
Secrets To Scaling Your Ecommerce Brand
TL;DR: Secrets to Scaling Your E-commerce Brand PodcastHosted by Brand + Agency Owner Jordan West, delve into the essentials of e-commerce growth, including:Paid Advertising: Master the art of paid ads across platforms.Creative Strategy: Unlock innovative approaches to marketing.TikTok Shop & Ads: Explore the potential of TikTok for e-commerce.Facebook Ads: Leverage Facebook's vast network for your brand.Influencer Outreach: Harness the power of influencer marketing.Real Successes & Failures: Learn from real-life experiences and case studies.Industry Leader Insights: Gain wisdom from top figures in the e-commerce world.Join us for invaluable advice and strategies to elevate your e-commerce store.Welcome to "Secrets to Scaling Your E-commerce Brand," the podcast where we dive deep into the mechanics and strategies of growing your online store. I'm your host, Jordan West, a seasoned entrepreneur who has navigated the highs and lows of owning six e-commerce brands and leading a DTC marketing agency.In this podcast, we're not just scratching the surface. We're dissecting the very core of what it takes to amplify your e-commerce store's revenue. From mastering paid ads and unravelling the mysteries of creative strategy to leveraging TikTok Shop and TikTok ads, Facebook ads, and beyond. I'll share the tactics that have propelled my businesses forward and the lessons learned from the pitfalls I've encountered along the way.But that's not all. "Secrets to Scaling Your E-commerce Brand" is also about the voices of industry leaders who've made significant impacts in the e-commerce world. Join us as we talk to these pioneers, extracting valuable insights and actionable advice that you can apply directly to your business.Whether you're a budding entrepreneur eager to make your mark or an established brand looking to break through to the next level, this podcast is your go-to resource for strategies that work. Join me, Jordan West, as we unlock the secrets to scaling your e-commerce brand, transforming challenges into opportunities, and visions into realities.
Latest episodes

Jan 9, 2024 • 30min
Ep 518: Is M and A Dead For Ecommerce Brands? With Ben Leonard, Quit Stalling and Build Your Brand
Send us a textLet's explore the future of direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses, expressing optimism and stressing the significance of building a brand rather than just selling products online. In this episode, Jordan West and Ben Leonard, delves into the difference between businesses with strong customer experience and those without, emphasizing the value of building an ecommerce brand over just an ecommerce business. They weigh in on the economic situation, offering optimistic viewpoints and discussing potential opportunities in the M&A market. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:The threat of Amazon creating knockoff versions of products, leading to the downfall of original businesses, and the difficulty of competing with Amazon.Building a sustainable business with a loyal customer base for long-term success and business sustainability, and finding potential opportunities in the M&A market.The economic situation and potential growth in 2024, the challenges faced by agencies during tough times, and the importance of persistence and focusing on future growth.The challenges and successes in the E-commerce industry, particularly related to mergers and acquisitions, with a focus on not just financial aspects but also the value of brand and nimble business strategies.Recommended Book:Quit Stalling and Build Your Brand: www.quitstallingbook.com/jordanToday’s Guest:Ben Leonard, Author of Quit Stalling and Build Your Brand, is a UK-based entrepreneur who made the switch from the oil industry to e-commerce in 2016. With a background in mergers and acquisitions, Ben now helps others in the e-commerce industry navigate their own business ventures. Based in northeast Scotland, Ben continues to be a leader in the e-commerce world.Connect and learn more about Ben:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjleonard/Website: https://quitstallingbook.com/jordanGrowth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growMillion Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Jan 2, 2024 • 30min
Ep 517: E-commerce For Good with Adriaan Zimmerman, Ned
Send us a textThe transformative experience taught Adriaan the importance of nature, simplicity, and human connection, leading to increased honesty with oneself and others.In this episode, Jordan West and Adriaan Zimmerman, a serial entrepreneur with 20 years of experience. Adriaan shares his journey from initial business intentions to unexpected success and the personal and professional challenges he has faced, leading to a deeper understanding of life and business. Together, Jordan and Adriaan delve into the importance of values, stress management, and the transformative power of natural remedies. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:The significance of stress management, lifestyle choices, and evidence supporting stress reduction through nature-based activities.Recognizing and addressing feelings of helplessness, burnout, and the need for personal reevaluation.Prioritizing filling a market need and creating products that people want and need before figuring out monetization.The importance of surrounding oneself with good people and maintaining a focus on values, vision, and mission in running a business.EOS System: https://www.eosworldwide.com/eos-modelToday’s Guest:Adriaan Zimmerman, Co-Founder of Ned, began his career in venture capital in Hong Kong, focusing on sustainable development and agriculture. However, he quickly realized his passion lay in being on the other side of the table as an entrepreneur. Coming from a family of business owners, it was a natural path for him to follow. At the age of 22, he launched his first business and has since gone on to start several successful ventures, earning him the title of a serial entrepreneur. Adriaan's diverse career and experience in various industries have shaped him into a dynamic and successful business leader.Connect and learn more about Adriaan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaanzimmerman/Website: https://helloned.com/Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growMillion Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Dec 29, 2023 • 34min
Ep 516: How To Acquire New Customers When You Can’t Advertise, Sarah Todd
Send us a textFrom navigating advertising and payment processing challenges to the power of kindness in business, and the bittersweet experience of selling business.In this episode, Jordan West and Sarah Todd, former Co-owner of 420 Science, a cannabis-related company that saw remarkable growth before ultimately exiting the industry in 2022. They delve into the importance of celebrating victories as entrepreneurs, the benefits of implementing the EOS system in businesses, and the impact of mind-opening experiences. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:The benefits and challenges of implementing the EOS system in businesses, and the resistance to change within organizations.The role of kindness in business negotiations and problem-solving, and the value of focusing on positive outcomes in business activities.The significance of good design, modern aesthetics, exceptional customer service, and product curation in the ecommerce industry.Recommended Podcast/Audiobook:Dan Sullivan: https://www.audible.com/author/Dan-Sullivan/B003ZFP2L4Recommended Apps/Tools:Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.comSendlane: https://www.sendlane.com/EOS System: https://www.eosworldwide.com/eos-modelToday’s Guest:Sarah Todd, the former co-owner of 420 Science, has a wealth of knowledge in navigating the challenges of advertising cannabis-related products online. Her expertise extends to business negotiation, problem-solving, and the importance of design and exceptional customer service in e-commerce.Connect and learn more about Sarah:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-todd-7759892/Email: sarah@phoenixmade.comGrowth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growMillion Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Dec 26, 2023 • 32min
Ep 515: How To Launch A Premium Ecommerce Product with Taylor Sanford, Premier Spike
Send us a textDiscover how vulnerability, humility, and the power of personal connections play a pivotal role in building a successful e-commerce brand. In this episode, Jordan West and Taylor Sanford, Premier Spike delve into topics such as start-up culture in the direct-to-consumer industry, the importance of passion in business, and the challenges of manufacturing, distribution, and marketing. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:Embrace passion and vision for product success.Build trust by delivering high-quality products.Leverage personal experiences and genuine connections in marketing.Embrace openness and vulnerability for personal and business growth.Seek knowledgeable partnerships for business growth.Recommended Podcast/Audiobook:Spiked Lemonade: https://www.spikedlemonade.live/Roundnet: https://open.spotify.com/show/2IZsNS5eLyBmTJ86sMzW1aToday’s Guest:Taylor Sanford, Founder & CEO of Premier Spike, is a passionate advocate for Spikeball. For the past five years, Taylor has been one of the biggest ambassadors for the game, running tournaments in Utah and across the western region. Not content with just promoting the game, Taylor has also been instrumental in helping others start similar organizations in different states and countries. In 2022, Taylor decided to embark on a new venture, creating the first premium RamNET equipment for Spikeball. This marks a significant milestone in Taylor's ongoing dedication to the game and its community.Connect and learn more about Taylor and Premier Spike: Website: https://store.premierspike.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-sanford/Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growMillion Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Dec 22, 2023 • 11min
Ep 514: The 2024 Influencer Playbook For DTC Brands
