He Grew His Ecommerce Brand 120% By Doing Less Stuff (With Sam Mendelsohn)

May 23, 2025

Sam Mendelsohn, co-founder of Workspace6, BoxFort, and three thriving e-commerce brands, shares secrets to scaling without overwhelm. He reveals how he grew multi-million dollar brands by focusing on fewer tasks and prioritizing profit over vanity metrics. Sam discusses the pivotal role of a single ad channel, the emotional toll of business plateaus, and the lessons learned from evaluating over 900 brands. Listeners gain insights on price testing and the importance of concentrating marketing efforts to maximize returns.

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ANECDOTE

Early E-Commerce Growth Anecdote

Sam Mendelsohn shares how early e-commerce growth was limited by product-market fit and trying many things at once.
He emphasizes that their approach was to experiment broad and narrow down once they understood what worked.

ANECDOTE

Founding Shopify Store and Scaling

Sam recounts founding an early Shopify store in 2011 from leftover inventory and scaling with Facebook ads to $2-3 million revenue.
They struggled with inefficiency and chasing multiple tools and agencies before stabilizing their approach.

INSIGHT

Simplicity in Buying Online

Sam realized buying online is simple if the product and creative resonate; many app gimmicks are distractions.
The focus should be on the right product, creative, and user experience to drive sales effectively.

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INTELLIGEMSIntelligems is the ultimate profit-optimization tool for DTC brands. Use it for all of your CRO efforts by visiting https://intelligems.io.WORKSPACE6Workspace6 is a private community for 7, 8 & 9 figure+ eCommerce operators and executives. Join for just $1 for your first month and no annual commitments at https://workspace6.io. //Sam Mendelsohn is the co-founder of Workspace6, the co-founder of three ecommerce brands doing $12M in revenue at a 7% profit, and the co-founder of BoxFort, a 3PL servicing fashion and apparel brands. Follow Sam on X at https://x.com/SamMendelsohn4, where you can DM him about any of those businesses.//How do you scale multiple brands, hit $12M in revenue, and still sleep at night?

In this episode, Andrew interviews Sam Mendelsohn—co-founder of three eCommerce brands, the 3PL Boxfort, and the elite operator community Workspace 6. Sam gets brutally honest about what actually helped him move from plateaued growth to meaningful profit: focusing on fewer things, trimming complexity, and ruthlessly prioritizing margin over vanity metrics.

You’ll hear about:

- How he grew multiple brands without adding headcount

- Why focusing on one ad channel (Meta) was the unlock

- A practical framework to evaluate whether your brand has real growth potential

- What 900+ brand applications to Workspace 6 taught him about success patterns

- How to tell if your pricing is too low

—and what to do about it

- The emotional toll of early-stage plateaus and how he worked through it

This episode is packed with operator-grade insights for brand owners doing 7–9 figures and looking to improve margin, sanity, and scale.CHAPTER TITLES:1:26 - Sam Mendelsohn Discusses Starting Out In E-Commerce

6:00 - Improving Your Bottom Line Margin

12:58 - Tips From Taylor Holiday

23:06 - Keeping Sane During Growth Mode

37:26 - Variable Costs In Business

51:26 - Importance of a Community// SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL FOR 2X/WEEKLY UPLOADS!//ADMISSIONGet the best media buying training on the Internet + a free coaching call with Common Thread Collective's media buyers when you sign up for ADmission here: https://www.youradmission.co/andrew-faris-podcast//FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/andrewjfaris Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.comWork with Andrew: https://ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#metaads #facebookads #ecommerce #advertising