Patrick Rauland
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March 17, 2023
I’d by no means skilled something prefer it. I used to be standing inside a actual plane provider surrounded by fighter jets whereas Maverick himself, THE Prime Gun, took photographs with smiling eCommerce entrepreneurs. With that good swagger and smirk I may have sworn Tom Cruise should have taken a break from filming Mission Unattainable 8 to schmooze on the Opening Celebration for eCommerceFuel Reside.
Final week over 300 eCommerce Gasoline members gathered in San Diego for eCommerceFuel Reside. With an unique visitor restricted to enterprise homeowners who convey in additional than seven figures, that is the highest occasion of the 12 months for most of the eCommerce entrepreneurs who attend.
If you happen to’ve spent any time within the eCommerce area, then you realize there’s a veritable glut of networking and informational occasions for on-line entrepreneurs. However solely eCommerceFuel Reside provides its visitors the chance to mingle with the cream of the crop. By making this a personal occasion for probably the most profitable enterprise homeowners in our already-vetted neighborhood, we assure every particular person within the corridor is a peer with prime tier data and expertise of their area.
Bringing an On-line Neighborhood to Life
In contrast to most enterprise occasions, eCommerceFuel Reside prioritizes deep connections, with the objective of bringing our digital neighborhood collectively in actual life. Sure, we provide keynote audio system, breakout classes, and workshops at eCommerceFuel Reside. However these operate extra as a leaping off level for attendees who wish to mingle and type connections with different eCommerce entrepreneurs.
Pleasant for New Connections
In my heyday, I attended so many eCommerce conferences that my frequent flier miles may have taken me to Timbuktu. At most of these occasions, I’d need to drive myself to speak to some new individuals, earlier than dashing again to my lodge for a Netflix binge. I’m an extrovert, however even I discover it draining to work together with strangers in an effort to type new skilled relationships.
However our occasions staff has taken the stress out of socializing by assembling a number of actions that make you’re feeling comfy within the eCommerceFuel neighborhood.
Previous to the fabulous plane provider opening social gathering, they supplied a brand new member dinner. Then, for lunch on the primary day, they created an assigned seating chart that grouped collectively visitors with comparable pursuits.
For dinner on the second evening, we had been grouped with completely different attendees, however nonetheless discovered a lot to speak about as we strolled to the restaurant within the nice San Diego night air. The dialogue was different – from baseball guidelines to the landed prices of our merchandise. (Is it higher to make fewer however bigger orders of stock to optimize our cost-of-goods-sold??)
We ate at Kettner Alternate, and their luxurious tapas type meals allowed us to actually share our meal collectively, passing plates such as you would at grandma’s desk. After all the ambiance was a lot hipper than Granny’s, with a DJ and harpist providing fairly the avant garde leisure combo. It was a memorable meal to say the least.
Noticed a DJ with a harpist at a restaurant final week. I am shocked how a lot I favored the combo. 🤘
Are there any bands on the market that make music like this? pic.twitter.com/GwXomAqCQn
— Patrick Rauland (@BFTrick) March 14, 2023
Adventures Promote Particular person Relationships
The second day of eCommerceFuel reside supplied an enormous block of time devoted to adventures. Among the many quite a few choices obtainable, attendees may take the chance to discover ways to surf, take pleasure in a meals tour of San Diego, sail in a regatta, go on safari, or kayak via sea caves.
My state is landlocked, so the lure of the ocean I so hardly ever see referred to as to me, and I selected to go on the kayaking tour.
The 2-person kayaks gave my paddling associate, Mike, and I the possibility to get to know each other as our information taught us about San Diego’s sea life. We noticed the ocean caves and bought the magical expertise of watching wild seals swim round us. As we made our manner again to the seaside, most of our fellow tour attendees bought a refreshing dip within the Pacific when their kayaks tipped over. Our vessel was one in all solely two that didn’t capsize – so now Mike and I’ve one thing to brag about on the subsequent ECF Reside. 💪
Events Promote Assembly Teams of Folks
Each evening is a celebration at ECF Reside! Actually. The occasions staff crafted a uniquely festive expertise for every night of the convention. I already gushed in regards to the Prime Gun themed opening evening social gathering.
