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$500,000+ revenue on Shopify!

Sanj Modha

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Lol. This one's for @KLaw

@Cyriex and me both know that - if the OP's numbers are accurate - looks like @Sanj Modha is currently beating both @theag 's annual profit and revenue numbers.

Hey, @Sanj Modha , here is an honest proposition for you. Perhaps you could sell Cups of STFU.

@theag is obviously a prime candidate for a Nice Cup of STFU.

Currently, Cups of STFU sell for between $9.95 and $15.00

I have discovered a huge, massive "NEED" on the internet: Guys on the internet who make way less money than the guys they talk shit to.

Such people, I think, represent a massive market for Cups of STFU. Whenever some guy, who makes way less money than another guy, feels the nerve to talk ish, he can just have a nice Cups of STFU.

Cups of STFU would not only save little money pretenders from attacking a real-life Alpha lion, it would also rid the Internet of much of the fakery and bullshit that gives Internet forums a bad name in the first place.

Anyway, OP is lion $HIT.


Carry on.

@Ubermensch - your energy revenue post is ELITE. Puts me in my place for sure! Outstanding sir.

I know some peeps think I'm trolling but I'm not. This isn't an ego boost and I'm not selling courses or training. I was very fortunate to work under some amazing mentors who make millions. I'm happy to pay it forward.

Thanks for the kind words. Keep rocking your blog too.
 
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Sanj Modha

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I don't want to know what you sell, but with all the hoopla in the past 12 months about Shopify ( and especially Shopify with dropship ), I would like to ask if this is the whole "free+shipping" model or if you are doing reg. sales at all.

Hopefully, that isn't asking too much info. However, I have Shopify stores and was curious about this trend and if that's what got you started.

Well I was selling shirts on Teespring and realized I didn't really own anything. At this point, Shopify was taking off so I decided to move across but focus on the non-shirts market. I wanted to go where the puck was going to quote a famous hockey legend. You can more or less sell anything on FB. I know guys selling $600-$800 mattresses and KILLING it. It's all about the offer + product + audience.
 

Sanj Modha

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Didn't read through whole thread, but when you customers see that the shipping address came from overseas? Does their expression become this --> :/

Quality is more important than origin. I know some folks want US made and that's fine too but you can't have it both ways. Either you buy domestic and pay more or pay less but get it from overseas manufacturers.

I would also like to state that China gets a really bad rep. I work with some outstanding suppliers who care about quality as much as I do. I'm not talking about cheap Frozen Elsa dresses.

Remember, Apple manufactures in China too. The key is finding the right supply chain.
 

Sanj Modha

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I'd like to thank MJ for releasing an awesome book. It brought me here to a forum which I consider the very best now.

You need to believe. Ignite that fire inside you!
 
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Sanj Modha

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Congrats on your success, man! Fully deserved.

Was it straightforward finding your dropshipper?

You need to dig around and start negotiating. Here's where I like to offer value first. Never approach a vendor and say "I want you to dropship for me. I can sell 50 units/day". It's the wrong angle. Instead go for "Hey buddy. I would like to propose a JV with you. If we can help you shift 50 units/day of product x, is that something that can help your business?".

Do you see the difference in psychology?
 

Sanj Modha

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Great thread @Sanj Modha ! Short, to the point, and no bullshit. And....some Eastern philosophy suggestions which I think this Country desperately needs. Thanks for sharing.


So how did you start ? I mean...did you educate yourself and decide you were going to dropship, import, use your own website, etc to reach your goals ? Just generally....I'm not asking about product or specifics.

Also...have you lived in the U.S. before ? If so, does this help with business ?

Back in June 2015, I decided that I wanted a business on Shopify. I was making good money on Teespring but I wanted more control. Shopify gives you that with themes, customer data and mailing lists.

I believe that all success comes from the inside out. You need to nurture the mind because he who conquers the mind - conquers everything. This isn't new information. It's as old as the hills from Buddha to Napoleon Hill. They all studied the same source. You can call it God, Supreme Consciousness, the Creator, Metaphysics etc. I believe it to be same.

I haven't lived in the US but visited many times. You need to know the audiences well and you're in a better position than I am. But I hang out with a lot of Americans so that helps with the culture. Bruce Lee said become water. I immerse myself in what I do. It's the same difference. Adapt and move.
 
