John Lawson is the CEO of 3rd Power LLc, an online retail company and founder of ColderICE Media, a social commerce education, training, and consulting agency based in Atlanta, Georgia. John has sold millions of dollars in e-commerce merchandise in 20 years and facilitated more than 500,000 transactions online.

He has achieved the status of Platinum eBay PowerSeller, top-rated Amazon Merchant and Small Business Influencer of the Year. John has spoken to over 200,000 people worldwide on e-commerce and social media marketing. Now he has put all his experience and expertise into a product for speakers, authors and thought-leaders, so they too can follow his successful influencer path with Pro Speaker Funnels. We had the chance to interview John on his success as an entrepreneur.

What is your mission?

My mission is to directly affect the bottom line of one million businesses worldwide and to help those businesses increase their revenue by teaching them how to effectively navigate internet marketing and e-commerce. Helping them to successfully utilize social media and resourcefully use automation and web technology tools to ensure profit and progress.

“After successfully launching my own online business in 2001, selling over 20 million in products online I began speaking and teaching others how to do the same. This led to me writing my best-selling book, and the rest was a jet-set lifestyle around the world speaking and teaching hundreds of thousands.”

John has an impressing pedigree of speaking on world stages, having spoken at numerous famous tech and business events around the world, including South by Southwest (SxSW), Internet Retailer (USA), E-Tail (Denmark & Singapore), Informator (Stockholm, Sweden), and Payoneer (Shenzhen, China) just to name a few.

“I built that speaking business and realized there was a lack of ready-made tools and technology in the industry to help new and even-established Speakers, Authors, and Coaches.” It was then that ColderICE Media was born, and his agency has since helped clients worldwide. Now John has put all the experiences into a product where entrepreneurs and thought-leaders can do it themselves with Pro Speaker Funnels.

How did this all start?

As an enterprising innovator, as far back as high school, John had a knack for starting businesses and making-do whatever he did. John was born in Woodside Housing Projects in Queens, New York.  His father left the home when he was 11. Ultimately, his Mom moved him to a lower-middle-class area of Columbus, Ohio. John and his sister watched as their single mother struggled to provide a decent lifestyle for them.

Desiring to achieve success, John co-founded a party promotion business in high school in 1982 and started DJ’ing at local events. He began to spend more time promoting his weekend party business around Columbus and little time in the classroom that he was expelled from school in his senior year.

Undaunted, John earned his GED and continued on to the Devry Institute, where he got a taste of the world of technology for the first time. “I was in my 20s, but I was struggling with my identity,” says John.

After a brief stay with his father in Dallas, Texas, John returned to Ohio, where he joined a Christian church, formed a Gospel Hip-Hop group, and even managed to sign a recording contract with Star Song Records, where he produced his first single. The single sold very well, and they made a video, but the rap game was not a long-term thing.

After a series of excellent IT positions, John took a leap of faith and joined his sister, who had moved to Atlanta, GA. “It was right after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. I got an offer, packed my car and moved down.” In 2001, while enjoying career success at The Fortune 100 consulting firm Accenture, a friend drew him into the world of real estate investing.

When did things start to change?

“I nearly went bankrupt. We tried to flip a house, and it went wrong. I let him use my credit to buy a house that we could never trade.” Now saddled with two mortgages, John started selling his IT books, printers, and ink on Ebay and soon discovered that selling online was a great way to earn the extra money he needed. Thus, his first e-commerce store was born, 3rd Power Outlet.

In 2004, 3rd Power Outlet was providing almost as much income salary as his corporate job at Accenture. He then realized that if he spent the same eight hours working in his own business as working for others, he could make his fledgling company a success. That September he devoted himself full time to his online business and never looked back. In 2006, 3PO made its first million in sales and continues to do spectacularly.

Today, Mixergy calls John Lawson a “Power Seller.” American Express rates him as an “Outstanding Entrepreneur.” Startup Nation says he’s the “savviest” on Social Media and Small Biz Trends named him “Influencer” of the year.

John has traveled to over a dozen countries to teach people how to achieve their business goals online. His ability to convey complex concepts in understandable language has made him “the toast of the city” on the talking circuit of social commerce.

Where did the idea to leave your job come from?

I had a peanut butter and jelly moment. I thought if I did not have to get all the nice clothes, get them cleaned, pay for parking, etc. then I would save on all the work expenses. So, I decided I could eat PBnJ sandwiches and take my Ebay business full time.

At the time I was selling mouse pads so was thinking how many I need to sell to quit my job. I put together an exit strategy to get out of my day job. Every mouse pad I sold I made $5…I figured out that I had to only sell 10 a day to replace my job if I sold them 7 days a week on Ebay.

How did your social media expertise start?

I was having anxiety about being alone so much because I was working at home and felt isolated. I started using video and talking to the camera about small business and Ebay. Likewise, I started to get a following on Twitter from that.

It was 2008, and I entered a contest for small business in the social media category. It was based on votes and everyday I was going out and posting five things on Twitter that I had read in my industry. Then the 6th tweet would say “vote for me” in the contest. I did that every day and BOOM, I won Startup Nations’ Savviest in Social Media Award.

Now, John is also an Amazon #1 best-selling author, international speaker, IBM Cognitive College adjunct professor and is celebrated as one of the 50 Most Influential in SMB Marketing. John has taken his journey a long way from high school dropout, to Christian rapper, working in corporate, selling mouse pads, and everything in between.

Now Lawson is focused on his speaking career and building his new venture, Pro Speaker Funnels, to the next level! John Lawson is undoubtedly an amazing example that no matter where you start in life, you can finish off strong. 

To learn more about how you can work with John visit him at his Instagram here

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