Lee Lim

In each of us, there are 2 parts that exist, one of it is greed and the other is self-interest. Left unchecked, this cancer will consume you. Call it either a spiritual cancer or an emotional cancer. Generosity and giving actually neutralises those parts of our personality. But in order for the benefit of the medicine to work, you need to do it in a way that is sacrificial in some capacity. You have to feel like you are leaving something on the table, giving up some benefit of yourself for the benefit of others.

@mikebeckhamsm Being able to choose what I work on and who to work with is such a blessing 😌 Easy to forget that sometimes when I’m deep in build mode.

I want to live a high agency life. This is why I am an entreprenuer: I get to choose WHAT I work on I get to choose WHO I work with I have been very fortunate to build some successfull businesses. The biggest reward is I get to choose what I do with my time.

@mikebeckhamsm Lifestyle creep is real

Always remember this truth: Your circumstances may change, but human nature doesn't

@Abir_CPA Would love a copy of the inventory sheet! Be awesome 🙌

I've almost never seen a brand get this right. Hell - even 99% of accountants don't understand it well enough. But if you run an ecom brand - inventory is your lifeblood. It's the difference between getting to 9-figures and struggling to keep it together at 8. So I wrote up how inventory actually flows through a system - the way a CFO sees it. Normally I wouldn't share it publicly because it's just too heavy. It's one of the densest modules in my ecom finance course. But if there's one audience who might be able to handle it, it's people who read @9operators PS - there's a Sheet with all the figures included in the article. Comment what product you sell and I'll send it over. PPS - thanks again @AaronOrendorff for your help with this

@AaronOrendorff @Seanfrank Congrats! @AaronOrendorff this is the best Ecom podcast ever! You’ll crush it as CEO! 🚀

Single greatest text of my life. And I waited 9 months to say yes. I am now CEO of The Operators. Chief Executive Officer (Yeah, holy f****** s*** 😬) Never thought I’d wear that title. Wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities. Like everything in my career and life, one stumbling foot in front of the next … miracles get born. Two years ago, almost to the day, @finn_radford DM’d me to ask if I knew anyone who could build the Operators Newsletter: “Of course, I’d love you to do it but I appreciate this may not be worth the squeeze for someone of your caliber.” I told him it would be. Off we went. From the newsletter to online events, I got deeper into the mix. But last Jul, when Sean asked if I wanted to be CEO … I knew I wasn’t ready. Neither were the Operators. I came on as Chief Content Officer in Sep. It felt safe. Something I knew how to do; something they needed. Around the same time, @mikebeckhamsm stepped in as interim CEO. There is no other word to describe who he is and what he did than “godsend.” Over the next 6 months, I rode shotgun with one of the greatest living leaders in any industry. Mike poured himself out, cleaning up + setting foundations. Little by little, then more and more, he showed me what he was doing, explained why and how, and began handing things over. Last month, Mike announced to the partners, “I’m ready to transition to board chair and have Aaron step in as CEO.” My heart leapt. What’s next? What do I do as CEO? Don’t f*** it up. We’re growing the team. We’re launching new shows. We’re developing more partnerships. We’re building new properties. We’re QAing to the hilt. I’m nothing if not a maniacal, ruthlessly meticulous, attention to detail + quality content person to the core. This is the only CEO role I feel built for. To the growing cast of Operator creators and leaders, thank you for trusting me: - @finn_radford - @mikebeckhamsm - @mbertulli - @JasonPanzer - @seanfrank - @codyplof - @couuor - @connorrolain - @MehtabKarta - @KatyMimari - @hwoperator - @ChereneAubert - @Mike_R_Blanke - @FoldesCraig - @BenFlohrOG There’s more, but they’re not on social. To three of the people who have supported and guided me the most, thank you for being my friends: - @MacCoyMerkley - @andrewjfaris - @EmmettNaughton I have never been more excited, more intimidated, more honored, more humbled, more LFG in my professional existence. We’re just getting started.

@EcomUnfiltered Amazing article, we have been heavy in Amazon FBA and are expanding into Shopify. The mechanics are so different, feels like another business altogether. Thanks for sharing this 🙏

Wrote this article the other day, check it out

@jameshyujinlee Going through the exact same thing, it’s brutal, but this is the best game I’ve ever played. Wouldn’t change a thing 🙏

Being a founder means getting punched by things completely outside your control. Oil prices spiked due to the war Today our suppliers messaged and told us that the raw materials going up. Even our logistic partners said shipping fees will be going up. Last year it was tariffs. This year it's this.

@jameshyujinlee Airwallex or WorldFirst

What's the best way to transfer money to suppliers in China?

