E-COMMERCE ACTIVATED
The Ultimate Playbook To Building A Successful E-Commerce Business
BY DAMIEN COUGHLAN
Foreword: Kevin Harrington
The Ultimate Playbook To Building A Successful E-Commerce Business. 2021.
Damien Coughlan and DC Global Marketing LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
DC Global Marketing LLC
20235 North Cave Creek Road Suite 104-167
Phoenix, Arizona 85024
USA
Print ISBN: 978-1-7370324-0-3
E-Book ISBN: 978-1-7370324-1-0
Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-7370324-2-7
April 2021 Self Published By Damien Coughlan
Cover Photo by Vali Alina, Firfirica Studio
Disclaimer: The author make no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience by following the advice and strategies contained in this book, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each individual. The testimonials and examples provided in this book show exceptional results, which may not apply to the average reader, and are not intended to represent or guarantee that you will achieve the same or similar results.
DEDICATION
To my father Gerard, for being a perfect role model, giving me an incredible work ethic, and showing me what true entrepreneurship was all about growing up on the farm. To my mother Mary, for your support, focus on education, and for literally doing everything and anything to make me the person I am today. To my brothers and sisters, Joanne, Louise, Fergal, and Gearoid, for always being there for me, whenever I needed a helping hand.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dont wish it was easier, wish you were better. Dont wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Dont wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom. - Jim Rohn
Foreword
By Kevin Harrington
I have been a successful entrepreneur for over 40 years, and Ive met a lot of bright and intelligent people on my travels, none more so than Damien. As you can imagine, when Damien asked me to write the Foreword to his book, I was naturally thrilled and excited.
I first discovered Damien when we connected on a Zoom call during a business startup that we were both working on. He was sharp, enthusiastic, and had a nice southern Irish accent.
I subsequently met Damien a year later in person at a high-level mastermind in Miami, Florida.
Not only does Damien have the experience and qualifications, but he is a masters educator.
This book is the ultimate guide to building a successful e-commerce business.
Damien outlines the book into four key quadrants, each quadrant a steppingstone to success.
The first quadrant describes how to start your business the right way using Damiens exact strategies. He outlines the best platforms and models to use, and the content within is useful for beginners who want to start an online business or established businesses that are trying to scale to new levels.
The second quadrant outlines how to find the right products to sell. I have launched over 20 businesses that have grown to over $100 million in sales each. I can tell you that having a great product to sell is one of the major keys to a successful company.
The third quadrant outlines how to scale your winning product. Today, companies are swapping billboards, newspaper, and radio ads for digital marketing.
The final quadrant is to systemize. This quadrant teaches you about systems, people, processes, and technology and how to remove yourself from the business so that you can work on your business and not in your business.
Now more than ever, people are shopping online. And if you are someone looking to take advantage of a trillion-dollar industry, this book will give you the exact strategies needed to start and scale a successful e-commerce business.
So, if you are someone looking for a book on e-commerce, this is it. Damien has outlined in great detail the exact strategies that he used when he saw a gap in the market and started selling dog products online to people all over the world.
Finally, I want to thank Damien for writing this book and congratulate you for reading it. As I said to Damien a few years ago when I met him, whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, you must enthusiastically act upon it, and then it will inevitably come to pass .
Kevin Harrington Original Shark on the Emmy-winning TV show, Shark Tank, Inventor of the Infomercial, As Seen on TV Pioneer, Co-Founder of the Electronic Retailers Association (ERA), and Co-Founding board member of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO).
Introduction
Embracing Opportunity
Id like to begin this book with a quick story; the story of how it all started and how I made the transition to e-commerce. People love stories. As children, we are told stories to develop our imagination. Stories teach us about life, who we are, and about others. I hope this introduction is a powerful means by which I can help influence, teach, and inspire you to begin your own journey and take a chance to unlock your full potential.
Its 7:40am on a cold September morning in San Francisc o and the year is 2016 . I am in a taxi en route to San Francisco International Airport. Morning routines are big for me; I am eager to finish listening to one of my favorite motivational speakers, Jim Rohn, and a Youtube video by Kevin Harrington as I take the last sip of a delicious green shake.
As we drive down US S outh, we overtake buses and cars, most of them on the way to work. Some of the biggest companies in the world, like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Genetech transport their workers from San Francisco to their company headquarters in Silicon Valley an easy 90 -minute commute.
The traffic is predictably busy; the energy is high, people are frantically trying to get to work while simultaneously taking their early morning conference calls. Its a race to the office. Arriving on time is never certain with the volume of traffic that exists in California. The luxury private corporate buses with tinted windows transport their employees , each already working on their laptops with high - speed Wi-Fi . This is a real hustle and bustle part of the world.
Competition is at the heart of the Silicon Valley ethos, and as the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. T his is the typical Bay Area morning routine; and one that I have been doing for almost four years straight.
This morning was different , though , because I wasnt on my way to work. A few days ago, I left my corporate job, and I was considering a major life decision , the kind of decision that almost makes you feel sick with worry with what if this and what if that scenarios.
I had arrived at a crossroads in my life and I was making the tough decision to take a break from corporate life and pursue a goal of becoming an entrepreneur. Most people said I was crazy and rightly so, but I was going with my gut, and it was something I had in my mind for six to nine months. I was just a farm boy from Ireland with a crazy vision to live the American dream . I had accumulated seven years at one of the biggest companies in the world; I had made incredible connections and worked on the most exciting product launches in history, like the iPhone and iPad.
Why would I throw away the security, the 401k, the stock options, the yearly salary, and the discounted products? Simple, I was burnt out. I could not do it anymore. I had given my heart and soul to corporate life and I needed a change!