Ecommerce Conversations
Episodes
The Good, Bad, and Ugly of 2025
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, host Eric Bandholz reflects on his business and life at year-end. He reviews what worked for Beardbrand in 2025, what didn't, wh...
Expat Money CEO on Moving Abroad
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In "How to Leave the U.S.A.," the venerable New Yorker magazine recently addressed what many residents have apparently considered.Yet Mikkel...
CFO: Brands Rarely Max Out Meta Ads
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Abir Syed is an accountant turned marketer turned chief financial officer. He says ecommerce marketing success largely depends on creative volume, and...
Will Google's AI Mode Dominate ChatGPT?
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Oxford is our go-to interview for ecommerce SEO. The founder of Oregon-based 180 Marketing, an agency, Jeff first appeared on the podcast in 2022...
Solar Power Developer on Fueling the Grid
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Elrod is a renewable power entrepreneur. His company, Treaty Oak Clean Energy, builds massive solar projects that provide electricity for large ...
Natural Toothpaste Propels Wellnesse.com
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Seth Spears is a Colorado-based entrepreneur who once taught consumers how to make their own non-toxic personal care products. He says customers value...
Etsy Merchant Eyes Shopify, Dual Brands
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kevlyn Walsh is a Denver-based art teacher turned entrepreneur. She launched Festive Gal, an Etsy shop, in 2019 after her handmade headband was a hit ...
Batch Cannabis Scales to $50 Million
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andy Gould co-founded Batch, a Wisconsin-based D2C cannabis brand, in 2018. He says the company struggled for years until it perfected content creatio...
E-Bike Founder's Path to Purpose
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
By late 2023 Aaron Powell had become disillusioned with Bunch Bikes, the electric cargo bicycle company he founded in 2017. Costs were rising, cash wa...
Alibaba.com Exec on Suppliers, Tariffs, IP
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Few companies have done more for global prosperity than Alibaba.com. Launched famously in China by Jack Ma, a former school teacher, in 1999, the comp...
Subscription Pro on Growth, Churn, LTV
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For 12 years Andrei Rebrov managed infrastructure and operations at Scentbird, a perfume subscription company he co-founded in 2013. He learned the im...
Startup Vet Revives Legacy Fitness Brand
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jon Shanahan destroys the myth that founders make lousy employees. He co-founded Stryx, a men's cosmetics provider, in 2017 and is now the market...
CFO Shifts to Menswear, Egyptian Roots
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2020, Karim Abed was the chief financial officer for a Texas-based home builder. The job paid well, he says, but he yearned to launch his own busin...
How Brands Boost ROI with Smart Data
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ecommerce marketers know the challenge of delivering relevant promotions to prospects without violating privacy rules and norms. Yet many providers no...
36 Ways to Revive an Ecommerce Business
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Host Eric Bandholz occasionally departs from interviews to share his experiences owning and operating Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer brand he laun...
Ecom Exec: Marketing Attribution Is a Waste (Encore)
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Please enjoy this repeat of a popular episode first aired in September 2023.Andrew Faris is the former CEO of 4x400, an ecommerce aggregator. He left ...
Smarter Paths to Global Sales
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On-again, off-again tariffs have not lessened the opportunities for cross-border expansion. Global consumers still seek quality goods from trusted mer...
Triple Whale's Moby AI Gets Things Done
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've all heard the buzz surrounding agentic AI agents. What's missing for many of us is how they can help our business. What is an AI agent...
The Best Ecommerce Business Model
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout 2025, host Eric Bandholz has occasionally shared his experiences owning and operating Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer brand he launched ...
How to Achieve Negative CAC
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Customer acquisition costs can ruin a business. Some merchants limit acquisition spend to the gross margin of the first sale. Others look to customers...
The No-Surprise 3PL Pricing Model
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
John Melizanis believes third-party logistics fees often produce surprise charges. Per-item pricing for picks, packs, and receiving can turn an antici...
Facebook ‘Megaphone’ Powers D2C Watch Brand
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nate Lagos is vice president of marketing for Original Grain, a direct-to-consumer seller of luxury watches. He relies on Facebook advertising, but no...
Shopify POS Exec on Future of Retail
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ray Reddy is a two-time mobile commerce entrepreneur, a Google veteran, and, now, the head of Shopify POS, the company's in-store platform. He sa...
How to Survive a Million-Dollar Loss
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This year host Eric Bandholz has sprinkled occasional episodes with real-life master classes from Beardbrand, his company. To date he's addressed...
MNLY’s At-Home AI Powers Men’s Health
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Next-gen health and wellness is an apt description of MNLY. Luke Hartelust launched the platform in 2021, pronouncing it “Manly,” and then pivoted...
