Ecommerce Conversations, By Practical Ecommerce

Aaron Orendorff is a chaplain turned writer turned digital marketer. He was the first editor-in-chief at Shopify Plus and then vice president of marketing at Common Thread Collective, an ecommerce agency.He's now head of marketing for Recart, an SMS platform, but his passion is empowering colleagues and clients. "I find joy in bigging others up," he says.In this episode, he shares his ecommerce journey, communication methods, and, importantly, achieving sobriety.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qNSFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We ar

Mike Carroll, a weightlifting buddy of host Eric Bandholz, lost his job last fall. He had been an insurance salesman for 25 years and is now contemplating a new career. Eric asked him, "Have you thought about ecommerce?"He had not.Launching an ecommerce company intrigued him, but he was unsure where to start. Knowing many would-be entrepreneurs with similar concerns, Eric invited him on the podcast.Here's that conversation.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qKiFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company foun

Hosting "Ecommerce Conversations" is a welcome respite from my day job of running Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer company I co-founded in 2012. I periodically post updates on Beardbrand's performance, hoping the transparency helps other entrepreneurs. This episode is my recap of 2023. It was a terrible year for me and Beardbrand — the first year we were in the red. We've always had around 15% margins, but not in 2023.We experienced declining sales, unexpected tax bills, a frivolous lawsuit, and the loss of a key wholesale account. Yet we persevered by raising prices, reducing expenses, opening a new sales channel, and changing manufacturers.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qEEFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this ch

Mike Beckham sees the benefits of competitive markets. Simple Modern, a company he co-founded in 2015, sells insulated drinkware, competing against Yeti and other large providers. He says markets are competitive because many consumers value those products."Capturing a small percentage of a competitive market can make you insanely successful," he stated.Beckham shares his ecommerce journey in this episode, addressing Amazon, digital-first merchandising, physical-store sales, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qBVFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and

Joe Anhalt is a New York-based copywriter turned designer turned all-around marketer. He consults with direct-to-consumer ecommerce companies on growth strategies, including branding.He emphasizes storytelling and conveying a brand’s point of view. “You can bring shoppers into your world,” he said. “Brand-building is like world-building.”In this episode, he addresses multiple growth tactics, including marketing channels, design essentials, multichannel selling, and, yes, the importance of the brand.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6quNFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcast

David Perell helps folks improve their writing skills. His company offers an online course, YouTube author interviews, and a weekly newsletter. But his broader goal is supporting excellence.He stated, "It's worth doing exceptional work with whatever you do. The modern world is polluted with mediocrity."In this episode, Perell addresses writing and speaking and their impact on entrepreneurial success. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qr9For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffil

Postscript is an SMS marketing provider for Shopify brands. The company launched in 2018 and has since raised a whopping $106.2 million across four funding rounds, per Crunchbase. Alex Beller is Postscript's president and one of three co-founders.Postscript's marketing platform is SMS-only and Shopify-only. To Beller, that translates to "best in class" performance.In this conversation, Beller addresses the company's focus, regulatory compliance, 2023 results, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qoDFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and

In 2016 David Gaylord was a Shopify employee looking for a side hustle. Then he came up with a funky idea: skincare lotions for hair removal along bikini lines. The business name was even funkier: Bushbalm.Fast forward to 2023, and Bushbalm is booming, selling lotions and trimmers directly to thousands of consumers and wholesale to Ulta Beauty and 3,000 waxing salons. It spends a whopping $200,000 per month on Facebook ads.In this conversation, Gaylord shares his journey, addressing sales channels, marketing tactics, and, yes, the name.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qjYFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved!   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We

Merchants often default to China for outsourced manufacturing. Yet competitive suppliers exist worldwide. For Palermo House, a direct-to-consumer provider of luxury furniture, Argentina is a natural source.Marco Ferro is the company’s California-based founder with Argentina roots. He was born there, as were his parents, co-owners of the business.In this episode, Ferro addresses importing goods from South America, shipping furniture to customers, bootstrapping challenges, and more. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qgkFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

In 2014 Eric Steckling launched Brio, a Michigan-based direct-to-consumer seller of beard trimmers. In 2022 the company acquired Ollie, a subscription-based provider of teeth whiteners.The brands are seemingly complementary. Both sell grooming products. But merging them was challenging. Having been combined post-acquisition, they now function separately.In our recent conversation, Steckling addressed launching Brio, acquiring Ollie, and lessons learned along the way. The entire audio of our discussion is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qcnFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider.

