Ecommerce Conversations

Simple Modern CEO on Competitive Markets

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Beckham sees the benefits of competitive markets. Simple Modern, a company he co-founded in 2015, sells insulated drinkware, competing against Ye...

Brand Building Is World Building

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Anhalt is a New York-based copywriter turned designer turned all-around marketer. He consults with direct-to-consumer ecommerce companies on growt...

Help for Mediocre Writers

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

David Perell helps folks improve their writing skills. His company offers an online course, YouTube author interviews, and a weekly newsletter. But hi...

Postscript SMS Aims for Best in Class

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 fu...

Bushbalm Normalizes Bikini-line Skincare

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 bik...

Argentina Suppliers Fuel Palermo House

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Merchants often default to China for outsourced manufacturing. Yet competitive suppliers exist worldwide. For Palermo House, a direct-to-consumer prov...

Beard-care Founder on Juggling Brands

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2014 Eric Steckling launched Brio, a Michigan-based direct-to-consumer seller of beard trimmers. In 2022 the company acquired Ollie, a subscription...

Disputifier Founder on Winning Chargebacks

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Wagner believes the best payment chargeback recovery systems are automated and data-driven. He founded Disputifier, an Austin, Texas-based charge...

Swing Dancing Business Booms

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 sell...

New Beginnings for Beardbrand

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 m...

Retention.com Founder on 'Email Laundering'

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Robinson is a former Lehman Brothers financier who in 2012 founded and later sold an email marketing company. Among the company's features w...

New TikTok Shop Spurs BK Beauty

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

For Manly Bands, Manufacturing Is Storytelling Gold

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Batch CBD Masters SEO and Affiliates

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Consumers are discovering the medicinal benefits of cannabis plants. Three college grads in Wisconsin saw the opportunity in 2018 when they launched B...

In-person Markets Spur Mountain Apparel Brand

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Build a Community, Says Sendlane CEO

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Entrepreneur's Advice on Frivolous Lawsuits

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Accessibility is important to host Eric Bandholz's company, Beardbrand. The business respects consumers with disabilities and tries to serve them...

Ecom Exec: Marketing Attribution Is a Waste

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 advertisi...

JoshsFrogs.com Growing Leaps and Bounds

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An entire business focused on pet frogs may be the ultimate long-tail venture. Josh Williard's company, JoshsFrogs.com, breeds and sells frogs an...

Tattoo Biz Suits Danish Entrepreneur

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ta...

YouTube Marketer Adjusts to AI

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2009 Rasmus Albrechtsen began offering men's hairstyling tutorials on YouTube. He called his channel "Slikhaar TV," as in "slic...

Profasee Founder on Hiring, Firing, More

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chad Rubin is an ecommerce pioneer and serial entrepreneur. Profasee, an Amazon repricing tool, is his fourth company, having founded Crucial (a selle...

E-bike Seller Hires Best Customer, Saves Sales

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

Entrepreneur Sells Company for $200 Million

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick Campbell founded ProfitWell, an advisory platform for SaaS companies, in 2012 after stints at the U.S. Department of Defense and Google. He so...

Executive Recruiter on Ecommerce Jobs Mid-2023

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Harry Joiner launched his ecommerce recruiting firm in 2005. He's witnessed many market fluctuations since. Early 2008 was bad, he says. No compa...

Beardbrand Rebirths after a Tough Year

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ecommerce Conversations host Eric Bandholz is the founder of Beardbrand, a leading direct-to-consumer seller of men's grooming products. 2023 has...

Entrepreneur on Childbirth and Running a Business

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Mercer had her first child four years after launching Sleekform, an online seller of ergonomic office furniture. Returning to work after chi...

'My Wife Quit' Founder on Publishing a Book

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Brandless Exec on Acquisitions, AI, More

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

A Community for Amazon Sellers

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ch...

4 Ecommerce Owners Discuss Their Why

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 stunni...

Is College Necessary for Business?

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brandon Chicotsky is a professor of marketing at Texas Christian University. He states that his students have endured years of standardized, grade-lev...

Pet Chinchillas Save Family Business

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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. T...

Influencers, Community Drive Batting Glove Maker

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Fulfill.com Is a Marketplace of 3PLs

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019 Joe Spisak's ecommerce company had gone through three third-party fulfillment companies in just 18 months. Frustrated, he began fulfillin...

Entrepreneur Left Google to Launch Ballsy

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ball...

A Hunger to Learn Drives Paid Social Success

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

Pro Boxer Pivots to CBD Wellness

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Lee was once a 12-0 middleweight boxer who fought for a world title. Then anxiety and injuries took a toll. His search for a cure led to cannabid...

Humor Lures Customers for Balls.co

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin Williams owns KDF Aegis, a U.S.-based consulting and investment firm. In 2021 he invested in Balls.co, a U.K. seller of grooming supplies for ma...

T-shirt Seller on Licensing, Drop-shipping, More

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin Stecko launched 80sTees.com in 2000 selling t-shirts imprinted with pop-culture items. The process requires obtaining permission from the rights...

Amid Headwinds, SpyGuy Doubles Down

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Allen Walton launched SpyGuy, an online retailer of surveillance cameras, in 2014. The business quickly scaled, experiencing much success. Then Google...

Amazon Consultant on Competition, Black-hat Sellers

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ten years ago Ken Freeman was a drop-ship Amazon seller. The business grew beyond drop shipping to seven figures (revenue) utilizing FBA. He sold to T...

Concealed Gun Safe Maker Seeks New Markets

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Smith acquired TimberVaults, a direct-to-consumer seller of concealed gun safes, for expansion opportunities beyond firearms. He foresaw hidden s...

Profit from Paid Acquisition Key for Ecom Owner

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zach Stuck is an agency founder turned ecommerce owner. The agency, called Homestead, runs marketing campaigns for direct-to-consumer businesses. And ...

The Rolex of Nutritional Supplements

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Tecku sold his Amazon businesses, retired, and became bored. He's back, having just launched Momentum, a maker of nutritional shakes, which ...

6 Daily Videos Drive DTC Sword Seller

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isaac Medeiros's company, Mini Katana, is a direct-to-consumer seller of Samurai-themed letter openers, swords, and related accessories. Just two...

Maker of Apple Watch Bands Looks to Diversify

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Braxton Manley launched Braxley Bands, a DTC seller of Apple Watch bands, in 2017 while a college student in Texas. The business grew quickly. He&apos...

Ridge Wallet CEO Aims for $1 Billion Exit

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sean Frank hopes to sell Ridge, the maker of metal-clad wallets, within three years — for $1 billion. In this conversation, he discusses that goal, ...

Shopify App Developer Takes on Coupon Leaks

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dennis Hegstad's third Shopify app is called Vigilance. It monitors and blocks the injection of unwanted coupon codes at checkout, saving merchan...

Entrepreneurs Are Arsonists, Says Business Coach

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Conley helps founders overcome mental hurdles and grow their businesses. Most entrepreneurs, he's observed, prefer daily operations and putti...

End-of-year Reflection and 2023 Forecast

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Beardbrand founder Eric Bandholz, the host of "Ecommerce Conversations," looks back on his company's 2022 performance in detail and out...

Amid a Cash Crunch, OneBlade Retrenches

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

OneBlade COO Charles Pyles implemented forced economizing last spring when the company's sole investor couldn't inject additional funds. He ...

PetPlate Exec on Selling 'Human-grade' Dog Food

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jackson Reiter is paid media marketer for PetPlate, a direct-to-consumer dog-food provider launched in 2016. The company sells subscriptions to "...

Homes Smell Better with Pura

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

CMO Daniel Lacey tells the story of Pura, which makes and sells devices that emit fragrances and are controlled via a smartphone app. Launched in 2015...

Founder’s Gut Health Inspires Poppi, a Soda

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Persistent stomach pain prompted Allison Ellsworth to formulate a prebiotic soda, which she named Poppi. That was in 2018. It's now among the fas...

Chaiz Aims to Disrupt Car Warranty Biz

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Hartman is chief marketing officer and co-founder of Chaiz, a startup comparison marketplace for extended automotive repair warranties. He joins ...

Winc CMO on Complexities of Online Wine Sales

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jai Dolwani is chief marketing officer of Winc, a publicly-traded wine membership club. His responsibilities extend beyond marketing to technology, en...

Investment Banker Shifts to Male Sexual Wellness

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Klaviyo Founder: 'We're Good at Storing Data'

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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-...

Frugal Living Suits 'My Wife Quit' Founder

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Having achieved financial success, many entrepreneurs buy a big house, perhaps an expensive vehicle. But not Steve Chou. He co-owns a thriving ecommer...

Agency Marketer Goes In-house at Range Leather

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 comp...

DTC Holsters Are a Last Line of Defense

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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. Follow...

Ballet Dancer Shifts to Photo, Video Creator

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 pho...

Supply.co Founder on Selling the Business

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ec...

Business Is Art to Fringe Sport Owner

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fringe Sport is a leading online seller of home-based barbells and exercise equipment. Peter Keller founded the company in 2010 in Austin, Texas, wher...

HelpFlow, a Live Chat Service, Ramps Up

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jon Tucker founded HelpFlow, an outsourced customer service provider, in 2015. The company has thrived, focusing on ecommerce brands and an extensive ...

iOS ‘Debacle’ Spurs Triple Whale

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Apple's iOS change in May 2021 continues to impact advertising. To Triple Whale, an Austin, Texas-based analytics provider, the change is a debac...

For PeachyBbies, Slime Sells

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 com...

The Ultimate Brand in Tattoo Skincare

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Drew Fallon launched Mad Rabbit, a direct-to-consumer tattoo skincare company, with two college buddies shortly after graduating in 2019.  Two years ...

Live Events Lift Chisos Boots, a DTC Brand

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Polarizing Tweets Pay Off for Steak-umm

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 spea...

Spiceology Founder Pivots to CPG Startups

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Having successfully launched Spiceology, a DTC food seller, in 2012, Pete Taylor semi-retired. That was three years ago, after he had hired executives...

FBA Seller, Tired of Storage Fees, Launches 3PL

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 solv...

Ridge Wallet CEO on Influencer Turmoil, iOS 14.5

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The year 2021 produced dramatic escalations in influencer marketing rates and upheaval in Facebook ad performance. Both are critical marketing channel...

Guatemalan Entrepreneurs Are Gay, Married, Successful

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Guatema...

Custom Teeth Guards Propel Online Dental Lab

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Folks who grind their teeth while sleeping rely on custom-fitted guards for prevention. For sellers of those guards, the complication is the custom-fi...

Lessons from Shopify 2.0 Upgrade, New Theme

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Host Eric Bandholz's company, Beardbrand, recently completed a migration to Shopify 2.0 and a new premium theme, the fourth since its inception i...

180 Marketing Founder: 4 Buckets to SEO

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Search engine optimization for ecommerce boils down to four buckets. That's according to Jeff Oxford, founder of 180 Marketing, an Oregon-based f...

PostPilot Is Klaviyo for Postcards

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Apple's iOS 14 privacy changes have created a windfall for direct mail providers such as PostPilot. Owners Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein expla...

Cocktail Syrup Manufacturer Pivots to DTC

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Harrison co-founded Liber & Co., a maker of cocktail syrups, in 2012. The Austin, Texas-based company thrived by selling mostly to bars and ...

'Impossible Sleep' Makes Sleep Possible

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joel Runyon launched Impossible, a fitness and performance company, in 2010. The company sells digital training programs, apparel, and nutritional sup...