Ecommerce to Real Estate: An Owner's Story
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shakil Prasla once owned 12 ecommerce consumer brands generating $50 million in combined annual revenue with 50 employees. But he grew wary of the flu...
Faith, Family, and Ecommerce
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Simpson is a New Mexico-based father of seven and a National Guard veteran. Returning from a 2021 deployment, he sought a business to acquire,...
Don’t Exit for the Wrong Reasons
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Host Eric Bandholz, a seasoned entrepreneur, evaluates good and bad reasons to sell a business. He says that ideally, founders build a business they l...
Pro Tennis Player Pivots to Ecommerce
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For years Jack Oswald was a touring tennis professional. He aimed for top worldwide rankings, the key to serious earnings. The rankings never came, bu...
Great Mom Builds Global Craft Biz
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sally Wilson is a lawyer turned craft entrepreneur. She's also an involved mother who shares her business and passions with two kids. She says be...
YouTube Ad Secrets for Ecommerce
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a kid, Brett Curry was fascinated by TV commercials. Now the owner of OMG Commerce, a leading ecommerce marketing agency, he says YouTube ads are s...
Build a Business You Love
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To host Eric Bandholz, the best companies have a purpose, and the happiest owners set priorities for business and life. In this episode, Eric offers...
Gentleman's Gazette Thrives on YouTube
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Raphael Schneider launched Gentleman's Gazette in 2010 as a blog for men's style and apparel. He added his own product line in 2013, selling...
Craft Whiskeys, Home Delivered
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For $60, Bob DeMars’s company, Blind Barrel, will ship a package of four craft-distilled whiskey samples, unmarked, with a tasting glass. Recipients...
From Model to Menswear Founder
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Weston Jon Bouchér is a California-based menswear brand and the name of its founder. He launched the company in 2019 after a decade as a full-time ap...
Ecommerce Investor on Turnaround Tactics
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mehtab Bhogal is the co-founder of Karta Ventures, a Canada-based acquirer of troubled ecommerce businesses. The firm seeks companies with "issue...
A Playbook for Influencer Marketing
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Josh Durham launched Aligned Growth Management, an influencer marketing agency, in 2020. He says the influencer industry has evolved from the halcyon ...
My 8-Step Ecommerce Hiring Process
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode continues my masterclass series on ecommerce entrepreneurship. Thus far in 2025 I've addressed branding and profitability.For this i...
MALK Plant Milk Masters In-Store Retail
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Rouse has a formula for scaling physical retail sales. First penetrate niche markets, he says, then leverage that success into mainstream chains....
Branding Is More Than a Logo
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Host Eric Bandholz continues his masterclass series on entrepreneurship. Last week he addressed tactics to increase ecommerce profits amid a slump for...
Margin Hacks for Cash-Strapped Ecom Stores
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many ecommerce businesses are struggling. Profit margins are thin; cash is low.As the host of "Ecommerce Conversations," entrepreneur Eric B...
Montana Knife Co Blends Craft with Scale
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Montana Knife Company launched in 2020 in a two-car garage near Missoula. One co-founder is a certified “Master Bladesmith” who has produced handm...
Adapt to Survive, Says eCommerceFuel Founder
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Youderian launched eCommerceFuel in 2013 after stints in corporate finance and online selling. The vetted community consists of ecommerce owner...
Merchant Cuts Revenue 60%, Profit Rises 25%
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2023 Mathias Schrøder was stressed, burned out, and perplexed. He had scaled revenue on his Denmark-based clothing company, but bloated overhead m...
AI Won't Replace Creativity, Says Studio Founder
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Matthew Gattozzi realizes creativity and efficiency often conflict. His firm, Goodo Studios, produces commercial content that attracts visitors and co...
Bento Elevates Ecommerce Email Marketing
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jesse Hanley is a self-taught developer and marketer from Australia who lives in Japan. He launched Bento, an email service provider, in 2018 after ma...
Northern Ireland Key to E.U., U.K. Fulfillment
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before Brexit, merchants could sell cross-border into the U.K. and mainland Europe with relative ease. Both belonged to the E.U. It's now more co...
Protein Bar Founder Thrives in a Crowded Field
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
According to Will Nitze, founder and CEO of IQBAR, success in a competitive market requires finding its uncompetitive niches. He did that with his fla...
Shopify Pro on Themes, Upgrades, Ecosystem
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kurt Elster launched his ecommerce agency in 2009 and his first Shopify store in 2011. His “Unofficial Shopify Podcast,” which he started in 2014,...
