You can just have word of mouth. You can just have listings on selling websites Amazon and eBay or what have you. You can just have your business info in a directory. You can just have social media pages. You can just have sales funnels. (Though, admittedly, the last ones are forms of websites.) They do work for people. Sometimes, they are far easier to maintain.

If your business is working for you without a website, great!

Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok

Sales Funnels: Clickfunnels

Directory and Review Sites: Yelp, Google MyBusiness, Local Chamber Of Commerce

Listings Sites: Amazon, eBay, Facebook Marketplace

Websites are cheap. Sometimes even free. There is almost no reason not to have one.

Websites help build your brand for long term reputation.

A website is your hub. It should contain everything you have.

It is no secret we are in the age of the Internet. Businesses with no website are suspicious if searched on Google. They are often thought of as a front for money laundering or a shell company of some sort for possibly unethical activities. The worse services I've ever had were from businesses without a website.

If you just want to test out the waters, sign up for a WYSIWYG web editor. WYSIWYG is short for "What You See Is What You Get".

Honestly, though, a lot of websites made by business owners look quite horrible and ancient. If you are starting out, keep it simple and keep it just information based. Keep it looking like a professional flyer. In fact, if you already have a flyer, just copy your flyer.

You absolutely need your business information, at the basic level, the NAPE: Name, Address, Phone Number, Email. Google will need to find this information from your website.

You also need a place to capture your possible customers information, a contact form. Sometimes, this is just an email sign up. At lot more service based businesses ask for the customer's NAPE, that's right, name, address, phone number, and email. And of course, a place to tell you what they want.

Of course, you need to list your services offered and prices. Be very descriptive, because you want customers to choose you. If you sell stuff online, link your product listings. Put your social media on there, too.

Those are the very basic things you need for a website. Remember, keep it simple! Do not do things like put a ton of clipart, flashy animations, games, counters, and other things that do not help your business. Keep to using only three colors that complement each other.

What does look very nice is using a single high quality photograph. If you look at the top of my website, there is a really nice photograph. If you do a lawn mowing service, for example, a close up shot of grass in the morning sun with dew looks really professional. 

This:

Looks better than this:

Weebly: (click here to get Weebly)

This very website uses Weebly. It has a very neat design as you can see. Weebly is free until you need more features like adding a domain name.

Squarespace: (click here to get Squarespace)

Wix: (click here to get Wix)

Wix is very similar to Weebly. However, Wix can be a resource hog in my experience, in other words, can make your computer slow down into a crawl. I prefer Weebly for that reason.

Google Sites: (click here to use Google Sites)

Google Sites have always existed, but it somewhat recently (at least more recently than last time I looked at it) seems to have been overhauled. All you need is a Google/Gmail account. I am very pleasantly surprised by its new quality. It is also free.

Once you have an actual business and brand, it's time to get a domain name. This further helps build your brand.

Google Domains: (click here for Google Domains)

Name Cheap: (click here for Name Cheap)

GoDaddy: (click here for GoDaddy)

If you have more technical skill than most business owners, look into getting hosting and a website plugin like Wordpress. This is often more inexpensive in the long run, however, again, this takes a lot of learning to do if you aren't already a technical, computer person.

Bluehost: (click here to use Bluehost)

​Bluehost is one of the most inexpensive and popular hosting solutions out there. Get the plan with unlimited domains so you can create as many websites as you can.

Wordpress.ORG (NOT Wordpress.COM): (already included with Bluehost, but click here if not using Bluehost)

Wordpress will be the engine if you choose to do a hosted website route. If you opt in to Bluehost, they offer a one-click install of Wordpress. However, if you use another service, they may or may not offer the same feature, so to get it, you must go to Wordpress.ORG. Wordpress.COM is a  blogging site associated with, but wholly different from the Wordpress plugin. Don't get confused!

If you have a real business, you probably are very busy person with no time to dabble on making a website. That's totally fine! We want to focus on the things we can do and are good at.

But understand that you are losing a lot of money, sales, and customers by not having one. It's okay if you want to let those pass by if you are already overwhelmed. But if you aren't getting much business at all, you need to invest in one for the long term.

Thus, you need to find someone who can make you a website. Prices range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. This is a business expense, and you need to budget for it.

​We take some clients for websites creation. Contact us if you want to be considered.

Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

Tik Tok is a fairly recent social media app popular among the youngest demographics: Gen Z and iGen, though it is also growing in other older demographics. The social media is entirely video based, and the longest video you can take is one minute.