Along with the Tom Cruise impersonator, we bought a tour of the plane provider, and a former (non-impersonator) Navy pilot defined the way it was used throughout warfare and peacetime.
Tuesday evening we had a Cantina themed social gathering with mezcal tastings, a margarita shaking lesson, and a great previous whack on the piñata.
At that social gathering, I met Lianna Patch and we geeked-out over the communication books we’ve learn and the locations we’ve lived. I’m unsure if our companies will ever overlap, however within the quick time we spent collectively I realized she was an individual whose recommendation I may belief. I’ll be paying additional consideration to her phrases of knowledge within the discussion board any longer.
And that’s the objective of all the social occasions we provide at ECF Reside. It’s onerous to actually study an individual via textual content (even for these of us who carried out our earliest relationships by way of AOL Instantaneous Messenger). However actual life conversations provide you with a strong base on which to construct a rapport that strengthens your on-line interactions.
The closing social gathering happened on the Kids’s Museum. Don’t fear, the youngsters had been all gone. However when the youngsters are away, the adults get to play! We bought to discover the museum unfettered by the guilt of taking on an exercise that was meant for tiny people. We went again to our childhoods, driving down the slide and taking one another out in a pleasant sport of laser tag.
Enterprise Takeaways
After all the occasion wasn’t all adventures, events, and video games. We additionally wish to give our neighborhood members high quality data, and our keynote classes aimed to offer simply that.
We had 4 keynotes all through the occasion, however the speak from Casey Brown about Pricing Technique caught with me probably the most.
“Each single proportion level of value is 5-10x magnified on the underside line. You need to defend every single % or pricing like a mountain of gold.”
– Casey Brown at @ecommercefuel Reside. pic.twitter.com/EqCQumNjGD
— Andrew Youderian (@youderian) March 6, 2023
For me, the important thing takeaway was that pricing ought to be a thought of determination – strategic and calculated. Most retailer homeowners are too scared to lift costs. They suppose if their costs go up, then they’ll lose a considerable amount of quantity, say 16%. However Casey confirmed us that in actuality, most homeowners over-estimate the dangers and quantity will solely lower by 4% .
And whenever you do the maths on net-profit, you’ll be able to see that companies typically make more cash by rising costs by 5%. They might lose as much as 8% in quantity, however their web revenue nonetheless will increase by 7%.
Takeaway: Don’t set your costs based mostly on worry. Meet along with your staff on a weekly, month-to-month, or quarterly foundation to reevaluate your costs.
One other keynote that left an impression was Nik Sharma who understands easy methods to use the shopper voice in advertising and marketing. If a buyer unboxes your product and says, “That is the Tesla of mattresses” that’s precisely what it is best to use in your advertising and marketing.
Welcoming the unimaginable @mrsharma for his keynote at @ecommercefuel Reside! pic.twitter.com/BqB2F21eA5
— Andrew Youderian (@youderian) March 8, 2023
Breakout Classes For Particular Areas of Curiosity
In addition to the 4 keynotes classes everybody on the convention attended, there have been 12 breakout classes starting from optimizing your Google PMax adverts to a narrative about how dropping 85% of staff really saved somebody’s enterprise. The preferred session was a workshop about getting began with Generative AI expertise utilizing ChatGPT and Midjourney.
Credit score to our member Alison Smith
For my very own pursuits, I loved Dave Stickland’s discuss his entrepreneurial journey and the way specializing in fewer tasks led him to be extra worthwhile in every.
The legend himself @dave_stickland crushing the main focus lesson at @ecommercefuel Reside pic.twitter.com/SnFqtmXLz6
— Chad Carlton (@ChadCarleton) March 7, 2023
I additionally realized so much from Sean McGinnis’ discuss each Conversion Fee Optimization (CRO) method he used to save lots of KURU Footwear. A few of his methods had been apparent, like rising the font measurement on cellular so individuals can learn the copy. However he additionally revealed his extra superior methods, like an electronic mail advertising and marketing staff that sends emails 5 days every week(!) to particular segments for various functions.
