Shownotes
The title is not meant to mislead you. Chris stepped back from selling 7 figures on Amazon this past year to allow him to focus on his family and his and his partners private label business. Can you find someone who shares the vision as well as you do? Can you give without expectation? Can you guess what you get back?
Mentioned:
Sponsors:
Gaye’s Million Dollar Arbitrage List
Transcript: (note- this is a new tool I am trying out so it is not perfect)
Stephen: [00:00] It just want to jump in and mention my sponsors doing them all in the front. So I hope people appreciate that that’s kind of a new thing that’s been going out in the podcast world and this episode is such a great episode. I’m so excited. I really am. Gail is BS. Interview I hope you listen to that number to 38 and it just blew me away because she is the real deal that arbitraged group she’s running is just rocking it. I’m in it and I’m watching just people just not going at it. And you know for$149 for you to be able to get in there. There is a free week that she’s giving if you go through my link and I have a link on this episode. But I mean to me that’s how you can build up this Q4 and if you even can’t get it get on the waiting list because she’s going to pull from there when somebody drops for whatever reason.
Stephen: [00:45] So get in there. Gail is BS. Million dollar arbitrage I have a link. And you’re also going to get that seven day free trial silver lab scope I can’t talk enough about it. I just got another note from somebody saying hey what I was able to do was go up and blah blah blah. That is so cool to me hearing those successes and hearing that you heard it through my show just makes me tingle because it’s like getting exposed to that stuff is how you figure it out right. Somebody else has somebody else smarter than me has figured it out. I’m just bringing you the information it’s so neat to see and so scope’s going to let you really work on your private label wholesale and help you get the keywords right.
Stephen: [01:23] Ultimately that’s how you get the buybacks. You got to know what people were searching for. You put that in there you get that adjusted to know exactly what they’re searching for and boom you get found right being found on that page one. How do you do it by knowing the right keywords. How do you do that. Look at your competitors and use their keywords. That’s how you do it. And sculp allows you to do that. It’s just a powerful thing. Solutions for e-commerce. Karen Lochore you’ve heard me talk a lot about her if you haven’t met her. You should. Smart lady who knows what she’s doing. For example today had four items where I forgot what they call that were flagged for quality. They were quality alerts. That’s
Stephen: [02:01] what it was and turns out there’s an image issue and she’s like well yeah there’s Amazon’s now making a change it has to be 80 percent blah blah blah blah blah. I’m like I’ve lost interest already. Could you help me. And she’s like fixed. That’s the value of having an account manager. Right. Or when I get those calls Hey I’m calling about case number blah blah blah like that goes to my other person and that just happens to be my team member who happens to be Karen her team solutions for e-commerce dot com slash momentum. Saves you 50 bucks. You’re going to say 50 bucks and she’s going to do an inventory health report for you. To me that’s how you know what inventory is healthy. Q4 you still can get some inventory out of this recording for free. You probably want to do it.
Stephen: [02:45] So jump on and get with her. Tell her I sent you. So it’s solutions for e-commerce dot com slash momentum. Go Daddy is another sponsor. And I love what they’re doing because my domain order we’ve already acknowledged that I got a problem and I just love the fact that I could save 30 percent finally because I never did so try go daddy dot com slash momentum and get your domain but also by that privacy. Look out there and one of the Facebook groups you’ll see somebody complaining about the lack of privacy by the privacy it’s not that expensive. And again you’re saving 30 percent on it. It’s really a smart deal and grasshopper try grasshopper dot com slash momentum. It’s the professional way to present your company. You don’t have to carry a second phone.
Stephen: [03:32] It’s an app that goes on your phone but it allows your calls to get routed effectively and for real. I mean I always say you can to have them go. Press one for customer service but that could go to your customer service team if you use one right. That can go to that person or I’m surprised nobody’s offering that services to us to be the customer service department for a lot of us whereas desk in effect somebody should offer those services. But that’s what’s cool is you know by using grasshopper they press two to get to that department and then they can come in and you know effectively represent you. I just think it’s so cool so try grasshopper dot com slash momentum. It’s going to save you 50 bucks and you’re going to be able to all of a sudden become that professional organization you want to become. And I just appreciate my sponsors. I hope you do too.
