When Nikki and I first connected (thanks, TikTok), I was immediately impressed by her brand, The Nowhere Nation and what she had created at her flagship store in Mosman, Sydney, Australia.

When I walked into the store for the first time to meet her in-person, it was clear that her carefully cultivated retail shop matched her just as curated Instagram. I could see why she had a fantastic retail business.

Like a lot of Double Orders successful students, Nikki is an exceptional creative marketer—her images and videos are so compelling that I often use her brand as an example for my students of how visual content can elevate your message and get cut-through.

But like many smart, ambitious women in eCommerce, Nikki found herself at a frustrating crossroads. She had taken courses, tried different marketing strategies, and built a thriving retail business.

Yet, her online growth wasn’t matching the vision she had for her brand, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

“It could be your structure,” I said mysteriously.

That caught her attention.

Most people assume the problem is their niche or messaging, because that’s in large part the main reason people don’t sell things online. It’s also the most common problem in marketing and the one that many coaches and experts speak to.

But Nikki wasn’t struggling with either—she had nailed her niche and her messaging.

So where does one go and what does one do if that’s not your problem, but that’s all that’s talked about broadly?

This post will share some answers. Keep reading.

The Missing Ingredient: Marketing Structure

Let me be clear about what marketing structure actually is.

Structure is when you have a clear plan for:

1. Light and Fluffy Marketing: Building awareness, creating engagement, and warming up your audience.
2. Lead Generation: Capturing interest and turning followers into subscribers or prospects.
3. Revenue-Driven Marketing: Running targeted campaigns designed to generate sales.

It’s understanding when you want your marketing to create different outcomes for you, over a 12 month period, based on how your business cycles and makes money, year-on-year.

Really great marketing structure is designed to the ebbs and flows of your cash, and because every business cycles differently, so too will your marketing. In my experience over the last decade, no business has ever had the same structure of marketing.

Nikki had the creativity and the execution, she was just missing this one little tweak. This is where we focused our energy, and if you’re reading this, I recommend you do it too.

The process behind The Nowhere Nation’s progress

We started in Q4 of 2023, running three back-to-back campaigns that quickly started delivering results. Yes, there were doubles—100% growth appeared—but this isn’t just about quick cash wins.

Here’s the truth: what I teach isn’t an overnight fix.

It’s a process that requires time, effort, and a willingness to learn. Nikki embraced that process.

By focusing on building structured marketing that was mapped against her own business’ cash, creating specific and exclusive offers that are repeated and tailoring the messaging to pockets of her database, The Nowhere Nation began to see consistent progress.

But it wasn’t until June 2024 that she hit a milestone that even she couldn’t ignore.

(She’s very discerning, so this was a big deal and will always be my badge of honour).

The June Campaign: 113% Growth, No Ads

By June 2024, Nikki had taken the reins and I’d stepped back to let her step up.

She ran her June EOFY campaign entirely on her own, applying everything she’d learned.

The results?

• 113% growth compared to the previous year’s sales.

• Zero ad spend—just smart, structured marketing.

• A new sense of confidence and intuition.

See?

Here’s what she did well:

1. Telling Her Story

Nikki’s brand already had strong visuals, but we wanted to take it further by weaving her personal journey and values into the campaign. This approach helped her audience connect with her brand on a deeper level and as a result, that drove sales.

2. Maximising Her Existing Channels

Most people don’t realise how much money they leave on the table within the channels they already. I’m talking emails, SMS and social media – no ad spend required.

Here’s exactly how Nikki took charge of her marketing and drove real performance:

• Email Marketing: We segmented her list to deliver highly personalised messages to past customers and prospects. Think:
  • “You’ve purchased before and this is what I know about what you like, so here’s a recommendation of the best products for you”.
  • And, “You’ve never purchased before, and we’d like to win your business. Here’s some more information about how we do things, why you can trust us and the products we have available”.

• Social Media: Nikki leaned into her strengths, using Instagram and TikTok to showcase her shoes in action, share behind-the-scenes moments, and create buzz.

• Exclusive Offers: We crafted a limited-time offer that gave her audience a reason to act, driving urgency and excitement. We honoured the timeline and stuck to it (a lot of brands don’t do this, and it enforces a message that you don’t do the things you say you’re going to do).

The Results: Doubling June 2024 Sales Without Ads

“I feel confident and intuitive, like I understand how the game of marketing works and it comes naturally to me.”

Nikki, Founder of The Nowhere Nation

By the end of June, Nikki had doubled her online sales compared to the previous year. And she did it without spending a single dollar on ads.

Instead of relying on paid traffic, Nikki’s success came from:

• Having a clear marketing structure.

• Engaging her existing audience with a strong story and offer.

• Tracking and optimising her efforts in real-time.

The experience didn’t just boost her sales—it gave her a repeatable process she can use to grow her business for years to come.

Why This Matters

To me, the confidence and sense of intuition is the real win.

It’s not just about numbers in your Shopify analytics—it’s about helping business owners feel empowered, in control, and equipped with the tools to succeed on their own terms.

At Double Orders, our mission is to teach eCommerce owners how to create marketing that consistently drives results—without relying on ad spend.

Nikki’s story is proof that when you commit to the Double Orders method, incredible things can happen.

Here’s what she had to say about the Double Orders: Sales Marketing Bootcamp course:

Ready to Build Your Own Success Story?

If you’re ready to:

• Stop relying on ads to grow your business.

• Learn how to create marketing that drives sustainable results.

• Gain the confidence to run your marketing like a pro…

Then the first place to start is to take the Double Orders: Marketing Effectiveness Scorecard below.