For those who don’t know who Anthony Mastellone is, you will… especially in 2020.
His event DGS also known as Digital Growth Summit is one of the biggest events in the eCommerce space every single year. They manage hundreds of thousands per client in Ad Spend and I had the honor to interview him on the success of his students.
Interviewer: How did you get started in Digital Marketing?
Anthony: I was tired and unsatisfied with my day job as a part-time sales rep in a local clothing store. I took the momentous decision to leave my normal and routine job and try my luck elsewhere. I took the gamble and dove into the fascinating world of online commerce. From there, I started my own clothing brand online but, at first, just like anyone else – the results were not encouraging.
Although as discouraging as it may seem, it did not dampen my hopes. I knew that the road to success will not be easy. I kept trying and it didn’t take long to learn the ropes of selling clothes online. I finally had a breakthrough. All my efforts and hard work eventually yielded positive results. I entered the winning column and generated a sale worth over $10,000 in just a week. At this point – I knew that any goal is attainable if you want it bad enough and show up!
I discovered that the most efficient and low-cost platform for fashion brands was Instagram. I used this photo and video-sharing social networking site to partner up with people and pages that had massive followings enabling a transfer of credibility, traffic and sales. It was perfect! It helped me reached a wide range of customers and boosted my sales on a shoestring budget.
Interviewer: So that’s how the journey started then huh? Tell me more about how your journey unfolded.
Anthony: I made a lot of sales in my online store, but I didn’t settle just for that. I dreamed big. I continued to scale up. I networked more and reached out to more potential customers. I began providing consulting services to students who like me before dreamed to be successful in the e-commerce business.
In 2016, I launched Influencer Marketing Courses with Dan Dasilva via Influencer Marketing Academy. It was one of the pioneering influencer marketing courses in the market. Many students enticed with the potential of online marketing enrolled in our class. Dan and I were able to guide many of the students who eventually got five to six-figure earnings within their first 60 days of their training under our watch. My favorite success story was how we helped a home-based mother of three to earn more $24,000 in just 30 days after starting her first Shopify store. The most rewarding part is that she can earn and spend more time with her kids.
I never felt so fulfilled in my life. I knew that I could help individuals to transform their lives and be successful. It was the beginning of my journey to e-commerce.
Interviewer: How did you end up expanding into the world that you are in now?
Anthony: I started teaching through YouTube when I was featured in Tai Lopez’s Knowledge Society. I gained a healthy amount of followers in both YouTube And Facebook. But I didn’t stop there. I was constantly looking for new ways to lend a hand to aspiring entrepreneurs by providing services on creating Shopify apps and scaling up their online business. I managed their monthly advertising and helped them to boost their sales.
Interviewer: What was your big leap forward? How did you differentiate yourself from the crowd?
Anthony: I used to attend events, summits, and other similar activities just to learn new strategies and enhance my skills. I learned little from these events and they never seemed to be enough or actually give you all the info you needed. I observed that learning from these events is not commensurable with the number of fees that I paid. In other words, it was not worth it. It kept me pondering that people who want to learn are spending a considerable amount of money to attend these events and yet they do not get what they paid for between the pitches or speakers simply holding back on the info being shared. So, I wonder if there is an alternative way to help these people learn.
Since I have been teaching remotely for quite some time, I said to myself, it’s probably time to take this to the next level and create an unparalleled learning experience by hosting an event in the Big Apple. In August 2019, I hosted the first Digital Growth Summit in midtown Manhattan in New York City. Amazing speakers such as Ezra Firestone, Max Finn, Dan Dasilva, Jared Goetz, Zak Folkman shared their thoughts and expertise to aspiring online entrepreneurs. It was a great event.
After the success of the summit, I decided to follow it up with another event slated on February 8 this year. I prepared another stellar line-up of inspiring speakers. My goal brings big stage speakers and attendees into a place with a close-knit ambiance that is conducive for learning and making connections.
