Ali Grey left London because he reached a certain tax bracket where he felt his taxes were excessively high. He chose to live in Taiwan after traveling to 70 countries and realizing he needed a sustainable base. He fell in love with Taiwan and lived there until recently when he decided to find a new base.
At 15, Ali Grey started a dropshipping website selling beanbags. He coded the website himself since Shopify didn't exist at the time. Despite the shipping costs being higher than the product itself, this venture sparked his addiction to e-commerce.
Ali Grey diversified his income by investing in Bitcoin. He was drawn to Bitcoin for its mission of financial freedom and control over one's currency. Over time, Bitcoin grew to make him more money than all his businesses combined.
Ali Grey's peak sales year was during COVID, where he achieved $500 million in sales across 19 different brands on Amazon, DTC, and retail platforms.
Acquiring ASINs was a key strategy for Ali Grey's growth on Amazon. He bought out his competitors' ASINs, essentially purchasing real estate on Amazon, which significantly contributed to his revenue growth.
Ali Grey structured his business by keeping the founders of the brands he acquired, calling them 'mini CEOs.' Each brand had its own CEO who managed it, sharing ideas and systems across the network. This structure helped maintain the value of the brands and their teams.
Community played a significant role in Ali Grey's e-commerce strategy, contributing 5% of his revenue. He built communities around his brands using platforms like Discord, Reddit, and Facebook, which fostered customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.
Bilal Sirbuland transitioned from Amazon to TikTok Shop because he saw the simplicity and opportunities it offered. He was among the first to start selling on TikTok Shop in the UK and later expanded to the US, leveraging the platform's algorithm and viral potential.
On TikTok Shop, brands can be sold without the need for brand approvals, unlike Amazon. Sellers can list products from brands that are not selling on TikTok Shop themselves, making it easier to start selling without significant upfront investment.
Bilal Sirbuland's strategy for testing products on TikTok Shop involves listing products without significant upfront investment. He recommends starting with small quantities, such as buying from retail stores like Costco, and scaling up once the product proves successful.
On TikTok Shop, influencers can add products to their showcases without prior approval from the seller. If an influencer's video goes viral, the product can start selling rapidly, even if the seller hasn't directly collaborated with the influencer.
Bilal Sirbuland believes TikTok Shop has immense potential due to its 2 billion active users worldwide. He emphasizes that starting now offers a significant opportunity, similar to how early Amazon sellers benefited from the platform's growth.
This episode is a two-in-one special, with two guests for the price of one. One is one of the world's top experts on TikTok shop, and the other has sold hundreds of millions of dollars online and is even an accomplished DJ who plays at music festivals.
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Join us for a fascinating conversation as we welcome Ali Grey, a remarkable e-commerce expert and globetrotter, to our podcast. Ali shares his journey from London to living in Taiwan, after having worked from an impressive 70 different countries. Discover how he started his entrepreneurial journey at the young age of 15 by coding his own dropshipping website, which led him to leave school and pursue e-commerce full-time. Ali talks about his success on Amazon and his early investments in Bitcoin, which were driven by his interest in cryptography and a desire to break away from traditional financial systems.
In another exciting chapter, we explore Ali's creative side as GRY, a DJ who transitioned from organizing underground raves in London to performing at major festivals around the world. He reveals the four key strategies that propelled his e-commerce business to impressive revenue growth, including acquiring ASINs, leveraging affiliate marketing, building a strong community, and creating patented products. Ali emphasizes the importance of community and patent financing while sharing his personal preference for social media platforms.
Finally, listen in as Bilal Sirbuland, a trailblazer in the TikTok Shop space, joins the discussion to share his journey from Amazon to becoming a top seller on TikTok Shop. Bilal highlights the simplicity and opportunities TikTok Shop offers, and shares strategies for launching and scaling a business, such as focusing on viral products and leveraging TikTok's algorithm for advertising. This episode is packed with valuable insights and strategies from both Ali and Bilal, providing a comprehensive guide for aspiring e-commerce entrepreneurs looking to thrive in the ever-evolving digital selling marketplace.
In episode 630 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley, Ali, and Bilal discuss:
00:00 - E-Commerce Experts Discuss Success Strategies
06:39 - Teen Entrepreneur's Million-Dollar Gaming Venture
12:32 - From Raves to Festivals
17:43 - Value of Building Patents in Business
19:58 - Successful Transition to TikTok Shop
21:50 - Selling Brands on TikTok for Virality
26:27 - Selling Brands Without Influencers
32:47 - TikTok Shop Strategy and Pricing
39:52 - Selling Products on TikTok Shop