079 | Alison Prince on how she leverages influencers to sell her products and why testing your product is the most important thing you can do in e-commerce.

Alison Prince is an e-commerce expert and a woman on a mission. She is a business-savvy determined woman who knows how to create something amazing out of nothing. Over the last seven years, Allison has started eight e-commerce businesses, many of which are multi-million dollar brands. She’s sold everything from apparel to technology to household items — she’s sold everything under the sun — growing dollars into millions and pennies into thousands.   On today’s episode, we talk about how Allison built her deal of a day website and then leveraged best selling products to create their own site and brand.  She also shares how she leverages influencers to sell her product and why testing your product is the most important thing you can do in e-commerce. ON TODAY’S EPISODE: Alison’s career background Why she left the classroom for entrepreneurship Her first experience selling products online The different types of products she has sold online & how she decides what to sell How & when she first introduced her daughters to entrepreneurship Where she is selling products The benefits of testing a product before investing in a large quantity What she does with overstock of products How she uses influencers in her marketing Alison’s tips on approaching influencers How she leverages discounts on her products The biggest driver of Alison’s success in business How she uses ClickFunnels & the success that she has had with it What’s next for Alison   KEY TAKE-AWAYS: “I started going to the library and checking out books and magazines on how people made money.” - Alison Prince “I realized the entrepreneur journey isn't a straight line. It is literally a rollercoaster ride, and if I got in, I'm going for that ride.” - Alison Prince “Remember the school teacher who was qualified for food stamps? Like, I had a multimillion-dollar business because I didn't give up.” - Alison Prince “I think that's where a lot of people can flub up, is they go and they buy a couple grand in product. Don't do that.” - Alison Prince “ I couldn't go and build a huge eCommerce site with a whole bunch of SKUs and a whole bunch of variations, because I literally could not afford to do that, so I could only put up one product a day.” - Alison Prince “Just test it. Buy a small amount, get a small amount, and then send out an email list. If it doesn't sell, that's fine; you've got Christmas presents for all your friends and family.” - Alison Prince “I think the reason why I succeeded is because I failed so much.” - Alison Prince “Don't be so confident and stuck in your head that you're not willing to test. You have to test your product, and then you can invest the money.” - Alison Prince “The key to success is a micro-influencer. Don't go after the big guys.” - Alison Prince “The more engagement you can have, the better results you're going to have. It's not about the numbers anymore; it's all about community.” - Alison Prince “I have to make sure my product's good, I have to make sure my pricing's good, I've got to make sure it will convert, because an influencer can drive traffic, but it's up to you to make sure that you've got a good offer.” - Alison Prince “I love discounts because it helps me to control my lifestyle.” - Alison Prince “I feel like you can create a Black Friday special any day of the year.” - Alison Prince “I'm not afraid to test. I'm not afraid to fail. I'm not afraid to be a hot mess, because that's just who I am, right?” - Alison Prince “With ClickFunnels, you can put blinders on your customers to help them focus.” - Alison Prince “We don't have to go out and get big huge bank loans anymore. We don't have to have brick and mortar, we don't have to go to China anymore to manufacture our products. We've got technology, we've got the Internet right here in our hands to be able to use.” - Alison Prince   ‘My heart is in watching others succeed.” - Alison Prince   CONNECT WITH ALISON PRINCE Website: https://www.alisonjprince.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/becauseicanclan/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonjprince/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIRyTXZMYxyyhB8VTpthLpw   LINKS Shopify ClickFunnels PickYourPlum PTP Episode 067 | Don Hejny, Nerdwax Nerdwax Fiverr Because I Can Clan     What if you could sit in a room with 30 other product makers who are doing exactly what you’re doing -- building a business they love!  You could share resources, leverage each other’s experiences and learn from those who are where you want to be. Imagine the growth potential!   Join us March 14-15th in Los Angeles for our Paper Camp Conference.   Over 800 brands have attended Paper Camp.  Brands that sell to stores like Target, Paper Source, Container Store, Anthropologie and independent boutiques internationally.   This program is for you if you’re a stationery or gift company interested in selling wholesale, exhibiting at trade shows or looking to expand your outreach to wholesale customers.     We believe in the power of community, collaboration and sharing everything we know.  Get all the details and register at  www.tradeshowcamp.com/papercamp SUBSCRIBE To subscribe on iOS, go to the iTunes page and subscribe to Proof to Product. On Android, you can listen using your favorite podcast app. WRITE A REVIEW Writing a review on iTunes will help other product based business owners find Proof to Product as they are working to up level, scale, and build profitable and sustainable companies. FOLLOW PROOF TO PRODUCT Follow Proof to Product on Instagram for the latest updates. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST If you'd like to receive more information about our upcoming episodes of Proof to Product including show notes and information about our guests, head over to www.prooftoproduct.com and sign up for our email list.   SHARE Be sure to share Proof to Product with all of the product based business owners that you know! ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT: Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode!