How to Get “Lucky” in E-Commerce


Good things come to those who wait, but only what’s left by those who hustle.

Often the money as an entrepreneur is made by seeing opportunities other people can’t. This is a practicable skill set, it’s just not practiced by many.

I’m going to talk about a few examples of how I’ve done this in the e-commerce store space.

I constantly hear, “oh, you’re so lucky,” when people are referencing deals I’ve done.

Sure, no argument here. On a lot of my deals, I am “lucky.” However, as you’ll see from this post, I’m constantly doing things to put myself in positions to get lucky. I’m creating the situation I’m in, and not waiting for a ‘standard’ deal to cross my plate. I’m creating my own luck, and you can too.

Let me walk you through some examples so you can see what I mean.

Example 1:

I was looking at purchasing a package deal of 7 sites. I thought I may have found a diamond in the rough.

There was one store in the deal that was being treated as a throw-in, but had a lot of traffic in a high priced niche. I called the owner to find out why. They had previously bought this site for $18,000.

Why was it being offered up for close to nothing?

Turns out, the main supplier had discontinued working with them, and refused to sell to any company that didn’t have a brick and mortar store.

Seems easy enough right, just find a new supplier? Well, not quite that easy. See, the brand was by far the biggest in the niche, and basically what everyone was looking for. So, I tried to see if they’d make an exception.

The supplier made it clear they were not interested in working with ANYONE that didn’t operate as a brick and mortar store. I obviously wasn’t going to start a retail store, but there had to be another way.

I had to think outside the box.

It was time for plan B. This is where you make your money as an entrepreneur.

The supplier said they would only deal with brick and mortar locations, but they didn’t specifically say we had to own the location 🙂

I decided to call local stores in the same industry, and see if they’d help us out. The pitch was, “I don’t want to start a brick and mortar store and compete with you. Can you help us out?” That was it.

Just one phone call into plan B, we got a “yes”. It looked like that site was going to be back in business.

We called back the supplier and told them we had a “partnership” with a brick and mortar location. They agreed to supply us if we could provide pictures of the location with their merchandise in it to confirm we were selling products there.

At this point, I pulled the trigger and wrapped the deal up with the person selling the sites.

Then, I made a small purchase of inventory(under $5k), brought some into the local store that agreed to help us out, took some pictures, and we were in business!

The month before I purchased it, the store made $0.  Last month alone, that store brought in $8,339.13 in sales.

Again, this store was just thrown in with the package.

The person who sold it saw it as basically worthless, since they weren’t allowed to sell the products anymore. Instead of working out a solution that would change that result, they left a lot of money on the table.

In less than 1 day of work, we turned something that was nearly worthless back into a 5 figure asset. I was handed this asset for pennies because the seller didn’t see the angle.

You can train yourself to think outside the box. It won’t happen overnight, and it may not be easy for you if you’re not used to doing it, but it is something that can, and should be practiced. There is such a substantial amount of money to be made “outside the box”, because so few people operate there.

All these little hurdles in business are where most people stop. The people that make the money are the ones who figure out a way to get over them, and more importantly, follow through on it once they figure out a potential alternative.

“Wait, but how did you find this deal?”

Side lesson:

The whole reason I was in contact with this seller was a bit unique. See, I wanted to start scaling up my e-commerce store business quickly. Starting stores from scratch was one way, but it was scaling slower than I wanted since I was getting all of the traffic organically through SEO, which takes time. So, I started buying stores.

Instead of just going after people who owned single stores, I was going after people with e-commerce empires.

Why?

It’s substantially more efficient. Not just because I could buy more than one, but because the pricing was often better.

Here’s the reasoning:

Single store owners often operate their store as:

A. a main source of their income
B. something they’re emotionally vested in
C. something they’ll overvalue the multiple it should sell for

Often, it was all three of these things.

So, I started seeking out companies that owned a large number of stores. I would contact them with the pitch that I was interested in any stores they no longer had time to work on. Basically, I wanted their “junk”.

Doing it this way usually cuts out the potential for A and B, which makes it easier to come to an agreement on C. So, the plan was that I’d be able to buy stores cheap and quickly scale them up, due to the stores being neglected by larger companies.

Here is another site that was in the deal I picked up in the 7-site package.

Example 2:

The store was ranking on the 2nd page for the majority of it’s main keywords. I knew if I spent some time on SEO it could substantially affect the income on the site.

Here’s an image of my thought process. (read under the image for explanation)

The numbering shows what % of traffic each ranking position receives from organic searches.  For example, if you ranked #5 organically for a keyword, you would expect roughly 6.1% of people searching Google to visit your site.

This image is just an example for one keyword, for how I do the ‘traffic-potential math’ for organic search. This specific site had 4-5 main keywords that were getting almost all of it’s traffic, and all of them were on the 2nd page. So, after viewing the competition from an SEO standpoint to see where I thought I could take them to, I ran the same calculation for all of the keywords.

I was able to increase the traffic by a 3x multiple very quickly due to that simple math. This caused the income on the site to increase from $300/month, to around $1,000/month:

These deals are out there for the taking. Most of the time when things seem too good to be true, they are. But sometimes they aren’t. Many people won’t recognize them, so you’ll often find yourself in untapped territory with little to no competition. Usually when people do come across these deals that are “too good to be true”, they figure something must be wrong with them because “why would someone sell a site so cheap??”

Some people are so caught up in the fact that THEY wouldn’t sell something for a certain price, that they fail to see things from the other person’s perspective. They expect that just because they wouldn’t sell for that price, the other person shouldn’t either. This is obviously horrible logic.

Maybe they have bigger projects that are a better use of their time. Maybe they need the money quickly for something. Maybe they are tired of it and just want to get rid of it.

Failing to see things from another person’s perspective is a huge blunder that most people seem to make in business(in life as well). It’s extremely important to learn this. Once you’re able to clearly see things from another person’s perspective, it becomes a lot easier to create a win-win scenario where you can both get what you’re looking for out of a deal.

Example 3:

note: I mentioned this store briefly in the Ferrari post, in the EV calculation. A few people wanted to hear more details about how I got it.

The first e-commerce store I purchased I got for $4,000. The site was making close to $1,000 profit per month.

I can remember looking into it initially and thinking that something must be wrong if they were willing to sell for that low. “There must be some sort of catch”, I thought. Was I going to buy this site and then lose all my rankings, meaning I’d have paid $4,000 for a site that might soon become worthless?

