I think you'll agree with me when I say...

There are TONS of Ecommerce platforms out there to help you launch your first online businesses

AND

They all sound the same, so you rather just go with Shopify or a free platform.

We'll, it turns out that I have done tons of research on Ecommmerce platform and tool comparisons because I'm constantly looking for new technology and features to grow my own online stores.  

This is what you'll expect to learn after reading this post

• Deciding between hosted vs. self-hosted Ecommerce platforms
• 10 Point Ecommerce Checklist
• Tips for starting out
• 3 Ecommerce Platforms for Small Businesses (that you probably have not considered)
• Ecommerce Platform for Entrepreneurs Roundup (list of additional solutions)

1. Hosted vs. Self-hosted solution (for beginners)

If you're completely new to this, the best way to explain the difference between a hosted and a self-hosted Ecommerce solution is to think of renting vs. owning a house.

• ...

"Loyal customers are the beating heart of every great business."

Discover how to make your company EVERGREEN.

What do I mean by evergreen? We'll, most plants die during the seasonal changes if you're are so lucky to have all four season. When I was back in New York City, I couldn't keep anything alive during the winter. But despite deep snow and heavy winds, some stay green all throughout the season and what comes to mind is the tall standing pine trees.

In many ways, it’s the same with any online businesses. Some companies seem to have some magic formula for staying fresh.

What’s the secret to creating an evergreen Ecommerce business?

It's a combination of elements;

• great content
• an active customer community and 
• making sure people know what your company is all about.

Combined with a clear brand story, these actions will help you grow a truly evergreen online business. You're going to want to know...

• what Ben & Jerry can tell you about creating an...

There are a lot of articles and techniques developed to help you focus and optimize your time so you can get the most out of your day - some require apps like Trello or it can be simple as using pen and paper.

I went through several different techniques and I found that the Pomodoro Technique for managing your time and to-do lists is one of the simplest and effective ways for me to get work done without making pretty boards or fussing with apps.  Sometimes I spend more time figuring out the app then working, maybe you can relate.  

To break it down for you, this time management system was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980's the underlying principles is this:

1. Based on your project or list of task, decide which tasks should be done first.
2. Set the Pomodoro Timer for 25-minutes.  Each 25-minute chunk is called a Pomodoro.
3. Work on the task and that task only until your timer rings.
4. 5-minute break.
5. Rinse and repeat.

Quick History of this...

No one ever told me that you have to do all these things before you start your business... well you don't have to at first. Some people like to make a small investment, test their product with real customers and make some money to prove they have a viable business before incorporating.

When you are ready, I outlined my COMPLETE dummy proof process on how I got started. Even though these links are specific to California (where I live now), the steps and process to which you go about incorporating are typically the same, but please note that your state might have a different terminology for the same thing.  For example, some states call the Articles of Incorporation, the Certificate of Formation. Also, different state office can be called something different, ie Secretary of State, State Department of Taxation or Corporation Commission. Before I start, read my disclaimer below.

Disclaimer: This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to...

Michael Laluna runs Crown Prints, which offers a unique, membership based, custom apparel solution at wholesale pricing.  Checkout how he turned his father's old fashion business and made it popular again.

SPONSORS:

3dcart - use this link to get 1 month free on one of the best all in one Ecommerce platform.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Ecommerce Platform: Miva
• Crownprints Club
• Build your website in 30 days!
• Do you run an online business? Join our Facebook community

The art of writing engaging email is no longer a "simple" task that you can just check off.  It involves planning out your campaign sequence, writing out the message specific to your segment, delivering your email and following up.  Today on the show, we have Brendan Dubbles from Ontraport to talk to us about everything we need to know about getting our emails delivered to the inbox of our customers or prospects.  You work hard on setting it up, listen to how we can increase the chances it delivered.

In this show, we talk about:

1. What deliverability is?
2. Why it matters & the cost of ignorance
3. The different types of issues inbox v spam box v promotions folder v blocked out right
4. How anyone can tell if they have a problem (most don't know)
5. Fixing an issue
6. Setting up systems so that the issue never returns
7. The outlook of deliverability for the next 5 years and the impact it will have on anyone selling online
8. Diversifying communication methods here - the...

Check out my conversation with Robert Stanley of Directfix.com.  He has been in the business since the Palm Pilot days (what is that?) and had a great conversation with him to talk about Youtube marketing.  Here are some quick bullet points on what was discussed, but please listen to the show for all the great tips that he had to offer.

• Started in 1998 selling Palm Pilot parts on eBay before evolving into a website, powertothepalm as a how-to informational site
• In the year 2000, he decided to make it into a company as gethightech.com
  • starting with selling 2 parts
• Take apart videos with the first iPhone that went viral
• Miva Merchant started with using Big Step. Used hostasaruas as a host and used Miva
• Build and designed his own website before outsourcing the new redesign to Miva a couple of years ago

SPONSORS:

3dcart - use this link to get 1 month free on one of the best all in one Ecommerce platform.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Corey Lolley created MAYA in 2006. Her inspirations include movement in the natural world, life experience, street fashion, architecture, and the art and customs of indigenous cultures. She has been an active member of the piercing community since 1994 when she got her start in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. She expanded her focus to developing the freshest jewelry designs from the most luxurious materials by utilizing her knowledge of industry trends, standards, and modern and ancient design aesthetics. Each Maya piece is an aspectual reflection of the communities and tribes who inspired them, and an offering back to those same communities.

SPONSORS:

3dcart - use this link to get 1 month free on one of the best all in one Ecommerce platform.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Ecommerce Platform: Miva

Marketing Tips: Uses Instagram for promotions and newsletters/catalog. Get people engaged and form a community. Seek out influencers to grow your business.

Running a Successful Contest

1. Run contest on your own site, see www.estorecoaching.com/contest to see an example of Gleam.io in action.  In general, length of contest should be anywhere from one to 3 or  4 weeks.  Too short, you might not get enough participants, too long, people might not want to enter because it's too far.    Experiment to see which length works for you.  After someone enters a contest, they are more likely to browse your website then if your contest were on a Facebook tab.

2. Choose an attractive prize.  Pick something of value and relevant from your site.  Service, coaching sessions or product base if that is something you're selling.  For example, if you are Zappo's, a pair of shoe or one hour coaching session for swimming. 3. Use previous entrants to re-enter the new contest and share.  If they love your first contest, they have to love it even more the second time around?  If you know the rule of...

Listen to how Asim and Hina Khan built their wedding store, weddingfavorites.com over 16 years ago.   Their business idea is focused on the modern and contemporary look to wedding favors as their market separator because they both enjoyed arts, crafts and planning for their wedding.

They used a drop-ship model to start out with items that they didn't have

They used a drop-ship model to start out with items that they didn't have capacity, hand made some products like vellum envelopes and get some supplies and customize it before shipping to the customer. My favorite quote: “Replatforming sucks!” - Asim Khan Bootstrapped and built the website development and Hina with the design and photography before hiring out these aspects of the project when they were more profitable  

Tips from Asim

• Have good content, write for the customer.
• Cross promote with other companies
• Perseverance
• Create a weekly and monthly plan
• Good health and workout routine
...