Below are examples on how to use the TikTok app to market products.

Steps:
1. Download the app to your smartphone
2. Take and edit a video of your sample product doing things worthy of a viral video.
3. Show your shop website with URL on the end of the video and ask them to pause and screenshot it.
4. Use some relevant hashtags. The hashtag #aliexpress is used often for the products from that store, but feel free to find related ones.
5. Include a call to action and direct them to your YouTube or Instagram on your profile.
​6. Alternatively, you can buy ads on TikTok with a link in the actual video, instead. 

The recent disease outbreak in China has dropshippers asking how this might affect the industry as a whole. I answer a few of the most pressing questions.
​What is the coronavirus outbreak?
If you don’t know yet, the coronavirus is a virus that causes respiratory illness, much like pneumonia. The death rate is up to 4% to 5% to the infected, in contrast, the flu kills only 0.05% of infected.
A new strain of coronavirus was found in Wuhan, China in January 2020, and it has since been monitored internationally. Many airports, transportation, shipping, and the like have been closed entirely or closed to Wuhan.
Will my customers get sick from coronaviruses on or in packages from China?
No. Coronaviruses do not survive on surfaces for more than a few days. It needs a human or animal host to survive for more than 48 hours.
Will there be a delay for my suppliers shipping and customers receiving packages from China?
There have been reports that the Chinese government has closed shipping for a period of time. Delays in production are but a certainty. Reports say factories will open on February the 10th.
The lunar new year is more of the major factor for a delay in shipping and handling from China. The weeks long celebration means the factories are closed. Some suppliers are closed for a month. Many factories close two weeks before the actual holiday. Banks and postal services also close. Workers take vacations to see families.
UPDATE: Reports now say that reopening may be as late as the 28th.
What other effects does the coronavirus outbreak have on the dropshipping economy?
Alibaba stocks are down. It may be a good time to buy shares when the dip stabilizes. The Chinese economy may recover sharply.
What can I do and shouldn’t do as a dropshipper?
Contact your agent and fulfillment centers in China to see if they have things in stock. Order in bulk. Factories reopeningwill focus on Chinese buyers, and then bulk.
You should not do standard ordering from AliExpress. It will be pushed back as it will not be their priority.
Start looking into more local sourcing than relying on China. Or focus on the products aren’t from China, such as any print-on-demand products you have.
Alternatively, you can simply close or reduce adspend until the outbreak subsides.

There are many paths to passive income. Passive Income Strategy In A Week builds an interlocking road system with these paths. Many income streams converge to other income streams and ultimately to an almost purely passive investment.

​What is something you experience every day? Breakfast, work, school, sleep…
And also random calls from nowhere!
These calls sound like robots! There’s that uncanny hollowness in the voice.
“We’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty!”
You don’t even have a car.
Usually, these calls show up as “Scam Likely” on the caller ID. And thus the name, “robocallers”.
Do you want to make money, *actual* money, off them? By actual money, I mean from $500 up to $1,500 PER CALL?
That’s right, per call. Not all in all. Per call.
How can you do that? Is it really possible?
Believe it or not, these callers are doing illegal things in calling you. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act gives you the right to seek private action, meaning you can settle out of court, meaning have the caller pay you without going to court.
Why? Because there are so many people reporting that the callers that the act cannot be enforced in its entirety.
So, you can send a letter to threaten to sue. If they do not answer, you sue.
So what do I actually do?
Steps To Make $500 to $1500 PER CALL from Scam Likely Calls:

1. Wait for the next time someone gives you a call from a “Scam Likely” number.
2. Ask questions and pretend to be interested. Pretend to be a naive ideal customer. Get a human caller on the line.
3. Ask questions to get information such as email, business name, address, call back number, everything you can about the ones calling you. Write these down.
4. Do NOT give your personal information away. At least not accurate information.
5. Do research. Google the business name, the phone number, the email addresses. Find the actual mailing address of the place.
6. Send a letter that they have violated the TCPA and that you will file a lawsuit within the week or so of sending the mail.
7. If you do not hear back, follow through with your threat, and file a lawsuit in your local jurisdiction. This can get you back $1,500 due to the TCPA law that states:
   “ If the court finds that the defendant willfully or knowingly violated this subsection or the regulations prescribed under this subsection, the court may, in its discretion, increase the amount of the award to an amount equal to not more than 3 times the amount available under subparagraph (B) of this paragraph.”
   If you do hear back, find a settlement agreement between you and them, and cash that agreement. It often comes by check. Aim for $500 or more.

