Scott Hilse’s course was available for a while under the “Simplified Shopify”, banner, until Shopify asked him change his name.
The course remains the same, with the exception of the domain name and rebranding.
Dropshipping Course Overview
Introduction to Scott
Many people will recognize Scott through his YouTube channel and appearance on Oberlo’s tutorial videos.
He has a large following on Social Media, particularly YouTube with almost 61k subscribers.
It is interesting to see that Scott claims that he has been endorsed by Oberlo and Shopify.
Scott was featured in the Oberlo 101 Dropshipping Course as well as on their YouTube channel videos. Scott is also part the Tai Lopez 300 Group. You only need to pay $697 to be a part of the 300 Group.
This Course: What Can You Expect?
This course is for you if you want to learn quickly and get started.
What Simplified Dropshipping claims it can offer is
Scott Hilse believes dropshipping should be focused on a single item, unlike many dropshippers.
You heard it right. Only one item. A single item, not a collection of sunglasses. One sunglass.
Scott was able to open three six-figure businesses using this method. In 2017, Scott had three six-figure stores.
Scott has the following to say on his course landing page. The bold highlights are Scott’s and not mine.eCommerce should be simple in a world that values simplicity. It is so easy that you can create your store, fan page and inventory in under 6 hours. You can even launch your first ad within six hours. You can even make your first sale in 24 hours. “
You should immediately feel a loud, alarming warning light in your head. That statement contains the words “even possible“.
Yes, it is possible and you can make your first sale in 24 hours. It is even possible for the US men’s soccer team to win the FIFA World Cup in the next 10 years. Possible, but highly unlikely…
Dropshipping is still believed to be easy by many people, and Scott helps to dispel this myth.
Also, claims of student results such as the one below don’t help.
These images are absolutely nothing.
Why? Because they don’t show what the costs were. Without the expenses, income cannot be shown.
These screenshots don’t show the profit.
Although you might be able to double or triple the price of an item’s product, that doesn’t mean you have any extra money. All expenses must be subtracted, including advertising.
20% profit is considered a great profit. Dropshippers can make as low as 5% profit in some months, however.
It’s worth it. These numbers aren’t that impressive even if you make 20% profit.
Dropshippers can lose money due to rising costs of FB Ads, and other advertising platforms.
Be aware! These empty sales pitches are designed to convince you to purchase a course.
Always ask yourself: What was the profit?
Dropshipping was a great way to make quick cash in 2015, 2016, and 2017!
The game has changed. Even for the gurus, it has changed. They started dropshipping years ago and now make their living selling courses.
A Simplified Dropshipping Course Breakdown
This course includes 29 video lessons. It takes approximately 2 hours and 49 mins to view.
The course does not include a customary introduction. There is no bio. There is no explanation about dropshipping or why it is important.
Lesson 1: A Product Store $1600/day Template
Video length: 06/25Scott jumps right into it and shows the template he used in order to make $1,600 in one day. He doesn’t mention it was in 2017 though. It was really only one day and not the misleading title “Per day”.
It looks like the store averaged less than $300 per person each day when it was open ..).Remember that the $1,6k per day (or $55k over 6 months) sounds amazing, but Scott doesn’t reveal his actual costs. He only shows you SALES and not PROFIT.
You won’t find Scott’s flagship 1dealatatime.com shop if you try to search for his everything-summer.myshopify.com or Scott’s flagship 1dealatatime.com stores.
According to “gurus”, they find new products in every niche and close their stores because of it.
Yes, it is possible true.
How do you build a brand when you keep opening new stores and jumping ship? While most of them will agree that branding is important, many don’t actually practice what they preach.
They may even have no stores. They might even have old stats that were available two years ago. Don’t forget that all gurus make their money selling their tools/apps and not dropshipping. ( Franklin Hatchett is an exception.
Let’s get back to the lesson. Scott doesn’t reveal much. A hundred other men have covered all of it on YouTube.
He gives you some old stats. He shows you a phone cover that earned him a lot of money. He shows you the Shopify template he used/used.
It isn’t groundbreaking or unique.
Lesson 2: Setting up an Inner StoreLength: 16 :38Scott walks you through the basics for setting up Shopify. He covers the following:- General store setup- Checkout settings – Terms and Service, Privacy Policy – Adding pages (Policies, Contact Pages) – Adding menu items- Shipping Zones – Payment Providers – and- Selecting a plan for your shop.
Here, I must be a bit critical.
You can expect the professional to share insider information with you if you have paid for a course.
Unfortunately, Scott just repeats information you can find on YouTube for free.
This information is not worth the money if you’re a total beginner. But. Let’s all hope Scott succeeds elsewhere.
Lesson 3: Buying and Connecting DomainsLength: 5 :57Scott recommends using Google Domains. Scott demonstrates how to find a domain name and register it.
Lesson 4: Setting up your Facebook PageLength: 11 40Scott shows you how to create a Facebook Business Page.
You can use Canva to create a banner (cover picture), logo (profile photo), and how to add an additional button to send people to your website.
Lesson 5: Setup a Business Ad Account and PixelsLength: 05.02Scott guides you through opening a FB Business Account.
This is a simple process that covers all the essentials. Scott will cover:- Adding an FB Page to your business account.- Creating an Ad Account.- Adding an FB Pixel to Shopify.
Lesson 6: Product ResearchLength: 22.09Scott shows you how to do product research with Facebook, Google Trends and AliExpress. He also searches for ” dropshipping niches“. This is just silly …).
Scott defends his statement that “the most profitable niche is the one you create” . However, these methods don’t encourage you to make your own.
There’s nothing new in this…
Lesson 7: Importing your First ProductLength: 11 :59Scott walks you through how to import your first product using Oberlo into your Shopify store.
It’s a great addition to know how to create and post video ads for your product.
Lesson 8: Test Your PixelLength: 05.39Scott shows how to use Test Mode when you go into Shopify Payment Providers.
This is a useful addition to any dropshipping course but not new. This information can be found elsewhere for free.
Lesson 9: The Freedom FunnelLength: 13 :20Scott’s Freedom Funnel consists of a collection of free apps that he installs in order to increase conversions on his website.
Scott shows you how Scott sets up things like an Abandoned Cart App and a Countdown Timer App.
This video is great if you’re a beginner to dropshipping or have a limited marketing budget. After you have settled down and your sales are coming in, you may want to consider investing in an app that is more lucrative.
Lesson 10: Get Tons of Free Page Likes in a Matter Of SecondsLength: 0 minutes 46. Yes. Yes. 46 secondsScott’s tips for getting tons of Facebook page likes free of charge in a matter of seconds Invite all your Facebook friends and family to like your page…
Lesson 11: Learn This Before You Proceed to Facebook AdsLength: 01/19It’s Scott’s turn to give his Disclaimer
Scott advises that before you begin the Facebook Ads training you must be prepared to lose money.
Although it may sound odd, it is actually quite solid advice.Your first FB Ads won’t make you money. You will only become more proficient at FB Ads if you continue to test, test, and test. You can’t test it without spending money.
Be aware.
Even pros sometimes make mistakes. You’d be surprised at how much they spent on advertising over six weeks, and that they only made $100 in sales.
Lesson 12: How to Launch Your First Facebook Ad. Method #1Length: 08/51Scott shows you how create a FB Ad using video. This is a fast-paced lesson, so novices will need to pause and rewind often.
Scott will show you how to launch your masterpiece through FB Ads Manager.
Scott demonstrates how to select your Ad Objective and target a specific Audience. He also demonstrates how to create your Budget and Schedule.Important: These are optimization/engagement ads and not sales ads. These ads are used to generate interest in your product.
Lesson 13: Launching your First Facebook Ad – Method #2.Length: 06/45Scott again uses a video as a way to generate interest in your product/store. He uses humor to get a lot more shares and the video becoming viral. He posts a YouTube video about a niche he finds funny and makes an ad for it.
Lesson 14: Get tons of Facebook targeted page likes from your adsLength: 02/15Scott will show you how to track who liked your ads on Facebook. Then, you can invite them all to like your Facebook Page/store using a Google Chrome extension.
Lesson 15: Fulfillment of OrdersLength: 02/46Scott walks you quickly through placing orders with Oberlo suppliers.
Lesson 16: From Zero to 100 Orders: Facebook Advertising StrategyLength: 20.55Scott uses the data you have collected from your video advertisement to show you how you can target specific areas based on the interactions.TOP TIP: Scott demonstrates the exact process he uses for scaling his ads according to budget and timing. Finally, we get an insider tip you won’t find in a YouTube video.
Lesson 17: When should an LLC be formed?Length: 226Scott offers advice on how to form an LLC. Scott also recommends a company to use for your LLC registration.
Lesson 18: When and How to OutsourceLänge: 03:17Scott suggests that you outsource your most basic tasks to virtual assistants. He also recommends which website to use when searching for a VA.
Lesson 19: 100-10,000+ Orders: Advanced Facebook Ads Strategy (LAAs).Length: 05.59WARNING: This information is only theory-based. Scott does not show that he has placed over 10k orders.
Scott suggests that you create Lookalike Audiences after you have reached 100 orders. He also demonstrates a way to scale your campaign. You can then expect to reach 10k orders.
Scott offers a spreadsheet which outlines his (theoretical and practical) scaling methods.
Lesson 20: Manual biddingLength: 03.35Scott shares his secret method for manually bidding on classified ads.
Lesson 21: Converting to a Niche StoreLength: 02/26Scott recommends that you move to a niche shop as soon as your product stops selling.
Scott shows how to purchase a domain and link it to your Shopify store. Also, you will need to create a brand new FB Page.
Lesson 22: When and How to Sell Your StoreLength: 01/32Scott shows you the Shopify Exchange Market. He also explains when it is a good idea for you to sell your store. However, he does not show you how to list your business.
Lesson 23: How to Use Results to Take on Clients (Extra Passive Income)Length: 02:00Once you have made sales, it is clear that your FB ads and methods are working.
Then, you can coach small businesses on how to manage their FB Ads.
This is just theory, and it’s all covered in two minutes. There is no guidance for marketers who want to pursue this source of income.
Lesson 24: Sam Walton’s Price/Steve Jobs MethodLength: 03/45Scott believes that this should assist you in setting the price structure for your single product.
Scott discusses his method which is a combination from Sam Walton and Steve Jobs, as well as Jeff Bezos’s.
However, it doesn’t give you an exact price for your product. It should be viewed as consideration when pricing products.
Lesson 25: Multiproduct MethodLength: 03/09This lesson is not something I fully grasp. Scott was only able to deal with one product store up until this point, but now there are many products.
He doesn’t give any indications as to why multiple products might be needed or when they should be integrated into your store.
This is the worst video in terms of presentation and video quality.
Lesson 26: Managing Online ReputationLength: 02/28Scott shows you how to manage reputation using your smartphone. You simply check your FB feeds for comments and then delete any that are not positive.
Lesson 27: How to get FREE targeted trafficLength: 05.55This method is great for those who don’t have the budget to advertise or want to try products. This applies only to niche-related impulse-buy products and not everyday products such as cellphone cases.
Scott recommends that you join niche-specific groups and then post to the group referring your product.
Lesson 28: OutroLength: 01:30Scott thanks you for taking the course and wishes you success. He also encourages you to continue studying. Great advice! He also recommends certain apps for your smartphone to make your life easier.BONUSESScott’s Mentorship Facebook Group allows you to access Scott. Scott claims that he will “Personally guide you and answer any questions.” Access to Weekly Q&A Live calls is also available.
