Ecommerce Conversations, By Practical Ecommerce

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 

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 cannabidiol, the non-addictive, non-impairing marijuana extract. And that led him to Soul, the CBD brand he co-founded with his sister Angie.He shares his story in this interview, addressing his health issues, CBD's benefits, launching Soul, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nsgFor 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 

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 male private parts. He says, "The notion of running Balls is hilarious to everyone who knows me. But it's a gift to a marketer to work with an edgy product."Humor ended up being the company's principal marketing vehicle when it retained comedians in Europe to ask bystanders, "Do you shave your balls?" The resulting videos produced 150 million views on TikTok.Willaims discusses the business of male grooming in this interview.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nkYFor 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

Kevin Stecko launched 80sTees.com in 2000 selling t-shirts imprinted with pop-culture items. The process requires obtaining permission from the rights holders, which is not easy. He says, "I started the company with designs of He-Man, a toy cartoon. I obtained that license, and then they wouldn't approve hardly any of my designs."Fast forward to 2023, and 80sTees.com has 120,000 SKUs. It no longer warehouses and fulfills products but, instead, sends the designs to printers who then drop-ship them. He discusses his journey here, addressing licensing risks, competition, drop-shipping, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6nhqFor 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

Allen Walton launched SpyGuy, an online retailer of surveillance cameras, in 2014. The business quickly scaled, experiencing much success. Then Google Ads banned it. Then competitors arose, narrowing margins.Still, Walton preserves. Google lifted the ban, and he has doubled down with a renewed focus on sales channels, customer service, vendors, and more.This is Walton's second appearance on the podcast. The first, "Banned by Google Ads, SpyGuy.com Ponders Alternative Channels," occurred in 2020. — https://pec-ly.com/?1uAyIn his conversation, Walton shares his journey, addressing professional and personal setbacks, marketing initiatives, fulfillment changes, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6ndpFor 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.

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 Thrasio, the aggregator, in 2019. He now advises established companies via Full Circle, his agency. Amazon's marketplace circa 2023 is ruthlessly competitive, unlike in the mid-teens when, per Freeman, "you could get rich selling yoga mats." In this interview he addresses competitive tactics, black-hat sellers, and more.For a condensed transcript with embedded audio, see https://pec-ly.com/?6n84For condensed transcripts with embedded audio of all episodes, see https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Tony Smith acquired TimberVaults, a direct-to-consumer seller of concealed gun safes, for expansion opportunities beyond firearms. He foresaw hidden storage of other valuables, such as jewelry and documents. That was in mid-2022. He's now learning the ropes of running an ecommerce business. In this conversation, he shares his early mistakes, operational decisions, and growth plans. For an edited transcript of the interview with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6n4dFor transcripts and embedded audio of all episodes, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Zach Stuck is an agency founder turned ecommerce owner. The agency, called Homestead, runs marketing campaigns for direct-to-consumer businesses. And lessons from those campaigns drive his second venture: acquiring and launching his own brands. His top lesson? A customer from paid acquisition has to be profitable on the first sale. He shares his journey  — from running an agency to owning and operating ecommerce brands — in this episode.For a transcript of the episode with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6mXEFor all episodes and embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Mike Tecku sold his Amazon businesses, retired, and became bored. He's back, having just launched Momentum, a maker of nutritional shakes, which he calls "the Rolex of supplements." He describes his journey in this week's episode, addressing personal priorities and Momentum's market position, growth plans, and more.For an edited transcript with audio embedded, see https://pec-ly.com/?6mTVFor all edited episodes with embedded audio, see https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Isaac Medeiros's company, Mini Katana, is a direct-to-consumer seller of Samurai-themed letter openers, swords, and related accessories. Just two years old, the business produces a whopping six videos every day from a team of creators, writers, and editors. That's 3,000 videos to date.How can a small company produce and post six videos every day? He explains that and more in this fascinating discussion.For a condensed transcript with embedded audio, see https://pec-ly.com/?6mOJFor condensed transcripts of all episodes, see https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts 

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's now looking to diversify beyond Apple Watches to products from the same sustainable material as his bands. In this conversation, he shares successes and challenges from 2022, international expansion plans, and the evolution of his company. It's an inspiring lesson in innovation and resilience. For an edited transcript with embedded audio, see https://pec-ly.com/?6mIxFor all transcripts of all episodes (with embedded audio), see https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts