Episode 85 – Lamborghinis, DJs, Parties and A Product Launch Strategy for the 1%

It’s going to cost money to get your product to the top of the page. 

Anyone who’s been selling on Amazon these last few years will understand when I say that there have been significant changes to the way that advertising affects your ability to rank in the eCommerce ecosystem. 

A friendly disagreement escalates as soon as one of the parties says, “Do you want to bet on it?” 

In that same way, your confidence in the product you’ve chosen to sell on Amazon is sometimes shaken by the amount of money required to effectively “bet” on yourself.   

Just imagine then what it might have felt like to spend over 150,000 dollars before even getting to the point that you are ready to launch your product. 

That’s not enough to get your attention? 

How about if I tell you that today’s guest ended up spending and losing over 700,000 dollars over three years on that Amazon product launch?

And now, he’s jumped in with both feet to launch another product, and he’s 100% sure that this one is going to take off.  

On this episode of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Helium 10’s Director or Training and Customer Success, Bradley Sutton speaks with Steve Howe.

He’s that Amazon seller, and you’ll soon see why he’s got that confidence in his process and in his choices. 

You’ll also see how he put himself in the position to not only buy his dream Lamborghini, but to make a 700K bet on a product idea and then walk away and speak positively of the lessons that he and his team learned.   

Let’s take a quick lap through his early days. We’ve got a lot to cover in 500 words.  

Steve says that he grew up in Florida and almost from the beginning, was torn between fun and making money.  

When he was 11 his dad bought a (high powered) riding lawn mower and he almost immediately put it through the garage door of one of his first clients, the next-door neighbor. 

In order to make restitution, he put up a sign advertising his services.

He soon had so much mowing business that he couldn’t do it all, not if he was also going to have fun on the weekends when most of the people wanted their grass cut. 

Even at that at that young age, Steve had the understanding that out-sourcing was one way to scale up and build his business while creating a little extra time for his other pursuits.

It was his parents hope that he’d go to college and play soccer, but instead he followed a girlfriend to Orlando where he ultimately dropped out to make 300 dollars a night as a valet driving fancy cars.  

He had experience with multimedia and (like many of us) his resume put a very hopeful slant on some of his qualifications.  

Using an official Florida Film Council book and a pair of roller blades, he set out to visit every possible employer.  

He was so successful (and sometimes unqualified) that he needed to out-source again.  

At this point I’ll jump forward to 2008, when he and his “team” were making a little over a million dollars a month and he was getting ready to jump into eCommerce with both feet. 

Next up; pretty girls, famous DJs, Lamborghinis and why this is one Amazon seller that you’re never going to want to bet against. 

Believe me when I tell you that this is a can’t miss podcast.

In episode 85 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Steve discuss:

• 01:45 – Soccer’s Loss Was to Become a Big Win for eCommerce
• 04:00 – Only Two Ways to Make Money; He Chose Business Owner
• 05:05 – Learning Outsourcing Skills at an Early Age
• 08:00 – Rich Jerk Forums and Rebranding Actors
• 10:00 – Time on the Dark Side
• 12:15 – By 2008 They Had Topped 1,000,000 In a Single Month
• 14:45 – Kegs, DJs, and Parties at His Meetups Weren’t Unpopular  
• 18:00 – How Did He Go All in with eCommerce?
• 20:42 – White-Boarding with the Team  
• 22:04 – An Idea and Lots of Money are Not Enough
• 25:35 – Supplements are Right in His Wheelhouse
• 27:30 – Dope Vitamins are Just Cool  
• 30:00 – DJ’s are King in 2019
• 32:15 – He’s Ultra-Successful Now but Still Knows When It’s Time to Get Help 
• 36:15 – A Launch Process for the One Percent
• 39:50 – Steve’s 30 Second Tip
• 41:13 – How to Get In Touch With Steve

Enjoy this episode? Be sure to check out our previous episodes for even more content to propel you to Amazon FBA Seller success! And don’t forget to “Like” our Facebook page and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you listen to our podcast.

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• Freedom Ticket: Taught by Amazon thought leader Kevin King, get A-Z Amazon strategies and techniques for establishing and solidifying your business.
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• Helium 10: 20+ software tools to boost your entire sales pipeline from product research to customer communication and Amazon refund automation. Make running a successful Amazon business easier with better data and insights. See what our customers have to say.
• Helium 10 Chrome Extension: Verify your Amazon product idea and validate how lucrative it can be with over a dozen data metrics and profitability estimation. 
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