065: Friends, Co-Founders, & Affiliate Marketing with Jamie Birch of JEB Commerce

Background on Jamie Birch of JEB Commerce:

Jamie Birch is an affiliate manager and the founder and CEO of JEBCommerce, LLC. He started in the online marketing arena in 1999, working as a search engine guru for a dot-com in the resort town of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Jamie worked his way up to managing a multi-million dollar affiliate program and search campaigns for Coldwater Creek, a top-five national women's apparel retailer, growing the affiliate channel from several thousand dollars a month to $35 million a year. As a manager for the SEO and SEM campaigns, he pioneered performance-based relationships outside of affiliate network, negotiating long-term profitable relationships inside and outside of the affiliate channel. In 2004, he founded JEBCommerce, using these proven processes to build a large client base.

His focus now is growing profitable and incremental affiliate programs by focusing on deep and comprehensive analytics inside and outside of the affiliate networks. Jamie and his team work with all technology providers to take advantage of amazing technologies to ensure that their clients incur costs only for sales they should.

In addition to JEBCommerce, he also owns and operates ChloeWorks, a software development startup focused on bringing the software they have created and use every day at JEBCommerce to the market. His work and organizations allow Jamie to do what he loves the most, mentor, coach, and employee development.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[1:52] According to Jamie, running a business will take most of your time but it is still important to make some time for yourself and take care of your health.
[2:27] His main company is JEB Commerce, which is a digital marketing agency that started out in 2004. His other business is a health agency for adults with developmental disabilities.
[5:17] His full name is Jamie Birch, lives in the resort town of Quarterlane, Idaho, and he has been doing digital marketing since 1999.
[6:20] He worked for different companies, tried freelancing, and then decided to start his own business.
[11:28] His father taught him to build a contact list and create a goal for himself, which helped him start his business.
[13:06] When going through his contact list, he would start with his friends and have an easy conversation with them.
[17:50] His first offer is quality auditing service that would begin to show his true value to his customers.
[18:44] Jamie’s pitch to his potential clients shows what he can do for them.
[20:29] “Running a business, or owning a business is a crucible of self-awareness.” This means that you will learn a lot more about yourself.
[27:50] New entrepreneurs will commit mistakes when hiring people. It’s better to hire someone you can train.
[30:27] It is not a good idea to let the employees have a percentage of the company revenue. This can be a hindrance to the business.
[33:00] His best friend in the business left the company, but they reconnected once again after a couple of years.
[36:05] Entrepreneurs need to do some research and know the important rules and regulations when starting a business.
[37:40] He fully advises on the importance of financial literacy.
[39:15] He says one of the biggest mistakes of new entrepreneurs is not doing any preparations and not researching enough to see if their product or service is viable.
[43:50] He recommends using the Enneagram test to help entrepreneurs become great leaders.

Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖📚 Favorite Book(s)? The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso, The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber, The Road by Cormac McCarthy
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? Sleep Master Seeping Mask that Tim Ferris recommended.
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? Process.st
💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? Generating quality B2B leads.