Lunch With Norm - The eCommerce & Amazon FBA Podcast

• Most Sellers Won’t Survive This...

  Trump’s new tariffs are crushing seller margins and confusing even the most advanced Amazon operators. But while most sellers are panicking, smart brands are pivoting. In this episode, Norm Farrar is joined by Dan Ashburn, co-founder of Titan Network and operator of $100M+ in Amazon brands, to break down exactly what sellers need to do in the short and long term to navigate tariffs, protect their cash flow, and gain market share while others retreat. This is your full game plan to survive — and thrive — through the chaos. _________________________________ This episode is sponsored by Levanta: Most sellers rely on ads to grow. But lately, that growth comes at a higher price. ROAS is inconsistent. CPCs are rising. And scaling often means overspending. Levanta’s Affiliate Shift Calculator helps you explore a smarter mix—by modeling what would happen if you reallocated a portion of your ad spend into affiliate marketing. It’s a free, expert-built forecast based on your own inputs—not guesswork. 🚨 Get My Shift Calculation → HERE _________________________________ 🔑 What You’ll Learn - The real impact of 125–245% tariffs (and who’s hit hardest) - Short-term inventory strategies to buy time - Why your supplier is your most powerful ally - The 4D chess of pricing, brand value, and inventory - Long-term mitigation strategies - How to negotiate better payment terms and reduce COGS   Tools Dan’s team uses to stay ahead  🧠 Guest: Dan Ashburn Co-founder of Titan Network Operator of 100M+ in Amazon brands China Magic lead + margin strategy specialist 🔗 Useful Links 💼 https://www.titannetwork.com 🎓 Cash Flow for Sellers Training: cashflowforsellers.com ✈️ China Magic Trips: https://www.chinamagictrip.com 🧹 Review Removal Tool: https://tracefuse.ai 🗞 Newsletter: https://lwn.news   🕒 Timestamps (Chapters) 00:00 – Intro & Dan Ashburn Joins 04:00 – What Are Tariffs & Why They Matter 08:00 – The Seller Panic Explained 12:00 – 3-Step Response Plan: Observe, Analyze, Respond 16:00 – Tariff Breakdown: How We Hit 245% 20:00 – The Inventory Game: Why It’s Key to Survive 24:00 – Pricing Strategy & Brand Perception 28:00 – Using “Made in USA” Positioning Without Breaking Rules 32:00 – Supplier Relationships as Your #1 Asset 36:00 – Financing & Warehousing Short-Term Plays 40:00 – DDP Shipping: Pros, Cons & Risks 44:00 – Why Negotiating in Person Works Best 48:00 – Cash Flow Tactics + Supplier Terms 52:00 – Mistakes to Avoid During Tariff Panic 56:00 – Long-Term Mitigation Plans (First Sale, FTZs, etc.) 1:00:00 – China +1 Strategy & Sourcing Risks 1:04:00 – Final Tips & Tools to Navigate Tariff Chaos

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• $500 to $150K/Month! - The Retention Strategy Behind MASSIVE Growth