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welshmin

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You need to dig around and start negotiating. Here's where I like to offer value first. Never approach a vendor and say "I want you to dropship for me. I can sell 50 units/day". It's the wrong angle. Instead go for "Hey buddy. I would like to propose a JV with you. If we can help you shift 50 units/day of product x, is that something that can help your business?".

Do you see the difference in psychology?

That's actually a REALLY great way to re-frame that. +1 for the JV mentality. Check out the book "From Mediocrity to Millions" by Jay Abraham it's all about joint ventures and giving value.
 

welshmin

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@Sanj Modha

Is it safe to assume any product can be advertised then sold on Facebook?

I have limited experience, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

But from what I know, absolutely not. Some products are much better suited to other platforms. Some are for facebook.

When I think of selling on facebook, it tends to be branded items, niche specific - impulse buys. Which is why shirts (teespring) do so well there. People are browsing their feed mindlessly when an ad pops up - oh look at that, it's pretty cool! Click. There was no search intent, it was impulse.

Whereas on Google, people search for specific things, or are re-targeted. I would not look for, e.g. beer brewing kits on facebook. I would look on Google, find reviews, comparisons, price finders, etc.

I would, however, consider buying a random star wars tee-shirt I saw on facebook that I thought was clever or funny and had a few spare bucks.
 

Sanj Modha

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@Sanj Modha

Is it safe to assume any product can be advertised then sold on Facebook?

Never assume ANYTHING with any traffic source. Always read the Terms Of Service if you're unsure. FB has a zero tolerance policy and will terminate new accounts quickly.
 
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hughjasle

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Way to be man.

Do you have plans to make your own products or import your own? Dropshipping isn't that different from your teespring campaigns.

That said - it's all about how you are building out your business as I'm sure you know. Sure dropshipping has its pitfalls (namely lack of control and generally lower margins) but sure can be easier to scale!

I may have some questions for you regarding adding some dropshipped products to my site in the future. Importing my own products leads to some seriously slow scaling as it ties up lots of capital and takes time to do right.

editing to add here(was gonna PM you) - How do you look for dropshipping companies? Or do you mostly do JV type deals with non-dropshippers?
 
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Sanj Modha

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Sanj

What courses, books, FB groups or blogs helped you learn shopify and/or optimizing Facebook Ads?

I found some WF courses for like $47 and learnt the basics. There's better content on Udemy.com for around $25 with lots of training modules. Go take a look and signup to their mailing list. From time to time, they will send you $10 course offers. Snap that right up!

Once you acquire the knowledge it's time for action. Jump into FB ads with low budgets and test it.
 
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Sanj Modha

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Way to be man.

Do you have plans to make your own products or import your own? Dropshipping isn't that different from your teespring campaigns.

That said - it's all about how you are building out your business as I'm sure you know. Sure dropshipping has its pitfalls (namely lack of control and generally lower margins) but sure can be easier to scale!

I may have some questions for you regarding adding some dropshipped products to my site in the future. Importing my own products leads to some seriously slow scaling as it ties up lots of capital and takes time to do right.

editing to add here(was gonna PM you) - How do you look for dropshipping companies? Or do you mostly do JV type deals with non-dropshippers?

Not on my generic store. That pays all my bills and some so I'm happy to sell third party products. I'm looking to brand out my niche stores with private labelling. That's all in the pipeline.

I think dropshipping is a bit misunderstood. I always go back to finding the right supply chain. I am willing to wager that 90% of the products in our lives were made in China. That being said, the world hasn't stopped so there's quality there. There are pitfalls just like any business that's why I always advise some due diligence. Phone the vendor, order samples, ask lots of questions.

Google is your friend. If you're looking for wholesalers/dropshippers, try searching "blue widgets wholesale/dropship". Replace "blue widgets" with product or niche etc.
 

Built4Greatness

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I found some WF courses for like $47 and learnt the basics. There's better content on Udemy.com for around $25 with lots of training modules. Go take a look and signup to their mailing list. From time to time, they will send you $10 course offers. Snap that right up!

Once you acquire the knowledge it's time for action. Jump into FB ads with low budgets and test it.
Does this apply to learning dropshipping as well? Do you recommend any resources or training for this?
 

Sanj Modha

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Does this apply to learning dropshipping as well? Do you recommend any resources or training for this?