Cool voice guy: [04:20] We’ll get the e-commerce momentum I guess. Well we’ll focus on the people the products and the process of Commerce selling today. Your host Stephen Peters and welcome back to the e-commerce momentum podcast. This
Stephen: [04:36] is episode [2:44]. Chris Guthrie you know what a great conversation guy killing it grows enormously has figured it out clearly has a plan. Life is great. And then stops and says no I’m going to do half of what I was doing. And I’m going to do this part of the business that I’m doing because that’s what I enjoyed the rest of it. I’ve got to find another way. How many of us are willing to do that. How many of us have that option. Because him and his wife are on the same page because there’s so because they communicate so well. I think that’s probably it. And he has a partner that he communicates because they’re family and there is a deep trust and a deep relationship there. He’s able to do that. And yet they the other family members by right in because they see it too and they benefit. That’s what you want. How can you do it. Well listen to Chris and you can see let’s get into the podcast. All
Stephen: [05:34] right welcome back to the e-commerce in a podcast very excited about today’s guest because I guess for the last I maybe it’s almost been two years I’ve been watching him from afar. We met at least once or twice and now I see a change and a change in such a positive way that I admire him in our pre-interview talk. We’re talking about I admire as a dad someone especially a man who makes a choice for his family but does it in the right way. I’m just so excited about Chris Guthrie. Welcome Chris. Hey thank you. You know you and I were together a couple weeks ago and I said to you I want to have you on especially as I heard your story has changed because flashback. I don’t know maybe two years ago we met you were killing it. You and your father in law were growing a business and really starting to grow. I mean you were. You were so in dare I say seven figures. I mean you know I don’t think so.
Chris: [06:32] Oh no. You are definitely each of us working on seven figures on our own and then we’re doing a lot of joint project together. Yeah.
Stephen: [06:40] And the sky was the limit. Right you guys were both like oh this is nothing. I you know I’m just getting started. I mean I got that vibe from me this was like I said a couple of years ago and I saw that and I’m like oh man they just get it. And
Speaker 7: [06:53] then you know we’ll get to the story of how and why decided to kind of step back and basically turn off the funds.
Stephen: [07:05] The big funnel that was giving you your sales and you make a choice and your choice is to choose your family and you got it do it get I get choked up. I wish somebody could see this because it really tells me you understand now you’re a young guy relative to me. And the fact that you understand your parents are proud. Let me just tell you as a parent they are proud. I hope your kids get to that place in their head even sooner than you did. Yeah. My hopes too. So I let it in. And so let’s go back first so because you’ve had a good career you had a big future. I mean it seems to me and I see this as a pattern and I guess no surprise for a lot of people listening is that you know a lot of successful people were probably successful at most everything they did this just might seem to come more natural to some people were they gravitate towards this.
Stephen: [08:00] But you had a successful career when you went to college. Did you plan on being in sales or marketing in some way. No I had no idea really where you’re going you’re you’re out going. Nobody ever said to you man you should be in sales.
Speaker 8: [08:16] No I mean it’s just never been something I’m interested in. I did inside sales. I sold cell phones when I was a teenager but that’s about it. That’s
Stephen: [08:25] pretty. You know I take some unissued like at the mall or something like that.
Chris: [08:29] Yeah you know I like AT&T stores. I like that.
Stephen: [08:32] OK. So you did that were your parents entrepreneurs in any way.
Chris: [08:36] No not really. Why. My father was a Vietnam veteran. He got you know in the war. He got a job at Procter and Gamble here in our town and he retired from there. So he was there for like 35 years or my mom was a stay at home mom so no I didn’t really have a lot of entrepreneurial influence. I did have an uncle who is a chiropractor on his practice and I always look up to him. So I say that’s probably the closest in my family. But
Stephen: [09:01] as far as you knew you go go to school get a job work for 30 some odd years and retire.
Chris: [09:09] Yep that’s what you know I was prepping myself to do.
Speaker 7: [09:13] And so what changed. I mean when you went to school what was your degree you were going for.
Chris: [09:19] It was and you know computer science I.T. open up that that type of feel.
Stephen: [09:24] And you were going to be a nerd. Yeah.
