The Dropship Unlocked Podcast

👉 Ready to start your own online store? Start here →
https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep171-stop-chasing-side-hustles-recession-proof-model-2026

🗣 In this episode, Lewis Smith and James Eardley break down why the “side hustle hopping” era is quietly destroying people’s progress — especially heading into 2026.

They explain why most people never win online because they keep resetting to zero, and why the model they teach works differently: it’s built on existing demand, real compounding, and skills that don’t disappear when the economy tightens.

🎥 Prefer to watch instead? Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/ygpbxWfymh4

🧭 Topics Discussed
★ Why side hustles don’t compound — the hidden cost of constantly restarting and losing momentum
★ The boring-business advantage — why long-term, stable models beat hype-driven opportunities
★ Why high-ticket e-commerce works — existing demand, predictable buying intent, and strong margins
★ Why recession punishes inconsistency — and rewards people who stick to proven foundations
★ The real “recession-proof” edge — not the product, but the structure + transferable skills you build
★ How to get in front of buyers ready to purchase — demand validation + Google ads + Performance Max

🛠 Links & Resources Mentioned
Lewis’s Book → https://dropshipunlocked.com/book
Shopify £1-for-3-months Offer → https://dropshipunlocked.com/shopify
Free Trial of a Professional Phone Line → https://dropshipunlocked.com/circle

📌 Episode 143 (mentioned): How to choose high ticket products that actually sell → https://youtu.be/efusffFBxXA

💡 Key Takeaways
★ Side hustle hopping kills progress — you don’t fail, you just never stay long enough to win
★ Compounding beats hype — pick one vehicle, push through the build phase, and let results stack
★ Existing demand is the cheat code — you’re not “creating” buyers, you’re showing up where they already are
★ High-ticket gives you room for error — more profit per sale = more resilience when conditions tighten
★ The model is recession-proof because the skills are — demand validation, ads, supplier leverage, systems

📲 Follow Us
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/dropshipunlocked/
X / Twitter → https://twitter.com/DropshipUnlockd
LinkedIn → https://uk.linkedin.com/company/dropship-unlocked
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/c/dropshipunlockedlewissmith
Website → https://www.dropshipunlocked.com

🚀 Free Training
🌏 Want to create location, time, and financial freedom?
Watch our free training →
https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep171-stop-chasing-side-hustles-recession-proof-model-2026

👉 Ready to start your own online store? Start here → https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep170-how-suraj-bought-a-3m-year-business

🗣 In this episode, Lewis Smith and James Eardley sit down with Suraj for his third appearance on the podcast — and this one is a full-circle moment. After building two high-ticket dropshipping stores and passing £200k+ in revenue, Suraj went a step further and acquired one of his own suppliers — a business doing around £3M+ per year.

🎥 Prefer to watch instead? Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/LUiM2kmK4AY

🧭 Topics Discussed
★ Why Suraj Chose High-Ticket Ecom — Moving from service businesses (where time is the bottleneck) to a product business that can scale without him.
★ His Path to £100k+ Sales — Launching fast, learning the hard lessons (like not tripling ad spend overnight), and using Store #1 as a “testing ground.”
★ Building a Second Store Faster — What changed the second time around: simpler site, fewer “conversion gimmicks,” clearer niche criteria, better decision-making.
★ The Supplier Acquisition Story — How strong supplier relationships led to a surprise invitation: “Would you like to buy the business?”
★ What Changes When You Become the Supplier — Warehousing, logistics, cashflow timelines, and why the top-line-to-bottom-line journey is very different.
★ How DSU Skills Transfer Upstream — Using core ecom principles (ads, CRO, email flows) to optimise a bigger business that hadn’t implemented the basics.
★ The Real Secret: Supplier Relationships — Why suppliers need you too, how to stay top-of-mind.

