The Foundations of a 6-Figure eCommerce Store

La, la, la, la, la, la, la. Welcome to the Ecommerce Marketing Society podcast, a podcast for women who want to grow their online store or ecommerce brand by improving their marketing. I'm your host, Lisa Byrne, an ecommerce marketing coach for women with 20 years of marketing experience under my belt. I help women increase sales and decrease stress by helping them focus on the right things instead of doing all the things.

As well as hearing from me, I gather my favorite women in e-commerce to share their stories of growth and expertise because we all know it takes a village to grow a successful business. Welcome to the society. Let's get focused and have some fun. Welcome back to the e-commerce marketing society podcast.

I'm Lisa. We are starting fresh here as we step into spring here in Australia. I'm giving the podcast a little refresh and you're going to benefit from that. Over the next few weeks, we're going to go back to basics and revisit every essential element to scaling your e-commerce brand or product-based business in 2025.

These are the things that I've been talking about for years and the hill that I will die on, these are the things that truly make a business or break a business. So I'm going to put together a juicy episode on each of these key elements to help you really prime your business and yourself to be ready for the biggest season yet as we head into October and November, the peak of online shopping. So those key elements are foundations, strategy, mindset, tactics, systems, and team.

And I'm sure I'll come across other things that I need to include in there too, But for now, that is what we're focusing on. Because if you want to scale your e-commerce brand to six or seven figures, it's not about chasing every shiny tactic. It's not about spending more on Facebook ads. And it's definitely not about hiring an agency.

It's about you, the founder, taking control, taking ownership and setting yourself up for success. It's about building from the ground up with the right strategy, slow and steady steps for sustainable growth, intentional marketing moves, and the mindset of a true CEO. These are the things that no one talks about enough in my opinion, but we do right here. So follow along, subscribe to the podcast if you don't already, subscribe to my email list.

I'll be dropping more juicy little tips and tricks and bonuses to my email list. And I want you to put all of this in action. So you will be primed come Q4. We're in late August now.

We've still got time to get our marketing ducks in a row. And what I'm taking you through in these episodes is really, really going to help you do that. And today we are starting with the most important one of all, foundations, because you can't build anything strong or lasting on wobbly foundations. Not a house, not a relationship, and definitely not a business.

It's like building the most beautiful home you can imagine but skipping the concrete slab underneath. It might look amazing for a while but eventually it's going to crack and crumble and the same thing happens when you try to grow your e-commerce business without foundations. So why do they matter so much? Because it is so tempting, I get it, to rush into the fun stuff like designing logos, creating new products, running ads, even redoing your website.

But when you skip the foundations, here's what I usually hear from founders. Nothing seems to be working. I don't know how to bring it all together. Everything feels inconsistent.

I've spent money on agencies and ads, but nothing is working. I'm getting traffic, but no conversions. I'm just stuck. Do those things sound familiar?

Now, it's not because you're bad at marketing. It's not even that you've got a product that no one wants. And it's not because you're lazy. It's simply because the foundations aren't strong enough to support all the moving parts of your business and the foundations aren't there to help your customer make the purchase decision as quickly as possible.

And when you do have strong foundations, suddenly everything clicks. There's a cohesive thread that runs through your emails, your website, your marketing, your Instagram, your ads, your message is clear and simple and unique and you attract the right customer. And it benefits you too as the founder because instead of guessing and second guessing yourself or saying yes to opportunities that aren aligned with your brand you feel really confident in your decisions and your plan and you can get things done faster So what do we mean when we say foundations?

In a nutshell, there are four things that it comes down to. That is your numbers, your customer, your positioning and your brand. Now terms underneath these topics can change depending on who you're talking to, including myself. But we'll go through each of these and give you a clear understanding of what we mean by each of those elements and what you need to be doing to tweak your foundations so they're nice and strong.

Let's start with the first one that usually sends people packing, but it's so important. And this is getting clarity on your numbers, whether you're starting out or you're thinking of launching a business, or maybe you're even two years in and you're hitting 10k, 20k months, maybe you're hitting 100k months. Getting to know your numbers is absolutely crucial and there are many of them that we do need to know so I will try and keep it short and sweet here not to bombard you but if you are feeling unsure of your numbers, reach out and get in touch with me because it's one area that I really spend a lot of time on and I help you understand them in the simplest way possible.

If you don't know your numbers, you're flying blind, not only with your marketing, but with your whole business, your whole ability to be profitable. Because if we're not sure of like our cost of goods sold or our profit margins or how much we should be spending to acquire a customer or how much traffic we're getting to the website, how much of that are we converting? How much money are we making from email and Facebook ads? If we're not sure on all those things, we truly can't make any informed, smart, strategic decisions about how we grow and reach that next level of success.

So some of the numbers that we look at I've already mentioned. How much does it cost for you to not only make and produce and receive your product, but also how much is that final cost to get to the customer? Are you paying for shipping? Are they paying for shipping?

And out of that cost, how much are you able to keep as a profit? What's the profit margin? Roughly speaking, we're always going to be aiming for anything around 30%, ideally more, but it's not very common for a product business to have more than a 30% profit margin. That's gross profit margin too.

So that's the very first thing that we need to understand, especially if you're thinking about how do I price for profitability? We need to know how much it's costing you to create it and to get to the customer. That also includes marketing costs. How are you acquiring new customers and how much does it cost for you to acquire a new one?

Are you retaining them? How much are they spending each time they order with you? How much traffic are you getting to your site? And of that traffic, what is the percentage that we're turning into customers?

Without these, it's impossible to know whether your marketing is actually working and whether your business can be profitable. And that's what we're starting out for, right? Hopefully you're not starting a business because it's a hobby and you think it's fun. That approach needs to stay in the hobby category.

If you're starting a business and you're making sales and you want to grow, you're starting it to take home a profit, to have a better lifestyle, to be able to buy things for yourself and your family and live a healthy, happy, abundant lifestyle. We're not doing it to be stressed. We're not doing it to pass time. We're doing it to set yourself up for success.

So numbers comes first. And when you know your numbers, you can make really smart, quick, easy, confident decisions. If you work with a coach like me, and the first thing a coach is going to ask you is, let's talk about your numbers. If you don't know how to answer that, that's totally fine.

But that's when you do need to work with someone to help you figure it out. When you know your numbers, you know which marketing levers to pull, which costs to cut back on, all with the goal of making more profit, not just more sales or revenue. So, foundation number two is customer. It is seriously vital that you are obsessed with who your customer is, what they are saying, what they are thinking and feeling what they searching for and how your product is the solution to their dreams and their frustrations Your job isn to attract everybody We don want to do that We want to attract the specific customer that is ready and looking and needing the solution that your product provides.

And it's essential to know who they are and the words that they're saying for your marketing to be effective. When I work with new students or new clients, this is the second thing that we work on. Who is your customer? What are they saying?

And it's one of my most favorite parts of putting a marketing strategy together because it really does dictate everything that we do moving forward. Now, when we say, you know, profile in your customer, who are they? We're not talking about their age or their gender or even their location, but we're talking about their problems, their desires, their biggest fears, their dreams, the language that they use to describe these things. The clearer you are on your customer, the more effective your marketing will be.

Because instead of guessing what to say, you're actually reflecting their own words back to them. This is called voice of customer data. So a quick tip for you today is to go and read your product reviews, or if you're starting out, go and read the reviews of similar brands or products to you. Copy down the phrases that you see people using over and over again.

This is the language that belongs on your product pages, in your emails and in your ads. Voice of customer data is so powerful for increasing effectiveness of your marketing. Foundation number three, positioning. Now this kind of blends in with brand, but it's a little bit separate because it's how you show up in the marketplace.

It's a way we attract the right customer and repel the wrong customer. Why should someone choose you over the dozens of other options out there? Positioning and messaging and your offer should be clear, simple, memorable, unique and always customer focused. What are the benefits and the dreams and the transformations that they're looking for?

Weave that back into your positioning. For example, Casper Mattresses nailed it with their better sleep for brighter days tagline. They're not talking about how fluffy their mattresses are or their springs. They're not talking about materials.

They're talking about the end customer benefit that someone is looking and dreaming about when they go to find a new mattress. Better sleep and brighter days. Or another example from a bone broth brand. Their tagline is self-care but make it sippable.

