How To Grow Your E-commerce Sales In 2024

Summary

In this insightful transcript, the speaker candidly discusses the challenges of building a business with limited funds, emphasizing the power of organic social media as a free and untapped resource. Drawing from personal experience, they share the pitfalls of relying solely on media publicity and the necessity of creating sustainable sales infrastructure. The speaker passionately advocates for hard work, strategic social media use, and the importance of taking control of one's business destiny, offering practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the importance of organic social media as a free and untapped market for selling products, especially when financial resources are limited.
• 💡 The speaker recounts their experience winning a high school 'Shark Tank' competition, which led to significant media exposure and initial sales but also highlights the challenge of sustaining this success without a solid business infrastructure.
• 🚀 The speaker admits to initially relying too heavily on media attention for sales and the subsequent realization of the need to build a sustainable business model.
• 🛠️ The speaker discusses various strategies attempted to penetrate the market, including B2B and B2C approaches, and the difficulties faced, such as the reluctance of nonprofits to engage without donations.
• 🤔 The speaker reflects on the need for control over one's marketing efforts, highlighting the unpredictability of media coverage and the importance of a proactive approach on social media platforms.
• 💼 The speaker suggests that the key to success in e-commerce is creating compelling social media content and optimizing the online sales platform, such as a Shopify site, to maximize conversions.
• 🔍 The speaker advises on the importance of understanding and leveraging social media algorithms to one's advantage, such as by creating a high volume of posts to increase visibility.
• 📈 The speaker encourages direct engagement with potential customers and influencers on social media, using personal outreach to build brand awareness and credibility.
• 🏆 The speaker shares a personal anecdote about sending persistent emails to achieve a meeting, illustrating the power of persistence in networking and business development.
• 🚧 The speaker warns against the allure of quick success and emphasizes the need for hard work, patience, and a willingness to 'grind' on social media to build a brand.
• 🌟 The speaker expresses a vision of becoming a leading brand in the special needs market, akin to Nike, but acknowledges the reality of the hard work and time required to achieve such a status.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial approach to selling their product?

The speaker relied on publicity and media coverage to drive sales, which started after winning a high school competition similar to 'Shark Tank'.

What challenges did the speaker face after the initial media success?

The speaker struggled to sustain sales once the media attention faded, as they had not yet developed the skills to create organic social media presence or other sales infrastructure.

Why did the speaker feel the need to control their own sales channels?

The speaker realized the importance of having control over sales channels after experiencing the unreliability of media coverage for consistent sales.

What advice did Jamie Simov give to the speaker regarding their business?

Jamie Simov advised the speaker to build the necessary infrastructure for the business and work hard, rather than relying solely on press coverage.

What strategies did the speaker attempt to penetrate the market for their product?

The speaker tried various strategies including reaching out to occupational therapists, B2B and B2C routes, and nonprofits, but none were successful in sustaining sales.

What was the speaker's perception of the importance of social media in their business?

The speaker viewed social media as a crucial, controllable aspect of their business that could be leveraged to drive sales independently of external media coverage.

What did the speaker suggest as a solution for their current business situation?

The speaker suggested focusing on creating unlimited social media content and optimizing their Shopify site to maximize sales.

What is the speaker's ultimate goal for their brand?

The speaker's ultimate goal is to become a prominent brand, akin to Nike, but for special needs products.

What did the speaker imply about the nature of success in business?

The speaker implied that success in business often requires a significant amount of hard work and persistence over time, rather than relying on luck or overnight success.

What advice did the speaker give regarding the use of social media for business?

The speaker advised to be proactive and consistent in creating and sharing social media content, and to engage directly with potential customers and influencers.

What is the speaker's view on the current generation's approach to building a business?

The speaker believes that the current generation has the advantage of understanding and being part of the culture, but may not be putting in the necessary work to leverage these advantages for business success.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Entrepreneurial Challenges and Organic Social Media Strategy

The speaker discusses the challenges of selling a product without substantial financial resources, emphasizing the importance of leveraging organic social media for marketing due to its cost-effectiveness. They recount their journey starting at 16, winning a high school 'shark tank' competition, and gaining significant media attention. However, they admit to lacking the skills to sustain sales post-publicity and express the need for a sustainable business infrastructure. The speaker also touches on the dependency on media coverage for sales and the realization of the necessity to control one's own marketing destiny through social media.