Most, if not all, of the audio system in these classes jam packed their dialogue with actual world particulars. You may study extra about conversion fee optimization (or every other subject) from somebody who really carried out adjustments and shared their outcomes, reasonably than studying a listicle of concepts that would possibly work from somebody who hasn’t put any of that data into observe.
Downtime Lets You Marinate on Good Enterprise Concepts
Typically you simply want one other entrepreneur to reiterate some extent. You understand it is best to observe a particular technique however you haven’t succeeded up to now.
Whereas my kayaking group was driving again to the convention in our bus, a number of attendees satisfied one other visitor to present electronic mail advertising and marketing one other go.
He had had poor luck with electronic mail advertising and marketing up to now, however about quarter-hour into his dialog together with his fellow entrepreneurs, he mentioned:
“This bus journey again paid for the entire occasion”
Our keynotes and breakout classes are a terrific primer, however the actual worth of our occasion is within the enterprise conversations they facilitate along with your ECF friends.
ECF Reside 2024
If you happen to’ve gotten this far, you’re most likely itching to seek out out how one can be a part of eCommerceFuel Reside subsequent 12 months. By no means worry, our occasions staff is right here! The 2024 dates are already set, and the situation determined – The Large Simple itself, New Orleans! The dates for subsequent 12 months’s occasion are March 5-Eighth, 2024.
There’ll be events, adventures, keynotes, and breakout classes similar to we had in 2023. ECF Reside is the best technique to combine enterprise enchancment, and social journey for eCommerce entrepreneurs.
To affix you’ll have to be an eCommerceFuel member. This occasion is completely for our members to make sure everybody attending brings an possession mentality and expertise working a significant enterprise. To get entry to ECF Reside registration apply for membership right here.
Membership comes with way more than entry to the occasion. As soon as inside, you’ll get fast entry to our vibrant dialogue boards the place you will get your solutions rapidly answered by our 1,200 different members. You additionally get to faucet into greater than 20,000 member left opinions on SaaS instruments and repair suppliers to assist make your subsequent tech improve or company rent successful.
Test it out, we assure you’ll see a 10x ROI within the first 12 months or your a refund. Apply right here now.
Apply Right now for Entry to Subsequent Yr’s ECF Reside.
Thank to our ECF Reside 2023 Companions!
We had some distinctive companions on board this 12 months, and the occasion wouldn’t be attainable with out them. Thanks very a lot to our prime 3 companions:
PostScript
Trusted by over 6,000 Shopify and Shopify Plus shops like Brooklinen, Kopari, and Ugly Water. Postscript provides eCommerce manufacturers the instruments they should run a world-class SMS advertising and marketing program. Inside minutes you’ll be able to sync information, begin accumulating compliant subscribers, have 2-way conversations, and allow deeply focused campaigns.
GETIDA
GETIDA is the worldwide chief in Amazon FBA auditing and reimbursements. An accredited answer supplier on the Amazon Vendor Central AppStore, GETIDA audits billions of {dollars} of FBA transactions each day.
Zipify
Zipify is the creator of OneClickUpsell and Zipify Pages. In 2022, our apps made retailers such as you an additional $155 million by supercharging their Shopify shops with smarter upsell funnels and confirmed gross sales pages examined on our personal top-100 Shopify retailer.
After all we couldn’t do that with out LOTS of assist. So because of all of the sponsors:
- Mercury – A digital first on-line financial institution designed for eCommerce sellers
- Flxpoint – A single platform syncing your stock and order administration
- Quiet Mild Brokerage – The premier gross sales brokerage for 7- and 8-figure eCommerce retailer homeowners
- Revision Authorized – A legislation agency that makes a speciality of the eCommerce and mental property
- Finale – Extremely adaptable stock administration system for eCommerce sellers
- Fulfil – AN ERP constructed particularly for multi-channel retailers in retail and wholesale
- A2X – Accounting software program designed for eCommerce retailer homeowners
Put up by Patrick Rauland
Patrick loves entrepreneurship and teaches eCommerce, advertising and marketing, and WordPress programs at LinkedIn Studying. He is additionally developed each eCommerce and membership software program. When he is not in entrance of a display he loves to color tiny toy miniatures.