Ecommerce Conversations, By Practical Ecommerce

Jordan Elist is the founder of Mate, a direct-to-consumer seller of supplements for male sexual health.  Elist launched the business in 2020 after a career in investment banking.  He addresses in this conversation his mission of destigmatizing sexual healthcare, marketing challenges, and his insistence on science-backed product formulation.For an edited transcript, please see: https://pec-ly.com/?6lLb

Andrew Bialecki co-founded Klaviyo in 2012 as a data repository for business. Then a friend told him about Shopify. Klaviyo is now a global ecommerce-marketing juggernaut with 1,500 employees, $140 million in revenue, and $778 million in equity funding to date — including a $100 million round in August from Shopify itself.But the management of data remains central to Klaviyo’s mission. “We’re really good a storing data,” Bialecki said. He speaks with host Eric Bandholz in this week's episode. The edited transcript is at https://pec-ly.com/?6lNM

Having achieved financial success, many entrepreneurs buy a big house, perhaps an expensive vehicle. But not Steve Chou. He co-owns a thriving ecommerce business, runs a growing YouTube channel, and teaches popular courses from his "My Wife Quit Her Job" website. And he loves frugal living."Being frugal and spending less is great for my peace of mind," he said. This is Chou's second interview for this podcast. Two years ago, he addressed Bumblebee Linens, his ecommerce company. Today's conversation extends beyond that business, to cover stress, quality of life, and, yes, frugal living.See https://pec-ly.com/?6lC9 for an edited transcript.

In 2021 Tim Aton was working at a marketing agency in Spokane, Washington, running campaigns for clients. Then a friend who owned a leather-goods company in Wyoming called, asking "Want to help me grow the company?"Aton made the jump, moving his family to Laramie. He's now the COO of Range Leather.  Here's his story.For an edited transcript, please see https://pec-ly.com/?6lyg

In 2015 Mike Pfeiffer made a few firearm holsters at home for his own use. Then he mentioned them on his YouTube channel, Last Line of Defense. Followers began asking if they could buy them.Fast forward to 2022, and Last Line of Defense is a Drupal-powered direct-to-consumer ecommerce business with annual revenue of $500,000.  Here's his story.  An abbreviated transcript is at https://pec-ly.com/?6lt4.

Until early 2020 Matthew Gattozzi was a professional ballet dancer. Then a back injury forced a career change and the launch of Goodo Studios, his photo and video production company for ecommerce brands. "I work with established and up-and-coming brands by understanding how to use and leverage content for revenue, " he says. For an edited transcript, see https://pec-ly.com/?6ljo.

Patrick Coddou co-founded Supply.co in 2015. The DTC seller of razors and shaving supplies has experienced the rise and fall and rise again of many ecommerce brands. Covid created a sales boom. iOS 14.5 decimated profits. Diversifying acquisition channels has restored growth and earnings — so much so that Coddou has sold his business.  He tells the story in this episode with host Eric Bandholz. For an edited transcript (with embedded audio), see: https://pec-ly.com/?6l8G

Fringe Sport is a leading online seller of home-based barbells and exercise equipment. Peter Keller founded the company in 2010 in Austin, Texas, where it remains. In this his second appearance on the podcast, he speaks with host Eric Bandholz on priorities — business and life — and his motivations for running Fringe. See the edited transcript at https://pec-ly.com/?6l4m.

Jon Tucker founded HelpFlow, an outsourced customer service provider, in 2015. The company has thrived, focusing on ecommerce brands and an extensive onboarding process to understand a client's products, customer needs, and much more.  In this episode, Tucker discusses his company's journey with host Eric Bandholz.  For an edited transcript, please go to https://pec-ly.com/?6kYz.

Apple's iOS change in May 2021 continues to impact advertising. To Triple Whale, an Austin, Texas-based analytics provider, the change is a debacle for merchants and an opportunity for the company.Rabah Rahil is Triple Whale's chief marketing officer. He recently joined host Eric Bandholz to discuss the impact of iOS 14.5 and the need for accurate attribution, ad testing, and more.For an edited transcript, please see https://pec-ly.com/?6kVr.