05:02

📈 The Necessity of Sweat Equity in Business Growth

This paragraph delves into the concept of 'sweat equity' as a means to grow a business without relying on external funding. The speaker suggests that the key to selling products is through consistent and strategic social media engagement, advocating for the creation of high-quality content and a robust online presence. They share personal anecdotes of reaching out to influencers and leveraging social proof to boost sales. The speaker also highlights the importance of understanding the market and tailoring the sales approach accordingly, urging the audience to take control of their business destiny through hard work and strategic social media use.

10:03

🎯 The Reality of Building a Successful Brand from Scratch

The speaker emphasizes the hard work and persistence required to build a successful brand, using Nike as an example of a company that faced numerous challenges before achieving success. They stress the importance of not relying on luck but instead focusing on strategy and consistent effort. The speaker also addresses the misconception that success comes easily or quickly, urging the audience to embrace the 'dark cocoon' phase of hard work and dedication. They encourage the audience to utilize the advantages of the digital age to create and distribute content that resonates with their target audience, ultimately building a brand that stands the test of time.

Keywords

💡Organic Social Media

Organic social media refers to the non-paid, earned reach that content or a brand gets on social platforms through shares, likes, and comments from users. In the context of the video, it is presented as a free and untapped market for promoting products, especially when financial resources are limited. The speaker emphasizes the importance of leveraging organic social media to create a sustainable customer base, as opposed to relying solely on paid advertising or media coverage.

💡Pre-revenue

A pre-revenue company is one that has not yet generated any significant income from its operations. In the video, the speaker identifies their business as pre-revenue, indicating that they have not established a consistent revenue stream from sales. This status is often associated with early-stage startups that are still in the development or growth phase and are yet to achieve profitability.

💡Shark Tank

Shark Tank is a reality TV show where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of investors, known as 'sharks,' who may choose to invest in the business. In the script, the speaker mentions winning a 'shark tank for high school,' which implies a similar competitive event aimed at young entrepreneurs, and this victory led to media attention and a patent for their product.

💡Media Success

Media success in this context refers to the positive coverage and attention a business or product receives from various media outlets, such as local news, magazines, and television shows. The speaker discusses how their product gained significant media exposure, which initially drove sales but was not sustainable without a solid business infrastructure.

💡Infrastructure

In the business world, infrastructure refers to the fundamental systems and processes that support a company's operations, such as sales channels, supply chain, and customer service. The speaker realizes the need to build a robust infrastructure to sustain the business beyond the initial media hype, which includes developing a strong online presence and sales strategy.

💡PR (Public Relations)

Public Relations is the practice of managing and maintaining a positive public image for a company or individual. In the video, the speaker contemplates hiring a PR firm to maintain media attention, which they initially relied on to drive sales. However, they eventually understand the need for a more controlled approach to marketing, such as social media.

💡E-commerce

E-commerce refers to the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, as well as the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. The speaker identifies their business as an e-commerce venture, emphasizing the need for a well-optimized online shop and a strong social media presence to drive sales.

💡B2B (Business-to-Business)

B2B is a model of business where one company sells to another. The speaker mentions trying a B2B approach by targeting occupational therapists and other professionals who work with children with autism or ADHD. However, this strategy did not yield the desired results, indicating the complexity of market penetration.

💡Nonprofits

Nonprofits are organizations that operate without the primary goal of making a profit, often focusing on serving a public or social cause. The speaker discusses attempting to collaborate with nonprofits, initially facing resistance due to their pre-revenue status and inability to donate products, which highlights the challenges of forging partnerships without established financial backing.

💡TikTok

TikTok is a social media platform known for its short-form videos. The speaker mentions the importance of creating content on TikTok as part of a comprehensive social media strategy. They also suggest using the platform to engage with influencers, which can help increase brand visibility and drive sales.

💡Perseverance

Perseverance is the quality of continuing in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with no apparent hope of success. The speaker encourages the audience to embrace hard work and persistence, sharing personal anecdotes about working long hours and leveraging social media to build a brand from the ground up.

Highlights

The speaker emphasizes the untapped potential of organic social media for scalable, free marketing.

Defining the target market as parents of children with autism and ADHD.

Winning a high school 'Shark Tank' competition led to significant media exposure and a patent.

The challenge of sustaining sales post-publicity without established sales infrastructure.

