DiGiacomo of RevisionLegal.com. John has been a phenomenal member of the eCommerceFuel Private Community, offering loads of expertise on everything to patents to trademarks to copyright infringement, and I knew I had to get him on the show to share his knowledge with podcast listeners, as well.

In this first episode of the series, we’ll be focusing on patents. There’s so much to know about the different types, costs, etc.—including whether getting a patent is worth it for stores in the $2 - $10 million range—and John’s here to straighten it all out for us.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IYxkSO 

Building an audience can be tough, especially when you’re starting from scratch. So today, I thought it’d be fun to share the mic with Michael Jackness of EcomCrew so we can both give our perspectives on the subject, including what worked for us and what mistakes we made along the way. Michael has done such an incredible job building up EcomCrew.com over the last couple years, and today you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look into exactly how he did it.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2GO35k5 

The CEO of The Goulet Pen Company shares how engaging with his customers took his company to the next level.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2IuDwTc 

Jake Cook is a professor, founder of Tadpull and a fellow Bozeman resident. Today we get together over a glass of bourbon to talk about how Jake finds top talent right from his classroom.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2tGeH3A 

Today I’m going to share the major takeaways from a report I just released called The State of the Merchant Report. It has become an annual tradition for me to survey a bunch of store owners to figure out what’s going on in the ecommerce world, and this report covers everything from revenue growth, conversion rates, happiness levels, how much profit (and pain) Amazon is causing, and more. Listen in to hear the results—some of them may surprise you!

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2pMd0fu 

Normally I turn to Steve Chou and Bill D'Alessandro for advice on what to do in business.

Not today.

Instead, we're chatting about the biggest mistakes we've made investing in the markets and real estate.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2F9sa9q

When it comes to online advertising, I know it can be a challenge to keep up with the various options on different, ever-changing platforms. So today, I've brought Brett Curry from OMGCommerce.com on to discuss traffic with Google and Amazon in 2018.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Hr5nU1 

As you know, Amazon has been cracking down on reviews. It used to be that you could get incentived reviews, but that's no longer the case. What's a seller to do then?

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2szABor

A few years back I caught up with Clayton Chrismas who purchased TrollingMotors.net from me.

I learned how much better the business was doing once it was freed from the shackles and constraints of it's incompetent previous owner (much better, it turned out).

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CpINY9

Learn how Kris Cody generated $300K+ on Kickstarter without any paid traffic.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2DMaxaT

This is the last episode of shopping cart month, where we talk about some other contenders, even if they're not the biggest ones on the scene.

We cover Bigcommerce, Volusion, and Americommerce and compare and contrast their various strengths and weaknesses.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2mTNDap

What I've noticed is that WooCommerce has been like an underdog, but it seems like it's about to change.

This week, we're talking with Brian from PostStatus.com and Zach Stepek from MindSize.me to chat about the potential and pitfalls of WooCommerce.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2F9aYfH

Listen to Bill D'Alessandro from Rebel CEO and I doing a recap on my favorite event of the year, the eCommerceFuel Live conference.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2FDGz9w

This week, we're talking with Alan Merrick who is a Magento expert in our community and Kalen Jordan from the podcast Mage Talk about Magento and who it's best suited for.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CXuQVB

If you like to nerd out on shopping cart software as much as I do, then stay tuned.

This week, we're going to dive in talking about Shopify with Carson McComas from Fuel Made.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2CdLJrn

Learn from Jayson Gaignard on how to meaningfully connect with someone busy and well­-known like Seth Godin.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2or4KEl

Learn from Raphael Schneider, YouTube Wizard who has built a channel with more than 125,000 subscribers.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2AFgy7J

This is a followup conversation with Dave McGeady to see the results of a marketing experiment is going and what the results were.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2o4J8uT

Learn highly effective direct mail marketing tips and print catalog ideas to make your store.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2jsBs2l

Today I sit down with Bill D'Alessandro to make some bold ecommerce predictions for 2018.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2B7ccJF

Anastasia leveraged the readership of her popular blog to jump­start the business. So she knows a thing or two about building and connecting with an audience via the written word.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2B9ZLdz

Andy Hayes from PlumDeluxe.com talks about how to grow a blog and how they've used the platform to generate close to two-thirds of their sales.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2zCIrzw 

The founder of the popular Leadpages software is getting into cryptocurrency. Let's geek out together talking cryptocurrency with Clay Collins.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2nuPs0U

Learn how to build a highly profitable portfolio of eCommerce businesses.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2iUN11X

Hiring a business manager can free up your time if done correctly. Learn the strategies to find, hire and incentivize the right person.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2y4IP6d

This Fall we hosted "ECF Week", where community members in 20+ cities across the globe got together to connect.

