Ecommerce Conversations, By Practical Ecommerce

Andrew Faris is the former CEO of 4x400, an ecommerce aggregator. He left that job in 2021 and now consults with merchants and manages their advertising campaigns, mostly on Meta. I asked him for his keys to successful Meta ads, having spent nine years on that platform."The best ad managers are writers," he told me. And "there's no reason a brand under $50 million in revenue needs an attribution tool."Faris first appeared on this podcast in early 2022. In our recent discussion, he addressed the joys of solo freelancing, working with entrepreneurs, and, yes, how to run high-performing Meta ads.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6p2QFor 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 una

An entire business focused on pet frogs may be the ultimate long-tail venture. Josh Williard's company, JoshsFrogs.com, breeds and sells frogs and the products that support them. Founded in 2007, Josh's Frogs has scaled to 90 employees across two Michigan-based facilities."We've been growing by leaps and bounds," he said, seemingly in frog-speak.Selling frogs, while unique, has many of the same challenges as other online merchants. Willard discussed those challenges and more with host Eric Bandholz.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6oZcFor 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 

Ten years ago Rasmus Cort needed a vocation. He was in his 20s and living in Denmark, his home. That's when his stepfather introduced him to a tattoo artist.Fast forward to 2023, and Cort is co-owner of five tattoo shops — four in Denmark and one in Los Angeles — and a direct-to-consumer provider of tattoo skincare products.He's found his vocation.I first interviewed Cort in 2020 when we discussed Sorry Mom, the skincare line. We recently hooked up again, this time addressing Iron & Ink, his tattoo chain.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6oVWFor 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 2009 Rasmus Albrechtsen began offering men's hairstyling tutorials on YouTube. He called his channel "Slikhaar TV," as in "slick hair." The channel scaled to over 2 million subscribers.Then came YouTube's artificial intelligence-driven browse feature, showing viewers the videos that likely interest them. Suddenly, Albrechtsen's 2 million subscribers seemed less impactful. He's now producing videos "for the browse feature more than for the subscribers."Albrecthsen is based in Denmark. In this interview he addresses Slikhaar TV, By Vilain (his line of hair products), and the impact of AI on video marketing.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6oP5For 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 pu

Chad Rubin is an ecommerce pioneer and serial entrepreneur. Profasee, an Amazon repricing tool, is his fourth company, having founded Crucial (a seller of vacuum and coffee filters), Prosper Show (an Amazon conference), and Skubana (an order management platform). He's hired a lot of employees, in other words. He's also fired a lot — over 100, he says.His employee screening process now involves an IQ test to evaluate long-term potential. But his key metric on employee success is happiness, believing an unhappy employee is a low performer. "Success with employees stems from happiness," he told me. "When I have a one-on-one employee meeting, I typically start by asking if they're happy."For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6oK9For 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 ex

Leave it to a customer to speak truth to an entrepreneur. That's what happened when Lelac Almagor, a Washington, D.C. school teacher, purchased an electric kid-hauler cargo bike from Bunch Bikes, a Texas-based direct-to-consumer manufacturer and seller.Supply-chain disruptions during the pandemic almost shut down Bunch Bikes. Then the founder, Aaron Powell, met Almagor at a bike event. "I learned she is much better at selling the bike than me," he said.Powell shares his story in this episode — from launching the company in 2017 to its near demise a few years later to hiring Almagor. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6oGcFor 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 e

Patrick Campbell founded ProfitWell, an advisory platform for SaaS companies, in 2012 after stints at the U.S. Department of Defense and Google. He sold the business last year for $200 million.ProfitWell had no outside investors. Campbell paid himself a $74,000 annual salary. He had $20,000 in the bank when the deal closed.How does a founder, or anyone, adjust to $200 million from $20,000? Campbell addressed that question and more in this thoughtful interview.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6oBXFor 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 

Harry Joiner launched his ecommerce recruiting firm in 2005. He's witnessed many market fluctuations since. Early 2008 was bad, he says. No companies were hiring. The onset of Covid was equally bad. He calls the state of ecommerce jobs in 2023 "a zoo" with many more candidates than positions and likely permanent structural changes in the overall hiring market.Here's his perspective as an 18-year recruiting veteran.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6oxWFor 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 

Ecommerce Conversations host Eric Bandholz is the founder of Beardbrand, a leading direct-to-consumer seller of men's grooming products. 2023 has been challenging for the business — "a perfect storm of calamities" per Eric.This episode is admirably transparent with Eric sharing his view of good and bad decisions, supply chain hurdles, marketing missteps, and much more. It's a story of perseverance and determination. It's an entrepreneur opening up, hoping to help others in similar circumstances. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6otjFor 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 

Elizabeth Mercer had her first child four years after launching Sleekform, an online seller of ergonomic office furniture. Returning to work after childbirth was a challenge. "I thought I could just come back and be off to the races," she said. "I knew my body would take time to recover, but I did not expect the mental taxation of childbirth."She persevered. In this episode, she describes adjusting to motherhood while running a company — including priorities, time management, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?P71For 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 

