Not everyone starts off at an advantageous position in life, but does that really mean there's no chance to move beyond the circumstances we find ourselves in? Certainly not. In this edition of Going Global with The Magnitude Group, Simo talks to Arnas, a successful entrepreneur and growth hacker with Sugatan. From his humble beginnings in Lithuania, Arnas has a wealth of unique experiences to share that contributed greatly to his successes later in life.

After years working through 15 different jobs, Arnas earned US$1,000 in a week after diving into ecom himself. He eventually pivoted fully into eCommerce.

One of the most insightful discussions revolves around the biggest challenge that he faced with Sugatan, with clients losing money, he was challenged to focus and growth hack in order to make their clients more money. He succeeded and uncovered a great ecom secret in the process: following trends early is how to make it big.

Taking a unique departure from most podcasts, Simo and Arnas have an extended discussion on their relative experiences with psychedelics and how they have helped to illuminate their respective journeys to enlightenment.

Key talking points: 

03:44 – Smarts isn’t everything if it doesn’t bring you success—check out the very early struggles of Arnas.

05:03 – Just having a job doesn’t give you the freedom you want as was discovered the hard way.

08:41 – Discovered through organising tournaments that he loved connecting people.

09:38 – Signed professional football contract in Lithuania at 17.

11:35 – Started entrepreneurial journey before starting University.

13:06 – Found that university didn’t actually teach marketing, etc.

16:13 – Many of the systems that comfort us don’t really do anything effective.

21:50 – You can’t get anywhere just by being the best student. You need a network.

22:59 – Research is vital if you want to get somewhere.

28:11 – Studying all aspects carefully allows you to have a strong approach to life and business.

30:07 – The desire to make money online was his initial motivation. Earned US$1,000 in a week after 15 different jobs.

33:03 – Pivoted fully to ecom after losing a football job and started investing more time into it.

35:57 – Worked in sprints and mix in educating himself.

37:39 – Be somewhere you know where you thrive.

39:57 – Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing - or at least are challenged by it.

43:02 – Adversity while growth hacking a client for Sugatan taught him the value of persistence.

45:13 – There’s one common thing among hugely successful ecom stores - it’s the trend. If you’re late to the party, you miss out on the chance to earn big.

46:35 – When you catch a trend, you have to push it hard and keep on growing. 

48:22 – Arnas talks about the future of ecom.

48:49 – The next generations of agencies will build brands around influencers.

49:51 – People will gravitate towards influencers to determine a brand’s worth. The future is social.

52:05 – Arnas weighs in on the iOS 14 update and how it impacts ecom.

55:51 – Arnas and Simo talk about just how deeply social media and the data they have on you has a powerful influence on you.

57:11 – Status matters because we all look for a pleasurable “high” from all we do. It’s natural, biological, and neurologically founded.

1:04:09 – Arnas recommends trends that are worth following and building on if you want to make money today. Should you go into crypto? Find out!

1:07:09 – Never let people know how invested you are in things but keep on learning and studying.

1:10:31 – Always be honest about what you’re capable of, what you know, and what you’re knowledgeable about.

1:14:49 – Did you know that Google considers having experienced psychedelics… an advantage? Arnas shares his amazing experiences.

Shopify has seen a boom with many people diving into eCommerce to offset the restrictions of the recent pandemic. 

In this edition of Going Global with The Magnitude Group, Simo talks to Julian Bartram, Community Manager for Shopify and a small business owner himself. Julian is responsible for helping small business owners maximise their Shopify experience, which he often does so via workshops and webinars. With his experience in the job, he has developed an empathy for business owners that he leverages into a desire to help.

A key to success that he illustrates well is "ridiculously aggressive customer service." It's all about the customer experience. That, coupled with a great offer, ensures that you're moving units and making bank!

Finally, both Simo and Julian emphasize the importance of having a sound plan from the get-go. At the very least, one should be able to answer the "why" of the business. Much of this plan should involve careful and comprehensive market research to understand your audience. 

There's a lot to learn from Julian, and this podcast pulls out some intriguing numbers that many business owners would benefit from knowing. 