The realization of the need for a sustainable business model beyond media coverage.

The speaker's struggle with dependency on press for sales and the need to diversify marketing strategies.

The importance of controlling what you can in business, such as social media presence.

Jamie Simov's advice on building infrastructure rather than relying on press.

Exploration of B2B and B2C routes to market and their outcomes.

The unsuccessful attempt to collaborate with nonprofits due to unsustainable donation models.

The speaker's personal journey and the evolution of their business acumen.

The necessity of a detailed and meticulous approach to e-commerce and social media.

The speaker's recommendation for unlimited social media content to raise brand awareness.

The importance of understanding and leveraging the power of social media for business growth.

The comparison of building a brand to the discipline required for physical fitness.

The speaker's personal experience with persistence in reaching out to influencers and businesses.

The reality that success in business often requires a significant time investment and hard work.

The dream of creating a brand synonymous with special needs, akin to Nike's status in sportswear.

The speaker's belief in the potential of the current generation to shape culture and business.

A call to action for the audience to apply the discussed strategies and put in the work required for success.

Transcripts

when you don't have unlimited money or

any money in 2023 September 7th 2023 and

you are trying to sell [ __ ] the number

one thing on earth is organic social

media at scale cuz it's [ __ ] free

this Market is completely untapped right

and I've tried a bunch of different ways

to penetrate it and I haven't been able

to do it and I'll explain how I've tried

right so I want this the way how do you

define the market how do I Define the

market what oh the market yeah sorry

parents of those with autistic children

and ADH children with ADHD right um so

essentially when this whole thing

started I was 16 joined like this uh

shark tank for high school and I had

20,000 competitors we won so then from

there we got like this patent and had

and then it immediately took on this

like own world when it comes to like

media success from like local news to

People magazine and 6 months to ABC

Inside Edition and it just kept going

for like a year and a half which is

awesome awesome you know glory to God

but the thing was that um all our sales

came from like publicity and then once

that went away I really didn't have the

skills to be able to create the so we're

still like pre-revenue you know what I

me Mak makes a lot of sense it's a

common story okay yeah like you

know media coverage happens all the time

there's always a feel-good story there's

always something that the media wants to

put at the end of a they they scare you

to death for 49 minutes and tell you how

world is horrible and they tell you like

a kid's got a chocolate business at the

end you know so and to your point that

[ __ ] can pop off and you can get a lot

of sales but to your point if you don't

build actual sustainable infrastructure

you don't have a business exactly and

that's what that's kind of what I ran

into like and you don't even know that

the first go R you just think it's going

to go forever and it and it kept going

it was so and a year when you're when

you're this young is like a lifetime it

was like it was honestly like 2 and a

half cuz it was all a high the rest of

high school and then but then did you

become addicted to that thing did you

like think the only way like did you at

some point realize [ __ ] I need more

press I need more press cuz that became

the drug yeah so I was like it was it

wasn't a drug but it was more you know

what I mean right I don't I don't have

any other way there's no other way I'm

going to sell [ __ ] so I was like I guess

I just got to keep finding let me just

email the newscaster [ __ ] should I

hire a PR C like I get it like one of my

one of my this is why I so [ __ ] with

social yeah because it's the one thing

you can control it's like working out ex

like there's a lot of [ __ ] you can't

control you can control how you can work

out same with social media like you

can't control People magazine wants to

[ __ ] with you yeah you can control if

you make a Tik Tok yeah so I remember

like it got it got to a point so one of

my um Advisory board members I don't

know if you know him his name is it's

like a informal Advisory Board member

but uh Jamie simov found a ring I went

to him and I was like hey this press is

going out I don't know how else against

sales do you have anyone I know and he's

like dude you got to build that

infrastructure you got to work hard you

know so for the last like year and a

half I've been just trying to different

ways right so we went from occupational

therapists and like avas which they work

directly with children with autism ADHD

I'm just I'm just making sure that we

don't run a t next meeting I'm going to

make sure you give your full 10 keep

going apprciate it um so then I tried

that like a B2B Toc route yep and it it

hasn't really panned out I tried cuz my

thought process was go to where the

market is right so like it's like what's

what's the website tassium

world.com so then I was like okay um you

know maybe the thing is that we've sold

over 2,000 products with this press and

everyone loves the product it's just

trying to get it into you know the right

people's hands so like I said tried VB

Toc we tried nonprofits but they didn't

want to work with us cuz we weren't

donating anything so then we started

donating a little bit but it's just we

can't sustain that when we're

pre-revenue my my keep going keep going

so we tried that um I tried organic um

you know with my story and everything

and it it only went so far and I'm sure

if I like kept going if probably would

work um but but I think that's what

that's like what most like that moment

that just happened Y is everything I

give a [ __ ] about I know I know you know

all four of you probably know right

School know you but bro it's the [ __ ]