That’s usually the type of thought process that stops other people from doing the research necessary to determine if something IS off, or if it’s just a good deal that other people have passed over because of incorrect assumptions. I did my due diligence, and everything checked out.

I purchased the site, and since buying it last year, have made over $15,000 on that $4,000 investment.

“But how did you get it so cheap???”

The lady selling really needed money for something else she was doing. She didn’t want to wait 4-5 months for the money to pay for it, and wanted it sold. Once I found out her needs, I did my best to create a win-win, and cut out my competition. The other buyers were doing some research/deciding if they wanted to spend the money. I told her if she sent me the documents I asked for I could do my research, and if it checked out, wire her the money immediately.

So, she did, and I did.

It killed the chance of the competition getting the deal because I was willing to put money up on a deal that seemed “too good to be true”. That’s the only reason the other buyers were hesitating, because it was too good of a deal. After I purchased the site, she said multiple buyers wrote her offering her a higher amount for the site if she’d sell it to them instead. Instead of making her wait for me to do research, have it sit in escrow, and tie up the process for a week or two, I gave her what she wanted- quick money. She wins, by getting money way faster than anyone else would have given it to her, and I win, by getting a site for a very low price. Going through a standard process will get you standard deals.

If you’re doing things the way everyone else is doing them, you’re doing it wrong.

Example 4:

Here’s the backstory on a store I started from scratch:

I couldn’t find many stores offering glass roses (not the actual product– changed for privacy) for sale. The few that were, their sites sucked.

After doing some initial due diligence, I found out why. Glass roses were very hard to ship, and would often break. So, many sites only sold locally.

This is where many people give up and find an easier niche. In my mind, this was great! Because of this barrier to entry, there was less competition, so all I had to do was figure out the issue and solve it, and it’d give me a mini moat in the space since no one else was willing to go through this process. I cold called companies all around the country who made glass roses. Most just refused to do business with me because of the shipping issues. After a lot of cold calls, I finally found someone willing to take a chance. They agreed to ship me a sample.

Well, the next day I got a call from them while they were at UPS. The cost to ship was going to be four times the amount of the actual product! Well, that wasn’t going to work! They’d put so much protection around them that they had to go in a huge box. They agreed to go back to the drawing board on packaging. We brainstormed a few ideas, and a day or two later they went to ship it out again. This time, it was at a price that would potentially work. Well, I got the box and the roses were shattered. There was glass all over. We brainstormed again on the packaging. Also, I figured if we could get them into a slightly smaller box, we could do flat rate shipping through the post office, which would bring our high shipping costs down. After receiving one or two more samples, it looked like we had a good solution.

I was able to launch the store, and have done very well on that business. The hurdles that could have kept me out of that business, are the same hurdles that allow me to operate with less competitors and make more money, simply because people refuse to look for creative solutions. Again, those solutions are where a lot of money is made. You should crave these hurdles, because that’s where your competitors will stop.

The next time a situation comes up that seems like it’s too good to be true, or that there doesn’t seem to be a solution for–try thinking differently. Think as far outside the box as you can, and you may make a lot of money simply from tweaking the way you think. Once you learn to think like this on a consistent basis, you’ll begin to see opportunities all over that you’ve probably missed in the past, because you’ll be able to see them in a new way.

There’s an absurd amount of money to be made in business, and a large amount of that money is made where others don’t see it.

Train yourself to see it.

Let people call you “lucky”. It’s the only explanation they’ll have… but you’ll know what led to it.





195 Responses to “How to Get “Lucky” in E-Commerce”


  1. Chris Waldron

    I think the majority of people are too lazy, in retrospect, to even dig for an actual deal. None the less actually innovate on top of the idea and turn the business around.

    Most folks think e-commerce is a great business to get into because there is no big money requirements and SEO is ‘free’, I like how you explain that thinking outside of the norm is really how you create valuable stores.

    Just as the web has changed and is no longer build it and they will come. Putting up a drop ship store on a template from a hosted e-com solution does not mean you are providing enough value to your customers over everyone else and going to make a dollar.

    Nice post dude!

    Reply
    • Billy

      Exactly. A lot of people think, “drop-ship stores — that’s easy I won’t really have to do anything.” Then they don’t do anything, and they wonder why they don’t have a store making many sales.

      Many people e-mailed or commented after the last post saying the deals I was talking about in that post weren’t possible to find. It’s not possible for them, because they’re not trying very hard, and they’re doing what everyone else is doing. Doing the same things everyone else is doing- that’s a very crowded market.

      Reply
      • Aaron

        Ive just read the four hour work week and am now questioning if the ideas i have in my head are still valid these many years later. If there are some resources you could point me to to further my knowledge, Id be grateful. PS awesome blog.


      • Billy

        Aaron, resources to do what exactly? Things along the lines of 4hww?

        Yes, information in 4hww is still valid.


  2. Amail

    Fantastic examples! You truly do create your own “luck”.

    I’d be very interested to hear more about exactly what due diligence is and how to do it properly.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Amail. I’ll have a post coming up sometime in the near future on due diligence.

      Reply
      • Brandon

        Man, with your kind of creativity, anything is possible. I wish I could borrow a chunk of your brain for a week. (That came out weird)


  3. Eliza

    This is an amazing post and very motivating. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Billy

      Eliza, which aspect of the post did you like best? Are you in e-commerce?

      Reply
      • taylor

        Are there any resources you recommend for someone looking to get into this space?


  4. Jason

    Great post! I really liked the SEO traffic break down. The fact that even a change in positions between 11 to 8 can triple your traffic and revenue is mind blowing.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Ya, people don’t think about things like this at all. It can make a ‘mediocre’ purchase an amazing purchase, by crunching a few numbers where other people won’t be.

      Reply
  5. Victor E. A. Silva

    Loved the post again, thank you Lucky Billy!

    Reply
  6. Jamie Alexander

    “There is such a substantial amount of money to be made “outside the box”, because so few people operate there.”

    Loved this part. It means anyone can make the step up by mastering their creativity.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Jamie! Exactly… I’m always surprised how small the % of people trying things differently is.

      The majority end up fighting for the same scraps.

      Reply
    • kevin

      “It means anyone can make the step up by mastering their creativity.”

      Not exactly. There are definite skills involved. I’m not saying that you couldn’t do it but don’t fool yourself.

      Reply
      • Billy

        Kevin, it’s hard work, so people who don’t want to work hard can’t do it. But, if anyone puts the time in to work on it, those skills can be improved.

        I agree with you, it is a skill. It’s a practicable skill though — rarely anyone practices that one though.


  7. Matt

    Thanks for a great blog. As someone who really has no idea how these businesses work, when you have a bunch of sites selling different products, are you personally buying from suppliers and shipping them all out or do your orders from your site go straight to the supplier and they ship it? Sorry this seems like a silly question but I’m clueless haha.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Matt. It’s not a silly question at all.

      I operate most of my stores as a drop-ship operation. There’s a few that we ship some items out for, but I’d say 98% is drop-ship.

      You can do it either way. If you stock items, sometimes you can get the product a bit cheaper, but then you’re tying up capital, having to stock a lot of inventory, and ship the products yourself.

      Reply
  8. Steve

    Fantastic post Billy

    Reply
  9. Jordan

    Cool Martini commercial titled “Luck is an attitude” thought you guys might enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhsz_dLgzp0

    Reply
    • Billy

      Awesome, loved it. Thanks Jordan.

      Reply
      • Jordan

        Billy, just a quick question for you (and I’m sorry if someone asked this already) but where would do I find people selling ecommerce sites. Flippa seems to be going downhill and I’ve seen a few resources but where are these “ecommerce empire” owners and how have you been able to get in touch?

        Of course I’m not looking for too many specifics here, just general info or tips would be helpful.

        I’m in the market for a few sites myself.

        Cheers,
        Jordan


  10. Benjamin

    Great post Billy! 🙂

    I really enjoyed the part about how you bought the site from the lady who wanted to sell quickly for $4,000. You said you wired her the money rather than it sitting in escrow, and I wondered:

    Is there a standard contract or agreement you sent her beforehand to sign? And (potentially being cheeky here) could you post the agreement/contract template online for others to use in a similar situation? 🙂

    Reply
    • Billy

      Hey Benjamin,

      I don’t think I used a contract for that specific deal. Actually, I’m not sure if I used one for any of the stores I’ve purchased. Often I’ll have them in escrow though for extra protection.

      Reply
      • Benjamin

        Thanks for taking the time to reply 🙂 Can’t wait for the next post! 🙂


  11. Mats

    What specific steps would you recommend to take to start thinking outside of the box on a consistent basis?

    Reply
    • Billy

      Mats, I’m going to have a post coming up on this sometime in the next couple months hopefully. I don’t want to give you a short answer – a quick response wouldn’t do justice to your question. I’ll do my best to put together an in-depth post about this.

      Reply
      • Sol

        I’m interested in seeing a post like this too. I’m not sure about others reading here, but for me I have little to no knowledge of web-based business investments. An ABC beginner post with a real world example from start to finish would be very interesting.

        thx for the posts!


  12. Bryan

    I enjoyed the post very much. I would like to learn more about how you find these stores. It may be somewhat simple but I am not familiar with this.
    Thanks for sharing your information.

    Reply
    • Billy

      In short — ridiculous time spent looking for them. When I was actively buying, I was putting more time in than anyone else. So, I tended to get “lucky” a lot. If everything was listed as a “great deal” — it wouldn’t be a great deal anymore, because everyone would bid the price up.

      I looked everywhere.

      Reply
  13. Wade

    You’re making a huge impact on some people with this blog Billy, me included. I love the chart on SEO. Is there a particular rank that you use to calculate a potential opportunity? To me, the term “outside the box” is overused and abused. What most people think is outside the box is not, and what is actually outside the box is incredible. The way you do things in incredible. Many thanks for your help on the transition!

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks for the nice comments Wade! Really glad to hear that.

      What do you mean by ‘rank I use to calculate an opportunity’?

      I’m going to have a post about “how to think outside the box” coming up soon. I agree, a lot of people use it when it’s not outside the box at all(myself included).

      Reply
      • Wade

        Awesome! I was referring to the Google rankings. Is there a percentage you use (similar to 3.5% for #8 in the example above) to determine whether a business is worth pursuing or not? Meaning SEARCHES (100k) x #8 TRAFFIC (3.5%) x CONVERSION (1%) = potential profit. The compare that to the cost, and either buy or pass. I’m sure there’s a better way of saying that lol


    • Billy

      exact searches for some of the main keywords x margins x competitiveness in the rank x estimated conversation rate is one i’ve used.

      Reply
  14. brian

    Excellent post Billy,

    I just got turned on to purchasing sites thru flippa.com, and have always been interested
    in the notion of buying already profitable websites, and finding the missing opportunities.
    Is there a particular site you can recommend to buy sites?

    Reply
    • Billy

      The most effective way I found to buy sites was the way I mentioned in the post. Seeking out people who owned a lot of stores, and buying ones they weren’t focused on. This is much harder than going to a website and clicking a buy button, that’s why there’s less competition — because there isn’t an organized list of people who own a lot of stores. I think any site is fine to buy them at — it’s just that if there’s a good deal, it might be obvious, so you’ll be bidding against everyone else who knows it’s a good deal.

      Reply
  15. John

    Great post Billy.

    I am starting to scale up my E-commerce business as well. Great point on evaluating the SEO of an existing E-commerce store – Many store owners lack SEO knowledge and simply hire “firms” ultimately generating very underwhelming results – I have purchased sites before and after some minor SEO work they doubled their monthly revenue. What kind of avenues did you use to find potential sellers?

    For me I have been checking the main auction/selling sites (Picked up one gem that has been growing each month since), and also simply contacting stores that I am interested in to see if they are willing to talk.

    Cheers & Keep up the quality postings,
    John

    Reply
    • Billy

      Ya, SEO firms are one of the biggest cons out there. Most SEO firms don’t even understand SEO, but their customers understand it even less so they hire them assuming they will just start making money.

      I used any avenue possible to find potential sellers. Auctions where websites were listed, blogs where people talked about selling sites, googling everything I could think of, talking to other people, etc…

      A lot of work(although I know that’s not the answer people like hearing).

      Reply
      • Tim

        That’s what filters out people (work) so the ones that are willing to work will be rewarded.


  16. Diggy

    Once again, awesome post Billy! I really enjoyed reading this!

    Different people indeed have different needs all the time and due to circumstances may be forced to get rid of things that are enormously valuable, as you showed with your example of the woman with the ecommerce site.

    With online properties it’s always a bit more difficult to invest large amounts of money because you’re not physically getting anything (compared with buying property or a brick and mortar business)I guess this is why people hesitate.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Diggy!

      Ya, for some reason people assume they’re buying something completely different if they buy brick and mortar because it’s “real”. With an online store they feel like they’re buying a shell of something, so they tend to be more risk averse.

      Reply
  17. J.J.

    Pure gold! Where do I find people with e-commerce empires? I would like to see what “junk” sites they have.

    Great point about the Single store owners most are out of my price range because those reasons.

    “I told her if she sent me the documents I asked for I could do my research, and if it checked out, wire her the money immediately.”

    Would love to hear more about what documents to ask for. Can’t wait for the next post.

    Reply
    • Billy

      J.J.- a ridiculous amount of searching. If there was a compiled list- they wouldn’t have good deals left.

      I should have used a better word than “documents”. I got screenshots, sales reports and analytics info. Things like that.

      Reply
  18. JP

    Like I said about your last post, it’s great to see some fresh content in this market! I’m loving the quality from your blog so far!

    As long as everyone is throwing in suggestions for posts, I’d like to add one. I’d love to hear how you got started (from the initial idea of making money online). I bet it’s a great story!

    Thanks for the info! Because of your blog, I’ve put more effort into my online income this past week than probably the month before. Seeing “real” advice is refreshing and contagious!

    Reply
    • Billy

      JP- I definitely plan on writing that post. That will be a very long one, so it might not be for a while. It’s on the list though.

      Glad to hear that reading the blog is helping you – really awesome, thanks for letting me know!

      Reply
  19. Matt

    Lucky bastard!

    Reply
  20. Allen

    Great post. Been waiting for this since I caught the last post. When is the next one? No pressure

    Reply
    • Billy

      Should have another up within the next 1-2 weeks. If you’re on the email list it will update you anytime there’s a post.

      I’m aiming to have 2-4 posts/month. They take a long time to compile, so will probably stay in that range.

      Reply
  21. Mario Mendoza

    Great post. I’ve been meaning to purchase an e-commerce site and apply my SEO touch to some neglected stores. I have a question for you. Due to my lack of capital to purchase a site in the $1000 price range and up, do you still feel there is potential in buying sites in a lower price range?

    Just curious to see from your experience if you have seen more issues or obstacles from sites selling at lower price points. Your points are well noted and inspiring, thanks.

    Reply
    • Billy

      You could buy a cheap one, or just start one from scratch. $1k is plenty to start one from scratch.

      I’d probably lean towards that route. It’s more of a grind, but if you find the right niche, and work hard, you can do well.

      Reply
    • Aaron

      How does one learn SEO? I’d rather ask someone who knows for sure where to start rather than reading outdated stuff on google. You are a gentleman and a scholar.

      Reply
  22. Transporter

    If you think inside the box, then thinking outside the box is just a matter of realigning your thinking. The easiest way to do that is to stop asking yourself why things won’t work, and start asking how you can make it work. Ask ‘what is the potential?’ If you can calculate the reward (as shown in the Google ranking chart) then the cost/time/effort of any solution (like digging under the wall) can be measured against that. If there is a margin of profit – take it. Nobody ever went broke making a profit. If you’ve seen the movie The Transporter, you’ll know Rule No.3 is “Don’t open the package”. The easiest way of thinking outside the box is to not look into it in the first place.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Well said Transporter. Do you have a name?

      Reply
      • Transporter

        I have to refer to The Transporter’s Rule No. 2.

        1.”The deal is the deal”
        2.”No names”
        3.”Never open the package”
        4.”Never make a promise you can’t keep”

        I’m currently not ‘jobless’ so I need to maintain anonymity as my thoughts and opinions may not coincide with those paying me to do the job. Having said that, I’m sick of seeing my best efforts turned to crap by the very people paying me to do the job…which is why I’m looking to become ‘jobless’.


    • Billy

      Haha, fair enough. Maybe one day soon you can unmask.

      Reply
  23. Joey DeLaRosa

    Great post Billy! I’ve always believed in the saying, “The Harder You Work The Luckier You Get.” You do create your own luck, however I may need to change the saying to “The Smarter You Work The Luckier You Get.”

    Now for the questions: What’s your recommendation on the best tool to utilize for evaluating Google search traffic %’s based off keyword searches?

    Joey

    Reply
    • Billy

      Change it, trademark it, book it up and sell it in our elevator book.

      Just use Google Keyword Tool- it’s free. Make sure to search by “exact” match.

      China soon- let’s book it!

      Reply
  24. Eddie

    Hey man great info and motivation. The plan always has a plan and most try to apply a cookie cutter approach to most. The fact is who really wants to live in a white house that is surrounded by a bunch of white houses. It would do us well to either move or to atleast paint the house blue. This would produce change and hey that’s usually how new and better things are created. Thanks again….

    Reply
  25. Mike

    Great post! Very few people have the same views on life/business… luckily that creates great opportunities for others.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Mike! I think you might have mis-worded accidentally — many people do have the same views, which is why there’s so much opportunity for the people who are willing to look at things from a different viewpoint.

      Reply
  26. wai kei, hooi

    That you are showing outside the box thinking is what differentiates this blog from the multitude of me-too IM websites.

    I am eagerly awaiting the post where you will do a tutorial on how to think outside the box

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks! Yes, I have no intention of having Forever Jobless be like other blogs.

      I’ve definitely got that post on the list — thanks for the interest in it It will make writing it more enjoyable knowing so many are waiting for it.

      Reply
  27. DrP

    Thanks for another excellent post. I work primarily in a brick-and-mortar business but many of the same concepts apply to solving problems we encounter. I look forward to looking on obstacles as opportunities to get ahead of those who shy away from lucrative opportunities because “they can’t be done” or “they are too risky.”

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Dr P!

      Thanks for your e-mail regarding EV as well. Hadn’t responded yet, but your feedback was helpful.

      Reply
  28. Griffin

    Bill,

    Fantastic post! I’m just getting started in eBrand-building with my foodblog, more as a creative outlet than anything. Looks like you’ve been doing some really interesting stuff. Can’t wait to read more!

    Keep it up man, and if you’re ever in San Francisco – give me a holler!

    -G

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Griffin!

      I definitely will. Especially if you cook me some of that food — looks good!

      Reply
      • Griffin

        Anytime man! We’ll eat, hoop, and cheer next time you find yourself in Northern California.


  29. I.M

    Hi! Where or how do you come across sellers? I am currently monitoring flippa for good deals. Can you share or tell us how you find sellers?

    Reply
    • Billy

      I used any avenue possible to find potential sellers. Auctions where websites were listed, blogs where people talked about selling sites, googling everything I could think of, talking to other people, etc…

      A lot of work(although I know that’s not the answer people like hearing).

