E Business Success Through Multiple Online Platforms with Richard Baccus of ABC Vacuum Warehouse

 

E business is something Richard Baccus has made into an art form. Richard runs ABC Vacuum Warehouse and Gruene Steam with his dad Ralph. ABC Vacuum started in 1977 as a mail order vacuum business. They operate  a brick-and-mortar store as well as 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse and employ 28 staff. Their other company, Gruene Steam has been in operation since 2008. Through it they provide alternatives to harsh chemical cleaning products because after decades in the retail floor business they knew there was a better way. They used German innovations to come up with unique steam products to clean floors.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [0:11] Jeremy’s introduction of Richard Baccus, his guest today.
• [3:13] What Richard learned working with his Dad from an early age.
• [7:45] How Richard’s company used magazine advertising effectively early on.
• [13:50] How the company started putting their products online way before Google.
• [18:14] How the team began opening new franchises and getting the business moving.
• [22:46] Lessons Richard learned from John of Papa John’s.
• [25:02] What did John see about the internet that made him go for it?
• [29:17] Why Richard decided to work with his Dad and move away from Papa John’s.
• [33:10] How the company landed a deal as the only online distributor of Dyson vacuums.
• [37:06] One of the big milestones when the company website was first started.
• [41:30] Software Richard uses to run his business.
• [44:45] The most successful sales platforms for the company (they sell on 19 platforms).
• [49:19] The sales channel that surprised Richard the most.
• [52:32] The largest selling single day ABC vacuums has ever had ($1 million).
• [54:44] Where Richard sees retail sales going in the future.
• [1:01:36] How companies can gear up for mobile sales.
• [1:05:33] Richard’s lowest moment in business.
• [1:08:55] The toughest part of Richard’s job.
• [1:10:35] Richard’s best advice: go from the perspective of the user.

In this episode…

E business success is something Richard Baccus can tell you about because he’s experienced it from the ground up. His work to establish and grow the online presence and sales success of ABC Vacuum Warehouse is the kind of story e-commerce legends are made of. On this episode, I chat with Richard about the details of how he’s made it happen.

One of the things Richard Baccus highlights on this episode of Inspired Insider is that all business owners who want to create an e business version of what they do need to get started now. The opportunities to sell online are amazing and only getting better. The sooner you adapt to the new platforms and get started the more you’ll be ahead of your competition.

Richard Baccus knows what he’s talking about when it comes to building an e business. When he started working with his Dad the company had no online presence at all - and that was in the day when Yahoo ruled the search engine space. He not only built a website, he learned how to create an online store, market products effectively, and create revenue from the newly created online sales world.

Richard Baccus found that eBay was one of their most successful sales partners starting out but he didn’t stop there. The success of the ABC Vacuum Warehouse e business hinges on the fact that they are NOT only on one platform. At the time of this recording, ABC sells parts and vacuums on 19 different online sales platforms. You can hear more about how Richard has done it on this episode.

It’s a new day for ecommerce with companies like Walmart and Target seriously getting into the online sales arena. But the opportunities for the little guys are growing like never before. You can build an e business by selling  your products on multiple platforms as a 3rd party seller. And today’s Inspired Insider guest, Richard Baccus can tell you how it can be done.

Resources Mentioned on this episode

• ABC Vacuum Warehouse
• Gruene Steam
• Dyson Vacuums
• Big Commerce
• Shopify
• Magento
• Channel Advisor
• Quickbooks Enterprise
• Slack
• Google Inbox
• NewEgg
• Rakuten
• Jet
• Touch of Modern
• Zulily
• RueLaLa
• Staples
• Wayfair
• Walmart.com
• QVC
• Uber

Sponsors for this episode

Our sponsor today is www.Rise25.com where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.