Fed-up Toy Company Responds to Knock-offs

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Molson Hart launched Viahart, a manufacturer of educational toys, in 2010, selling mainly on Amazon. The company experienced repeated intellectual pro...

Efficiency Pro: Happy People Are More Productive

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thanh Pham, the founder of Asian Efficiency, a productivity training company, once focused on efficiency to help folks get more done. Then he realized...

Needing Deodorant, Curie Founder Made Her Own

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018 Sarah Moret, an accountant and athlete, couldn't find a suitable aluminum-free deodorant. So she made her own. Fast forward to 2022, and ...

For Supply.co, EOS Is A-OK

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Supply.co, a DTC seller of shaving supplies, endured a tough 2021, as did its founder, Patrick Coddou. By year's end, he was exhausted, burned ou...

'Embrace Growth' Is Core to Atlas Staffing

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joshua McKee founded Atlas Staffing 11 years ago. The company now has five locations in the western U.S., serving a light industry niche. McKee advoca...

Direct Mail Replaces Facebook for Barbeque Seller

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lea Richards founded Pig of the Month, a DTC seller of barbeque, in 2011. After Apple's iOS 14 privacy change, she shifted to direct mail for cus...

Ecommerce Copywriter on Tactics, Tools, More

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Christopher Silvestri is an ecommerce copywriter and UX designer who launched Conversion Alchemy, an agency, two years ago. The key to high-converting...

Sutro Pivots from Drinking Water to Swimming Pools

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ravi Kurani is an engineer and former venture capitalist who launched Sutro, a water sensor manufacturer, in 2012 in India. His initial go-to-market s...

'People Development' Drives AppSumo to $80 Million in Revenue

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ayman Al-Abdullah joined AppSumo, the daily deals site for digital goods, in 2015. Annual revenue was $3 million. When he left the company in 2021, re...

For Fragrance One, It's Selling without Smelling

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kamil Banc is co-founder with his brother Jeremy of Fragrance One, a direct-to-consumer seller of colognes and perfumes — entirely online. Sales are...

Fox Rocks on LinkedIn

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2009 Judi Fox began networking on LinkedIn, having lost her job early that year. She now, in 2022, has nearly 39,000 LinkedIn followers. Her busine...

Stryx, a DTC Brand, Prepares Rollout in Target Stores

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jon Shanahan is the co-founder of Stryx, the pioneering direct-to-consumer seller of men's cosmetics. The company is soon to launch its products ...

Consumers in a Pandemic Need Murphy Beds

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2015 Brenden Marquardt was a Texas-based investment analyst. He met a homesteader named Lori who made custom Murphy beds, those that fold up in a w...

BK Beauty, Avoiding Facebook, Thrives with Affiliate Marketing

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Jauregui first appeared on this podcast in 2020, having launched BK Beauty, a direct-to-consumer beauty brand, with Lisa, his wife, the year befo...

Solo Brands Founder, Now Wealthy, Reflects

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2010, Spencer Jan and his brother launched Solo Stove, for camping. Fast forward to 2022 and Solo Stove is Solo Brands, a public traded aggregator ...

LiveRecover Founder Sells Company, Buys OrderBump

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dennis Hegstad co-founded LiveRecover, a real-time SMS app, in 2018. He sold the company in 2021. "I became bored," he said. So he purchased...

Former Ecommerce CEO Asks, 'What's Next?'

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Faris is a former pastor who migrated to digital marketing. From there he rose to CEO of 4x400, an ecommerce aggregator that once owned seven b...

Paid Search Drives Kuru Footwear to 2021 Success

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I first interviewed Sean McGinnis for this podcast in November 2020. He had recently arrived at Kuru Footwear, a direct-to-consumer shoe manufacturer,...

20 Years in Ecommerce for Miva's CEO

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a wild ride for Rick Wilson. He started in ecommerce in the 1990s as a salesman with Miva, the pioneering platform. In 2007 he joined a...