Shownotes
As the title suggests sometimes you need a reset. A pause, not a hard stop, to get forward motion. Andy did just this with his Private Label business as he focused on building out his Merch business. Building strong Merch processes now have allowed him to get back into PL mode. See you have to settle back sometimes! This applies to any aspect of your business and your life.
Mentioned:
Sponsors
Gaye’s Million Dollar Arbitrage List
Transcript: (note- this is a new tool I am trying out so it is not perfect- it does seem to be getting better)
Stephen: [00:00] He just wanted to offer you a chance to get to the resonate conference that’s sold out that’s coming up in May. It’s May fifteenth and sixteenth in Atlanta. I bought an extra ticket and I’m going to give it away to someone who subscribes to my newsletter. Yes, you’re going to have to subscribe. You can text the word resonate to [inaudible] the word resonate to four, four to two. It’s gonna ask you for your email and that’s what it’s going to take to get entered into the drawing. It’s one ticket. I paid for it personally. Um, you get to hang out with me. Is Monday the 14th and includes a cocktail party. It includes lunch both on Tuesday and Wednesday in an. Includes an incredible dinner Tuesday night and I just can’t wait because I think it’s one of the best conferences. What I described it last year, [inaudible] bunch of people asked me, hey, what was it like, very technical and the attendees were younger.
Stephen: [00:53] Now I’m an old dude and compare to that. They were definitely younger, but they were so technical. Ah, one of the guys I was talking to is selling on 16 different channels. The details and the intimacy because you’re so close to the speakers, you get to talk to them, you get to ask and go deeper and it’s just really, really a valuable conference put on by seller labs. Yes, they’re one of my sponsors of the show, but I bought the ticket so you know, to be fair it is sold out. They didn’t give it to me, but I want to help them because I think it helps you and so for me to get a chance to see Ezra firestone speak, I’ve not seen him speak personally face to face. I’m dying. Bret Bartlett a. When you see James Thompson, I’m from prosper show, Peter Kerns. I’m. They’ve got this expert coming in who’s doing a talking about instagram and she is talking about instagram influencers and how to use them for your products.
Stephen: [01:48] I mean this is really, really intense stuff. It’s held in an amazing place. This was a new venue in Atlanta, so you’re responsible for your own hotel, your own flight, your own transportation to the event, but the ticket itself is paid for. I paid for it because I’d like to hang out with you, so if you’re interested in it, all you have to do is text resonate to for, for [inaudible], and it’ll ask you for your email. That’s the cost and you’re going to get subscribed to my newsletter, which I think is a valuable newsletter. But then again, maybe I’m biased, but if you want to come and hang out with me in Atlanta, it’s going to be in May. Coming up quick. So I’ll probably choose the, uh, the person pretty quickly. So any questions, just send me a note at Stephen and e-commerce, momentum [inaudible] steven and e-commerce momentum.com.
Cool voice guy: [02:33] Welcome to the podcast where we focus on the people, the products, and the process of e-commerce selling today. Here’s your host, Steven Peterson.
Stephen: [02:47] I know, say it a lot and I love what I do. I love talking to people and I love. I love when somebody can help me understand something that’s way obvious and I’m just not bright enough catch. And when he says it, I’m like, oh, I get it now, number 290 here, Andy mccan. Now Andy’s a humble guy, a teacher, but a very cool teacher teaching in a very cool school district because they get, they see what, what, um, the value of having consistency is kind of a cool story. We do get into that. But what’s very cool for me is, you know, and I think it comes across in Andy’s call after the call, we talked about a little bit where we were talking about people leaving this world because they’re not as successful as x. They didn’t hit the same sales number as why and these w x and y people are just people.
Stephen: [03:41] But they’re measuring themselves against other in and said, you know, I kind of felt that way. He did. Um, and by him settling back, it’s a term I use for it. He was able to adjust some things and then settle back. And he’s in a stride now. We’re now a year later, he’s able to advance where he couldn’t before. It’s a very cool place to get to and I just hope that if you’re anywhere in that journey, that you listened to this and you take that as good, solid advice from somebody who’s done it and, um, and his contact information, reach out to them if you feel like you need to and take it forward, take it all the way and just realized that you do get more than one chance at this and you’re learned. You’ve learned something, you’ve learned a lot and there’s no sense in losing it. Just settle back and then move forward. Let’s get into the podcast.