      Reply
  30. Susan

    Such an inspiration to others! I am new to e-commerce so I have a lot to learn. Right now I am in step one, finding my niche. Looking forward to your next post!

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Susan! You’re in one of the ‘fun’ phases! Good luck with your niche selection. That was one of my favorite parts.

      Reply
      • Shabbir

        Hey Billy,

        Awesome blog and great post! Do keep them coming!

        I started an ecommerce store in an ill researched niche a few months ago, and have now closed it after basically flushing some hard earned cash down the toilet. I am back at niche research now but for me its become anything but fun. It used to be, but now i find myself looking around at the same product types over and over again, like its a rut. Did you ever experience this? If you did, how did you snap out of it?

        Stay lucky!


    • Billy

      Shabbir,

      What is your goal with finding a site? What do you hope to achieve with it?

      Reply
  31. dcpp

    How do you find these people in the first place?

    How do you find the big guys who have tons of sites in their inventory?

    How do you find the lady that sells a site for 4x monthly profit?

    Most people will recognize these are ridiculously good deals, but most of us will never get to talk to the decision maker who is willing to do this sort of deal.

    Stuff posted on Flippa is 99% junk or very overpriced. So how do you get in touch with all these people and find the golden deals? You must have a professional network second to none?

    Reply
    • Billy

      No, I don’t have a professional network feeding me these deals. The answer to all of your questions is “hard work”.

      I used any avenue possible to find potential sellers. Auctions where websites were listed, blogs where people talked about selling sites, googling everything I could think of, talking to other people, etc…

      Why would you not be able to talk to a decision maker? Almost every website has an email and phone number on it.

      The best advice I can give you is- don’t give yourself any excuses as to why you can’t do something. Most people who think about getting into business write down all the reasons they can’t make it work, and let those things keep them from pursuing things. This is a HUGE setback for most.

      If the same people spent their time figuring out how to solve any issues that might hold them back, they would make a lot of money.

      You’re a poker guy, so you’re probably pretty smart. You’re going to have an edge because your decision making will be better than most. Just get in the game, and you’ll do fine.

      Reply
  32. Sheyi | ivblogger.com

    You lucky bastard! Lol

    I like that word.

    You know, trying to do what others won’t do is the best bet for any entrepreneur. If you can gladly go ahead and do what others cannot do, then you will surely make what they cannot make.

    This is a moral post. Its a personal development post as well and best of it all, it still shows there is money in ecommerce. Many things amazon has taken over everything all.

    Sheyi

    Reply
    • Billy

      “go ahead and do what others cannot do, then you will surely make what they cannot make”

      I like that quote!

      Reply
  33. Dmitry

    Regarding your example #2, almost always when website changes owners, it loses the rankings in Google completely. This site didn’t?

    Reply
    • Billy

      Definitely not the case. That’s a myth.

      If people are buying sites and they’re going down for a while during the transfer, I could see them taking a hit.

      I’ve never had any site I’ve purchased ‘lose it’s rankings completely’. Ever.

      Reply
  34. Glen

    Very interesting post. The way you explained putting yourself in the other persons shoes is basically game theory at work!

    It’s very interesting to see that a lot of what you have said about how you think and approach a deal is akin to playing poker. The most refreshing part of your posts however is that there’s no bluffing! Everything you have said has value and is instantly applicable for anyone trying to improve their business.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Glen! No bluffing here 🙂

      Poker skills translate well to business. It’s amazing how some simple skills poker players understand completely, a lot of business people are very bad at, and costs them a lot of money.

      Reply
  35. Keith

    There is no such thing as “Luck”. “Luck” is when preparation meets opportunity. We create our own “Luck”. Great post and great job doing things a little different.

    Reply
  36. Frank

    Great post Billy. I am new to E-Commerce, but I feel like I am learning so much from your blog. After reading all of the comments, I think it is interesting that some people seemed to have missed the point of it. This whole post is about thinking outside the box and looking for deals in places where nobody else is looking. It does not matter who you talked to, or where you looked to find your deals because you have already found them. The real magic to your success can not be followed like a blue print because it is all about being creative. I know very little about E-Commerce at the moment, but I already have several ideas on where/how I can try to find some sites like you mentioned. My ideas may be wrong, or they may be right. Its all about trial and error. Can not wait for your next post.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Exactly Frank!!! I’ve already had a number of people emailing me requesting exactly where I found the deals- well, I already bought those deals!

      If I wrote a blueprint on how to find the best deals on stores ever, it would immediately not be a blueprint on that, because everyone would do exactly that, making them not good deals anymore.

      You understood the point perfectly — it’s not exactly where I bought anything that matters at all. It’s how and why I did certain things, so anyone can apply the same exact strategies, in any space they want.

      Reply
  37. Graham

    What kind of documents should I request when doing due diligence on a site to purchase?

    Reply
    • Billy

      Access to analytics, sales reports, bank statements — things like that.

      Lots of times I’ll just take a quick look at their analytics and backend of their store to verify traffic/sales, and know whether I’m comfortable buying it within a few minutes. For larger purchases I’d want things like bank statements probably.

      Reply
  38. Paul

    Are all your posts going to be primarily about e-commerce?

    I understand the themes you’re working towards — finding EV where others don’t see it, but I was hoping for some more varied examples.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Hey Paul,

      Nope — I’ve got a lot of different topics coming up. Since one of the companies I run happens to be an e-commerce store business, some posts will include examples from it, but not all the posts will be on e-commerce specifically.

      I want this blog to be different than what’s out there, so I’m going to try and write about things that haven’t been written on other blogs.

      Reply
  39. Brian mc Shane

    What a fantastic post and what a great example of how true entrepreneurs think outside the box.

    Quite often, it appears to other people that entrepreneurs are lucky and that they landed on their feet, however it is the ability to see a diamond in the rough and be creative in implementation that makes all the difference.

    I’m actually going to print this off later tonight and review in more detail.

    Loving it!!

    Brian

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Brian, glad you enjoyed!

      You’re exactly right- a lot of entrepreneurs I know get called lucky all the time, and it’s usually only from people that don’t understand why that person was successful. The people that understand why they were successful, know that luck had very little to do with it.

      Reply
  40. Nestor

    Hi Billy,

    Another great post. Thinking outside of the box and doing things slightly differently from everyone else will certainly create “luck”.

    Lucky you! 🙂

    Looking forward to the next post.