Suddenly it takes something like probably not as sexy as bone broth, but it makes it feel warm and comforting instead of dull or something that's unusual and you wouldn't necessarily try like bone broth. It makes it sound easy. Self-care but make it sippable. Makes it sound tasty.

And that's the power of messaging. Without it, you're either blending in to the sea of sameness or you're over-complicating things or you're trying to be too creative with your copy and your messaging and you're confusing your customer. And one thing we don't want is a confused customer because a confused customer does not convert. Clarity over everything.

Okay and foundational element number four. It is brand. Now this is the invisible thread that ties everything together in a beautiful, cohesive, meaningful bow. This is the one that a lot of founders get stuck on or focused on the wrong part of.

They start thinking a brand means spending $5,000 on creating the perfect logo or obsessing over fonts and colors for weeks or months, getting the packaging right. And yes, that's important, but brand is really zooming out and looking at your business and the change that you want to be on the world, what you stand against from a helicopter view. It's how you want to make people feel. It's so much more than logos and visuals and a cohesive Instagram grid.

It's the stories you tell, the relationships you build and the connection you make with your customers. I actually use a little framework that I teach in a lot of my programs. It's like four Vs of brand. So instead of going out and spending 20 grand on a brand strategist or a branding agency just look at these four things right I simplify it right down to visions values vibe and visuals Number one vision This is your big picture As the founder you need to have a vision for your brand Where are you taking your ship Where are you steering your ship to?

The reason you started, your North Star, the change that you want to make. Number two is your values. So what does your brand stand for and what do you stand against? They're the glue that builds trust and community and loyalty.

You'll magnetize people with your values because they will agree and align with your values. It gives meaning and purpose and connection to our marketing and our business. Third V is vibe. And this is the mood and the personality and the voice of your brand.

For example, are you quirky or fun or serious and authoritative? Are you warm or out there or bold or chic, sophisticated? How do you want customers to feel when they interact with you? Again, this is how we attract and repel either the right people or the people that we don't need to have come to our website.

Our goal isn't to attract everybody, it's to attract the right people. And finally, visuals. Visuals are important, but they're the last piece of the puzzle. Your colors, your fonts and your packaging, they come after you've done the hard work figuring out your brand strategy, your foundations, your customer, your offer, your messaging.

And then you can create the visual identity that brings it all to life. Now, this doesn't have to be complicated work. You can do a little foundations audit in, you know, 15 minutes. just reviewing, stepping back, looking at your business from an outside point of view, from a stranger point of view and put your marketing coach hat on for a minute.

If you don't want to do this by yourself, you can absolutely reach out. You can join one of my courses, one of my group coaching programs or work with me one-on-one to figure out your foundations. It's the first thing that we do before we spend a cent or a second on anything. So do a little audit for yourself because when you get this right, everything else becomes easier.

Your marketing stops feeling random, you know exactly what to say and how to say it, and all your channels feel aligned and connected. So here's a few questions to ask yourself as we wrap up today's episode. Number one, do I really know my numbers? Number two, do I truly understand my customer, their pain points, their desires, their language?

Is my product and brand positioning clear or is it muddled? Is it confused? Is it too broad? Is it too niche?

And is my brand defined? Am I clear on my vision, my values, my vibe and my visuals? If any of those feel shaky or wobbly or grey or heavy or unsure, that's your sign to start strengthening your foundations because strong foundations are what make every other piece of the marketing work. I really hope you enjoyed today's episode.

I can't wait to bring you the next one. Thank you so much for listening. If you want to take that next step and work with me further, here's a couple of ways you can do that. If you're making less than 2k a month, start with my free training, the four steps to 5k months organically.

Or if you're dreaming of 10k a month, go to Ecom Triple Threat. And if you're aiming for 100k months and you're over 10k months, book a free scaling call with me and we can chat about your next steps. So there's links in the bio or you can send me a DM on Instagram and we can start chatting or go to my website and check it out there. Thank you so much.

And I can't wait to see you next week. Thanks for tuning into another episode of the eCommerce Marketing Society podcast. If you'd like to keep getting juicy marketing goodness into your ears each week, hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. Plus I'm of course so grateful for a five-star rating and review, which means I can keep supporting you through this podcast.

if you'd like to be a part of one of my programs this year either ecom grow strong or ecom scale strong head over to my website lisaburn.com.