game like like when I go to your website

and it's not clickable to the Tik Tok

even though the logo's down there like

that's on my mind this goes back to the

[ __ ] details even back to working out

now that I've learned a little bit about

it like there's a right way to do a

[ __ ] push-up and there's a wrong way

there's a right way to do a curl and

there's like and this is like how

meticulous I get too back to the proper

device you were getting this [ __ ] M like

bro it's real simple you're in

e-commerce mhm you're trying to sell

[ __ ] trying to sell a shirt with an

attached thing yeah you need to do

unlimited social media content so people

become aware of it and then they need to

go to a proper website like you know

where like the shop is like this shop is

not maximized to sell the most stuff at

all that's right and that's okay back to

like [ __ ] man I was [ __ ] really good

at business all your guys ages and like

this these gray hairs you see now like

I'm way better now and so but but for

complete Clarity like when you all go

downstairs and be like okay what the

[ __ ] just happened in that 10 went so

quick here's the clarity you are selling

[ __ ] when you don't have unlimited money

or any money yes in 2023 September 7th

2023 and you are trying to sell [ __ ]

yeah

the number one thing on earth is organic

social media at scale cuz it's [ __ ]

free and I mean like 19 posts a day yeah

or you're stuck in the spot that you're

in now which is you're begging for a

[ __ ] miracle that someone's going to

give you cash yeah

yeah and just pitch competitions with

that money runs

out if you flipped it and just

understood you're 100% in control [ __ ] a

competition mhm [ __ ] a VC MH [ __ ]

everybody I like it was like an Eminem

like I it was do em SL [ __ ] a papa D if

you just understand that you're fully in

control and you just have to pound

social yeah and start googling how to

make the best Shopify site selling

T-shirts enter MH literally that [ __ ] is

out there for free best practices get

the proper

Shopify get your Social Crazy M and

start [ __ ] you know start [ __ ] D

like like life's crazy You Were Here on

a thing I decided I felt something we

have 10 minutes you gave your I'm

literally going to wear this [ __ ]

humble hat I'm so happy and like your

friends going to be like what like by

the way that's one in 100 and that's

what you need to do you need to the

[ __ ] how are you getting back to

Boston um we're taking fairies later

beautiful you need to be on yeah you

chop it up and whatever happened in

Europe but then you have to like start

dming people in Boston type in Boston

[ __ ] Newton Mass Boston all that that

[ __ ] in [ __ ] Instagram # search top

posts click oh this person's here they

have 400,000 followers they're a cool

kid in high school in [ __ ] Newton

rich kid and DM them be like I want you

to wear my [ __ ] shirt one in a 100 of

them will 100% but if you [ __ ] like I

don't know like my whole thing is like

you know how I got here by actually

doing what I'm telling you to do when

nobody in the world knew who the [ __ ] I

was I stayed on Twitter in 2007 from

[ __ ] 8:00 p.m. after I work the whole

day in the liquor store from 8:00 p.m.

to 4:00 in the morning yeah for [ __ ]

