I’ve been hearing about Bryan Guerra for a while now & decided to have a look at him myself. He has had almost 35k students signing up for this dropship course on Udemy, which is pretty impressive.
Turns out he’s well-rated Udemy teacher with an average 3.8 rating from 971 student reviews.
Shopify Dropship Mastery Udemy Course Overview
Ranked #23 out of 30 dropship courses (See full list here) A basic introduction to building a Shopify dropshipping store.
3.5/5 - a good course to introduce you to the basics of dropshipping. But lacks content in certain areas.
$140 (but sometimes discounted by as much as 80% on Udemy)
Bryan Guerra is the Founder of Invert Media. Invert Media is an Online Education Company that specializes in creating Information Products to help Entrepreneurs.
Bryan currently has 56 individual courses available on Udemy. Or you can pop on over to his website & get them all in one 😊 He also has a fantastic YouTube channel with some awesome content…
Bryan’s aim is to provide those in need with the educational content & tools to assist them on becoming self-reliant and successful, while at the same time providing the support & understanding needed to master the information.
Look, all I’m saying is that over 400,000 students CAN'T ALL be wrong...right?
What to expect in the course
Bryan promises to take you through the step-by-step process of setting up a dropshipping site with Shopify. To sweeten the deal, you get up to two months FREE before you have to pay anything.
Then he'll show you how to pick a niche that buyers won't be able to resist, pick products that sell, and optimize your listings and site for conversions.
Then Bryan will show you the set-up process to be semi-automated and as hands-off as possible with a special plug-in.
Finally, he'll show you how to drive traffic to your site and scale your business.
What you'll learn:
- How to set up a Dropshipping site on Shopify.
- How to pick a niche that customers want
- How to pick products that sell
- How to optimize product listings and a Shopify store
- How to drive paid and free organic traffic to your store
Before we get to the review..
About me, your friendly reviewer. Me! My name is Ippei...
Like many of the people I review, I was stuck working a 9 to 5 day job.
Not only was it soul-crushing, but it didn't give me any time to pursue my bigger goals. I knew there was much more to life than being stuck in a cubicle for most of your day...
My outlook on life was pretty bleak until I discovered a method in 2014 to rank sites organically, generating free leads for my clients.
That website you see below, is an example of one of my first lead gen sites. It's for a tree care company I created in 2015. Since then, I have done very little to update it and it is still ranked Number One:
It has been making me a passive income of $2000 a month. Since 2015!
That's more than $100,000 for one site, in 5 years.
That's the magic of the Lead Generation business, it's by far the best model to generate passive income. If you want to know more,
just hop over here!
But enough about me: time for an in-depth review of Bryan Guerra's Shopify Dropshipping Mastery course on Udemy.
Course Content Description & Overview
During this course you’ll be taught & shown how to implement all of the following aspects
- Picking the right niche
- Store Theme: picking & customizing
- Products: selecting, plug-ins, listing & optimization
- Site Settings: updates, product collections & key settings
- How to Improve Conversions
- Setting up your Site Navigation
- Site Finalization: domain names, accepting & fulfilling orders
- Driving Traffic/Scaling: Sale generating thru Facebook, Instagram & Google
You will also get these handy tips & useful insights to assist with implementing the above section
- Ways to Promote your Store
- Different Ad Strategies
- Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid
- Shopify Alternatives
- Where to find the Best Products
- How to Cut down on Business Expenses
- Making extra Money
Course Curriculum Breakdown
COURSE STATS: 13 sections • 38 lectures • 3h 42m total length
Module 1: Getting Started
2 lectures • 4min
- Shopify Free Trial and Extension - Don't Be Afraid to Ask! Length: 02:56
- Getting Started 100% Free for Up to 2 Months! Length: 01:33
Key takeaways:
Just a quick hello to get you up and running with Shopify.
Module 2: Picking Your Niche and Setting Up Your Site
4 lectures • 23min
- Picking the Right Niche that Will Drive Sales 06:01
- Initial Welcome Page 02:33
- Picking Your Store's Theme 02:56
- Customizing Your Theme 11:06
Key takeaways:
How to get started with Shopify.
Module 3: Listing Products to Sell
3 lectures • 25min
Installing the Automated Plug In and Picking Products 09:40
Optimizing Product Listings for Conversions and More Sales 11:34
How Product Pages Will Look and Modifying Product Listings 03:26
Key takeaways:
Which products to list and where to get them.
Module 4: Site Settings for Optimal Usage
3 lectures • 17min
Key takeaways:
Basic optimization tips.
Module 5: Successful Dropshipping Business Models You Can Implement to Improve Conversions
1 lecture • 4min
Module 6: Adding Pages and Site Navigation
2 lectures • 9min
Key takeaways:
Useful tips on optimizing your web pages.
Module 7: Finalizing Your Site and Getting It Ready to Make Sale
3 lectures • 17min
Getting a Domain Name for Your Site 03:40
Removing the Password and Accepting Orders 07:07
Fulfilling an Order Once You Get One 05:48
Key takeaways:
You can't start trading until you've removed the Shopify block.
Module 8: Driving Traffic to Your Site to Make Sales
3 lectures • 31min
Generating Sales Using Instagram 10:20
Generating Sales Using Facebook 10:52
Generating Sales Using Google 09:45
Key takeaways:
Basic introductions to different marketing methods. Warning: See this as an intro - you will not be able to have successful ad campaigns based on these lessons...
Criticism:
Warning: See this as an intro to FB, Instagram and Google Ads - you will NOT be able to have successful ad campaigns based on these lessons alone...
Module 9: Course Updates & Helpful Insight
7 lectures • 1hr 10min
3 Tips to Sell More with Your Shopify Dropshipping Store 03:07
5 Innovative Ways to Promote Your Shopify Store & Make More Sales 11:04
How to Get 2 Day Shipping for Your Shopify Dropshipping Store 03:14
How to Purchase Pre Built Shopify Stores Really Cheap 02:49
Top 3 Mistakes Most Drop Shippers Make When they Start a Shopify Store 09:56
The Complete Advertising Guide [4 Different Ad Strategies That Work] 18:05
5 Ways to Dropship Other than Shopify 22:02
Key takeaways:
Some good advice, but once again these lessons are not comprehensive. Highlights are the Top 3 Mistakes Drop Shippers Make and The Complete Advertising Guide teaching concepts all dropshippers should know.
Module 10: 6 Ways to Make Substantial Money from Home Every Month Reselling Products Online
2 lectures • 1min
Key takeaways:
A basic intro again to other reselling methods. But sadly, not enough detail is given to make it worthwhile. The student rather, is left with the responsibility to work it out and make it work.
Module 11: Save Yourself Money on Your Business's Biggest Expenses
5 lectures • 18min
Save Yourself Money on Your Business's Biggest Expense 05:10
$50 Off Reseller Tax Academy 00:03
Software to Track Your Business Revenue Expenses & Profit 04:31
What You Can Write Off on Your Business to Keep More Profit 08:00
Get 50% Off Quickbooks Self-Employed Here for 6 Months! 00:02
Criticism:
Although the idea might have been sincere, these videos come across as nothing more than upselling Bryan's other courses...
Module 12: Get Extra Free Money with Cashback Credit Cards When You're Sourcing
2 lectures • 5min
Key takeaways:
An easy way to get cashback when sourcing & paying for your products.
Review Conclusion
Bryan is a pretty inspiring & motivational dude…The proof is in the pudding as they say & well, it’s not bad. Bryan has a massive student & audience base for all his courses. This is backed up by being one of the top reviewed courses on Udemy.
With it’s easy to understand concepts, this course could potentially take you from having a basic perspective to an advanced progression on this subject.
Videos are well edited & also allows you to follow at your own pace... which is awesome as it’s a lot of info for new dropshippers to absorb & some concepts need a bit of time to get in your head.
HOWEVER, the course doesn't offer much content for anyone past beginner. It teaches the basics very well, but that is it...
This is a very basic course when compared to the best out there.
What I like:
- Covers all the basics
- Easy to understand
- Huge Student Base – tried & tested
- Good beginner’s course
What I didn't like:
- Some of the tactics used are a bit sketchy. (Like selling unlicenced merchandise is a big no-no)
- Bryan tends to repeat himself
- Marketing aspect of a dropshipping business was lacking.
- Not the best business model for 2020.
So. Why do people like this dropshipping thing?
The Dropshipping Model has become all the rage these past few years. With more & more people from all over the world trying their hand at it. There's a reason for that.
People want a business that can generate an income for them while they sleep, while they spend time with family, and while they're busy doing the things they love. Who wouldn't right?
If you didn't know, dropshipping means upselling to the consumer to make a profit.
As a dropshipper, you help make sales of products from a wholesaler (usually overseas) to a customer in a different marketplace. You do this without ever having to touch the products you sell.
You're basically a kind of middleman that promotes products.
From this you can shave money off the top and make a profit on each product you sell. The customer usually doesn't know they aren't actually buying from you.