Mark Wagner believes the best payment chargeback recovery systems are automated and data-driven. He founded Disputifier, an Austin, Texas-based chargeback software company, on that premise in 2021.He told me, "We've developed an intuitive system over the years. It combines data from the transaction with our testing and identifies an appropriate response."In this episode, Wagner discusses the state of ecommerce chargebacks and how merchants can recover false claims. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pYNFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Ryan Hunter Masters is a Colorado-based musician who loves to dance. In 2015 he launched Show Her Off to teach swing dancing online. The business sells video courses — streaming and DVD — to booming success.Hunter Masters first appeared on the podcast in 2019. In this second conversation, he addressed the origins of Show Her Off, customer acquisition channels, and his internal litmus test for starting any new company. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pSlFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

The last time host Eric Bandholz discussed his company in an episode was in July. Things were close to their worst. He had furloughed his team for a month. But now the team is back to full-time. His strategy is focusing on Facebook as an acquisition channel. He switched the company's Facebook marketing approach from multi-phase testing to bid caps.He made the change at the beginning of October, and he's seeing cost per acquisition fall in line with profit expectations. The downside is that there are only a few conversions daily due to the negligible budget. Beardbrand is now at a breakeven profit-wise. That's not what he expected after 11 years, but he has "come to terms with the fact that this is essentially a new business. I have to look at Beardbrand from a startup perspective. What worked for us when we launched in 2012 is entirely different than now."It's a new beginning for a venerable, 11-year business, as told here in an admirably transparent manner.For an edited and cond

Adam Robinson is a former Lehman Brothers financier who in 2012 founded and later sold an email marketing company. Among the company's features was "identity resolution" — the ability to locate folks' email addresses. That identity technology is the basis of Retention.com, which he launched in 2019. The firm can link anonymous website visitors to their email addresses. The website  can then email those folks, soliciting their business. Robinson calls the process "email laundering."In this conversation, he addresses privacy rules, spam concerns, and acquiring the Retention.com domain. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pIQFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffil

Paul Jauregui had much to celebrate when he first appeared on this podcast in 2020. BK Beauty, the cosmetics company he co-founded with his wife, Lisa, had reached $1 million in sales in its first year. He returned in early 2022 with more good news: The company had launched a thriving affiliate marketing program and bypassed the Facebook ad meltdown from iOS 14.5.He's back, having surpassed a whopping $10 million in annual revenue, bolstered by early success on TikTok Shop. In this our third interview, he shares BK Beauty's growth challenges, positive TikTok vibes, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pD7For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platf

John Ruggiero is co-founder with his wife, Michelle, of Manly Bands, a Utah-based direct-to-consumer seller of men's rings. The company launched in 2016 after John couldn't find a suitable wedding band.This is Ruggiero's second appearance on the podcast. In April 2021, we discussed the company's founding, unique ring materials, and more. Since then, Manly Bands has acquired its manufacturer. Filming the making of rings from, say, Jack Daniel's whiskey barrels or Fender guitar strings creates compelling video, says Ruggerio, perfect for storytelling on social media and elsewhere.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6ps5For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with

Consumers are discovering the medicinal benefits of cannabis plants. Three college grads in Wisconsin saw the opportunity in 2018 when they launched Batch, a direct-to-consumer seller and custom manufacturer of products from CBD, the non-impairing marijuana and hemp extract.Fast forward to 2023, and Milwaukee-based Batch produces CBD oils, gummies, and other products for itself and external brands.I recently spoke with the founders, Dennis Mistrioty, Andy Gould, and Griffin Lynch — all lifelong buddies — about launching the company, manufacturing products, acquiring customers, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pnBFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce pla

In 2013 David Lindahl opened a sort-of public service Twitter account. Its purpose was to alert folks in his native Washington State when Mt. Rainier was visible, unobscured by clouds. He called the account Rainier Watch, as in keeping watch on that dominant landmark.Fast forward to 2023, and Rainier Watch is a community, a website, and a manufacturer of mountain-themed apparel. The business is a side hustle to Lindahl's day job as a web developer. But it may soon require full-time focus. Sales have increased dramatically, owing in part to in-person markets and local REI stores.In this episode, Lindahl discusses the company's origin, launching the apparel component, and the benefits of in-person selling. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6piAFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert

Jimmy Kim founded Sendlane, an email, SMS, and reviews platform, in 2013. He believes the key to selling SaaS software is humanizing it. And for Kim that's one-on-one engagement, often at in-person events."I always set a goal in an event of shaking everyone's hand and saying hello. I'm not immediately after their business. I want them to think about me."In-person events are frequently Kim's first step in building a Twitter relationship and a growing community.He discusses in this episode those community-building strategies, competing with Klaviyo, and more. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6p9PFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce pl

Accessibility is important to host Eric Bandholz's company, Beardbrand. The business respects consumers with disabilities and tries to serve them. Still, it was recently sued for alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.Stunned, he turned to a fellow entrepreneur whose company has dealt with frivolous lawsuits. He first interviewed Joel Runyon for this podcast in May 2022 when they discussed Impossible, Runyon's nutritional performance company. In this recent interview, Runyon shared his experience of getting sued.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6p6pFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommer