High Voltage Business Builders Podcast

From zero product to $433K in sales. This episode breaks down what real e-commerce growth actually looks like.In this episode of High Voltage Business Builders, Neil sits down with David, a Voltage client who started with no product, no brand, and no prior e-commerce experience. After nearly two years of research, delays, and hard lessons, David launched a premium Egyptian cotton bedding brand on Amazon FBA and crossed $433,000 in gross sales within his first 12 months live, despite being out of stock for nearly five months.If you’re interested in building an asset, not chasing overnight wins, this episode will give you a clear picture of what the process really involves.In This Episode, We Cover:✅ What it’s like to start an e-commerce business with no product or prior experience✅ Why patience and long-term commitment matter more than quick results✅ How inventory mistakes and stockouts impact growth✅ The mindset shifts required to push through doubt and overwhelm✅ Why building a brand is different than just selling products📍 Chapters02:00 David’s background and why he decided to build an e-commerce business05:30 The early overwhelm and decision to get help08:00 Why starting a business is harder than most people expect10:20 Choosing a product and launching on Amazon FBA12:45 Selling out inventory and running out of stock15:40 What inventory delays teach you about real business operations18:30 Brand differentiation and certification as a competitive edge21:10 Building with the exit in mind24:30 Profit, growth cycles, and realistic expectationsGuest: David KarcherWebsite: https://www.linkedin.com/in/passiveincomeguyEntrepreneur and Founder of Threads of EgyptFollow Neil: 🔗 LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiltwa/⁠ 📸 Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/neiltwa/⁠ 📘 Facebook:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/neiltwa/⁠ 🐦 X/Twitter:⁠ https://twitter.com/voltagefba⁠ 🎵 TikTok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@fbabusinessbuilders⁠🎧 Like This Episode?✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with real founders✅ Share this with a brand owner or marketer in your network ✅ Drop a review to help others discover the show 

Everyone loves talking about marketing.New creatives. New channels. New funnels.But if a customer can get the same product in one hour, three-day shipping feels broken.Not inconvenient. Broken.And when ads stop converting, most sellers blame marketing.This episode explains why that is usually the wrong diagnosis.In this Week in Review, Neil breaks down why fulfillment speed is no longer a backend operation. It is a growth lever. Platforms like Amazon and Shopify already understand this shift, even if most brands do not. Marketing creates attention. Fulfillment decides if attention turns into revenue.🚀 What should I sell next? Visit: gpt.caimandata.com to generate data-driven product ideas powered by Caiman Data’s AI engine.TLDR: ✅ Fulfillment speed now impacts conversion more than ad creative ✅ Same-day and next-day delivery reset customer expectations ✅ Platforms compete on friction, not marketing ✅ Slow shipping raises CAC and kills discounts ✅ Fulfillment has become a trust signal ✅ Operators design offers around delivery, not price📍 Chapters00:48 Why ads are not closing sales anymore01:13 Amazon and Shopify fulfillment signals01:51 Marketing creates attention, fulfillment creates revenue03:04 Why discounts stop working when shipping is slow03:22 How operators redesign fulfillment for growth03:56 Fulfillment signals brands should watch04:54 How operators think about fulfillment heading into 2026Follow Neil: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiltwa/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neiltwa/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neiltwa/ 🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/voltagefba 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fbabusinessbuilders🎧 Like This Episode? ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with real founders ✅ Share this with a brand owner or marketer in your network ✅ Drop a review to help others discover the show