  Most brands obsess over acquiring new customers... But what if the real money — and sustainable growth — is hiding in the customers you already have? 🚨 Get Levanta's Affiliate Ad Shift Calculator - HERE In this episode of Lunch With Norm, Norm Farrar sits down with Dan Jordan, Director of Strategy at Social Lite and CRO coach at Merchant Mastery, to dive deep into retention marketing, subscription growth, and AI-powered automation. Dan has helped hundreds of Shopify and DTC brands scale through better customer retention, smarter email flows, and real-time data-driven decisions. If you’re scaling a Shopify brand, running a subscription box, or just tired of bleeding cash on Facebook ads with no LTV — this episode will show you exactly how to build systems that retain, convert, and grow. _________________________________ This episode is sponsored by Levanta: Most sellers rely on ads to grow. But lately, that growth comes at a higher price. ROAS is inconsistent. CPCs are rising. And scaling often means overspending. Levanta’s Affiliate Shift Calculator helps you explore a smarter mix—by modeling what would happen if you reallocated a portion of your ad spend into affiliate marketing. It’s a free, expert-built forecast based on your own inputs—not guesswork. 🚨 Get My Shift Calculation → HERE _________________________________ What You’ll Learn: - Why retention acquisition is for long-term growth - The truth about "Subscribe & Save" (and why it’s not a real strategy) - Dan’s “Subscribability Framework” to boost LTV and reduce churn - How to engineer offers that keep customers buying month after month - Real examples of brands going from $500/month → $150K/month - AI-powered automation using Make.com & n8n - How to build feedback loops through post-purchase flows and surveys - Critical metrics to track: churn, time to reorder, reactivation success & more Timestamps 00:00 – Why Retention Beats Acquisition 03:10 – The #1 Mistake Most eCom Brands Make 04:58 – Retention Isn’t a Loyalty Program 07:11 – What Is the Subscribability Framework? 09:45 – Why ‘Subscribe & Save’ Fails 14:02 – Personalization Over Repetition 18:54 – Automation Isn’t Hard Anymore 20:30 – AI-Generated Emails That Sound Like You 22:46 – "Show Up Like a Friend, Not a Brand" 24:17 – Who Should Not Use Subscription Models? 28:41 – BoxyCharm’s $500M Exit 33:48 – How to Collect Real Feedback from Your Customers 38:05 – The Metrics That Actually Predict Churn   Hosted by: Norm Farrar, “The Beard Guy” Newsletter: https://lwn.news Join the community: Facebook Group | WhatsApp | Subreddit Hashtags:  

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• This TikTok Shop Strategy Is Making Brands Go Viral!

  Is TikTok Shop still worth it in 2024? Or is the ban just smoke and mirrors? In this episode of Lunch With Norm, Michelle Barnum Smith breaks down everything sellers need to know about growing on TikTok—from setting up your shop the right way to generating hundreds of videos without being the face of your brand. ➡️ Ready to grow your brand and sell more? Check out all the tools and resources we recommend at: https://www.lunchwithnorm.com/ This episode is a must-watch for any Amazon or DTC brand looking to tap into TikTok Shop’s explosive growth. Michelle covers the exact strategies that are working right now, including how to get your account approved, how to seed products to creators, and why content—not followers—is the key to scale. She also explains why most sellers fail in their first 90 days and how to avoid being one of them. Whether you’re just getting started or ready to go all in on TikTok, Michelle lays out the playbook. 🔍 What You'll Learn: - Why most brands are still ignoring TikTok Shop (and losing money) - How to scale content without being on camera - What the TikTok ban actually means (and why the platform’s still growing) - Real-world onboarding and setup advice that saves time and headaches Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to TikTok's Content Strategy 00:24 The Rise and Risks of TikTok Shop 02:20 Challenges Big Brands Face on TikTok 03:12 The Authenticity Factor 05:16 Opportunities for Small and Medium Businesses 08:52 Getting Started on TikTok 21:12 TikTok Shop vs. TikTok 22:48 Tips for Business Registration 26:38 Canadian Companies and TikTok Shop 28:45 TikTok Ban and Its Impact 34:51 Strategies for TikTok Shop Success 38:02 Content Creation for TikTok Shop 42:03 Conclusion and Final Thoughts ________________________________________________________ This episode is brought to you by Levanta: Amazon’s not broken—but your strategy might be. If your sales are stalling while ad costs climb, you're not alone. Top brands like HyperIce and Caraway are shifting their mix with performance-based affiliate marketing. With Levanta, you only pay when a sale happens—and you tap into over 10,000 vetted creators, publishers, and review sites driving external traffic that lifts your organic rank. They even built a free tool to show the calculated revenue lift you could see. Check it out at https://hubs.ly/Q03ghJk60 ________________________________________________________ This episode is brought to you by TraceFuse: Struggling with negative Amazon reviews? TraceFuse removes non-compliant reviews 100% within Amazon’s Terms of Service. With 11,000+ reviews removed for 400+ brands, TraceFuse delivers results—and you only pay for what we remove. No contracts, no monthly fees, just performance. 🚨 As a Lunch With Norm listener, your first two removals are FREE.   🚨 Clean up your reviews today at https://tracefuse.ai/lunchwithnorm-newsletter/ ________________________________________________________ Your Brand Here? – Contact [email protected] for sponsorship opportunities