4

years every

day yeah you you you have two choices

the luck of cash which is harder than

ever cuz the economy is soft though

you're in a good school where some

things could happen or

sweat I'm not very s yeah and I just

think like what most kids are missing

even the ones that are about it I gen

like even if you guys are sitting here

like I wish I was in class with y'all

you know and be like chopping it up like

I believe you have it in there I think

this generation and I don't want to

generalize yeah cuz I think there's

plenty of unlimited and you guys may be

doing this but I here's the thing that I

think the world [ __ ] up for y'all when

I was coming up it was like we didn't

have options I when I was in exactly

your seat the internet was just starting

so like you had to like go like work in

this work at like the mall mhm you all

know you can magic here cuz you've seen

it the problem is 1% of 1% hit the

lottery ticket of it happening fast the

other 10% that make it eat [ __ ] for a

decade but everyone's fixated on the 1%

of the 1% of the 1% who hit something

and even those people

quietly actually had to eat [ __ ] for a

little while

too yeah you're going to start on a

parel brand [ __ ] man it took you know

how much Ronnie ate [ __ ] for how long

before kith mattered yeah rude wasn't

overnight yeah like but it feels that

way M so like I don't know if I'm

selling [ __ ] T-shirt with a hook on

the [ __ ] thing I'm [ __ ] grinding

for 10 hours a day on social media yeah

instead of what you're trying to do

which is what everyone's trying to do is

figure out what to do M right versus

doing it yeah instead of pondering what

[ __ ] competition to apply to lay in

bed listen to your music yeah look at

some girls but then spend 8 hours dming

every single human in Massachusetts

saying do you want a free t-shir shirt

that has 100,000 followers put in their

story put that ask them to put in their

story cuz they're not putting in main Fe

anymore snap shoot it when you [ __ ]

see that they did it put it into your

thing amplify it with $8 cuz that's all

you got in media

ads it's people just lost that yeah cuz

it seems like you can do it the other

way and who wouldn't do it the other way

but that's [ __ ] not real mhm yeah

yeah my dream for for tasting is really

to become like like the Nike for special

needs I get it I heard you loud and

clear I think you can get it I just

think that you have to realize you have

to go into a dark dark [ __ ] cocoon

for the next 5 years and eat straight

[ __ ] it's super real I see everyone

who's popped off and everyone's going to

like everyone's going to think it was

easy it wasn't

MH tell me sh tell me which fashion

brand you admire I'll tell you like how

many more movies you want to see Nike of

how close they went out of business

multiple times before it actually

happened and you know how much luck

Michael Jordan was yeah it was strategy

and the movies will show you but like he

could also torn both his knees MH like

you know what I mean and one would have

been it but Stephon Marberry got hurt on

their sneaker game over M right like

there's just a lot you know what I mean

like

bro at 34 years old I worked in a liquor

store so of course course I'm like what

do you you know course I'm pumping the

[ __ ] I'm pumping to all y'all patience

like real like eat [ __ ] like cool

everybody wants to tell me but what

about this Gary like the one [ __ ]

lucky lottery ticket go win the lottery

then what about this startup that did it

in 18 months on some [ __ ] Serendipity

of the Stars God's will like you said

like okay cool somebody won $100 million

yesterday in a lottery ticket you

playing you banking your life on the

lotto so I just don't understand why

people don't get how lucky they have it

I I don't know if I ever would have

worked for my father if I had the

internet that you guys have I probably

wouldn't have made it I would have made

too much money before then but I would

have made too much money because I'm a

dirt kid and even the dirt kids have

become

fancy yeah everybody just thinks it's

easier than it is yeah I appreciate that

I also want to um you mention bson I

know you know well former CEO CMO

Jeffrey Nicholson yes came to bson a

couple years ago to speak

but I don't know if you're ever in

Boston but our entire campus leaves

lives eats and breathes the content you

push and all of entrepreneur I would

love to get my ass there I actually went

there years ago um like real years ago

maybe like 12 now yeah um with early

Facebook [ __ ] um I'm open to it send me

an email okay you see it works we're

here right send me an email it was funny

actually all freshman year I sent for

like 2 weeks straight emails at am

directly to your I love that yeah see

and then it worked I did it to like Mark

huban and he sent it to like Shark Tank

it was whole thing it's all that stuff

man and it's like and it's like it works

it does work and like or it doesn't but

like how are you going to know if you

don't try M bro the only way you're

going to build this brand is by becoming

a religious gangster of social media

content at scale and you all you guys

have all the advantages when I talk to

these CMOS of the big Brands they don't

know what's happening in the culture you

guys do you know you could go on the

street right now and do the intervent

format you know you could do this you

know you know you could do what [ __ ]

famous you know the

moves I just and this is not just to you

this is to all of you I just don't think

people are putting in the work yeah

they're talking about it they're

thinking about it they're just not doing

it once you flip over and be like wait a

minute I'm actually fully because what's

[ __ ] you up now is you're you're

conforming to what you're not in control

of I need to find someone to write me a

check I need to win this compet these

are all subjective calls I got to get no

no no you need to wake up tomorrow and

decide what are you going to do with

that

[Music]

teacher