Take the above and run with it. If you want more details, check out this kit outlining it all. The kit is $45 and I will get a cut as an affiliate. You do NOT need it if you can figure out what to do from the above instructions. But if you still need hand holding, get it. The $500 you make will be more than enough to make for the $45 you spent.
Why does this work?
Well, for one, the scammers want to stay in the scamming business. Blowing them out of the water is more trouble than just settling with you.
What does the kit have?
The kit contains:

1. How to invest your time in talking to the callers to get their information.
2. Detailed steps to research the callers’ mailing address. You can probably figure it out if you think about it.
3. Letters of demand like the ones attorneys use to get the money. You can write these yourself, but legal sounding is best.

But if you think you will need hand holding, just get the kit.
Well, I hope you will be richer if someone tries to scam you.

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. Consult your attorney.

The book then goes through the 12 Core Principles of Ecommerce:
1. Your Business is Not Unique
2. Your Business is Marketing
3. Brand Centric, Not Product Centric
4. You Must Control The Order Process
5. Don't Compete On Price
6. Don't Be Walmart. Niche Down
7. There's No Such Thing As Free Traffic
8. Business Costs Money
9. If You're Not Mobile, You're Out
10. The One Who Can Spend The Most To Acquire A Customer Wins
11. Sell In Multiple Channels
12. There Are Only Three Ways To Grow A Business

After that, it goes on to detail about the different ends of marketing, how to retain customers, building lists, and all that.

I highly recommend the book for how much it packs in a few pages.

Go to Oberlo's Product page.
Click on the Product link which you want to duplicate.

Click the Oberlo icon to push the product to Oberlo. This will create a new product with the same Aliexpress page.

Go to the Import List.
The first item should be your duplicated item.

Rename it, and copy/paste the description you want.
Once you are done with the changes, click on Push to Shop to add it to your Shopify store.

​And there you have it, how to duplicate products in Oberlo.

What do 85% - 90% of Shopify stores not do that is crucial to their business, and will be responsible for at least 30% of their total sales?

But first I want you to really see how terrible this situation is.

So what does this mediocre average Shopify store look like?

Imagine a store owner doing, say, $25,000 or so every month in sales. Every month, he gets 10,000 customers who buy his product through advertising.

So every time a customer buys from a Shopify store, they have to enter in their credit card info, name, address, phone, and email.

How can he get a lot more sales and scale his business?

He needs to get those 10,000 people he already has contact information for to come back and make a new purchase.

So what is he missing in his store? Have a guess what it is?

It is email marketing.

If he could just email these contacts about 2 to 4 times per month and get them to come back, he could easily get at least $15,000 in revenue on top of the $25,000.

With just a little modification, he multiplied his profits. For almost free or pennies on the dollar.

Crazy, right? And you can do that! That is all you have to do, and yet, if you're still reading, you probably don't know how. 

If you already have email marketing integrated in your Shopify, are you using it to your full potential? If not, read on and skip to the next section.

The quickest way to email marketing for your store is simple as adding an app to your Shopify store.

What I use is Mailchimp for Shopify. Go ahead, install it by clicking on "Get". There are alternatives, like MarketHero or other apps, but Mailchimp is free.

The customer list and the Mailchimp email list will sync once you connect the app. No need to manually fill the list.

First, set up the Abandon Cart emails.

Second, set up Weekly Offer emails.

Third, set up Follow Up emails.

Finally, set up some other emails, like a Newsletter email or Item of the Month, or Birthday/Anniversary emails.

ClickFunnels costing you a bit? Get a discount!

First, sign up for the ClickFunnels free trial.
Then immediately cancel your account.
You will then be shown this page:

You will be presented options for:
$37 per month Personal Plan - 5 funnels, 20 pages, 5 thousand visits
$67 per month Bootstrap Plan - 10 funnels, 50 pages, 10 thousand visits
$9 per month Pause - just reserves your subdomains, pages, and funnels

Choose whichever ClickFunnels plan you want!

Ready? Click the button. (Yes, it's an affiliate link, it helps me find things like this for y'all, so if you are at all any grateful for my help, please use that)

1. First, log in to Oberlo if you haven't already. (You can also simply go to your Shopify Apps and get it up from there.)
2. Go to the Settings on the left, which is the gear.
3. Then go to Global Pricing Rules.
4. Then change the ending cents in "Assign cents". You can also change ending cents of the compared to price at the "Assign compared at cents".