How To Grow Your E-commerce Sales In 2024
Summary
TLDRIn 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
🚀 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.
📈 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.
🎯 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Organic Social Media
💡Pre-revenue
💡Shark Tank
💡Media Success
💡Infrastructure
💡PR (Public Relations)
💡E-commerce
💡B2B (Business-to-Business)
💡Nonprofits
💡TikTok
💡Perseverance
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
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