E386: How to Scale a Lifestyle Business [Under the Hood Part 2 with Dawn LaFontaine]

Whether you're an established seller or running an ecommerce business out of your living room, you'll run into some hairsplitting decisions sooner or later.    Should you create a new listing or re-introduce an old product as 'new and improved'? Is it better to offer a 'deluxe version' or craft an entirely different listing? Should you hire your first employee or keep on handling everything yourself?   Questions like these keep a lot of ecommerce sellers up at night, but that's what our Under the Hood segment is for.    In today's episode, we're doing a follow-up Under the Hood session with Dawn LaFontaine, who was our guest way back in Episode 244: How to Drive Traffic to a Low Search Volume Product.   We'll be talking about what a lifestyle business actually means and what it's like being at that crossroads where you're looking to hire that first employee.   I'll also be sharing my strategies for converting high organic traffic into actual sales, why you want 'Made in the USA' for certain products and could live with importing others, plus, I'll be answering some of Dawn's burning questions that you might also be itching to ask yourself.    Timestamps: Recapping our first Under the Hood session - 5:07 How I stay excited with everything I do - 16:58 What defines a lifestyle business and why it may be different for everyone - 24:39 US-made vs China-made, and why a mix of both is okay - 34:53 Revamping an existing product - 40:12 My tips for offering product variations - 43:37 Launching a product using an old listing - 47:18 Why PPC is always worth it - 48:37   I had a fun time talking to Dawn and I hope more of our furry friends find their way into her cute cardboard boxes. Check out all her awesome cat boxes over on Cat in the Box.   By the way, Premium won't be open again for a few months, but we still have a ton of free stuff that you'll surely find value in.    Our free public webinar on Importing From China 2021 is still open for registrations. We'll be teaching you our exact secrets to importing from the world's factory—from sourcing products, to working with suppliers, to shipping and logistics.   This free webinar will be on June 3 at 10 AM (PST)Reserve your slot here.   As always, if you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review over on iTunes to let us know. Happy selling, and we'll talk to you soon!