This business model has become so popular, mainly due to people assuming there’s minimal risk involved with very little capital layout when compared to traditional retail. Reasons for this assumption are:
- You don't need any warehouses or storage space at all. (Less cost)
- You don't need any merchandise. (Less cost)
- You will never actually handle any products you sell. (Once again, less overheads)
One of biggest selling points – is that you don't need much start up cash…
When compared to traditional retail, dropshipping is easier and cheaper to begin.
The course starts with Bryan showing how to get going with a 100%, 2 month FREE Shopify store account. He helps you with all the setup aspects & shows you how to easily get products onto your store.
You can have an online store up and running in no time without it costing you ANYTHING! How amazing is that? Right?
Wrong...
But Bryan neglects to tell you how much you're going to end up spending on your MARKETING...
GURUS DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT PROFIT MARGINS...
Great. So you have a website and now the sales are going to start coming in.
Right?
(Imitates buzzer) Sorry, Hans. Wrong guess. Would you like to go for double jeopardy where the scores can really change?
Will your customers just magically find you?
No. You need to get them to your site, and for that you need to ADVERTISE...
Thanks to advertising, your profit margins flatline.
Dropshipping profits are infamous for being VERY LOW. Even the greats (like Gretta van Riel pictured below), limp along at 10% profit.
That's one of the biggest reasons I don't do dropshipping anymore. It's a LOT of work for very little returns...
- Marketing: In 2020, you need to be a master marketer, specializing in different online advertising platforms. Just using Facebook Ads is a complex process. I've identified 11 "choke points" that cause your FB Ads to fail - and that's just FB! So, you have to know what you're doing...
- Rising Ad Costs: before talks of the recession, digital marketing was becoming more expensive. According to Forbes, FB saw an increase in Ad costs of 90% year-on-year. This eats away at your profits.
- Revenue vs Profits: The gurus will have you believe they make thousands of dollars per month, but they only ever show you their Revenue, not their Net Profits. The ROI for dropshipping is very low, as profit margins are anything between 5% and 20% (if you are extremely lucky). Look at the store below that's for sale on Flippa. It's been running for 4 years and only manages 12.6% Net Profit...
Lead Generation, where you rank your own website, is a far superior model to monetize your skills.
Let me compare lead gen and dropshipping for you:
- Limited niches, chasing trending products.
- Ads are expensive with no guarantee of profit.
- Anyone can build a site & duplicate your products within minutes.
- Low Profit Margin of 5% to 20%. The average is 10%...
- No Control - Shopify can freeze your store, FB Ads can freeze your account on a whim.
- Finding products & running ad campaigns require a lot of maintenance.
- EVERY single business needs leads. Without them they can't survive.
- Affordable to start (few hundred dollars) & ZERO Ad costs
- You require skills to Rank on Google. This means lower competition as not everyone can do it.
- Low overheads, high profit margins of up to 90% once ranked.
- Complete control - YOU own your websites.
- Passive income once ranked with very little overheads & maintenance.
It's good to know that you have options. And lead gen is the pick of the bunch...
So, as great as dropshipping seems to be on paper, Lead Generation is far superior in my opinion. Here's why…
If you are in eCommerce or just thinking about entering the arena, it is important to know that there are many options out there to choose from… Trust me, I’ve tried them all.
While trying to find what best suits you, there are many factors to consider.
To help you get the best idea of what’s going on globally with the markets, here are 4 of the most important statistics you need to know while considering which road to follow.
1. 61% of marketers rank lead generation as their number one challenge
Lead generation isn’t as easy as it once was. According to a report from
HubSpot, 61% of marketers consider generating traffic and leads to be their biggest challenge.
2. 53% of marketers spend at least half of their budget on lead generation
While it may be more difficult, it’s no less important. Marketers are still focusing heavily on lead generation, with 53% of them spending half or more of their entire budget on lead gen efforts. Only 34% of marketers spend less than half their budget on lead generation. (Source:
BrightTALK).
3. Less than one-fifth of marketers think outbound practices provide valuable leads
It looks like outbound lead generation is pretty much dead. Only 18% of marketers still think that outbound practices provide the highest-quality sales leads. Gone are the days of excessive cold-calling. Now, it’s all about inbound lead generation. (Source: Hubspot)
4. 80% of marketers think marketing automation generates more leads (and conversions)
One of the biggest trends we’re seeing in lead generation in 2020 is the increased use of automation software. According to recent reports, 80% of marketers that use automation software drive increased leads (as much as 451% more), and that 77% of them convert more leads than those that don’t use automation. (Source:
APSIS)
And that's exactly why my lead gen businesses requires so little physical hands-on time - freeing me up to do other things.
Why not make a smart business choice.