@mikefutia ADS

This Shopify brand is running 900+ AI-generated ads on Facebook 🤯 And they're publishing 20 new AI UGC ads every single day. I pulled their entire Facebook Ad Library and reverse-engineered their entire strategy. Perfect for DTC brands & media buyers who want to scale creative without hiring an army of UGC creators. Here's what makes this wild: Most brands struggle to produce 5-10 new creatives per month. This brand is pumping out 20 AI-generated ads PER DAY. They're using AI video tools to create testimonials, unboxings, demos & lifestyle shots at scale. And it's working. What I found in their ad account: → 900+ total ads live in their Facebook Ad Library → Consistent AI-generated videos across all creatives → Multiple hooks & angles tested daily → Same product, dozens of different scenarios → Clear patterns in what's getting spend I recorded a full Loom breakdown showing: → Which AI tools they're using → The exact creative patterns they're scaling → Hook structures they're testing → How they're maintaining brand consistency → How you can replicate it for your brand Want the full behind-the-scenes Loom breakdown? > Comment "ADS" > Like this post And I'll send over the Loom video (must be following so I can DM)

@jbryanporter Can't wait to see them in year 10!

Aspen Grove in Oklahoma, year 4.   Love having a piece of Colorado in the southern plains.   These poor trees have made it through heat waves, high winds and ice.   Every year they get more resilient as the roots get deeper. A nice metaphor for life.

Running a business while raising a toddler is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Trying to be a great dad, founder, partner, son, and friend. But some days it’s just overwhelming. To all the founder dads out there: you’re not alone. Deep respect to everyone juggling both.

@seanfrank Well said @seanfrank 🙌

If optimism was a stock, I’d be buying options. Future is so bright. Being alive is awesome. Forget that doomer shit. Embrace sunshine and manifest the rest.

@jameshyujinlee Happy for you!

My brand is turning 2 years old soon. I started this with my girlfriend and $8,000 in savings. Neither of us came from a business background. No e-comm experience. We didn’t want to dropship or white label. We wanted to build something that was truly ours. For the past two years, we’ve given it everything we’ve got, both of us working over 100 hours a week. We nearly lost everything in our first year. More than a few people told me the brand wouldn’t go far, and that I’d be better off starting something else. But I stayed in the game. And I’m so glad I did, because now, we’re starting to see the light. Here’s to hopefully beating our projections and continuing to grow in year 3.

@mikebeckhamsm Adding it to my reading list 📖

This is a great book - highly recommend

@paulsaintecom Love this! 🙌 Happy for your growth and success! Keep crushing it! 👊

Still going strong, margins also up. We have a very good success rate, but because of the sheer scale of products we launch at any given time we have dozens of issues to deal with. Another interesting things is that when the workload was much less, there was a lot of in-fighting within the team. Now that everyone has urgent work to get done each day, there's a lot of solidarity.

@mikebeckhamsm Amazing! Signed up and can’t wait! 🙌

On June 17, we are hosting our first online event for the Operators Network. It’s gonna be big. We will have 20 different speakers, 4 keynotes, 10 panelists, plus 3 breakout tracks. And I’m gonna be leading the executive track. These are a few of our friends and colleagues who will be presenting: - @seanfrank, Ridge - @JasonPanzer, HexClad - @mbertulli, Pela Case x Lomi - @couuor, CMO at Ridge - @connorrolain, HexClad - @codyplof, Jones Road Beauty - @MehtabKarta, Karta Ventures - @drewfallon12, Iris Finance - @KatyMimari, CEO of Caden Lane - @CurtisMatsko, Portland Leather - @ChereneAubert, ILIA Beauty - @kristhejean, CMO Tecovas - @bryanecano, True Classic - @graceclarke from @Shopify - @theisaacmed, Kanpai Foodz - @SarahLevinger, Brand “Therapist” - Marcus Harvey, Portland Gear - Alexis Katsafanas, Unilever Prestige - Tushy’s Founder @twinmiki - Mandi Moshay, Honeylove - @seempaq, COO of Félix & Norton - Filippo Bigolin, COO at Aurate - @aaronorendorff, Operators Special thanks to the teams who are making this possible at @Fulfilio, @motionapp_, @northbeam, @PostscriptIO, @AfterSell, and @RivoCommerce This is an opportunity to come, level up as a leader, and learn how to more effectively operate your business.  You don’t wanna miss it. So please sign up. 9ops.co/k4r2o2

@mikebeckhamsm @luthebeast Such an awesome playoff match with DEN vs OKC! Can see OKC win it all this year!

Thunder season saved by @luthebeast. Amazing representative of everything that makes the Thunder great. Undrafted. People said he could never start in the NBA because of his shooting. Turned himself into an elite 3 point shooter. Came through in the clutch. Thunder Up!

Walking through an Asian night market, I was reminded: It’s not just about hard work. Everyone here works hard. Leverage is what takes you further.

You can have anything you want. Just not all at once. Patience builds the life you dream of.

My happy place is building something meaningful, whether it’s a business or a life with my family.

@nathan_covey The first dollar is always the sweetest