The Tom Brown Audio Show: Recent Episodes
Tom W Brown
Tom Brown is the owner of the Shopify store Posted Protein, a seven-figure store obsessed with the health and wellbeing of its customers, and BRND Labs – a Shopify marketing agency. Tom is a guy a tad obsessed with hacking growth & reducing inefficiency in life.
The slightly longer story? Tom went from being the son of an incredibly successful multi-millionaire to homeless living with his mother and 2 siblings in the single room of a B&B, to the proud owner of two brands; doing everything within his power to help others and ensure they never have to experience the same.
Summary
The idea for DTC Unscripted originated from a brainstorming session in November 2023. The goal was to build a new brand from scratch with low risk and document the entire process. The project involved approaching sponsors and offering various sponsorship packages. The plan was to create daily content across multiple platforms and integrate sponsors naturally into the narrative. The project aimed to redefine the playbook of D2C brand building and create a transparent and authentic storytelling experience. The chapters cover the origin of the idea, building a brand from scratch, sponsorship opportunities, projected reach and impact, engaging the audience, sponsorship tiers, the sponsorship process, and future goals and sustainability.
Takeaways
The idea for DTC Unscripted originated from a brainstorming session in November 2023.
The project aimed to build a new brand from scratch and document the entire process.
Sponsorship opportunities were offered to integrate sponsors into the content naturally.
The project aimed to redefine the playbook of DTC brand building and create a transparent and authentic storytelling experience.
Chapters
00:00 The Origin of the Idea
02:51 Building a Brand from Scratch
08:13 Sponsorship Opportunities
14:00 Projected Reach and Impact
19:02 Sponsorship Tiers
27:53 The Sponsorship Process
35:02 Future Goals and Sustainability
Sponsors:
- Replo – hands down the best Shopify landing page builder I've ever used.
- Recart – if you're using any other provider to manage SMS for your Shopify store, you're probably doing it wrong.
- Wonderpack Eco – it's rare to be able to recommend a 3PL. Run toward Wonderpack.
- Kynship – influencer management + Meta ad account management on steroids. These guys transformed my last brand.
Summary:
In this conversation, Tom Brown introduces his new project, DTC Unscripted, where he aims to document the real-time process of building a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand. He expresses his motivation to counter the misinformation and outdated strategies prevalent in the ecommerce industry. Tom emphasizes the need for transparency and real-time documentation to provide genuine insights and strategies. He also highlights the collaboration and sponsorship from partners who will support the project. Tom expresses gratitude for their support and commitment. The project is set to run for a minimum of six months, with a focus on transparency and unedited content.
Takeaways:
- The e-commerce industry is plagued by misinformation and outdated strategies, necessitating transparency and real-time documentation.
- Collaboration and sponsorship from integrated partners are crucial for the success of a DTC brand.
- Selecting transparent and reliable vendors and suppliers is essential to maintaining authenticity and providing genuine insights.
- Gratitude and appreciation for supportive partners are essential in building a successful brand.
- D2C Unscripted will run for at least six months, offering transparent content.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Motivation
01:01 Challenges in the E-commerce Industry
03:28 Collaboration and Sponsorship
04:25 Selecting Transparent and Integrated Partners
06:21 Gratitude for Supportive Partners
07:19 Project Duration and Transparency Commitment
Sponsors:
- Replo – hands down the best Shopify landing page builder I've ever used.
- Recart – if you're using any other provider to manage SMS for your Shopify store, you're probably doing it wrong.
- Wonderpack Eco – it's rare to be able to recommend a 3PL. Run toward Wonderpack.
- Kynship – influencer management + Meta ad account management on steroids. These guys transformed my last brand.
In this episode, I delve into a challenging period where a sudden financial crisis put my business at risk and tested my mental resilience. I share the struggle of having my account unexpectedly frozen, wrestling with feelings of failure, and finding a significant sum to clear debts, all while dealing with debt collectors. But from this, I learned the true depth of my resilience.
Moving forward, I'm committed to using my experiences to help other entrepreneurs through this podcast and my community. This episode is a testament to resilience, perseverance, and the power of seeking help in tough times.
It's been an unbelievably stressful couple of weeks... here's what's been going on & why I refuse to back down. If you're ever in a similar situation, please know that you're not alone. This too shall pass and you'll come out stronger on the other side. I promise.
Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
Build a profitable direct-to-consumer ecommerce brand here. Join a community of like-minded entrepreneurs here. Work 1:1 with me to grow your brand. (100+ clients)
Most people overcomplicate starting an ecommerce business.
Here's how I look at it and how I've built multiple brands.
Each of which does 7-figures+
A guide for 2022*:
- Define your customer
- Decide upon 2-5 products that customer will buy
- Engage with your audience & customers
- Share your work
- Make your customers happy so they voluntarily shout about your business & give feedback
- Receive high-quality reviews
- Ask for follow-up sales
- Scale product 1 to 20-30 sales per day
- Release product 2
- Repeat until product 2 is selling 20-30 units per day (This will likely drive increased sales for product 1 if it's for the same person)
- Repeat the process for products 3, 4 & 5
This works in any year, but I’m glad you’re paying attention.
TLDR; Obsess over a small customer base & serve them well exceptionally well.
3 products at $30, selling 30 units per day is a $1,000,000 business
See the original tweet here.
Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
- Build a profitable direct-to-consumer ecommerce brand here.
- Join a community of like-minded entrepreneurs here.
- Work 1:1 with me to grow your brand. (100+ clients)
"Someone else is already doing it".
Competition in business is a good thing.
It's validation that the market is ready. Don't let it stop you from trying.