Bitcoin isn’t a trend and it’s not going anywhere either…. In this episode of High Voltage Business Builders, Neil sits down with Bitcoin advisor Eric Runge to break down what Bitcoin actually is, why it exists, and why serious investors are paying attention. This isn’t a hype-driven crypto conversation. It’s a fundamentals-first discussion about money, inflation, and long-term wealth.If you’ve ever said, “I don’t really understand Bitcoin,” this episode’s for you.In This Episode, We Cover:✅ What money really is and why it’s failing business owners✅ How inflation became permanent after the gold standard ended✅ Why Bitcoin was created in response to centralized financial control✅ The key differences between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies✅ Why long-term holders think differently than traders📍 Chapters02:55 What money is supposed to do05:20 Gold, fiat currency, and the rise of inflation08:10 Why Bitcoin is different from every other crypto11:45 Decentralization and the hidden “permission layer” in banking16:05 Why volatility scares investors and how professionals think about it21:00 ETFs, institutions, and Bitcoin treasury strategies28:25 Why Bitcoin is a long-term hold, not a trade35:40 Managing downside risk for serious capitalGuest: Eric RungeFounder & Owner, Veritas Bitcoin Strategies (Owner/Managing Member of Veritas Wealth Management)Website: www.familyofficebitcoin.com/home-page-01Follow Neil: 🔗 LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiltwa/⁠ 📸 Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/neiltwa/⁠ 📘 Facebook:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/neiltwa/⁠ 🐦 X/Twitter:⁠ https://twitter.com/voltagefba⁠ 🎵 TikTok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@fbabusinessbuilders⁠🎧 Like This Episode?✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with real founders✅ Share this with a brand owner or marketer in your network✅ Drop a review to help others discover the show

Everyone loves Cyber Week numbers. Big charts. Big screenshots. Big claims.But Cyber Week data lies….When demand is compressed into five days, behavior gets distorted. And if you build your next 90-day strategy on distorted data, you scale the wrong lesson.In this Week in Review, Neil breaks down what the post–Cyber Week data actually reveals, why traffic and revenue spikes mislead sellers every December, and how real operators read the scoreboard differently heading into January and 2026.🚀 What should I sell next? Visit: gpt.caimandata.com to generate data-driven product ideas powered by Caiman Data’s AI engine.TL;DR✅ Cyber Week spikes distort behavior. Post-event data tells the truth. ✅ Traffic growth does not equal buyer intent. Clicks fooled many sellers. ✅ BNPL inflated AOV but increased refund and cash-flow risk. ✅ Conversion quality flattened even as sessions rose. ✅ Operators wait for normalization data before making scaling decisions. ✅ December rewards control. January exposes poor interpretation.📍 Chapters00:00 Why Cyber Week data is structurally misleading01:35 What Adobe and Salesforce data actually shows02:14 Traffic growth versus real buyer intent02:52 AOV, Buy Now Pay Later, and hidden cash-flow risk03:51 Why traffic was cheap but conversion quality was not04:29 What smart brands are watching heading into mid-December05:08 Why stabilization beats noise at year-end05:29 The operator advantage going into 2026Follow Neil: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiltwa/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neiltwa/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neiltwa/ 🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/voltagefba 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fbabusinessbuilders🎧 Like This Episode? ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with real founders ✅ Share this with a brand owner or marketer in your network✅ Drop a review to help others discover the show

The biggest killer of businesses isn’t money, competition, or bad timing. It’s ego.In this episode of High Voltage Business Builders, Neil Twa sits down with serial entrepreneur Sean Steimer to break down how ego destroys partnerships, blinds founders, and turns promising ventures into unnecessary failures. Sean went from cleaning tables in Scottsdale restaurants to managing multimillion-dollar operations, running a real estate team, opening restaurants, and scaling a patented golf product that nearly died when his original partner walked away. Sean reveals how he rebuilt from that moment and how self-awareness and humility determine whether your business thrives or collapses. If you’ve ever struggled with partnerships, conflict, burnout, or the temptation to give up, this episode will hit home. In This Episode, We Cover:✅ Why ego ruins more businesses than money ever will✅ The red flags that reveal a bad partner long before the paperwork✅ The real impact entrepreneurship has on marriage and family✅ Why “nothing fails until you quit” is the most underrated mindset✅ The discipline of managing priorities, time, and expectations📍 Chapters04:40 Growing up in real estate and developing resilience07:00 How ego kills deals, partnerships, and businesses09:20 Communication as the #1 predictor of partner success11:45 Time management, priorities, and “controlling the controllables”14:10 Marriage, support systems, and life behind the grind18:10 The Swingy story: patent win, partner exit, rebuilding alone21:30 Scaling an ecommerce product to thousands of units23:40 Failure, persistence, and why quitting is the only real lossGuest: Sean SteimerEntrepreneur, Real Estate Operator, Co-Founder of SwingyWebsite: https://swingy.comFollow Neil: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiltwa/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neiltwa/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neiltwa/ 🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/voltagefba 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fbabusinessbuilders🎧 Like This Episode? ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with real founders ✅ Share this with a brand owner or marketer in your network ✅ Drop a review to help others discover the show