The 2026 eCom Trends Report
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Podcast | Episode 641
Investing 95% of Profits Outside Your Business – Case Study with Michael Jelliff
If your eCommerce store shut down tomorrow, how long could you survive on everything else you’ve built? In this episode, Michael Jelliff, owner of Geekstands.com, reveals how he built one of the leanest, most profitable eCommerce operations around (an intentionally small, three-person team that throws off serious cash) and then did something most founders don’t: pulled nearly all of it out and invested it elsewhere.
Listen in as Mike shares the experience that shaped his entire financial philosophy, how he thinks about diversifying profits into both public and private markets, and why his passive investments now generate more income than his eCommerce business. You’ll also hear his 12-year-old pricing formula that keeps him at a 99% in-stock rate, how he manages pricing across 11 marketplaces, and what he’s weighing as he considers whether to sell the business entirely.
You’ll learn:
- How an eBay suspension became the wake-up call that changed everything for Mike. (06:40)
- When to start pulling profits out and how much to take. (10:10)
- Where Mike invested his profits, from public stocks to private deals. (15:20)
- His real returns and how he splits public versus private allocations. (21:30)
- Why diversifying outside your business matters more than chasing higher returns. (23:58)
- The pricing formula Mike has used for 12 years to maximize margins. (26:46)
- What’s making him seriously consider walking away from the business. (38:22)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Michael Jelliff of Geekstands.com)
What Was Mentioned
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“I just know that if my business got shut down now, my passive investments, they're actually generating more income than my eCommerce business now.” - Michael Jelliff Tweet this “I think of this eCommerce business as just another investment… It's just this eCommerce business is a little bit more of an allocation for me. That's all.” - Michael Jelliff Tweet this “With so many entrepreneurs, it's easy for us to project out the current pace of business earning growth, and that isn't always the case. Things change, sometimes gradually, sometimes suddenly.” - Andrew Youderian Tweet this
Post by Andrew Youderian
Founder and Chief Instigator, eComFuel
Andrew quit an early finance job to sell CB radios online — an admittedly unorthodox career path. It set him on a course to found and sell multiple businesses, host a decade-running podcast, lecture at Harvard Business School and create eComFuel, the leading community for 7- and 8-figure online business owners. Andrew is fascinated with branding, AI, building community, investing and growing meaningful businesses that don't require sacrificing what truly matters.