    Nestor

    Reply
  41. Jay Kshatriya

    Very nice read. It’s like all the folks that say athletes are just naturally talented. They see them shine on tv but they don’t see the 10,000 hours that they put in to get to that point. It’s not luck.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Jay!

      Ya, exactly – “oh he’s lucky he’s tall, that’s why he’s in the NBA!” It’s only one variable but it’s the easiest one to give themselves an excuse as to why they aren’t there.

      Reply
  42. theag

    Great post, Billy! I listened to your latest audio interviews a few days ago where you also mentioned many of those examples, but still great to read it again and paired up with the background of your thinking its just a gem. After all, hearing/reading great advice over and over again will just reinforce it. I really like the style of your blog, keep it up! Best regards!

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks!

      One of the things that helped me the most when I was trying to learn how to make money/how to be an entrepreneur, was to constantly listen a few people. Over and over and over. Then I started thinking along the same lines as them after a while, and hearing what they’d say when I thought of a situation.

      Reply
      • Aaron

        Would you reccomend some virtual-mentors, or resources to help get people started?


      • Billy

        Aaron, it depends what you’re looking to do exactly


  43. Alex

    Good post, though I noticed you don’t really talk about the amount of time, effort, skill and intuition that goes into finding and evaluating these opportunities, as well as the time/effort/cost/skill of improving the stores. For example, it might take you 3 weeks to raise the site’s ranking from #12 to #8 but it might take someone else 3 months to do the same. And maybe it took you 112 hours of research to find that opportunity in the first place.

    Not a criticism by any means, just pointing that out since it’s all part of the equation when evaluating the success of a project or venture.

    Reply
    • Billy

      It’s definitely a lot of work Alex. I’ve had a lot of people email me after this post asking to put them in touch with the exact places I found these deals. I tried to explain – it’s not that easy. If it was, those deals wouldn’t be there.

      It takes a ridiculous amount of work. Most aspiring entrepreneurs are aspiring entrepreneurs, because they see the end results of what a successful entrepreneur can have, and want that. They don’t see or want the insane amount of work it takes though. They want to skip those steps.

      Reply
  44. Heidi

    Thank you, Great post! What are some of the SEO strategies you use to push your sites to say first page? Do you do PPC, Media buys? How do you handle customer inquiries if not a drop-ship site? How do you gauge what market to enter…exact keywords searches, competition, physical stores…? What’s your long term plans with these sites…sell in 1 year?
    I know I am selfish for asking more than my share but would love to read your response to these? Again THANKS!

    Reply
    • Billy

      SEO strategies I’ll try to do a post on at some point.

      I do some PPC, but not much. I haven’t done media buys.

      I’m not sure what you mean about handling customer inquiries if not a drop-ship site. Can you explain?

      I get into markets that are higher dollar items, that have a big enough market to make a decent amount of money. I prefer not to deal in low priced products because you need to do a huge volume to make good money.

      I have different plans with different sites. I’m selling some and holding some.

      Reply
      • Heidi

        Ho do you handle customer service for products you have no control over: shipping, packaging, returns is all handled by the Drop shipper or do you talk to some customers?

        I think having more than one source of supply would be advisable to ensure no single-point-of-failure should one go out of business or cancel your contract or run out of supplies.

        One BIG stopper for most people starting out with Ecommerce and Internet related businesses is trying to do everything ALONE: creating the website, content, building links, answering to emails, SEO, PPC, etc…again this I know entails a longer response but a short version would suffice: do you outsource and what tasks?

        I do agree with you high dollar items within the $200 and above range would be best considering profit margins of say $50 per item. Thanks again!


      • Billy

        Customer service is done in house.

        re: outsourcing — I outsource everything.


  45. patrik

    great post!! SEO still works after panda? I’m surprised!

    Reply
    • Billy

      SEO is a LOT harder after Panda. Still trying to figure it out 🙂

      The store example I posted that was purchased strategically for ‘mathematical SEO purposes’ was bought pre-Panda

      Reply
  46. Joe Wilson

    Hey Billy,
    Great post, very insightful. I’m in Austin as well (Round Rock).

    Looking forward to getting to know you.

    Take care
    Joe

    Reply
    • Billy

      Hey Joe! Thanks, great to have you here!

      The first time I went to Round Rock I got lost in IKEA and couldn’t get out… true story!

      Reply
  47. Nate

    Hey Billy, I’m curious as to what ecommerce platform you use.

    Awesome stuff man!

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Nate. I used many different platforms. Since I’ve bought many of my sites, I’m often just taking them on whatever platform they’re on.(I may include a rundown of things regarding e-commerce platforms in a future post)

      Reply
  48. Thomas @ Mobile App Tycoon

    Awesome post, Billy! I can’t stand it when I’m just going about my normal day and I hear people say how “lucky” an entrepreneur is. They don’t realize that while there is some luck involved, successful entrepreneurs MAKE their own luck. It’s called hard work, a little bit of intelligence, and hustle. That’s it.

    Thomas

    Reply
    • Billy

      Exactly Thomas. It’s not rocket science, but when people can’t figure out how something happened, “luck” is the easiest way to describe it, and give themselves an excuse as to why they aren’t doing it instead.

      Hard work really is the secret most of the time.

      Reply
  49. Ahmad

    Your last picture=EPIC!! the whole post was amazing and that was a standing ovation close =)

    Reply
  50. Harold

    Hi!

    Great website! I’m really thankful you take the time to share your knowledge and hustle. I loved your first 2 posts but I can’t say I’m diggin this third one. I guess you can say it’s old news to me. Haha I guess I was just looking forward to a post about EV and how your mind ticks.

    Aloha!

    Reply
  51. TK1

    This page has the potential to make serious cheese. Thanks a lot, Billy!

    Reply
  52. Carlos

    I never saw things this way, Billy. I have caught myself saying, “Ah, it’s way too complicated. Let me find something else.” That might have been what a lot of other people were doing.

    Lets say you buy three or four e-commerce stores. Do you buy them all under your name or do you have a LLC and you buy it under that umbrella like many app developers do?

    A future post about creating value would be great. Explaining when you choose low price, great customer service, or product differentiation and why.

    Thanks for the posts and keeping them coming.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Yes, I have stores under a business. However, don’t think too much about that type of stuff if you haven’t started yet. Start, and worry about that later.

      Can you be more detailed about what you’re looking to learn about creating value?

      Thanks Carlos!