Dropshipping is like any business. You buy goods and sell for a profit. Don't over think it. The major difference is you're not holding any inventory.

I find that it has the path to least resistance. I do sell wholesale too and the profits are higher but there are more moving parts and it can become frustrating.
 
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DWX

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As you got into dropshipping, did you take any courses, belong to any other forums, or was it just the case of learning as you go?
 

JordanK

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Whats your opinion on domain names? I have a local supplier sourced, a brand name and labeling done but my domain name is three words long. Does it matter when advertising and trying to get traffic to go to the site? Thanks
 

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Whats your opinion on domain names? I have a local supplier sourced, a brand name and labeling done but my domain name is three words long. Does it matter when advertising and trying to get traffic to go to the site? Thanks

i think the shorter the better...no one wants to type a sentence website url..plus short is easy to remember ..

longazzdomainname.com

vs

longazz.com
 
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Sanj Modha

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As you got into dropshipping, did you take any courses, belong to any other forums, or was it just the case of learning as you go?

The first thing I did was hire a VA for around $2/hr. I pay her more now but that gave me leverage and cut my safety net. I knew I had to start making money quickly because I had so many overheads. I do feel that it helped increase my revenue.

She handles all the admin, customer emails and fulfilment side of things and I focus on business opportunities, ads, scaling and anything else. I guess we figured it out along the way too.

You will experience problems. We had loads but keep moving forward. That's the only way.
 

Sanj Modha

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Whats your opinion on domain names? I have a local supplier sourced, a brand name and labeling done but my domain name is three words long. Does it matter when advertising and trying to get traffic to go to the site? Thanks

Describe your business in 3 words. That's how I came about my brand names. Short, sweet and straight to the point.

The shorter the better because links get quite long on Shopify unless you're using a redirect app or tool. I don't because I want visitors to see my brand URL. It helps to build trust and I don't like Bit.ly links. I'm sure many feel the same.
 

1step

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Congrats on the success. Do you care to talk about your facebook ads? Do you have a specific type of ad you run and at this point do you just run look a like off all your past buyers? Any tips for narrowing down FB targeting?
 
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JasonR

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What's stopping you from increasing your sales? In your post, you make it sound like you have everything figured out, and have opened new stores, however your sales have been falling for the last several months.

Also, a 40%+ net margin sounds otherworldly, particularly for a drop shipping business...
 

Sanj Modha

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What's stopping you from increasing your sales? In your post, you make it sound like you have everything figured out, and have opened new stores, however your sales have been falling for the last several months.

Also, a 40%+ net margin sounds otherworldly, particularly for a drop shipping business...

See point #6 on the OP. I was heavily reliant on FB and still am so now I'm in the process of diversifying into Adwords and email marketing. The strategy for each isn't the same. I can sell some products off FB like hotcakes but there's zero demand for it on Adwords. That's just the way it is.

I'm only driving ads to 4 campaigns i.e. 4 products and upselling the rest. But that's a lot of testing, scaling, ad sets to run and I don't want to outsource that. It's my secret sauce. But 4 campaigns contain 100s of ad sets so time is a factor.

So to answer your question, it's mostly down to ads not converting well (FB is very inconsistent since Feb onwards), my vendors running out of stock (big issue for me with the volume) and I moved continents back in April 2016 so I lost a quite a few weeks with that. Plus I'm not working as hard as I could be because my life feels like a holiday right now.
 

Sanj Modha

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Congrats on the success. Do you care to talk about your facebook ads? Do you have a specific type of ad you run and at this point do you just run look a like off all your past buyers? Any tips for narrowing down FB targeting?

I test all variations with new ads. That's WC, CTWs and PPEs then scale the winners and kill the losers. There's no exact science for me. I let the numbers decide.
 
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1step

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I test all variations with new ads. That's WC, CTWs and PPEs then scale the winners and kill the losers. There's no exact science for me. I let the numbers decide.
How much do you spend on an ad before killing it? Also you spend 1k per day on Facebook or total as spend?
 
G

GuestUser450

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Thanks for sharing, I'm sure many will find value, even if your numbers and answers are vague and implausible. Not throwing shade, just sitting this one out. Inspiration and mindset matter, so the thread's already added value, just not gold. I do know ecomms with shopify+dropship+fb ads working profitably but their margins are downright anemic compared to yours. Rock on.
 

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