Ecommerce Evolution

Andrew Eckblad is one of the sharpest video minds I know. He started in TV and film and even won a few Emmys. He was Frank Kerns’ “video guy” for over 10 years. Now he runs convertsmart and works with DTC brands making videos that convert on all platforms: Facebook, IG, YouTube, and TikTok. In this episode, we focus on the 8 biggest mistakes he sees DTC brands making when it comes to video marketing.  Here’s a quick look at what we cover: How the pattern interrupt really needs to do more than interrupt - it also needs to frame the video. What the real goal of the first 5-10 seconds should be. How you need to lean into authenticity and what that looks like. What the ideal length of a video is after millions of dollars of testing. A simple yet HUGE recommendation for your CTAs (I’ve been guilty of making this mistake). How you might be overthinking your video strategy. Plus more!

As you know, I’m no stranger to YouTube ads. It’s been an obsession of mine since 2016.  But, I love talking shop and swapping ideas with other YouTube ad experts.  My guest today is Brian Moncada. He and his team run YouTube ads for other marketing legends like Frank Kern, John Asaraf, and others. Brian knows his stuff! Brian has worked mostly with info marketers and influencers. We work almost exclusively with DTC brands. So our combined perspective on YouTube ads is pretty powerful.   Here’s a look at what we cover: Brian’s ad framework. How to harness intent-based targeting. How to create urgency and scarcity. Why most YouTube ads fail.

No one knows more about eCommerce growth than my friend, Ezra Firestone. Arguably, no one is a more interesting interview than Ezra either. This episode does NOT disappoint. Ezra bootstrapped growth for Boom from $0 to $40mill + per year. He also recently bought another high-profile eComm brand (more on that in the show). This episode is straight fire. Here’s a look at what we dive into: How Ezra is approaching email marketing and email list growth in 2022. I’m guessing you’re missing his email strategy - even if you consider yourself an email marketing pro. How BOOM is approaching front-end offers. Why you should consider inventing a holiday and how BOOM did just that. How to grow your SMS list. Plus MUCH, much more!

I’ve never met anyone quite like Miki Agrawal. She’s incredibly creative. No really. She once hosted a “funeral for a tree” at an old cathedral in NYC hosted by comedians and actors. It drew a crowd of thousands, generated millions in free press, and helped shed light on the toilet paper waste that her company TUSHY can help solve.  She understands trends in marketing. She knows how to grab attention. So much so that she was banned by the NY transit authority from running subway ads. Which led to a PR fight that she won…and in the end, got more press and attention than if they hadn’t been banned.  She’s also warm and kind and FUN.  She’s created multiple 9-Figure businesses and has garnered some pretty incredible recognition. She was named "Fast Company's Most Creative People", “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum and INC's “Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs”. She’s also the author of #1 best selling books Do Cool SH*T and Disrupt-HER. In this episode we unpack Miki’s wacky, impossible-to-forge

Today we’re going Old School. We’re not talking email. We’re not talking TikTok, Facebook or even YouTube.  We’re talking Snail. Mail. The gold old USPS. Physical mailboxes.  Why?  Because this is an untapped opportunity for DTC brands. My guests today are two legends in the eCommerce space - Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein. Drew and Michael most recently ran and successfully exited Auto Anything a multi nine figure eCommerce brand. Now they are helping DTC brands grow through direct mail marketing. And while that might not sound sexy, it’s incredibly effective.  Why postcard and direct mail marketing? 20-50% of your customers don't have a good email address on file. And email open rates are only 20-30% at best. So you’re missing a lot of your current and past buyers if you’re just relying on email and SMS. Here’s a look at what we cover in this episode: How should brands use direct mail? How to build a great postcard What postcard campaigns to start with How Ezra Firestone turned $1,400 into $4,000 using a

Josh Chin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Chronos Agency, an email marketing agency with a team of 100 strong. Josh has been a featured speaker at top industry events including Geek Out, Affiliate World, Ecommerce World, and others. In this episode we discuss top email and SMS mistakes Ecommerce store owners make, what strategies are working now, and what the future holds for these channels. Here’s a look at what we cover: The top 3 automations you need to build right now. How relying on templates could be dragging down performance. What to do now that open rate isn’t a thing anymore. Utilizing push notifications and tap cart - what you need to know. Top email strategies - what’s changing and what isn’t. Real World email examples. Plus more! 

Josh Durham has achieved some amazing success online. He’s also a survivor of an eCommerce crash and burn story that’s truly spectacular. He built an amazing brand from $0 to $10 million in just 3 short years and then lost it all in a matter of months.  After the dusting off the debris Josh joined my buddy Peter Goodwin as the head of growth for Groove Life and helped add $10million in top line sales (with good margin) in about a year and a half. In this episode we dive into valuable lessons from rapid growth and rapid failure. Here’s a look at what we cover. Law of Quarters - and how it should help you think about margins, product pricing, and operations. How failing to introduce successful 2nd, 3rd, and 4th products can spell death to a brand. How to structure a successful Ambassador program that will become a new content engine for you. Tips for building a real community around your brand. Knowing your numbers and your MER (Media Efficiency Ratio). How to generate an unending supply of amazing User Genera

 Kim and Tim Lewis are truly an inspiring success story. They’re happily married with 3 kids. They run a business that just raised $4 Million in crowd-funded equity. They’ve been on Shark Tank and they were featured as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things. They have huge goals for the future. So what is their brand Curl Mix? It’s a line of hair care products formulated for curly hair…and it has a raving fan base.  In this merchant success episode we unpack some key lessons including: How Curl Mix got started and how doing FB lives from the shower helped their products go viral How they got on shark tank and tips for doing the same The definition and explanation crowdfunded equity  3 tips for raising $4.5 million + of crowdfunded equity How CurlMix plans to become a black-owned P&G How to increase recurring revenue Plus more!

Cody is a former college hoop star turned influencer marketing pro. His resume of influencers he’s partnered with is pretty impressive.  He’s worked with the likes of Lebron James, Mike Trout, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and more. His passion is helping great eCommerce brands scale with simple, effective influencer marketing. And he believes that most brands approach influencer marketing all wrong.  Here’s a look at what we cover in this episode.  What’s changed in the last year in influencer marketing? What mistakes are ecomm brands still making? How do you work with people like Lebron and Mike Trout? What’s the solution to tracking in a post iOS 14.5 world.  Tips for getting started and executing an effective influencer marketing program. Plus more!

Supply chain and logistics. When everything is running smoothly, it’s a breeze. When there are problems, inventory issues can cripple an eComm business. Inventory, and supply chain management has been struggle city in 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, 2022 isn’t looking much better.  In this episode I interview Chelsea Cohen of So Stocked and we unpack some super smart inventory and supply chain strategies. This content is a MUST if you want to remain competitive (and avoid pulling your hair out from supply chain pain).  Here’s a look at what we cover: The Golden rule of logistics - don’t let anyone have all of your stuff - and how to apply it. Container optimizations - with the cost of containers rising, container optimization can have a big impact on your overall profitability.  Carton optimizations - This is a next-level tactic that can save you big. Especially when you combine it with container optimization.  4 points that impact your restock limit with Amazon  3 triggers to pull to avoid restock limit crash

The market for eCommerce businesses has never been hotter. Now dozens of brand aggregators have war chests of $100s of millions of dollars with one mission - buy and grow eComm brands. We’re now seeing valuations in the 5-6x of EBITA where just a few years ago we were only seeing 3-4x multiples.   Now is a great time to sell an eCommerce brand. And, if done right, it’s still not a bad time to buy a brand.   Chris Yates is co-owner of Centurica a company that offers buy-side due diligence for digital businesses. He’s also the founder of Rhodium Weekend - a vetted community of digital entrepreneurs and investors.  Here’s a look at what we cover.   Mistakes when going through due diligence Most important steps/tips when going through due diligence  Mistakes when evaluating your own business As you hit different vacation tiers - types of buyers and buyers wants and needs change  How aggregators are changing the landscape of DTC M&A What is Rhodium weekend? Mastermind and speakers. Real in the trenches stuff

Josh Martin is fearless. At age 24 he’s winning contests, designing new products, building communities and partnering with some real movers and shakers in our industry. In this episode I grill Josh (pun intended) on his success with his BBQ company and his experience in the wine business. There are tons of lessons in this episode whether you’re running an 8 or 9 figure business or just getting started.   How Josh won the Million Dollar Brand Scholarship Award Influencer marketing mistakes to avoid Keys to $.25 email list opt-in strategies How to run good customer surveys and getting useful data Understanding the “why” behind your product and how that influences marketing and future product launches Plus more!

The holy grail right now for online advertising is to be both funny and persuasive. To be relevant and engaging. Funny videos that sell are rare. Mostly because most people don’t know how to create them. In this episode Joseph walks us through his 8-step process for creating funny videos that sell without hiring an expert.  Joseph Wilkins has a rich background in creating videos that convert. He launched his career in the infomercial business while working on the launch of Little Giant Ladder. That infomercial went on to sell hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ladders.   I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Joseph on a mutual client - Tru Earth. Joseph and his team created videos for Tru Earth that have now racked up over 100 million views! More than that, though, they are driving new customer acquisition.   Here’s a look at what we cover: Why having a crystal clear picture of your customer in your head is a must before you do anything else. You wouldn’t write a letter without knowing who you

Growing your sales on Amazon really comes down to three things: Getting found on Amazon by improving your organic rankings or paying for ads.   Getting more people to click on your listings once they see it.   Convincing more shoppers that your product is the one for them. It sounds simple enough right? But most Amazon sellers miss several key tactics that severely limit growth. That’s why I was so excited to talk to Daniela Bolzmann founder of Mindfulgoods.co. She is a PRO at making products on Amazon stand out. She’s so good, in fact, that Amazon created a case study featuring her work.  Here’s a look at what we unpack on this episode: How to maximize your SEO efforts for launching new products on Amazon How to integrate and tweak existing listings that already rank to get them to rank HIGHER Leveraging your 6 images for maximum conversions What to do with A+ content to make your product nearly irresistible  How Yes Bar gets it right with their listing optimization and storefront optimization Top Amazon

