Part 1: David Lang's Sky-High eComm Journey and Strategic Plan

Welcome passengers onto eComm-flight 101  

This is your pilot speaking, and joining me today to make sure your flight runs smoothly is our guest captain, David Lang, known for conquering the skies and navigating turbulent challenges in the eComm world. (Selling a 7 figure Amazon business being one of them.)

*This campfire recording is available for all Tribe members, young and old, to enjoy at your convenience and will be served with cold drinks and a dash of inspiration. Click here to join

But for all those who are reading now.  

The seatbelt light has just turned on, so strap in as we learn about David’s incredible journey and strategic plan for a successful E-comm take-off. *Get ready for plenty of flying puns

Pre-Flight: Who is David?

To give a short introduction... David, a Canadian by choice, started his passion for being a pilot at the age of 12, and by the age of 19, he was training others to get their wings. (Talk about reaching for the sky.) 

Seeing what he wanted at a young age and not faltering from the path for a second is the real meaning of manifestation.

Fast forward, and at the age of 32 and with years of clouds in his tailwind, David had started his journey into Project Management within airlines and was tendering contracts for the big wings. 

Being single-minded in your goals and relentless in your pursuits allows you to fly above the rest, and never take no for an answer, especially during turbulent conditions. *these puns are relentless

Now, I know that for most of us, this isn’t something we were able to do at a young age (Me included), but the systems he built to reach success CAN be emulated. 

“If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.”

 Dhirubhai Ambani

So what does this have to do with e-commerce? 

Epiphanies come at the right time. 

For David, it was seeing all the work he was putting in for his company not translating into personal success. 

I'm sure we’ve all asked.

Why am I putting in all this hard work for someone else?

This didn’t mean David quit his job as a pilot. That’s his passion. But working in project management, managing million-dollar tenders, and seeing the money rolling in for someone else can have a profound effect on your psyche. 

2 years later, he realised that he needed to go into business for himself.

Navigating E-Commerce

Prepare - Studying the E-commerce Landscape

Here’s a question. 

If I gave you the keys to your very own plane, would you immediately take it out for a spin with zero training?

If you answered yes to that, please close this tab.

For all those who said no, that’s exactly the same mentality you should have when thinking about E-commerce.

If you don’t do your initial research on the types of eComm models, training, and trends in e-commerce you’re pretty much flying blind. 

Flying blind is a sure sign of failure, and that’s why a little bit of preparation can go a long way.

You can either spend money on education or on mistakes

David spent his time researching the right type of eComm model that could match his time and offer the flexibility to still do what he loved, which is to fly those big birds in the sky. 

So you’re challenge, if you’ll accept it, is to go and research the different types of e-commerce models that could work for your budget and goals.

Once you’ve found the right model, it’s important to find the right source of education. There are many different resources out there that can give you pathways to success in the eComm landscape.

For David, he chose Reliable Education (Now eComm-Tribe, the spiritual successor), for its no-nonsense straight-to-the-point Amazon strategy. 

*Pilot Intercom*

If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you navigate the eComm skies, then click here to get your complimentary 1-on-1 call. 

Pick - Assessing Models Against Opportunities

After researching the types of models and education which were available, David landed on FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) 

Why? The benefits of this model:

• Ease of operations
• They pick up, pack and ship your products to the customer
• Reach and Trust 
• Nearly 90% of Amazon sellers use FBA
• Global Market Access
• Over 50 countries use Amazon and 2.7 Billion customer market
• Storage and Scalability
• As of 2023, there are 175+ Amazon fulfillment centres around the world.
• Multi-Channel Fulfillment
• Dropshipping, Shopify, etc. are all available via FBA

For those who want to focus on researching products but not deal with the operational nightmare of sending each package out as the sales start flooding in, FBA may be the best choice for you. Check out these stats on why FBA may be the right fit.

Probe - Identifying Instruments and Expert Mentors

David's view on E-commerce is exactly like his approach to pilot training. 

YOU NEED INSTRUCTORS

• Pilots rely on the experience of fellow aviators to learn the tools of the trade
• Entrepreneurs should also actively seek mentors

YOU NEED INSTRUMENTS

• Pilots need proper instruments to aviate and navigate
• Entrepreneurs must also equip themselves with the right tools to make informed business decisions.

Amazon tools which can really give you a high:

• Helium 10
• Jungle Scout
• Zonguru (Our personal favourite - check out their offer, only for eCommTribe members here)

Armed with these tools you’ll be able to navigate niche products and high-converting keywords to make sure your plane is always above the clouds.

IF YOU DECIDE TO FLY BLIND:

It is possible to go it alone in the world of eComm,,. it’s a little more forgiving than not knowing how to fly a plane, (You won’t crash) BUT it still could cost you a lot of time and money in the process.

Perform - Commit Fully and Execute Relentlessly

For David this was important. This wasn't just a side hustle. This was going to be a serious project and if you’re willing to commit the time you’ll see results.

“Extraordinary results happen only when you give the best you have to become the best you can be at your most important work”

Gary Keller, ‘The one thing’

So ask yourself.

Are you willing to commit to building your e-commerce dreams?

If you are then the next point is super important

Building the crew

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people” 

Steve Jobs

Masterminds, Group events, and partnerships can make the lonely process of building an Ecommerce business 10x easier. 

David found a partner in Ryan, and together they were able to scale their business to over 7 figures in the space of a year. 

So try to find that person who can challenge you and has strengths where you have weaknesses. 

They don’t need to be experts right now but be willing to grow and who is as committed as you to the business will see your potential skyrocket.

Flight Stopover

So what can we take from the teachings of a multi-million dollar Amazon duo David & Ryan in their first steps to Take-off for your E-commerce business?

• Prepare - Study the E-commerce space
• Pick - Assess the E-commerce models that work for you
• Probe - Identify the tools and mentors
• Perform - Commit Fully
• Build a Crew - Find those who can match your energy

If you start with this initial checklist you’ll be on your way to building your eComm dreams in no time.

Next article in the series:

Reaching Waypoints & Dealing with Turbulence

In an upcoming post, we will talk about the turbulence David and Ryan encountered when the sales started rolling in and how they circumnavigated the turbulence, which wasn’t far behind.  (Spoiler: A huge container got lost.)

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