Stephen: [04:33] Welcome back to the e-commerce movement and podcast. Very excited about today’s guest who is a. He is a very busy man and so the only time I can catch them is in between activities because he’s got kids, he’s got school, he’s got well, he teaches school, so that’s part of the story, but he’s always traveling. He’s always busy and so I’m very, very fortunate for a chance and an opportunity to talk to Andy mccan. Welcome Andy.
Andy: [04:58] Stephen, good to good to be here.
Stephen: [04:59] Well, it’s good to have you here. Um, we’ve uh, met face to face at least once. Was it twice?
Andy: [05:06] Yeah.
Stephen: [05:10] Rocky mountain and Andy’s a, a, a, a hulk of a man, a habit and slim. And so the two of them together, you know, it really intimidating. And what’s cool though is you guys have such similar stories and similar backgrounds and just that similar nature. You’re both gentle kind of giants, you know, just real kind, real, real, unassuming. How’s that fair for you in the classroom? I mean they’ve got to be intimidated by you. It
Andy: [05:39] usually worked out pretty well, but then the middle are usually to intimidate anyone there in kind of their own little world. Uh, where I taught elementary school for awhile that was a little more, uh, the, the, was probably a little more of a factor for those kids.
Stephen: [06:02] You, uh, you teach gifted students and I’m interested in about that story and I love the fact that you’re with them for three years. I, I’m, that blows my mind because that’s somebody who gets it, that continuity and you could see them from when they start and can bring them all the way through. There’s some real thinking there. That’s really cool. How’d you get into teaching it? Was it, was it something that you just wanted to do
Andy: [06:23] from a time when I was probably 11 or 12, I wanted to be a teacher and it’s kind of never, never diverted from that.
Stephen: [06:34] So you’re going to teach a subject that you wanted?
Andy: [06:37] Yeah, I wanted to be an elementary teacher and I did that for about 10 years and realized that that was probably a better suited to specialize in just math and science. Um, I didn’t, I didn’t feel like I was a very effective reading teacher so I made the switch to middle school so I could work just, uh, with, with math and science and kind of fell into the gifted a position as something that, uh, I was interested in but hadn’t really worked with before. So, um, that my district started this program with the top 30 kids out of about 800 get bused to my school and then I get to instruct them for all three years in math and science
Stephen: [07:30] when you talk to your contemporaries in other school districts because that’s unusual. I’ve not heard of anybody who gets them for three years. I don’t know, maybe that’s a new trend, but what do you think is the benefit of having them for those whole three years?
Andy: [07:43] It’s a very unique. So I’m, I’m fortunate for that. I’m just kind of, you really get to know the students well and I’m kind kinda can react well to kind of when they’re, whatever kind of their quirks are or you can even tailor assignments to kinds of their, uh, their strength
Stephen: [08:12] or over the summer. I mean, can you say, hey, this is a way to get ahead if you really want to admit because these are generally motivated kids, right? I mean, yeah, generally.
Andy: [08:22] Yeah, absolutely. We, uh, we do try to, uh, you know, give them information about any camps that might be going on or classes that are available that we can pass that information onto the kids.
Stephen: [08:38] How old are these kids? Roughly?
Andy: [08:40] Eleven to 13. 14 when they finish eighth grade
Stephen: [08:46] it, dude, I just sitting here thinking, I wonder how old. I’m like, oh my God.
Andy: [08:53] Pretty funny though. Know they’ll grow a good foot between the time I meet them in the time they leave in eighth grade
Stephen: [09:02] and the boys have wasted a few octaves and the girls changed. It’s funny. When you think about your life, is there anything more that you would love doing that pr or that rewarding part of it?
Andy: [09:20] Not really. I really found my, my niche niche niche here with the gifted students and uh, now that I’ve gotten into that, I really kind of feel that fulfillment that I, um, was kind of lacking a little bit in my first 10 years or so of teaching. Um, I, I enjoyed it, but it just always felt a little forced. Um, it really took me awhile to realize like, I’m, I’m doing something for two, two and a half hours a day that I feel really, uh, not very good at the teaching reading and um, so, and despite my efforts to improve, just never felt like, uh, like I was getting there. So
Stephen: [10:14] that forced, I think that’s a very powerful term and I think that happens in a lot of businesses. A lot of life’s probably did a lot of ecommerce businesses and I know this isn’t a discussion and we’re going to get there, but, but I think that’s a powerful term. Who recognized that it was for. So was it you internal and is that a failing? Uh, did you ask for help because guys don’t ask for help. I mean, walk us through that. I mean, it’s reader.
