My Biggest Learnings from 2021

I'm writing on the eve of the biggest day of the e-commerce year and my first official send from new newsletter software called Beehiiv. Goodbye Mailchimp, it's been real. 

Let's face it, this year has been a scary one from supply chain issues, inflation, and the iOS doomsday. We got through it together. As I’m getting prepared for an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, I’m so thankful for each and every one of you who read my emails every week, take the time to respond and engage with me or CROSSNET. You’re the real MVP and I couldn't have gotten through the year without you.

As I compare 2021 to 2020, one thing that is clear is acquiring traffic is more expensive than ever. Profits are being squeezed in every industry. As you begin your 2022 planning here are some things we are thinking about or actively doing to expand the CROSSNET brand.

• International Distribution. Could your product be sold effectively in other countries? We’ve been very successful landing distributors in foreign countries to spread our sport. They’ll purchase at a 20-30% markup and at scale, this has been tremendously helpful for our brand. I will advise you to pick and choose your countries carefully as legal fees and certifications can add up quickly and eat your profit. 

• Building a Global Business. Setting up 3PLs in Canada, Australia, and Europe can be very affordable. We’ve recently been able to launch CROSSNETGAME.COM.AU and we’ve already seen a huge surge of traffic. In our first 30 days we are seeing our FB ads outperform our USA account and being much more profitable due to our lack of omnichannel. My focus for 2022 is building up an omnichannel juggernaut here in the states and a DTC cash-flowing business in the land down under.

• 3PL vs In-House! Please audit how many monthly shipments you are doing + pick/pack fees versus bringing one full-time hire in-house & some cheap warehouse space. If you’re selling a large product or have crazy volume and in need of a 3PL please check out my friends at One23 who have incredible rates. Give the founder, Sam Lewkowict, a holler at [email protected]

• Contractors vs Full-Time. How many people on your payroll can you confidently say are working 40 hours a week? Hell, even a good full 25 hours? In this world of remote working, everybody on your team needs to be an A+ player. If you learn anything from me when making hiring plans start slow and bring on one hire at a time. I know you may feel like you need 10 people to start next Monday, but nothing is worse than not setting up your team for success. If you're feeling too drowned in work there is also nothing wrong with bringing somebody on for a few weeks or months to test them before you bring them on for salary. We're going to do this on January 1st with a graphic designer. 

• Agency vs In-House. Same concept as above? Is your agency giving your the proper attention you deserve? How’s their response time? Could you get somebody in-house to do it more affordably and be more focused on your account? This is not always the case, like my badass email agency at Structured that gives me an army of badass talent for an affordable price.

• Review Your Competition! There’s an old saying about not focusing on the competition, however, in this crazy world of digital marketing, it's important to stay sharp and on top of things. Where are they advertising? Why are they doing it like that? What channels are they focused on that you’re not? I constantly find myself googling CROSSNET and comparing how we appear online versus others in our space like Spikeball and KanJam.

• Hoard your Cash! Work on a strategy to build more cash flow for the business and create a rainy day fund. Using businesses like Wayflyer & Settle to finance your inventory is never a bad thing, especially if your online business is profitable.

• Get Ahead of It. Start creating your content calendar two-three months out, rather than 30 days. It will allow us to be more calculated and plan carefully. We use Notion internally. 

• Network, Network, Network! Believe it or not, the old Chris thought putting myself out there was a waste of time and that I should be focusing on my own Shopify store. I was so wrong and am so thankful for the people I’ve met in 2021, you’ve helped me become a better person, boss, and businessman. Encourage your team to network too! Sure you may lose some talent to a few crazy job opportunities here and there, but It's great for your team's personal growth. Why wouldn’t I want my marketing and logistics team learning from another squad about what's going right or wrong in their world?

With that, I’m signing off. The turkey smells amazing and it's time to eat! I hope this Black Friday and Cyber Week is the most successful of all time. We’re all in this together.

For the next seven days, I’m running a 50% off sale on mentorship & consulting for new members. For the past year, I have been hosting two, hour-long meetings a month for $1000+ so I think this is a crazy deal at $500. If you're interested in 2022 planning, marketing, branding, or retail growth I'd love to chat.  Just drop me a message back and we can set something up!

All the love in the world,

Chris Meade