The Selling Point: Recent Episodes
Thrasio
There are plenty of podcasts out there that cover how to sell on Amazon and, even though Thrasio certainly knows a thing or two about that, we're pulling back the curtain on the full operation. From acquiring FBA businesses to stabilizing, optimizing, and scaling each brand, we take a broader look at the process while sharing insights into Thrasio's rapid growth. In our first season, Ali Aleisawi (Employee Experience Manager), Mike Platco (Head of Social Media & Content Creator), and Yonny Reichel (Marketing Growth Manager) will be joined each week by a different member of team Thrasio - each of whom play a crucial role and come equipped with a lot more to discuss than ‘best practices’.
In this can't-miss episode of The Selling Point, the guys chat with Thrasio's co-founder and co-CEO, Carlos Cashman.
As a serial entrepreneur, Carlos has seen his fair share of ups and downs. He digs deep with the guys about failure. How we can make sure we learn from our mistakes rather than just moving on, how to deal with burnout, and how to build resiliency.
Carlos also talks about Thrasio's origin story and how important time management is to scale a company.
Note: Carlos cusses. It's part of what makes Carlos sound like Carlos, so we didn't bleep anything out. Please be advised.
In this ~special~ episode, Ali interviews Yonny & Mike about their marketing careers and what brought them to their current roles at Thrasio.
Also mentioned:
- Neil's Pokemon Insta: @poke.deckster
- Mike's Snap: @mplatco
So many small businesses have launched on Amazon. But did you know most customers discover new products in traditional brick-and-mortar stores? If you're looking to really grow your business, you might want to look beyond FBA.
Today, the guys are joined by Thrasio's VP of International & Wholesale, June Zheng. She sheds light on the nuanced differences between Amazon versus traditional retail channels, and what you need to work on to take your business from online only to in stores everywhere.
2020 was nothing short of a wild ride. Ecommerce exploded, and consumer behaviors and spending trends changed drastically, but how do these trends inform what to expect in 2021?
Recorded fresh off the Turkey 5, the guys talk to another Director of Brand Management, Brendan Biggers. Brendan talks about his day to day as a Brand Manager, how he approaches his role, accelerated ecommerce growth, and what product categories we can expect to see take the lead in 2021.
Running and growing an FBA business takes a lot of entrepreneurial drive. There's more to it than picking the right inventory and increasing margins.
This week, the guys are joined by Michael Smith, Director of Brand Management, to discuss his own experience successfully scaling and growing an ecommerce company for 5 years before joining Thrasio in 2019.
Using his own entrepreneurial background and expertise, Michael talks about how the lessons he learned as owner and CEO help him empower his team at Thrasio and how FBA sellers can employ the same key strategies in their own businesses.
We're starting the new year off right by bringing you a new special episode featuring Thrasio's Lead Talent Acquisition Partner, Hannah McLaughlin.
Hannah talks with the guys about what makes a good fit, what it's like to recruit during COVID, and gives a sneak peek on what question she asks every candidate she interviews.
Hannah has been responsible for so much of Thrasio's success since she's hired so many Thrashers since joining the company in September 2019. Want to join our team, view open roles here.
We know this might not be what everyone tunes in for. So if you're looking for content about marketing or selling on Amazon - catch us again this Friday to hear the guys talk Brand Operations.
You can't make the secret sauce without a great team. In this episode, Yonny, Ali, and Mike are joined by Thrasio's VP of People, Melissa Santos, to talk about just that. Melissa shares her insights about working together from different time zones, how to identify when you need to grow your team, when to hire full-time employees versus contractors, and how to inspire a healthy workplace culture.
Fresh off the Turkey 5, the guys recorded a special episode to share more about their roles at Thrasio and how the pod came to be. It's a gush-fest! We learn that even though Mike and Yonny are on the same team, and Ali onboarded Yonny, neither one knows what Yonny does. Ali talks about his new role within People Ops, and Mike shares how many screenshots he has on his phone.
Making sure your products get through customs is not a small task when managing nearly 100 brands and over 10,000 products. Quay Parks, Associate Counsel of Product & Packaging, talks with the guys about how she works through new products and keeps track of all the requirements from regulatory bodies around the world. Compliance impacts the entire Thrasio team from creative to marketing and translates into Amazon's own regulations. Here's what to know about Amazon's approach to claims and what you need to do to stay ahead of compliance issues.
What it took to be a top FBA seller five years ago isn’t the same as what it takes to be successful on Amazon today. Casey Gauss, Thrasio’s VP of SEO (and founder/former CEO of Viral Launch), talks with the guys about his predictions for the future of Amazon sellers, logistics strategies, and how sellers can pivot their tactics to increase revenue in the coming months.
When it comes to competing on Amazon, you can only control yourself and what you're doing proactively to drive growth for your products. In this episode, Stephanie Fox, Thrasio's Chief Operating Officer, talks about what it takes to run a successful FBA brand on Amazon, how to handle competitive product categories, and mitigate against suspensions. She also weighs in on how she thinks strategically about product success is the marketplace and what she would do if she were to launch a new product on Amazon today.
Congrats, you've sold your FBA business! Now the fun begins with account migration and the hundreds of other tasks required to transfer ownership of your assets to the buyer. Learn from Jenn Lee, Director of Project Management, as she describes the massive knowledge transfer process that happens after Thrasio acquires a brand. Dubbed Conveyor Belt, our 500+ checkpoint process ensures the brands we acquire are cared for from Day 1. Everything from accounts settings to compliance, software evaluations to promotions, Thrasio's Conveyor Belt ensures the smoothest transition possible to ensure no momentum is lost when we take over an Amazon brand and all processes are optimized moving forward.
In this Straight to the Point, Thrasio Legal Counsel Jared Picchi discusses 2 misconceptions he hears from Amazon FBA sellers regularly through the acquisition process. Sorry to burst your bubble: You're not going to go home with cash on the day of close. Learn the difference between physical possession and actual possession in an acquisition transaction, and understand why reputable buyers use escrow to transfer your payout to your account. This episode is not to be considered legal advice. If you have questions, please seek advice from your own legal counsel.
Judy Park, M&A Associate, gives insight into how Thrasio looks under the hood into a brand's financials to determine a brand's value and uncovers insights into how the business is run in order to identify new efficiencies the Thrasio team can optimize after we've acquired a business. She also outlines how we the M&A team reads between the lines to determine whether or not a business has conducted business that doesn't align with Amazon's terms of service.
Photography is one of the first things customers view in an Amazon listings, and product images play a huge role in how customers make the choice between one brand versus another. In this episode, John Smith, photographer at Thrasio, talks about the role of photography in Amazon product listings, including how to create compelling imagery for "boring" products, the bare minimum gear you need for polished photography, and a behind-the-scenes look at staging photo shoots.
See the Vybe Massage Gun photography with Tiki Barber here: https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Professional-Percussion-Massage-Gun/dp/B07L6PWGQM/ref=sr_1_2_sspa
In this Straight to the Point, Brad Johnson shares how video creative increases the likelihood that consumers will purchase your product and the 4 types of products that work wonders for your Amazon listings.