Andy: [10:38] Yeah, yeah, no, I agree. Um, it was kind of identified really in my, uh, in my student teaching, we have like a college professor who kind of advises us and he kind of mentioned, you know, that was kind of my, my weakest area. So really from the get go it was something I was aware of, but um, it really took, I switched school districts after about five years and that, that new district just had a different approach to teaching reading and um, I could just never really, never really felt like I was doing it as well as I could have or areas others were. And it’s such an important thing to know that for that.
Stephen: [11:30] Why was it a, was it a, you know, like, like what’s the difference because I think is important when you go to math and science, you were in your lane, right? Things really easy for you with this other thing. Is it, is it not, be? Not that it’s challenging, it’s just not enjoyable.
Andy: [11:49] A lot of it was, I had a really hard time connecting kids who struggled with reading because I just never, I never remember having any sort of struggle with it. So it was really hard for me to relate. And.
Stephen: [12:07] But what do you do with the kid that struggles with math and science? Very difficult subjects.
Andy: [12:13] Yeah, it really is. Um, those are subjects that I felt like I struggled with a little more in my schooling. So it’s, it seems to come a little more naturally for me to do.
Stephen: [12:27] You can relate to those kids were the other ones you can liken that to e-commerce, right? So thinking about the parts of the business that you love or you get passionate about and the parts that you don’t. Because I always think people walk away from this and I’m always like, no, wait, there’s so many sides to it. I mean, before, before Merck came along, Andy, because Andy is a big guy and we’ll talk about that, but before March came along, do you think you would have stayed in e-commerce as heavily as you did? I mean, you were big Ebay seller for a long time and you do Fba and all that kind of jazz, but could you see some of that passion potentially leaving?
Andy: [13:05] Yeah, for sure. I’m eva in college really, and I’m Kinda went in and out of that. Um, you know, I did books for awhile and then vintage clothing and kind of um, never really hit my stride. Um, for, for a real long time with either of those and then, um, when merchant Kinda Fba came hand in hand for me really as far as when I began those, um, I reached out to Andy Flemings because I kept seeing in his, uh, posting on facebook. He and I were, we knew each other growing up in Aurora, Illinois. So he, we’ve known each other since, you know, I was maybe 14 years old. So, um, we, I would see his postings about Amazon and I just Kinda was a little dissatisfied with my, with my job, a teaching job at the time
Stephen: [14:12] in that lane.
Andy: [14:14] Yeah, there had been a little shift. I taught the gifted a few years and then the district made a couple changes and I was just wasn’t real happy for about a year and a half. And um, I was able to know. I talked to andy and I just said like, Hey, you know, I’m interested in e-commerce. It’s kind of always been something I’ve, you know, like being a part of and I see you’re being successful with it. And so andy was the one who pointed me in the direction of merchant Fba, and March comes naturally. I’ve always had kind of a design, uh, enjoyment of design. So
Stephen: [14:58] you take design to a new level. I’ve seen some of your designs. I mean, you have a gift worth, you know, it’s funny you’re the, I think the third person that I can think of right away at the top of my head that has adopted that they basically had something they weren’t enjoying and they were able to fulfill it and fill it in specifically with merchant. I mean, it definitely seems more of the artist’s side. Um, it fills out that piece of their life that they were missing and then all of a sudden it’s not like they get complacent and where they were, they, they could settle back into where they were. It’s like they need something, needs something. They found this and it allows them to settle back in life without like running away from something. That’s a very, very cool thing to figure out my friend. That’s a very cool thing.
Andy: [15:44] That’s a good way of putting it. It really, it does feel that, that desire to create and um, you know, does it, like you said, within the, the ability to kind of keep my other passion for teaching going as well, so. Right.
Stephen: [16:02] Otherwise you’d have to give it up completely and then more and then that longing would be there and so it doesn’t have to be, maybe you’re definitely one of the top five. I could see that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. The parents, I mean, did your dad have that option? I don’t think so. I mean, I’m probably,
Andy: [16:26] yeah, he was, uh, he was actually a commercial photographer and um, yeah, he just was kind of stuck within, in the confines of that and uh, yeah, definitely couldn’t really branch out, you know, it would have a. yeah, just had an effect on his overall business and uh, yeah, just the focus on the business...