If you’re thinking about selling now or anytime in the next 5 years, you need the info in this episode.   In the first half of 2021 alone, $2.5 billion in capital has been raise by brand aggregators all looking to acquire eCommerce brands.   Currently there are over 100 aggregators just in the eCommerce space. A few months ago, I met Dave Bunch at Ezra Firestone’s Blue Ribbon Mastermind in Miami. We were both speaking there and when I heard his story, I knew I wanted him to be on the podcast. Dave is the President of Growve a $250 Million dollar aggregator with close to 25 brands under one roof.   So why the rise of aggregators? What makes that business model so attractive? Why are brands selling to aggregators? Those are all questions I wanted to ask Dave.   Here’s a look at what we talk about: Why right now might be a good time to take some chips off the table The benefits of rolling equity vs. full buyouts Why you should be weary of large offers When deals go bad - how to better prepare for the issues tha

Deacon helps founders & CEOs create profitable, scalable business growth through coaching and consulting programs at SharpBusinessGrowth.com. He's led teams overseeing $50 Million in marketing campaigns, and delivered revenue growth results recognized by Inc. 5000.   If you look at wildly successful DTC brands compared to the rest, you definitely find some differences. But those differences aren’t always what you think. Sometimes really great products fail. Sometimes insanely smart entrepreneurs never reach their full potential. Sometimes great marketing tactics alone just aren’t enough. Deacon Bradley is one of those guys that you feel smarter just from one conversation with him. In this episode we talk about Growth Mulitpliers vs. Growth Inhibitors. Some of these might surprise you.   Missing the connector of brand and strategy that make your team and your agencies to be successful The story of an awesome DTC product that never fully figured out who they were The power of Vision and commanders intent H

​​Most of the high growth eComm companies I know are all building to sell. Some want to sell once revenue hits $5 million, some $25 million and some $100+.  Regardless of what your target number is or regardless of if you even have a number, this interview with Chad will be super helpful.   Hear how Chad built his pet brand business and sold it for 7-figures in under 3 years.  Here’s a look at what we’ll cover:   Tips and advice for sellers  Maximize EBITA as you prepare to sell Practical tips to “think profit first.” Tips for prepping to sell your business Learning from successes and failures Understanding how self-imposed limits are holding you back!

KetoBrownie (now rebranded as Sinless Snacks - https://www.sinlesssnacks.com/) started where a lot of great food brands start - in the founder’s kitchen.  Nick Raccuia’s story is a great one, full of insights and inspiration, successes and failures.  It includes nailing product development on a few products and failure with other products.  It covers periods of near burn out followed by the power of partnerships and strategic investors.   Now Nick’s company produces two of my favorite sinless and guilt-free snacks: the original Keto Brownie and the Sinless Snacks cereal bar.   Here’s a look at what we cover: Knowing your customer is the key to product launches. Learn from NIck’s product successes contrasted with a few painful flops. The benefits of a strategic investor and how to find them Not launching on Amazon soon enough Packaging and transit issues How obsessing over your customers and products leads to wins

While getting free PR for your brand isn’t easy, it’s not impossible. And the rewards can be huge.  Great companies and CEOs have always understood this. From Steve Jobs to Walt Disney to Richard Branson and others. Free press can be worth millions to your brand.   And you don’t have to be as dynamic as Richard Branson to get free PR. Ali Karsh is the co-founder of LVPR, a PR company that works exclusively with cool DTC brands like NATIVE, Cloud Paper, Everyday Humans, and many others.   In this episode, we condense Ali’s 15+ years of PR experience into a power-packed interview.  We cover the most important topics so you can start getting free PR now for your brand.  Here’s what we discuss: When’s the best time to engage with media? How to craft a compelling founder story that the media is eager to share? How the pandemic has made getting PR easier (and harder) LVPR’s 5 Rules for brands it works with What is commerce/affiliate PR and how it’s changing the PR game. Plus more!

Justus Murimi is a guy that once you meet him you’ll likely never forget him. Why? Justus is one of the best askers of questions that I’ve ever been around.  I first met Justus at Ryan Daniel Moran’s lake house in Austin Texas. It was a meeting of eCommerce investors. I was part of a group discussion with Justus and he was asking insightful question after insightful question. Then I had a chance to spend some time with him and we immediately hit it off. He has a knack for understanding entrepreneurs and helping them get unstuck.  He’s the Community Manager for the One Percent with Ryan Daniel Moran.  He’s also the head coach of the Incubator.  Every week he’s coaching, teaching, and mentoring eCommerce businesses at every stage of growth.   I LOVE this topic.  While we don’t get super tactical, I believe this episode could prove to be one of the most helpful we’ve ever published.   As entrepreneurs, we're all prone to getting stuck. And it’s not just a one-time deal. Depending on the stage or growth your busi