PeachBbies launched in 2019 as a direct-to-consumer seller of slime, the squishy-stretchy substance, mostly for kids. Fast forward to 2022 and the company's TikTok and YouTube channels have a whopping 5 million and 1.5 million followers, respectively. PeachyBbies' co-founder tells the story.

Drew Fallon launched Mad Rabbit, a direct-to-consumer tattoo skincare company, with two college buddies shortly after graduating in 2019.  Two years later, the company hit $3 million in annual revenue — as a side hustle.  He describes the company's rise and future in this terrific interview. (Read the edited transcript at https://pec-ly.com/?6ke7.) 

Chisos Boots, a handcrafted bootmaker in Austin, Texas, drives 90% of its revenue online. But its sole physical store serves as a gathering place and hosts two large annual events. Founder Will Roman explains in this week's episode with host Eric Bandholz. 

Nathan Allebach began managing the Twitter account for Steak-umm, the food brand, in 2017. It had 1,000 followers. It's now over 200,000. He speaks with host Eric Bandholz in this week's episode, addressing social media branding, divisive content, and more. 

Having successfully launched Spiceology, a DTC food seller, in 2012, Pete Taylor semi-retired. That was three years ago, after he had hired executives to run the company. He moved to Maui, took a year off, and reflected on his next venture. Fast forward to 2022, and that venture is Midas Brands, a multi-site consumer package goods company.

Mark Taylor is a former Fulfillment-by-Amazon seller weary of paying expensive long-term storage fees. He said, “We started looking for ways to solve the warehousing problem for ourselves, and in doing so, we thought it might be interesting for others.” His solution is Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving mainly Amazon sellers, which he launched in 2018.He discusses his journey with host Eric Bandholz, addressing FBA policies, warehouse leasing, fulfillment technology, and more.  See, also, the condensed transcript at: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/fba-seller-tired-of-storage-fees-launches-3pl.

The year 2021 produced dramatic escalations in influencer marketing rates and upheaval in Facebook ad performance. Both are critical marketing channels for Ridge Wallet, the maker of metal-clad billfolds. But CEO Sean Frank is unfazed, and the company is thriving.

It sounds like a movie script. A gay entrepreneur in Guatemala launches a cookie company in 2012 from his mom's kitchen. He meets another Guatemalan entrepreneur, also gay, who joins the business. They get married, immigrate in 2019 to the U.S., and, overcoming a slew of obstacles, relaunch the company from their base in Austin, Texas, achieving success.The company is called Wunderkeks. The entrepreneurs are founder Hans Schrei and his co-owner husband, Luis Gramajo.I recently spoke with them. Our conversation addressed much more than selling cookies.Read the condensed transcript on Practical Ecommerce: https://pec-ly.com/?6jMY

Folks who grind their teeth while sleeping rely on custom-fitted guards for prevention. For sellers of those guards, the complication is the custom-fitting. It requires an exact teeth impression, which presumably calls for an in-person visit.But not if the seller is Pro Teeth Guard, a San Diego, California-based online dental lab that sells made-to-order teeth guards via ecommerce. Its impressions-by-mail process facilitates custom manufacturing — and satisfied customers.I recently spoke with JP Ji, Pro Teeth Guard's president, on production challenges, customer service strategies, marketing, and more.

Host Eric Bandholz's company, Beardbrand, recently completed a migration to Shopify 2.0 and a new premium theme, the fourth since its inception in 2013. Jenny Durre, Beardbrand's in-house designer, managed the entire 2.0 process — selecting the theme, customizing pages, streamlining the layout, and ultimately going live with the new version. She describes it all in this conversation.A condensed and edited (for clarity) transcript is at: https://pec-ly.com/?6jBh.