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• Start Your Beauty Brand in 5 Minutes (No Inventory Needed)

  Launching a beauty brand sounds glamorous—until you hit the endless delays, huge upfront costs, and sourcing headaches. In this episode of Lunch With Norm, Adam Chuntz, co-founder of Blanka, shares how anyone from solo entrepreneurs to salons can launch a fully branded beauty line in minutes—without minimums or manufacturing nightmares. Norm and Adam dive into the revival of private label, why North American sourcing is back, and how smart founders are using white label platforms and instant Shopify integrations to build lean, fast-growing brands. They also cover why most people get branding completely wrong, how to price for profit, and what it really takes to stand out in a saturated market. 🔥 Join the Lunch with Norm Newsletter https://LWN.news  Get 15% off your first Sample Order with Blanka, using the code: LUNCHWITHNORM - https://blankabrand.com/  ________________________________________________________ This episode is brought to you by Levanta: If you're an Amazon seller, you already know—PPC costs are rising fast. But what if you could grow sales without increasing your ad spend? The team at Levanta put together a free guide that shows you how to get started, what networks to use, and how to find affiliates who actually perform. Grab the Free Guide - https://hubs.ly/Q03dyv6R0 ________________________________________________________ This episode is brought to you by TraceFuse: Struggling with negative Amazon reviews? TraceFuse removes non-compliant reviews 100% within Amazon’s Terms of Service. With 11,000+ reviews removed for 400+ brands, TraceFuse delivers results—and you only pay for what we remove. No contracts, no monthly fees, just performance. 🚨 As a Lunch With Norm listener, your first two removals are FREE. 🚨 Clean up your reviews today at https://tracefuse.ai/lunchwithnorm-newsletter/ ________________________________________________________ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Branding Beyond the Logo 02:21 The Evolution of Private Labeling 10:35 Custom Formulations 21:37 The Importance of Brand Development 23:53 Efficient Order Fulfillment Strategies 24:50 Leveraging Warehousing 29:39 Understanding Your Audience 34:34 Expanding Your Product Line 41:07 Final Thoughts

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  43:04
• You're Scaling Your Amazon Ads Wrong - Here's How to Fix It

  Amazon ads are getting more expensive, more competitive—and way more confusing. In this episode of Lunch With Norm, PPC strategist Elizabeth Greene breaks down what’s really happening inside Amazon’s ad console in 2024 and what you need to do to scale profitably in 2025. From catchall campaigns and B2B optimization to fractional DSP access and Amazon’s new AI tools, Elizabeth shares advanced strategies that are working now. She also explains why most sellers are mismanaging ad spend, how to evaluate performance across massive catalogs, and why the key to growth isn't more money—it’s smarter strategy. Whether you’re a beginner or running a complex multi-SKU operation, this episode is your crash course in Amazon advertising that actually works.   Want to know the EXACT ACoS to hit your profit goal? - https://junglr.com/growthbalanceequation/  🔥 Join the Lunch with Norm Newsletter https://LWN.news ________________________________________________________ This episode is brought to you by TraceFuse: Struggling with negative Amazon reviews? TraceFuse removes non-compliant reviews 100% within Amazon’s Terms of Service. With 11,000+ reviews removed for 400+ brands, TraceFuse delivers results—and you only pay for what we remove. No contracts, no monthly fees, just performance. 🚨 As a Lunch With Norm listener, your first two removals are FREE. 🚨 Clean up your reviews today at https://tracefuse.ai/lunchwithnorm-newsletter/ ______________________________________ Timestamps 00:00 Intro 02:34 Welcome Elizabeth 06:23 Scaling Strategies 10:31 Optimizing Ad Spend 17:04 Advice for New Amazon Sellers 19:58 Low Bid Strategies 21:33 Leveraging Auto Campaigns 23:28 Advertising Insights and Coaching 30:21 Optimizing PPC 34:18 Effective Bid and Keyword Management 36:32 Final Thoughts

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