Chris: [09:27] Basically I mean I was always interested in computers and still you know some stuff thought about it but once I actually got out into the industry is just you know just a lot of politics as with almost every every career but a lot of politics a lot of you know just not fun stuff.
Stephen: [09:46] And I used the term nerd as a term of endearment because I applauded. I mean I mean because it’s like man they eventually will own the world but it’s true. The thing that throws me about you is I would have never picked you as a computer guy you are a sales guy. You are you’re you’re outcoached. I mean you make it a point to know everybody. You’re you know friendly. You know where does that come from. That’s not that’s not computer guy. I mean just telling you that’s not computer. I’ve been doing that for a long long time have had a ton of work for me. You’re not the typical computer guy.
Chris: [10:18] Well I’d have to say it’s not. I mean I wouldn’t say that it comes truly natural to me either. It’s definitely something I have to work on. I think naturally as you know if I just went by the flow I’d be an introvert. But you know I always have to constantly force myself to you know work on building relationships and not letting existing relationships go by the wayside. It’s definitely one of my challenges.
Stephen: [10:41] Now you did you get married right at a college.
Chris: [10:45] Pretty close. My wife and I both were the same age and we you know graduated with our undergrad she continued on with her master’s and I started working and we were out of college for about two years and got married.
Stephen: [10:59] OK. And so now you’re going to go get a job. You’re going to work there for 30 some odd years she’s going to go work somewhere. Whatever kids you know two kids a couple dogs house. Life is easy. Right.
Speaker 9: [11:09] Yeah.
Stephen: [11:11] Quote unquote easy. And so what was your what was the first job that you took out of college.
Chris: [11:17] It is actually my father an author. It got me the job at the company he worked at and your father in law Scott. Yes got me in key and it was just doing some data processing at a company make an okay money for my age you know being like I don’t know what 21 year in California though there’s no such thing as okay money in California.
Speaker 10: [11:41] That is true. I think it’s a very expensive place.
Stephen: [11:45] OK. So so you get this job and when you went to work there was this going to be the company was this the one that you were like OK 35 years 30 and done right. That’s what it is. Right. 30 years get my pension and then I get to do what I want to do.
Chris: [12:00] I mean that was definitely in the realm of possibilities. I know I was already so long ago I can’t remember exactly how I felt about it but I stuck with that industry for eight years and it had its ups and downs and I went No I started with a bigger company then moved over to a start up. And you know it was good. I got paid great money. And you know I was pretty flexible but there was still something missing pressure in the startup.
Stephen: [12:25] Now was this pre dotcom explosion or post. Oh OK so post post post.com explosion a startup used to be amazing was the best thing in the world. Then it had a negative connotation. Now I don’t know about California if it’s ever had a negative connotation in the rest of the real world where you know the other the rest of us live it would it would be a place that we like. Oh that’s scary.
Speaker 7: [12:50] That’s risky. Was it risky for you. I mean was it exciting. Was it that drove you there.
Chris: [12:57] Other than money it was actually kind of forced the larger company I had worked at they decided to close the California Office and over 85 lost our jobs. We had 60 days until they were to close the office. And in term I did take a job at a high school I was a computer tech and it was just insanely overwhelming and reinforce the more that like tech like kind of computer maintenance side definitely wasn’t where I wanted to be. And then some folks that I had previously worked with started their company and they called me and basically begged me to come work for them because they were overwhelmed overwhelmed and I went to work with them and it was great for two three years and then that company started growing and we started you know a lot more rules and regulations because that is what it is.
Stephen: [13:49] You like the deal because I think we’re going to lead somewhere with this. You like the lack or maybe the flexibility I guess when you are independence and all that stuff. Now you don’t have that with them. I mean with that company right is it evolved. And so that that was something that I think people should pay attention to. Right so there’s a little clue that you know I don’t like when it gets to be so rigid. Right yeah. And are you a creative computer person. I mean are you one of those guys that just can see a problem and write code to figure it out or are you more that technical guy.
Chris: [14:26] I’d say more technical I can I can be when when needed creative but definitely not one of my strong suits.
Stephen: [14:33] OK OK OK so a couple of years life is good. Really good. And then