You can connect with Julian on LinkedIn

Key talking points:
00:59 – Julian Bartram, Community Manager for Shopify and small business owner, tells us his story.
05:32 – Julian and his wife carved out their success in a very, very specific niche. Here’s how they do it.
09:45 – These two things will make you stand out immediately with your customer base.
13:38 – In the long game, it’s all about the passion - not just about a winning product.
15:24 – Julian talks about how they got into more products to sell.
17:44 – By being open to possibilities, Julian uncovers a new industry worth jumping into.
18:19 – Being innovative and trying things out works to your advantage in your business.
20:06 – Do a little bit less but when you’ve got things pinned down, start looking for that pivot.
22:29 – You should be in your business for as long as you’re alive.
22:50 – Not every idea is a million-dollar idea, but you can make something out of what you’re passionate about.
25:07 – A warning against get-rich-quick schemes and how it pressures you to succeed immediately.
30:02 – Ecommerce platforms helped recovery during the COVID-19 lockdown.
31:04 – You have to be more unique with so many competitors out there. You need to also look after your customers.
34:02 – Snap My Snaps Facebook Group and the value of community groups.
36:52 – What Julian does as a Community Manager at Shopify.
38:23 – What most people get wrong when it comes to eCommerce is they don’t have a solid plan in place, and they also don’t work out their “why”.
40:06 – Some people think that launching a website is the end plan, it isn’t. You need to have a plan.
41:06 – Do a lot of market research. Especially into what succeeds abroad that might not be affordable locally.
47:13 – While working in the business, you should never forget to work on the business.
49:59 – How effective a Shopify/Glass Elephant event was in the raw numbers.
56:04 – Plan but start before it’s perfect, get feedback, and use that to inform the direction that you’re going.
57:22 – Fear of failure is a muscle that you need to strengthen real quickly.
1:03:47 – Julian’s biggest win on a simple webinar netted them 3.9M views.
1:07:44 – What are the elements to global success? Simo and Julian have the answers.
1:09:33 – Make sure you’re consistently collecting email addresses and then provide them with lifetime value.
1:13:52 – Even before you start a store, especially if you don’t have a big budget, create the community, build the following.

Email marketing. Some swear by it; others just can't figure it out. Simo sits down with Pete Devkota, founder of Email Optimize, to uncover the secrets to success with the platform. 

Email Optimize helps its B2C clients leverage their databases and existing traffic to improve profit margins. Pete attributes much of his success, and the success of Email Optimize with a shift in perspective. When you lead with value, he says, the money will come, advising businesses to focus on providing value for their clients.

So what do companies need to succeed in their email marketing?

Take a listen and join in on the conversation. You can also connect with Pete on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rukhpam

Key talking points: 

03:03 – Pete details his story from his first start to his big move to Australia and all his misadventures in between
08:03 – Pete discovers his passion, joins an agency, and works to become the best at what he does.
10:17 – There’s a lot of correlation between engineering and ecomm. Engineering plays a part, for example, in manufacturing a lot of products sold.
10:54 – Pete starts his agency to help B2C leverage databases and existing traffic via Email to improve profit margins.
12:40 – “All failures contribute to the knowledge that eventually leads to success.”
13:13 – You got to have perseverance, persistence, and the willingness to keep getting up. But you need to have a plan and the vehicle to ride onto success. It takes you to this flow state where every part falls into its proper place.
16:19 – “When you lead with value, the money will come. How can I serve others? How can I solve their problems?”
18:21 – If you want to turn something into a business, stick with Klaviyo. It’s designed for e-commerce stores; it’s intuitive, gathers critical data, and has a lot of crucial automation.
21:14 – “People rarely see the value of Email. Not only is Email predictable, it’s a stable platform, and the profit margins are higher—you’ve already profited from the people that you’re reaching out to.”
23:56 – Pete walks us through some of their top success stories.
24:19 – Find out what goes on behind the scenes of Email Optimize and how they work their magic.
27:38 – Segmentation, nurturing, and the offer are keys to success with Email.
27:55 – Everyone likes to be presented an offer - not sold it. We want to feel special, exclusive, unique but not being sold to. So, it’s the right offer to the right person at the right time - easier said than done.
28:42 – Email is just one component of your eCommerce machine. You want to focus on things that directly impact a customer - like shipping times, and a great product. You want them to have a great experience overall.
33:04 – Pete talks shop with Simo and zeroes in on segmentation and frequency - and the secrets to getting them working in your favour.
44:42 – Even if you have a one-product store with low frequency, you can always explore other products that compliment your product. A good way is to leverage your database to uncover these products.
48:08 – Intrigued by Email? Just starting out? Here’s what you need to know.
50:23 – What you need to set up on Klaviyo. The best advice for start-ups and smaller businesses.
51:51 – Key advice for bigger businesses.
54:07 – Most of the regrets people have is too much focus on the business and not on family and other things that matter more.
55:34 – Work to live, don’t live to work: what you need to do to balance work and life, including great tips for scheduling your work.
1:00:41 – If you’re not thinking, you’re just following consequences rather than directing the flow of things.
1:02:45 – You have to be prepared to fail. You have to keep trying things.
1:04:14 – Try to make things easier for you. Find your direction. Float, don’t swim.