      Reply
  53. Ian

    Great article. I really enjoy reading about these sorts of investments, but I’d love for you to talk a little about how you got started finding these sorts of deals. I’m really at a loss as to where to find relatively small dollar amount deals that the average part time entrepreneur can afford to fund with savings from the “day job”. I’ve networked with my friends and business partners, but I’ve yet to run into anyone who has anything to offer.

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Ian.

      I used any avenue possible to find deals. Auctions where websites were listed, blogs where people talked about selling sites, googling everything I could think of, talking to other people, etc…

      Networking with a couple friends/partners is an okay start, but it’s going to take a lot of hustle to find these type of deals. I probably looked at over a thousand sites. Other people look at 3 or 4 and give up. I’d be amazed if anyone looked at 1,000 sites and didn’t find an amazing deal in there.

      I may write something up on what I did- but it wasn’t anything amazing. Just hard work.

      Reply
      • Harold

        This is great! I love reading about the trials and tribulations of successful businessmen. I hope you do write out a post about the hard work you did and what it takes to be awesome!


  54. Kevin

    Amazing value here, I’m going to come back 😉

    Damn.

    “Thinking outside the box”

    It’s something I need to work on. So it’s great to read about a real example of it. Thanks.

    Please, keep it coming :p

    Reply
  55. John

    Billy, great article. For us novices…how do you find owners with multiple sites? Do you cross reference whois or something? thx

    Reply
    • Billy

      I wasn’t that sophisticated about it. I just looked everywhere and followed every lead along the way.

      Auctions where websites were listed, blogs where people talked about selling sites, googling everything I could think of, talking to other people, etc…

      Reply
  56. Anthony

    Billy,

    Great post. I found you through ViperChill and opted into your email list.

    Your thinking on deal sourcing is spot on. I just did my first real estate deal — flipped it to another investor for a quick profit — and competing against others for the slim pickings on the MLS is getting old, rather quickly.

    I’d love to hear how you go about marketing research.

    Thank you for being a sound resource!

    Anthony

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Anthony.

      Congrats on doing your first deal!

      You mean “market research”, as in how I determine if a market is one I’d like to enter?

      Reply
  57. Jared

    I commented on your last post and just wondering what to do when not many resources/money are available to you. Aside from possibly getting a loan or some credit, any ways to start off, or to start making money. I know that you started a poker website and an ecommerce but could these principles or ideas be applied to other markets or fields?

    Reply
    • Billy

      If I didn’t have money, I’d go make it.

      You could raise money, but your idea has to be good and it has to be clear how you’ll execute.

      What are you doing to build capital now?

      Reply
    • KJ

      Start hustling! Deliver pizzas, mow lawns, be a waiter… this isn’t you locking into a lifetime of having a job it’s a means of raising some cash to fund your income making pursuits.

      KJ

      Reply
  58. Terence

    Great post Bill:

    This gives me a new perspective about e-commerce.

    I remember you mentioned outsourcing somewhere on your site. Do you currently hire full time employees to run your stores?

    Reply
  59. JJ

    Hey Billy, nice post! One question, where do u find these “profitable” sites for sale, and how do u know how well they are doing? I doubt owners will just give up all that info unless they are desperate to sell… I totally understand your thought processes, I have done similar things in the past, but never in e-commerce etc…. I am a web-graphics designer with a couple of years of SEO experience.

    Reply
    • Billy

      I used any avenue possible to find potential sellers. Auctions where websites were listed, blogs where people talked about selling sites, googling everything I could think of, talking to other people, etc…

      It’s not easy, and takes time. Putting the time in helps me find stuff others won’t find though.

      What info won’t owners give up? If they are interested in selling, they’ll give you the info you need to make a decision. If they aren’t interested, you just move to the next one.

      Reply
  60. Sm

    Great post!
    Can you tell me…. How would I go about starting my own drop-ship ecommerce store? I did some research on drop-shipping protein, and I spent tons of time getting nowhere on the process. I couldn’t figure out the supplier/drop ship relationship.
    This may have been in a time of poor google algorithms, but it kept me from moving forward with a launch.

    Would greatly appreciate your point in the right direction for a few easy steps on how to research and start a dropship ecommerce store. SEO aside, just literally the few steps of locating the drop ship partner(s) and setting up.

    And/Or maybe there is someone I can partner with that has experience and would set it all up.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Billy

      What was it you spent your time doing? If you let me know that I can tell you what was/wasn’t effective.

      Did you look at other sites selling protein and contact the people who’s products were listed? Those people WANT people to sell their products.

      Reply
  61. karlos

    Hi Billy,
    wonderful post you wrote that got me thinking honestly about myself 🙂

    Talking about digging deeper and thinking outside the box can be quite scary. Eventhough seeing massive opportunities, thoughts come up up like “what if I get sued” and “what happens if…”
    Getting over these fears is really essential I believe.

    Thanks and keep up the great work 🙂
    Cheers

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Karlos.

      Just ask yourself – “what’s the worst that could happen”? Then… “what % of the time will that happen”?

      Then- “what’s the best that could happen, and what % of the time will that happen”?

      If you don’t let fear trick you into massaging the numbers into not taking action, it almost always becomes clear that taking action is a no brainer.

      Reply
  62. Dave

    Whens the next article coming, I want to get rich!!

    Reply
  63. Eric

    I’m very glad I got an email from Jon Cooper at Point Blank SEO with a link to your blog this morning. I really like the angle you’ve taken on it and look forward to future posts. In regards to this one, my old wrestling coach always preached to me that luck is where preparation and opportunity meet and in the cases above it proves to be true again. Great stuff, Billy; looking forward to more!

    Reply
  64. James Hannan

    James. I also faces this type of problem. When I got any deal that seems too good to be real, I just ignore it. Sometimes I got it right and sometimes I got myself in a regret position.

    Thanks

    Reply
  65. Moe

    Hey followed you from the SPI blog. This is a great post on thinking as well as acting out of the box. I recently starting looking into purchasing websites, and after reading this post i now feel like i have some new unique ways to look at potential deals. Thanks

    Reply
  66. Mike

    Hey Billy,

    Where’d you find the store fronts being sold at? Flippa? Or did you have a product in mind because of research on keyword traffic, then just contact a bunch of online shops that sold that certain product until one of them mentioned they would be interested in selling?

    Reply
    • Billy

      I look at a number of different listing sites, am on some lists for sites, I contact store owners, I network.

      Reply
  67. Kang

    What a great post Billy, I remember stumbling upon your site before I knew you were “the Pokerfire guy” and I remain awed and inspired by how prolific you are, building so many amazing businesses and now an awesome blog!

    Reply
  68. Mike

    Hey Billy!

    Thanks for this article! One of the best articles I have read on e-commerce in a while! I had originally found this because of the poker membership site. I am looking at putting a membership site together, who do you recommend for creating a membership site?

    Looking forward to more on foreverjobless!

    –Mike
    TWINCOME

    Reply
    • Billy

      Thanks Mike!

      Regarding the membership site, depends what you’re looking to do. There’s a hundred ways they can be done. Not sure what you’re asking specifically.

      Reply
  69. Ian

    Hey Billy,

    Great article! I work in the ecommerce space as a Product Manager. I would love to see a post on how you approach the due diligence process.

    Thanks

    Reply
  70. Travis

    LOVE the information contained in these 3 posts you have!

    HATE the fact that you ONLY have posted 3 articles!

    When will more be available?

    Reply
  71. Luka

    Above all else, this post is just extremely inspiring! It gives me confidence when all I hear on a daily basis is how things are not possible.

    Please keep the posts flowing, I really enjoying reading them! Very useful and even more inspirational.

    Reply
  72. Thomas

    Bill Boy!

    I’m missing me some FJ!

    Reply
  73. Matt

    What happened dude? you started with a bang, and we haven’t seen a post since.

    Reply
  74. Jens

    Billy,
    When you take over a new store, are there any standard operating procedures that you bring with you to the new store to make operations across all of your stores to be uniform? Are there any common red flags that pop up that you look for in their SOP or otherwise?

    Reply
    • Billy

      We didn’t have too detailed of a ‘to do list’. We’d add simple things like making sure the site had a phone number(some we bought didn’t), and maybe making things look a bit better after we purchased them, but many of our stores are different since I purchased a number of them from other owners.

      Reply
  75. Danny Howard

    Hi Billy

    WOW great successes that you have had. It just comes to show how making more of an effect and suspending your dis-beliefs on something can lead to other greater opportunities that other people wouldn’t even consider.

    In terms of your eCommerce stores did it require a lot of work to configure all products and have a shopping cart platform in place.

    Cheers

    Danny

    Reply
    • Billy

      Danny- it took time to figure things out, but wasn’t too much ‘work.’ I outsourced most of it.

      Reply
  76. Jay Castillo

    Hi Billy, Part 3 where you bought that site from a lady for just $4,000 really sounded like a real estate deal from a very motivated seller. It’s funny you mentioned in your first post that you also tried investing in real estate. Seems ecommerce sites and cashflow producing real estate are very similar right?

    Your post also reminded me of a line in the book “The Richest Man in Babylon” where it said “Good luck waits to come to that man who accepts opportunity.”. In your case, thinking out of the box allowed you to see and grab those opportunities!

    Great post Billy, thanks!

    Reply
    • Billy

      Sure does Jay- the one big difference between real estate and e-commerce though is that e-commerce takes a lot less money to play the game, and forced appreciation is much easier in my opinion.

      Reply
  77. Jeremiah Say

    This post is supremely inspiring!! I bookmarked your blog for 3 months now but I didn’t see any new blog post.

    I’m looking forward to more blog post by you:))

    Happy 2013!!

    Reply
  78. Alex

    hello and thanks for another great post!

    I would like to ask you, approximately how much did you spend for the 7 sites?

    I am looking forward to seeing more posts of you!

    Thanks for this great website/blog!

    Reply
    • Billy

      Not sure, it wasn’t a lot. 4 figures.

      Thanks Alex!

      Reply
      • Alex

        I am not yet into the stage of buying ecommerce stores, but I did some search due to curiosity/training and it seems much harder than I imagined, which is a good thing.

        I would like to ask you a last question regarding this post:

        Does your approach include cold contacting people who might have ecommerce storess but haven’t said anything about selling them? I guess you have to find potential sellers, contact many people, some of them will be interested in selling and a couple of deals will seem attractive, right?

        Thanks again for this blog! 🙂


  79. Omar

    Hey Billy,

    Where can I go to view ecommerce businesses for sale? I am trying to search on Flippa.com but wanted your advice before diving in.

    Thank you,
    Omar

    Reply
    • brian

      Webmaster forums, seo forums, digital point, warrior forum etc. are all better places to look than flippa in my my experience.

      Reply
  80. Omar

    Billy,

    Do you recommend any Website brokers other than flippa.com to review and purchase ecommerce businesses?

    Thank you,
    Omar

    Reply
  81. Courtenay Farquharson

    Hey Billy,

    What a great post, thanks as always. Like your other post on the “cash cow”, I think you focused on solving problems, problems that other don’t want to solve!

    I’m placing my bets on localised replenishment e-commerce. Specifically two big markets, Pets & Baby, but in a specific country. Im hitting walls at the moment with suppliers only wanting to stock certain people (eg Vets when it comes to specialist food) and I guess that’s why i have no competitors!

    Reply
  82. John

    Great article.

    It gave me an idea for a business.

    A shipping company that specializes in shipping sensitive goods only i.e glass, windows and other delicate matters.

    I won’t be acting on it as I got my own business plans and I prefer less tactile business (i.e hands off like affiliate marketing / online websites that don’t deal with shipping goods).

    Have a good New Year.

    Look forward to your future posts.

    Reply
  83. Joel

    I’m 16 and I live in England, you’re articles are just what I’ve been trying to find for about 2 years. My ambition is earn my ‘living’ from passive income and other business ventures. I’ve got £1000 (hard earned :() I was just wondering your advice is for someone who is just starting out, who has extremely little experience?
    Thanks a lot,
    Joel

    Reply
  84. Joel

    Especially advice for actually finding these deals…would be appreciated 😀

    Reply
  85. Rich Cosh

    This is one of the best articles I have read in a while! I love the practicality of it and how much detail you went into about some of the great deals you’ve scored!

    Luck is when opportunity meets preparation XD
    Great work Billy.

    Reply
  86. kieraberry

    haha, Thanks Billy for this article post I really loved reading your article please post an article like this in every week or so.

    Reply
  87. Nigel

    Hey Billy, I’ve just found your blog so I’m a little late to the party.

    Nonetheless, I just wanted to reach out and say that your approach is so refreshingly honest.

    Too many people fall into the trap of taking a “painting by numbers” approach to ecommerce. As an entrepreneur, if you’re not thinking as you go along, you’re going to miss out on huge opportunities at the very least. At worst, some perfectly solvable problem will come along and wipe you out.

    Great writing mate – would love to see more!

    Take it easy, Nigel

    Reply

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