Steve Chou is a merchant, blogger, podcaster, and trainer. He's now a book author with the release in May of "The Family First Entrepreneur," his HarperCollins title on business, freedom, and priorities.This is Chou's third appearance on the podcast. In 2020 he discussed Bumblebee Linens, his osCommerce store. In 2022 he described his preference for frugal living despite having achieved financial success.In this interview, Chou addresses the process of publishing and promoting his book, now a Wall Street Journal bestseller. He recounted finding a publisher, securing an advance, appearing on hundreds of podcasts, and his hopes for long-term sales.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6odwFor 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 indep

Brad Moss is a former Amazon product manager turned video game developer. He's now chief Amazon officer at Brandless, a direct-to-consumer seller of home, health, and beauty goods and an active acquirer of other companies.Brandless launched in 2017 and famously flamed out in early 2020 after raising close to $300 million in funding. A private equity firm purchased the assets, regrouped, and is now thriving by all accounts.In this interview, Moss discusses Brandless's journey, its acquisition criteria, and his own interests, which include a side AI project. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6o90For 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. h

Athena Severi co-founded Titan Network, an Amazon-seller community, in 2019 with Dan Ashburn, a U.K.-based merchant. Before that, the pair launched China Magic for product sourcing.Titan Network hosts in-person events and offers workshops, mentoring, and collaboration. In this conversation, Severi discusses Titan, selling on Amazon, the benefits of community, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6o3OFor 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  

I recently joined a group of ecommerce owners on a hiking trip in Utah. It was 15 of us more or less, sharing our entrepreneurial journeys amid stunning scenery. Late one night, four of us gathered around a table for this episode — three former guests of the podcast and me. Mark Taylor is the founder of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL. Mike Tecku started Momentum, a nutritional supplements brand, after selling his Amazon Marketplace businesses. Will Roman is the owner of Chisos, a direct-to-consumer boot brand. My company, Beardbrand, is a DTC seller of men's grooming products.We reflected. Why own a company? Is it worth the hassle?We discussed those questions and more. Our entire audio conversation is embedded below. The transcript is edited and condensed.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nZfFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improv

Brandon Chicotsky is a professor of marketing at Texas Christian University. He states that his students have endured years of standardized, grade-level tests and are focused on the right answer or the best GPA. But Chicotsky realizes businesses often face decisions with no right answer. And that has impacted his method of teaching. "I don't offer exams in my class," he said. "Everything I offer has a subjective outcome, not a definitive answer."In this interview, Chicotksy addresses the role of a college-level business curriculum, discussing the overall experience, monetary value, benefits and drawbacks, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nVdFor 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 f

Josh Paulson acquired his grandfather's pet accessories company in 2015 when it was losing $25,000 per month. Three months later it broke even. The company, Quality Cage, manufactures products for pet owners and veterinarians.When Paulson arrived, the company had 2,000 SKUs across multiple pet verticals. Focusing on chinchillas provided the long-term turnaround. "We niched down into only chinchilla products," he said.Paulson shares his journey in this episode, addressing custom manufacturing, organic marketing, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nRTFor 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

Bruce Bolt is a direct-to-consumer baseball batting glove company in Austin, Texas. The business launched in 2017 when its founder was 16. He needed a better batting glove and a job. Making and selling his own gloves solved both needs.Chris Hall is Bruce Bolt's director of marketing. He and I recently spoke, addressing acquisition tactics, ad performance, and more. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nOWFor 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 2019 Joe Spisak's ecommerce company had gone through three third-party fulfillment companies in just 18 months. Frustrated, he began fulfilling in-house, which led to offering fulfillment services to other brands. And that led to Fufill.com, a marketplace of nearly 600 fulfillment companies worldwide, connecting merchants to providers.In this conversation, Spisak describes his fulfillment experiences as a seller, the pain and expense of changing providers, the need for 3PL transparency, and much more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nIMFor 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 

Adam Hendle had a dream job with Google. Then he had an idea in 2017 to launch a hygiene brand focused on men's privates. He named the brand Ballsy and launched it on Black Friday 2018. It quickly scaled. By 2021, Ballsy was an eight-figure revenue business and entertaining offers from potential acquirers. Hendle sold it that year.He's now focused on his new venture, a laundry-detergent sheet. He shares his journey — from launching, scaling, and selling Ballsy to, now, his new company. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nCZFor 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 

Andrew Foxwell co-launched Foxwell Digital, an agency, in 2012 from his base in Wisconsin. The firm now manages social media ad campaigns for brands worldwide. Having experienced much industry change, Foxwell concludes the key to a successful marketer is a nonstop desire to learn. He describes in this interview his agency's approach to paid social campaigns, building a team, overall paid social strategy, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nxaFor all condensed episode 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