I couldn't make all the events but I did my best and joined 8 meetups in 9 days. It was a roadtrip and the likes of which I've never attempted before. 

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2zBZimU 

Learn how to calculate your customer lifetime value and how to use it to grow and improve your business.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2lx8t1E

Andrew Egenes and Phillip Naples from Unbrokerage.com join me to talk what types of eCommerce insurance store owners need to protect themselves.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2lAnzDI

Earlier this year I came close to buying a mid 7-figure business with a team of 15 people.

At first, it looked like a diamond in the rough.  A business I could purchase relatively cheaply, spend a short time improving and systemizing and then step back to enjoy significantly improved profitability.

 But after doing my diligence and talking with others I realized it ultimately wasn't the right opportunity for me.  

 How could I have initially been so excited about something that clearly wasn't the right move?  

 Today I share the 7 questions that prevented me from making a very, very expensive mistake... ...and perhaps will help you at some point, too.  

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2gG7Z80

Our discussion recorded while camping covers his time working with Zappos founder Tony Hsieh, travel, and (of course) lessons learned from making numerous investments in the eCommerce space.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: 

http://bit.ly/2hLQAHt

John Cavendish joins me today to share his experience growing an FBA Amazon Europe business and discuss the ins-and-outs of what you need to consider if you want to be successful.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2hA9gtI

We dive deep about the ins-and-outs of raising money, building company culture and how to screen for pro-active employees when hiring. 

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2y3Byql

Over the last nine months I've been a total slacker.

The previously weekly podcast got cut back to one flimsy episode a month while I took a sabbatical to take a little time off and figure out what I wanted to do next.

Well I'm thrilled to announce that the podcast is returning to its weekly schedule and I've finally figured out what I want to do with my life.  

(Spoiler: Decided against the full-time mime gig.  Turns out it wasn't as lucrative as I thought.)

Today on the show I'm excited to bring back the podcast full-tilt, share what I've been up to and what I see ahead for eCommerceFuel.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2y8p7Kn

In the second episode of our SEO series, SEO expert and founder of 180Marketing Jeff Oxford explains how to optimize your internal links to generate more traffic. While internal linking is not the most important SEO factor, solid internal structure will make it easier for Google’s crawlers to index your pages.

Jeff explains whether old SEO strategies like PageRank, sitemaps, and domain authority are still relevant in 2017. Separating fact from myth is the most important lesson from this episode and will ensure you’re using your time effectively.

Jeff also walks us through a step-by-step process for helping pages rank better and how to get the right traffic.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2vQguzP

You can boost your on-page SEO with some simple fixes that together create big results, and our eCommerce Fuel Forum expert Jeff Oxford can tell you how.

Jeff talks about recent improvements to search engine algorithms that have changed the SEO factors you should be focusing on. We talk about branding, how to handle meta tags, headings, and paragraphs, and why content is still king.

Jeff also ranks each on-page SEO factor out of ten, so you know just which elements to polish up to boost your clickthroughs, traffic, and engagement. 

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2twcm6I 

Andy Bedell joins us to share some inside knowledge and tips for using Facebook, Amazon, and other resellers to sell and market products effectively. He also shares his own captivating copywriting process and some investment ideas and inspiration. We also talk about CRAP products, Amazon leakage, how Facebook ads work, how to properly vet a reseller, and plenty more.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2sMarv5

Amazon’s BOOST Event was the first annual FBA (Fulfilled By Amazon) conference for sellers on the platform. Long overdue guest Bill D'Alessandro joins us to give us his five biggest takeaways from BOOST, including new developments in international selling, protecting your brand on Amazon, multichannel fulfillment, and much more.

Bill learned that Amazon is focusing on international expansion and making Amazon even more attractive to sell with. Seller-Fulfilled Prime is also growing rapidly, and we discuss whether that's a good thing for sellers, or just a smart play by Amazon.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2toOUY9

With several Hong Kong exhibitions coming up, it's important to make the most out of the opportunity to meet with factories and directly source products. Cameron Walker is the President of Gifts, Home, and Hardware Group at Global Sources and explains how to get what you want out of these massive events. 

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2sffbL1 

It can be tricky to write copy that's both funny and effective. I thought I'd ask Dave Munson of Saddleback Leather, who's a pro at striking this particular balance, for his tips. Dave also talks about how he harnesses video in his business, and what he's learned from running an eCommerce business. 

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2rtgaVV 

On the show today, our resident Importing and China expert Dave Bryant shares what he learned from his experience working in an Amazon warehouse. 

Dave kicks off the episode by talking about the recent sale of his business, which opened up the chance for him to do a temporary stint at an Amazon warehouse for oversize products. We talk about what it looks like on the floor, how they track productivity, and potential problems Amazon may have with staffing as they continue to grow. Dave also talks about what he'll do differently in his next business now that he has insight into how Amazon's facilities work on a day-to-day level.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2rPWkDx 

We're trying something a little different on this episode of eCommerce Fuel: instead of our normal interview, I've invited Noah Kagan and Dave McGeady to talk about Dave's business Wyldsson. 

Dave, Noah and I talk about the inexpensive, quick, and impactful changes that Wyldsson could make in the next thirty days to boost its sales and improve its conversion rate. We also discuss why Dave should start collecting emails from his customers, how to encourage them to become subscribers, and the small tweak he can make to his product photos to move even more inventory.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2pw55RK 

Entrepreneurs that make money off of intellectual property - like artists and eCommerce storeowners Meredith Keller and Matt Snow - know that protecting your IP is an uphill battle. Meredith and Matt join us to talk about how they've dealt with counterfeiters stealing their ideas, and ways we could improve IP and international shipping policy to better support small businesses in the US.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2nfvHJs 

100xing your business in three years might sound impossible, but one of our best new eCommerce Fuel contributors - Daniel Parker - is here to share the story of how his company did just that. After being recruited to MyChoiceSoftware in 2013, Daniel and his partner used clever marketing and stellar customer service to drive their business.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2kejPDg 

Welcome to the first episode of 2017! Today I'm chatting with Brad Bernhart, a fellow Montana business owner and the craftsman behind the awesome tools over at Earlywood Designs.  

Brad talks about his recent experience handling an unexpected rush of orders, thanks to a press release over the holiday season that depleted his inventory and left him shorthanded in the workshop. An unanticipated shortage of product is not an uncommon problem for eCommerce business owners to confront, so I thought it would be good to hear how Brad handled the experience.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2jAb0FQ 

If you've been listening for the past few weeks, you already know I'm stepping away from the podcast in 2017 to focus on some new projects. Today I'm filling you in on those plans, which include getting back to writing fresh blog content for you all.

The last three years of podcasting have been an awesome experience, and I'll still be recording new episodes every month or so. And, the eCommerceFuel community will still be just as active as ever and now is an excellent time to join us. 

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2hoXfdk 

X and I dig into some specifics about email deliverability best practices, including what makes up your email reputation. We talk about how to come back from being put on a blacklist and if it's possible to make it past Google's "Updates" tab into your customer's main inbox. X also shares several tools for managing email lists and avoiding spam traps that can immobilize your business email.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2hCiwPG 

Drew Sanocki of Nerd Marketing shares an episode of his podcast with us, all about how to utilize discount ladders in your business. Drew then answers some of my questions, including how to know a customer's average time to purchase and how to develop an even more nuanced approach to discounts.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2hqIxBT 

In this episode, Taylor Pearson and I talk about knowing where to invest your time, and how to choose the right area of expertise for your skillset. Taylor also shares his thoughts on the popular publishing platform Medium, as well as his top 3 must-read books for entrepreneurs. 

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2fwOpYj 

Stephan Jacob is the co-founder of Cotopaxi, a high-end outdoor apparel manufacturer. Backed by ventured capital, he's creating a larger operation that genuinely incorporates social initiatives into all aspects of their business operation.

Stephan shares the challenges he's faced managing a company that has experienced rapid growth. We also discuss how to cultivate fierce brand loyalty, locate and hire top talent, and foster a company culture that empowers team members and supports sustainable growth.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2fLOwxa

We've got a quick but extensive accounting lesson for you today from Catching Clouds co-founder Scott Scharf. 

As an eCommerce accounting expert, Scott gets to see the inner workings of dozens of eCommerce businesses -- and he's here to tell us what separates the good from the great.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2fLg7BN 

Building a brand through a proprietary product may very well be the future of eCommerce for small businesses. Dave Bayless, of Human Scale Business, knows firsthand what it takes to grow and scale early-stage companies or inventions. He has a wealth of experience both on the private equity side and as a consultant helping entrepreneurs build their brands.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2frg8HL

On this episode, Bill and I talk about the keynote speakers, panel discussions, and overall takeaways from this year's excellent eCommerceFuel Live in Savannah, GA.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2einpg6 

In this episode, Chad talks about how he got into selling gun parts, as well as some of the things he's learned about business and marketing over the years as an entrepreneurial jack-of-all-trades.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2fbomYs 

In this final episode from our beach mastermind group, Andrew moderates a discussion between Bill D'Alessandro and Zack Kanter about how Amazon will change in the coming years.