That 'little side hustle' I launched last year was in a stupidly competitive & "saturated" industry.
Year 1: $150K net profit.
Feeds right back into what I was talking about in episode #002 to do with lawn care. https://www.getsunday.com is already doing something similar, which is great!
See the original tweet here.
Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
- Build a profitable direct-to-consumer ecommerce brand here.
- Join a community of like-minded entrepreneurs here.
- Work 1:1 with me to grow your brand. (100+ clients)
In this episode I delve into this tweet in detail:
https://twitter.com/SimplyTom/status/1549370217184337920
You don't need a jazzy new idea to build a DTC business online.
Find:
- Archaic industries
- Lagging companies
- Shocking customer service
Use the tools at your fingertips to do an incrementally better job & you'll rapidly chip away.
Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
- Build a profitable direct-to-consumer ecommerce brand here.
- Join a community of like-minded entrepreneurs here.
- Work 1:1 with me to grow your brand. (100+ clients)
Relaunching the podcast in a new 10-minute, tactical daily format.
My goal is to help you take action, whether you're already running a successful direct-to-consumer business or you're just looking to get started.
Join me daily as I share what's working for my Shopify ecommerce brands & my clients. Plus, what's not working.
Fair warning: I've failed a lot over the last decade to figure out what works.
Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
- Build a profitable direct-to-consumer ecommerce brand here.
- Join a community of like-minded entrepreneurs here.
- Work 1:1 with me to grow your brand. (100+ clients)
It's too easy to consider your customer service as a "cost". In 2019, it should be one of your greatest drivers of revenue.
In this episode, we're going to delve into how Gorgias.io provided our store, Posted Protein, an incredible return on investment & continues to help us drive life-time value & build deeper relationships with our customers.
Got questions? Use the links below to connect with us & ask away. 👇
Apps mentioned:
Gorgias – Use this link to get a 7-day free trial, plus your second month free, and free onboarding assistance.
Simplr.ai – Outsource your customer service with 24/7 agents based in the US
Connect with Tom:
BRNDLabs.com
Facebook Group
Email Tom
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tomwbrown/message
So many Shopify Merchants obsess over Google Page Speed scores; to their detriment. Find out what you should really be focusing on.
By the way, remember that GymShark (a $100+ million a year Shopify store) has a score of "D(64)". Focus on what's important to grow your Shopify store, ditch what isn't.
Tools mentioned:
- Pingdom
- Site Speed Optimisation by BRND Labs
Connect with Tom:
- BRNDLabs.com
- Facebook Group
- Email Tom
Other Resources:
- Shopify Entrepreneurs Facebook Group
- Unofficial Shopify Podcast Insiders Facebook Group
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tomwbrown/message
This episode original aired on The Unofficial Shopify Podcast in July 2018, but given it's relevance I'm sharing it again here on the Tom Brown Audio Show just in case you missed it!
Official Show Notes:
Today's guest did what some people will tell you is impossible.
From his kitchen, he built an ecommerce business from 0 to £250K+ in 2 years in a saturated market without borrowing money.
UK-based entrepreneur Tom Brown joins us to discuss the journey, mindset, and tactics that helped him build a successful business selling protein bars online.
You'll Learn
- How Tom got his first customers with zero money on social media
- Which apps were most effective in scaling their business
- The mindset that's empowered his continued growth
- How he leverages the Shopify ecosystem
- The surprisingly simple way he raises cash on demand
Tune in for more details!
Resources
- Twitter :@SimplyTom
- Instagram: @TomWBrown
- Podcast: The Tom Brown Audio Show
- Site: thisistombrown.com
- Site: postedprotein.co.uk
Share your thoughts
- Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group
- Share this show on Twitter
Never miss an episode
- Subscribe on iTunes
- Join Kurt's newsletter
Help the show
- Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one.
- Subscribe on iTunes
What's Kurt up to?
- See our recent work at Ethercycle
- Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube
Grow Your Store in 2018
- Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store.
- Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com
- Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?”
Sponsors
- Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days
- Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme
- Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tomwbrown/message
In this episode I talk about why I'm relaunching the podcast, what ThisIsTomBrown.com is all about, and touch on the history of Posted Protein.
Ultimately my goal with this podcast is to help other Shopify Stores Owners build & grow sustainable businesses, without all the fluff. As a merchant myself, I know first & foremost a lot of the pain-points and what it takes to build a successful Shopify store (and now a growing Shopify consulting business and agency).
I want to help you get to your goals & fall in love with the process. That's it. Where running a Shopify business is a choice and a pleasure.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Instagram Growth Service
- Instagram 101 Course
- Speed Boosting
- Rich Snippets
- eCommerce Advisory Retainer
- Email Automation
- Klaviyo
- Omnisend
- Theme Setup Services
- Posted Protein discount on Battle Snacks: "PODCASTBATTLE"
Never miss an episode:
- Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
- Subscribe to Tom's newsletter
Help us with the show:
- Ask a question on Twitter (Use #Podcast)
- Leave an honest review on iTunes. This helps way more than you can imagine for us to reach a new individuals & constantly improve the podcast. I read every single review.
Connect with Tom:
- Twitter: @SimplyTom
- Instagram: @TomWBrown
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tomwbrown/message
A quick run down by me (Tom Brown) & intro into the podcast. Discussing topics such as how I built & continue to build my Shopify store Posted Protein, how I handle the day-day struggles of running a small business here in the UK & doing my best to help you guys build your own businesses & accomplish your own goals. Any questions? I'm on Twitter @SimplyTom (http://twitter.com/simplytom)
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tomwbrown/message