Ugmonk Brings Design to Desk Tools
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Sheldon is a designer turned entrepreneur. He started Ugmonk, a Pennsylvania-based direct-to-consumer brand, in 2008 as a seller of graphic-inspi...
Ugly Ads Perform Best, Marketer Says (Replay)
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first aired in July 2024.Barry Hott is a longtime Facebook advertising consultant. He says first reactions to an ad largely determine its...
Ecommerce SEO Pro on AI, 2025 Tactics
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Oxford's initial attempt at ecommerce was selling dropshipped beer pong tables in 2013. The business, he says, didn't survive, but his ...
Mira Safety Thrives on 'Red Alerts'
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Roman Zrazhevskiy is a survivalist of a sort. His company, Mira Safety, sells protective gear for seemingly existential events such as nuclear attacks...
Eons Founder on Mushrooms and Mental Health
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lawmakers worldwide are recognizing the medicinal benefits of natural compounds, such as those in cannabis and mushrooms. Once considered dangerous &q...
Beardbrand Shifts to Growth, New Channels
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Host Eric Bandholz occasionally focuses an "Ecommerce Conversations" episode on Beardbrand, his business. He does that not to promote the co...
Entrepreneur on Business and Divorce
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brendan Marquardt knows the effect of entrepreneurship on a marriage. He's the co-owner of Lori Beds, a direct-to-consumer seller of Murphy beds,...
From Porsche to Purpose: A CMO's Journey
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Dahlstrom once paid cash for a $211,000 Porsche. He was in his 30s, living in Texas, holding down high-powered corporate marketing jobs, such as...
Health Crisis Drives $50 Million Supplement CEO
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dean Brennan says a diet of beer, pizza, and fast food led to his ulcerative colitis. His doctors diagnosed it years ago in his twenties and told him ...
Supply.co Founder on Life after the Sale
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Coddou’s entrepreneurial journey is impressive. In 2015 he launched Supply, a direct-to-consumer seller of razors and shaving goods, and the...
The 'Why' of Man Flow Yoga
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To Dean Pohlman, long-term business success stems from a purpose. His is to help men improve their health and fulfillment through fitness and personal...
4x Founder Debuts Ecommerce Intel Tool
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In late 2020, host Eric Bandholz interviewed a developer who had launched a Shopify app for sending manual text messages to cart abandoners. Eighteen...
Software Founder Pivots to PPE Manufacturing
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Host Eric Bandholz has interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs for this podcast. Most are problem solvers and optimists, confident in their ability to f...
Lessons from Changing 3PLs
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Scaling down a business is less fun than scaling up. The issues might be similar, but the process is different.In this week's episode, host Eric ...
Branding Comes First, Says Sharma Brands Owner
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To Nik Sharma, companies that pursue short-term profits at the expense of branding face long-term hurdles. They often rely on advertising to gain sale...
Beardbrand's Lawyer Recaps ADA Lawsuit
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Berkowitz is an attorney and partner at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP in New York who works extensively with ecommerce merchants, including Ama...
The Best Use of AI for Business
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jacob Posel is a software engineer with Common Thread Collective, the ecommerce agency. He focuses on strategies for integrating artificial intelligen...
Save Time by Managing Less, Says DHH
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
David Heinemeier Hansson is the creator of the Ruby on Rails software framework, the co-founder of Basecamp, an investor in multiple tech startups, a ...
Client Crash Bankrupts Entrepreneur
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Resilience comes to mind when describing Hunter Durham. In eight years, he went from a college graduate to a Facebook employee to a company owner to b...
Foundr Owner on Burnout, Recovery, Priorities
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nathan Chan seemingly had it all. His business, Foundr, is hugely successful, combining media with entrepreneurship training. He interacts with promin...
Mental Conditioning Is Vital for Entrepreneurs
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lauren Johnson says high-performing entrepreneurs have similar characteristics as professional athletes. Both have mental traits that lead to inevitab...
CopySmiths Founder on AI Writing Tools
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Katrina McKinnon owns CopySmiths, a global blog-writing agency for ecommerce companies. Once wary of artificial intelligence-powered writing tools, sh...
Grow or Die, Says Momentum Shake Founder
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Tecku first appeared on this podcast in 2019 as an Amazon marketplace seller. He then sold that business, a maker of floormats, shortly afterward...
Beardbrand Perseveres Amid Challenges
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Bandholz hosts "Ecommerce Conversations" while running Beardbrand, his direct-to-consumer provider of men's grooming supplies. Per...
Mystic Gum Sees Early DTC Success
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Braxton Manley first appeared on the podcast in 2021. As a college student, he had launched Braxley Bands, a maker of Apple Watch bands. Last year he ...