Will they consider buying out either UPS or FedEx? Will they simply drive them out of business? We attempt to answer these questions, but we also talk drone-delivery and discuss the future of eCommerce as a whole.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2enQ6cy 

It seems like every über-successful entrepreneur has a special daily routine that sets them up to dominate the day. In this episode, we talk frankly about our own positive and negative habits and how they impact our work and personal lives.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2e9XtUJ 

Mastermind groups are a familiar topic in the eCommerce community. In the kickoff episode of this three-part series, we take a peek inside the recent entrepreneurs' retreat I attended, hosted by our frequent guest and good friend Bill D'Alessandro.

Together with Will Nathan of Homepolish, Zack Kanter of Proforged, and Marshall Hayes and Alex Herndon of Amplio Digital, we discuss many benefits of spending time with like-minded and highly motivated fellow entrepreneurs.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2e9TGFz 

Eric Bandholz  returns to eCommerceFuel to take about the benefits and challenges of scaling your team in a way that leads to productivity, why he decided against selling on Amazon, and how launching another company, UrbanBeardsman.com, is taking his business in a new direction.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2dvhVKc

Virtual reality is the talk of the town right now, and not just in tech circles. Today we're chatting with Daniel Beauchamp, head of VR at Shopify, to understand how virtual reality might change the face of eCommerce in the not-so-distant future.

We start with a basic overview of VR and headsets. We then dive into the fascinating potential of virtual reality as it could benefit eCommerce merchants and customers, and what it will take to generate a virtual store with 3D depictions of your products.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2cXLOI7 

There's a lot to keep track of when you have a growing small business, and managing cash flow can be tricky.

Bill and Andrew have had their own encounters with cash flow issues in the past, so today they share those lessons. They talk about why you might be strapped for cash even if your revenue is booming, legitimate reasons for having cash flow issues, and the best ways for small businesses to raise more funds.

Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/2bZF0GR 

You've probably heard that 2016 is the year messaging apps and bots really take off. We're joined this week by Paul Gray of Kik, who enlightens us about the popularity of messaging apps, the possibilities of bots, and how he would respond to naysayers of these up and coming technologies.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2ceJo6j 

Recently, we did a roundup of the eCommerce conferences you should have on your radar. This week, we're talking about getting the most out of whichever conferences you do attend. We discuss why networking should be your primary objective, and how to absorb as much as possible from each conference.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2ccyIpY 

Earlier this year, we kicked off a series with Kyle Goguen of PawStruck.com and began by looking at his goals. We wanted to follow Kyle throughout the year to see how things went – what were some of his successes and challenges on his eCommerce journey.

On this episode, we have an update on Kyle's story, specifically, in the area of warehousing and how he’s managing that aspect of his business from over a 1,000 miles away.

Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/2bmHwUi

New post from The eCommerceFuel Blog:

You can buy anything online, but that doesn't mean every niche is a profitable one. Today we spoke to three different pioneering niche merchants from our community to talk about their seemingly impossible niches and how they've managed to turn them into full-time enterprises. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your hosts Andrew Youderian and Laura Serino of eCommerceFuel.com, Chris Bosdal of TastyWorms.com, Josh Manley of IronFenceShop.com, and Will Samuels of EveryNappy.co.uk) The Full Transcript Will: I was worried about putting myself out there. You know, being the nappy guy. I actually have that on my business card for Every Nappy. It says, "Will, nappy guru." And that's fine. I think you can just sort of own it. Laura: Dried meal worms. It's a niche within a niche within a very popular niche online, the pet industry. Chris Bosdal is the owner of TastyWorms.com where he sells dried mealworms. Here's Chris. Meal Worms as a Viable Niche Chris: I started to grow these meal worms myself in our garage basically. And we quickly ended up with more than we could possibly use. So at that point in time, I kind of realized, hey, you know, this could be a business. These things grow pretty darn fast and we were spending hundreds of dollars on them, and now we have hundreds of dollars' worth of worms. So let's try to sell them to some people. Laura: Tasty Worms originally went after animal rehabbers for potential clients, but they quickly found out that despite having the need, they didn't have the money to purchase from them. Dried meal worms aren't cheap. A 10-pound bag costs around $90, so around the same per pound price you'd pay for a really good steak. Chris: We didn't really know who the customers would be, I guess is the problem. So yeah, we started up an eCommerce site with a product called Drupal and we started buying some Google AdWords and yeah, we quickly learned that that was also bad. We were basically, you know, paying money to not get any customers. Laura: eBay helped them find customers. They started to build their base simply by slipping in paper into orders that reminded them to visit their website instead of just their eBay store. Chris: I remember saying that when we got started, if we could make one sale per day, I would be happy, right? Because, you know, it's an extra $5 or $10 in my pocket or what have you, right, that $150 a month, I'd be happy with that. Now if we got one sale a day, it would be a complete disaster. Laura: After two years, Chris was able to quit his full-time job to work on the business. Chris: The problem with insects, even if they're dead, they have or had eggs. And insect eggs are notoriously hard to destroy. So there's always that possibility that there's something alive in there, you know. And sometimes you'll even find that with like if you purchase flour, or wheat bran, or oatmeal at the store, sometimes it will develop moths or beetles. And that's the same type of problems that we could run into. So yes and no. They're not considered alive but they are, you know, you can't just ship them to any old country you feel like. You Really Can Find Anything on Amazon Laura: There are definitely restrictions when you're dealing with selling insects online. For instance, their model can only ship to the US, but not overseas where customs are strict. One place they can ship to, an Amazon warehouse. Chris: I would say that they restrict dried insects less than they restrict chocolate. Laura: Their original commitment to welfare and rehabilitation for animals sets them apart from other sites in their niche. Setting Themselves Apart From Other Sites Chris: What makes us stand out is that first of all, we offer discounts to anybody who's like an AZA accredited member. That's the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. If you're a licensed animal rehabber,

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Wondering what it's like to sell your business? Or how much you can actually make through passive investments? Both are more complex than you might think, and it pays to hear from someone who knows both. Ian Schoen of TropicalMBA.com and the Dynamite Circle answers questions about recently selling his own small business, the idea that passive investments can build substantial wealth, and building entrepreneurship communities. Subscribe:  iTunes | Stitcher (With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Ian Schoen of TropicalMBA.com) Andrew: Hey guys, Andrew here, and welcome to the eCommerce Fuel Podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in. Today on the show, I’m joined by Ian Schoen from the TropicalMBA blog and podcast. He’s also one of the men behind the Dynamite Circle, which is a private community for location-independent entrepreneurs. I really always enjoy talking with Ian, and our conversation today covers a lot of different topics. We talk about his recent business sale, we talk about how to invest money. Both of those topics are a couple of episodes that I really enjoyed from his podcast recently, and we can get into those. And then finally, we talk about running private communities. We both run private communities for entrepreneurs and talk about some of the challenges, some of the things we really enjoy, get a little bit inside baseball on that. It’s not eCommerce specific per se, but if you're in the community or it’s something you’re interested in, hopefully it’s something that you enjoy. Ian, you and your partner Dan recently sold the business, congratulations sir! Ian: Thank you. Yeah. Andrew: Are you sick of talking about it yet? Ian: No, I’m not, I’m not actually. Andrew: What caused you guys to sell? Ian: Oh man. Well, I think essentially what happened was we started the business in 2008 – at the time I think I was about twenty-five, twenty-six years old, and you know that was a long time ago. I feel like I’m a different person than I was then. You know, I felt like I wanted different things out of my business and my life, and we just kind of reached an interesting point. I think one of the feelings, one of the emotions that I had at the time when we decided to sell was that it’s all been like high-fives and good times, essentially. I mean, there was some growing pains and whatnot, but we never missed payroll, there was always plenty of cashflow, it was just really good times. And I thought, "let’s just leave this on a high note, ‘cause I’m not super passionate about the business anymore, and I don’t wanna fake it to my employees anymore that I’m not into this business, so let’s just leave it on a high note." Ian's Insight Into Selling His Business Andrew: And you said you wanted different things out of your life and your business – what specifically were you looking for in terms of change, things that the business wasn’t fulfilling, apart from the passion aspect and selling at the top – which makes a lot of sense – what was that underlying thing you kind of alluded to? Ian: I think just change in general, you know? Like I said, I started the business when I was in like my mid-twenties and quite some time had gone by, so I just wanted to see kind of what other options were out there, you know? I felt like I had conquered that business in a way, or at least the skill set, and for me and I think a lot of small business owners, that’s kind of what you do, right? I mean we were selling like hospitality equipment and although I was passionate about that in the beginning, it became more about the process of doing business. So through the process learned SEO, learned ad words, learned how to manufacture products in China, learned how to build a team of fifteen. So kind of all these things that I wanted to learn in that business I learned; I just didn’t feel like there was much...