If I Were Starting an E-Commerce Brand Today, I’d Do This First

Josh started his career at American Airlines (AA) and spent 5 years in their MBA leadership development program. Josh’s experience at AA further refined his leadership abilities and strategic decision making skills. While employed at AA Josh and his wife Becca started Hadley Designs. As the CEO of Hadley Designs, Josh led the business to gross $100,000+ in revenue within it’s first year and in 2022 Hadley Designs crossed the eight figure mark, grossing over $10,000,000 in revenue. In the ever-evolving world of e-commerce, standing still means falling behind. In a recent episode of the Ecom Breakthrough Podcast, host and eight-figure brand owner Josh Hadley pulls back the curtain on the real struggles and breakthrough strategies that have propelled his business from the brink of collapse to new heights. This episode is a masterclass for e-commerce entrepreneurs looking to scale beyond seven figures, with a special focus on leveraging TikTok Shop, affiliate marketing, and integrated sales funnels across Amazon and Shopify. Highlight Bullets > Here’s a glimpse of what you would learn….  Strategies for scaling e-commerce businesses on platforms like Amazon and TikTok Shop. Personal experiences of overcoming business challenges, including product failures and financial difficulties. The importance of targeted outreach and building relationships with creators for affiliate marketing. Utilizing TikTok Shop to generate significant gross merchandise volume (GMV) and create viral content. The role of effective sales funnel structures in improving conversion rates and average order value (AOV). Implementing subscription models to create recurring revenue streams. The integration of marketing efforts across TikTok, Shopify, and Amazon to enhance profitability. The significance of product differentiation and niche focus in e-commerce success. The challenges of maintaining profitability on Amazon and strategies to avoid market stagnation. The necessity of hard work and commitment in achieving success in the competitive e-commerce landscape. In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley shares his journey overcoming business setbacks and reveals his proven strategies for scaling e-commerce brands on Amazon, Shopify, and TikTok Shop. He details how he rebuilt his business using TikTok Shop affiliate marketing, building a network of creators, and optimizing sales funnels. Josh emphasizes the importance of creator partnerships, viral content, and subscription models, offering listeners a step-by-step blueprint for driving growth and profitability in today’s competitive e-commerce landscape. He also provides actionable tips and resources for brands seeking to break through stagnation and achieve lasting success. Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode: Target Niche Creators with Email Collection Use tools like Yuka AI to reach out to creators in your specific niche (not spray-and-pray). Before approving samples, collect their email and phone number to build direct relationships off TikTok. Add them to an automated email flow that nurtures engagement and tracks content creation. Require 30 Videos + Usage Rights Upfront Send a creative brief before sample approval and have creators commit to producing 30 videos in 60 days with unlimited usage rights. This gives you permission to repurpose viral content (100K+ views) as Meta ads without asking, and weeds out freebie seekers while maximizing ROI per sample. Turn Amazon Products into High-AOV Shopify Funnels Take viral TikTok videos and run them as Meta ads driving to dedicated landing pages (not your homepage). Bundle products together, add digital exclusives Amazon can't match, include pre-checkout upsells, and offer a subscription club—turning $25 products into $85+ AOV while generating recurring revenue. Resources & Links Section Josh Hadley on LinkedIn eComm Breakthrough Consulting eComm Breakthrough Podcast Email Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.com TikTok Shop Amazon Shopify ChatGPT Euka AI Kalodata Streak WooCommerce

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