DTC Toy Company Looks to Better Days
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The reality of post-pandemic ecommerce has been tough for many direct-to-consumer merchants. Take Molson Hart. His company, Viahart, makes innovative ...
Ugly Ads Perform Best, Marketer Says
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Barry Hott is a longtime Facebook advertising consultant. He says first reactions to an ad largely determine its performance. He advises merchants to ...
Beware of Instant Site-speed Fixes
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lukas Tanasiuk once paid a firm to redesign his Shopify site, a seller of electric scooters. The result was slow page loads and his efforts to improve...
Successful Entrepreneurs Don’t Overthink
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Corey Wilks is a clinical psychologist turned business coach. He helps entrepreneurs and creators improve their mindset and overcome self-imposed obst...
Stay-at-home Moms Drive Totally Dazzled
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Natalie Mounter is a stay-at-home mom and entrepreneur. Her company, Totally Dazzled, sells craft supplies for weddings and creative projects. She say...
Natural Dog CEO Is an Acquisition Entrepreneur
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bill D'Alessandro is a 14-year ecommerce owner. Natural Dog Company, an omnichannel seller of canine health products, is his eighth brand. "...
Colombia Sales Team Fuels B2B Supplier
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Shahzad Chagani runs operations for PE Energy, a Houston, Texas-based supplier of industrial equipment and supplies. The company collects leads online...
Retailer 2BigFeet Shifts to DTC
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For years Brandon Eley's online shoe company, 2BigFeet, prospered by reselling prominent brands. But the profit margins slowly narrowed as did th...
Flair.ai Remakes Product Photography
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mickey Friedman co-launched Flair.ai in 2022, a year after graduating from the University of Chicago. The company, which has raised $5 million in seed...
The Best Email Marketing Tells a Story
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Ragland is a 10-year email marketer, first at ConvertKit and now at Good People Digital, the Nashville-based agency he launched in early 2023. Hi...
ARTO Owner on Generational Businesses
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1962 Arto Alajian arrived in the U.S., having fled Egypt and his shoe-manufacturing business. He became a milkman in Los Angeles, and then a cerami...
OverstockArt Founder Thrives 22 Years On
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Before Shopify, YouTube, and Facebook, there was OverstockArt. David Sasson launched the company on the Yahoo Store platform in 2002 in Wichita, Kansa...
Copywriter Shifts to X Ads, Scales Brands
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
No one can accuse ecommerce copywriter Chris Orzechowski of mimicking others. In an era of image-heavy emails, he prefers plain text. Amid the Faceboo...
Fermàt CMO on Customized Customer Journeys
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rabah Rahil first appeared on this podcast in September 2022. He was the chief marketing officer of Triple Whale, an analytics platform. He addressed ...
Amid Downturn, Ecommerce Investor Perseveres
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The post-Covid ecommerce hangover has hit Roman Khan. He launched his first direct-to-consumer brand in 2013, acquired others, and in 2021 founded Pea...
Early Hair Loss Spurs DTC Founder
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Faraz Kahn began losing his hair at age 21. Years later, when searching for startup business ideas, he focused on own experience. The result is Fully ...
BGR Media Founder on AI Upheaval
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
BGR is a media site covering consumer technology, such as games and devices. Jonathan Geller launched the company in 2006 and sold it to Penske Media ...
Commerce Drives Culture, Says Media Exec
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Phillip Jackson launched Future Commerce in 2016. The company produces articles, newsletters, and podcasts focusing on coming trends and developments ...
From Bankrupt to Thriving Entrepreneur
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Study a successful entrepreneur, and you'll likely uncover resilience. Take Aaron Marino. Twenty years ago his first business, a fitness center, ...
3 Keys to Successful Products on Amazon
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jake Zaratsian is a content creator at Jungle Scout, the Amazon seller platform. He's also a part-time brand owner on that marketplace, selling d...
Directness Wins in Advertising
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Faris once managed huge Meta Ad budgets while CEO of ecommerce brands. He still manages huge budgets, but now at his agency on behalf of ad cli...
Painful Decisions Greet First-time CEO
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bryant Jaquez picked a heck of a time to become a CEO. A longtime CMO for direct-to-consumer brands, Jaquez accepted the CEO job early this year for B...
How Merchants Rack-up Airline Points
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Allen Walton is the founder of SpyGuy, a seller of surveillance cameras from his base in Texas. He's also a world traveler and a seasoned acquire...
Marketer Finds Joy in 'Bigging' Others
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 marke...
Advice to a New Ecommerce Merchant
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 contempla...
Beardbrand Survives Its Hardest Year
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hosting "Ecommerce Conversations" is a welcome respite from my day job of running Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer company I co-founded in...