🛠 Links & Resources Mentioned
Lewis’s Book → https://dropshipunlocked.com/book
Shopify £1-for-3-months Offer → https://dropshipunlocked.com/shopify
Free Trial of a Professional Phone Line → https://dropshipunlocked.com/circle

💡 Key Takeaways
★ Progress Beats Perfection — The winners aren’t designing logos for 6 months… they’re launching, learning, and iterating fast.
★ Your First Store Teaches You Everything — The second store becomes quicker and more profitable because the skills compound.
★ Suppliers Are Partners, Not “Vendors” — Take them on the journey, communicate wins, show up, build real relationships — it can open doors you don’t expect.
★ Skills Scale Further Than The Model — Once you understand ads, offers, ops, and systems, you can apply them to bigger opportunities.

📲 Follow Us
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/dropshipunlocked/
X / Twitter → https://twitter.com/DropshipUnlockd
LinkedIn → https://uk.linkedin.com/company/dropship-unlocked
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/c/dropshipunlockedlewissmith
Website → https://www.dropshipunlocked.com

🚀 Free Training
🌏 Want to create location, time, and financial freedom?
Watch our free training →
https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep170-how-suraj-bought-a-3m-year-business

👉 Ready to start your own online store? Start here →
https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep169-how-2026-is-punishing-the-wrong-business-decisions

🗣 In this in-person Dropship Unlocked Podcast episode, Lewis Smith and James Eardley sit down to talk candidly about what’s really changing as we head into 2026 — and why the next year will reward smart, lean operators while punishing outdated business decisions.

With rising costs, mainstream AI adoption, layoffs across traditional industries, and changing consumer behaviour, this episode breaks down what actually matters if you want to build a resilient, profitable e-commerce business going into 2026 — and what mistakes are quietly killing businesses before they get traction.

🎥 Prefer to watch instead? Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/JCZl0oVsEm4

🧭 Topics Discussed
★ Why 2026 will be unforgiving for bloated, slow, high-overhead businesses
★ How AI is changing execution speed — without replacing real business owners
★ The difference between being scared of AI and leveraging it as an advantage
★ Why high-ticket e-commerce is still resilient (even with economic pressure)
★ The skills that won’t disappear as automation increases
★ Why supplier relationships matter more than ever
★ Escaping negative news cycles and focusing energy where it compounds
★ Using data (not passion or guesswork) to validate products and niches
★ Why demand comes before supply — always

🛠 Links & Resources Mentioned
Lewis’s Book → https://dropshipunlocked.com/book
Shopify £1-for-3-months Offer → https://dropshipunlocked.com/shopify
Free Trial of a Professional Phone Line → https://dropshipunlocked.com/circle

💡 Key Takeaways
★ 2026 Rewards Speed & Leverage: AI won’t replace business owners — but it will replace slow ones.
★ The Model Matters More Than Ever: High-ticket, low-overhead businesses have room to breathe and scale.
★ Don’t Manufacture Demand: The safest businesses sell what people are already searching for.
★ Ignore the Noise: Worrying about politics and tax changes doesn’t build profit — execution does.
★ Follow a Proven Path: Strategy beats motivation, and systems beat guesswork every time.

📲 Follow Us
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/dropshipunlocked/
X / Twitter → https://twitter.com/DropshipUnlockd
LinkedIn → https://uk.linkedin.com/company/dropship-unlocked
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/c/dropshipunlockedlewissmith
Website → https://www.dropshipunlocked.com

🚀 Free Training
🌏 Want to create location, time, and financial freedom?
Watch our free training →
https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep169-how-2026-is-punishing-the-wrong-business-decisions

👉 Ready to start your own online store? Start here → https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep168-if-we-had-to-start-again-in-todays-uk-economy

🗣 In this episode, Lewis Smith and James Eardley run a thought experiment: if they had to start from zero today in the UK — with rising costs, higher overheads, and changing buyer behaviour — what would they do differently?
They break down the “overhead trap” that kills most new businesses, why high-ticket is more attractive in this economy, and the practical blueprint they’d follow to build a resilient store without stock, staff, or a physical premises.

🎥 Prefer to watch instead? Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/O5d5bHukNJM

🧭 Topics Discussed
★ The Overhead Trap — Why rent, rates, payroll, stock and fixed costs crush new businesses before they ever get momentum.
★ The Lean-First Principle — Starting online-only, keeping costs tiny, and building from cashflow instead of debt.
★ Why High Ticket Is Easier Right Now — Fewer sales needed, more profit per order, and more margin for error.
★ Using AI the Right Way — Speed up tasks (copy, research, drafts) without outsourcing the strategy to a robot.

🛠 Links & Resources Mentioned
Lewis’s Book → https://dropshipunlocked.com/book
Shopify £1-for-3-months Offer → https://dropshipunlocked.com/shopify
Free Trial of a Professional Phone Line → https://dropshipunlocked.com/circle
Free Training / Roadmap → https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep168-if-we-had-to-start-again-in-todays-uk-economy

💡 Key Takeaways
★ Avoid Fixed Costs Early — Don’t start your business from “minus 10” with rent, stock, staff, and big commitments.
★ High Ticket = Fewer Customers Needed — Build around bigger profit per order so you can reach meaningful income with a small number of sales.
★ Use Live Data, Not Guesswork — Validate demand and price points with real numbers, then commit with confidence.
★ Resilient Models Win in Tough Times — If your model works in a hard economy, imagine what it does when the cycle turns.

📲 Follow Us
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/dropshipunlocked/
X / Twitter → https://twitter.com/DropshipUnlockd
LinkedIn → https://uk.linkedin.com/company/dropship-unlocked
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/c/dropshipunlockedlewissmith
Website → https://www.dropshipunlocked.com

🚀 Free Training
🌏 Want to create location, time, and financial freedom?
Watch our free training → https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep168-if-we-had-to-start-again-in-todays-uk-economy

👉 Ready to start your own online store? Start here → https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep167-can-chatgpt-make-you-10k-month-ecommerce

🗣 In this episode, Lewis Smith and James Eardley dive into one of the biggest questions people are asking right now — Can ChatGPT actually build you a £10k/month ecommerce business… or is that just clever marketing?

They break down where AI genuinely helps (and where it absolutely doesn’t), why experience and real market feedback still win, and how to blend AI with a proven system so you’re not gambling your future on a fancy prompt.

🎥 Prefer to watch instead? Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/vTvaAJYBMOo

🧭 Topics Discussed
★ Can ChatGPT Really “Run” a Business?
 Why AI on its own can’t yet run a high-ticket ecommerce business for you — and why treating it as an autopilot business builder sets you up for disappointment.
★ Confidence vs Accuracy in AI Answers
 How tools like ChatGPT give confident, persuasive responses that sound right… but often ignore real-world margins, suppliers, and demand.
★ Why Experience Still Beats Automation
 How human judgment, pattern recognition, and real-world testing trump theory — especially when choosing niches, validating products, and negotiating with suppliers.

🛠 Links & Resources Mentioned
Lewis’s Book → https://dropshipunlocked.com/book
Shopify £1-for-3-months Offer → https://dropshipunlocked.com/shopify
Free Trial of a Professional Phone Line → https://dropshipunlocked.com/circle

💡 Key Takeaways
★ Use AI for Speed, Not Strategy
 Let AI help you brainstorm ideas, write copy, generate FAQs, and test ad angles — but don’t outsource niche selection, supplier choice, or overall strategy to a language model.
★ Don’t Build on Shaky AI Assumptions
 If you let ChatGPT decide your niche and products without real validation, you can easily spend months building a business that was doomed from day one.
★ You Set the Direction — AI Helps You Get There Faster
 The people winning right now are using a proven roadmap, real supplier partnerships and community support, then layering AI on top as a powerful assistant, not a replacement.

📲 Follow Us
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/dropshipunlocked/
X / Twitter → https://twitter.com/DropshipUnlockd
LinkedIn → https://uk.linkedin.com/company/dropship-unlocked
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/c/dropshipunlockedlewissmith
Website → https://www.dropshipunlocked.com

🚀 Free Training
🌏 Want to create location, time, and financial freedom?
 Watch our free training →
 https://dropshipunlocked.com/start?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep167-can-chatgpt-make-you-10k-month-ecommerce