Send us a textInfluencer seeding is a powerful strategy to get your product into the hands of potentially influential people. By sending products without expecting anything in return, you can leverage the law of reciprocity for incredible results. In this episode, Jordan West unveiled the first part of his 2024 D2C new customer acquisition strategy, and it's a game-changer. He dives into the power of influencer seeding and how it can significantly impact your brand's visibility and customer base. He shared practical tips on leveraging this strategy to its fullest potential.Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:The concept of influencer seeding is a natural progression of building real-life relationships and leveraging the law of reciprocity.The significance of monitoring brand mentions and utilizing tools like Archive and Refundnel for aggregating and managing mentions.The importance of creating buckets to categorize and engage with individuals who have mentioned the brand and created content.Ways to engage with influencers on platforms like TikTok Shop for potential collaboration.Utilizing resources such as Shopify Collabs and Social Snowball for identifying and engaging with influencers.Recommended App/Tool:Archive: https://archive.com/Social Snowball: https://socialsnowball.io/Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growMillion Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Dec 20, 2023 • 34min
Ep 513: The 2024 Subscription Playbook For DTC Brands with Chris George, SubSummit
Send us a textDiscover the true purpose of attending conferences and events, and learn how to extract actionable strategies instead of enduring endless sales pitches.In this episode, Jordan West and Chris George, CEO of SubSummit, discuss the ins and outs of growing a successful ecommerce brand. They dive into the importance of creating value for customers, the impact of subscriptions on business models, and the necessity of consistent effort in building sustainable success. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:The value of subscriptions for Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brands, focusing on value, convenience, and access.Doubling down on what you're good at in business and overcoming the fear of other people's opinions.Understanding and doubling down on customer attention, being consistent and organized, and knowing customer lifetime value and acquisition costs are essential for business scaling.Diversifying product lines and offering integrated solutions to meet different customer needs and serve as a one-stop shop.Recommended App/Tool:Hubspot: https://www.hubspot.com/Recommended Audiobook/Podcast:Gary Vee: https://garyvaynerchuk.com/podcast/Simon Sinek: https://simonsinek.com/podcast/Jay Shetty: https://jayshetty.me/podcast/Seth Godin: https://www.akimbo.link/Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growMillion Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growToday’s Guest:Christopher George, CEO and Co-Founder of SubSummit, an accomplished operator who played a key role in building the largest event in the world for consumer subscriptions. His dedication and passion have made him an influential figure in the world of consumer subscriptions and e-commerce.Connect and learn more about Chris and SubSummit: Website: https://subsummit.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgcertified/

Dec 18, 2023 • 30min
Ep 512: How To Make 99% Margins On Your Shopify Store with Steven Sisskind, The Hero Company
Send us a textFrom unearthing the challenges of working with agencies to dissecting the pivotal role of data in marketing decisions, they shine a light on the critical components that underpin successful e-commerce expansion. In this episode, Jordan West and Steven Sisskind, CEO of RealDose Nutrition, dive deep into the world of digital marketing and direct-to-consumer businesses, focusing on data-driven decision-making and implementing the EOS system. They take a closer look at funnel marketing for supplements and health products, the power of long-term customer value, and the impact of back-end marketing strategies. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:The benefits of implementing the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) in their businesses, including transparency and visibility within the organization.The importance of choosing agencies that understand the business sector and have the required skills, experience, and capabilities in areas such as funnel marketing, creative content creation, media buying, and data analytics.Bottlenecks in operations, such as inventory and data management, emphasizing the need for efficient processes.Focus on long-term customer value and back-end marketing to create a lifetime value through repeat purchases and subscriptions.Recommended App/Tool:Workflowy: https://workflowy.com/Slack: https://slack.com/Zoom: https://zoom.us/Google Workspace: https://workspace.google.com/Clickup: https://clickup.com/Monday: http://monday.com/Recommended Audiobook/Podcast:Founders: https://www.founderspodcast.com/Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growMillion Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growToday’s Guest:Steven Sisskind, CEO of RealDose Nutrition, an entrepreneur who co-owns a direct consumer Internet online business, with four brands in the supplement and digital information product markets. They drive traffic to their brands via cold traffic from platforms like Facebook and YouTube, as well as affiliate traffic and native email marketing. Their business also includes up sells and down sells within their sales funnels.Connect and learn more about Steven and The Hero Company: Website: https://theheroco.com/Email: steve@theheroco.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensisskind/

Dec 15, 2023 • 29min
Ep 511: How To Launch A New Product With No Facebook Ads With Nikita Vakhrushev, Aspekt Agency
Send us a textDiscover real-life strategies for segmentation, creating scarcity, and generating FOMO to drive conversions. In this episode, Jordan West and Nikita Vakhrushev, CEO of Aspekt, dive into the intricacies of product launches, emphasizing the power of personalization in communication and the impact of strategy and tactics in achieving e-commerce success. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episodeThe value of not stopping client acquisition, especially for agencies, as churn is inevitable and pausing it can have negative ripple effects.The significance of building and maintaining great relationships with clients to improve retention rates.The caution against using false scarcity and urgency in offers aims to maintain customer trust. The importance of segmentation in marketing and using multiple messages and emails to excite a product launch.Recommended App/ToolSendlane: https://www.sendlane.com/Woocommerce: https://woo.com/Klaviyo: https://www.klaviyo.com/Figma:https://www.figma.com/Bit.ly: https://bit.ly/Recommended Audiobook/PodcastAlex Hormozi: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YNopzKDGDwf0auIpPTIIDDan Sullivan: https://10xeasierbook.com/Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growMillion Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/growToday’s Guest:Nikita Vakhrushev, CEO/Founder of Aspekt, has helped dozens of DTC/Ecom brands across multiple industries increase sales, generate leads, build online audience and improve brand engagement all while maintaining a positive ROI- return on investment. Connect and learn more about Nikita and Aspekt here: Website: https://aspektagency.com/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NikitaVakhrushevTVLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikita-v/

Dec 13, 2023 • 36min
Ep 510: Don’t Hire A 3PL Until You Ask These Questions with Izzy Rosenzweig, Portless
Send us a textThe importance of choosing the right 3PL, the impact of staff turnover on business accuracy and consumer satisfaction, and the evolution and restructuring of companies to avoid bloating and middle managers.Jordan West and Izzy Rosensweig share insights on the challenges and opportunities in the e-commerce and fulfillment industry. From the impact of shipping regulations and logistics on cross-border commerce to the importance of efficient 3PL partnerships, they dive into key strategies for success. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:Recognizing scalability as a key factor and addressing unrealistic claims of unlimited scale and overly optimistic projections.Utilizing tools such as HubSpot for B2B, integrating Slack with tickets and CRMs, and leveraging email reminders for business operations.Highlighting the importance of customer experience and effective communication with 3PL providers, emphasizing the significance of immediate communication and problem-solving for efficient business operations.Recommended App/Tool:Sendlane: https://www.sendlane.com/Hubspot: https://www.hubspot.com/Notion: https://www.notion.so/productRecommended Audiobook/Podcast:All in: https://www.allinpodcast.co/Same As Ever: https://www.audible.com/pd/Same-as-Ever-Audiobook/B0C1HS5WG1Today’s Guest:Izzy Rosenzweig, CEO of Portless, is a veteran of the DTC industry for over 10 years. After opening his China-based fulfillment center to improve customer experience, Izzy recognized an opportunity to assist other DTC brands with direct shipping to their customers, leading to the birth of Portless. Connect and learn more about Izzy and Portless here: Website: https://www.portless.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-rosenzweig-13653846/X: https://twitter.com/IzzyRosenzweig

Dec 11, 2023 • 36min
Ep 509: 2024 Crystal Ball With One Of DTCs Biggest Brands CMO
Send us a textWith increased customer acquisition costs (CACs) and the potential impact of inflationary pressures, reassessing marketing spend and embracing a full-funnel marketing approach is essential for brands to thrive.In this episode, Jordan West and Brent Cooke, former CMO at MVMT, tackles about the evolution of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands and the challenges they face. They discuss the catalyst for brand bankruptcies and the importance of full-funnel marketing. They share insights on repositioning a DTC brand and adapting to the post-privacy era. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:The DTC landscape has evolved, and brands need to focus on full-funnel marketing and repositioning to stay relevant.The post-privacy era requires brands to adapt their marketing strategies and invest in first-party data.Direct mail and TikTok can be effective acquisition channels for brands.Struggling brands should focus on creating quality content and leveraging inexpensive platforms to reach their target audience.In a rapidly changing market, brands need to be agile, embrace experimentation, and make data-driven decisions.Recommended App/Tool:Slack: https://slack.com/Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/Canva: https://www.canva.com/Recommended Book:I, Human: https://www.audible.com/pd/I-Human-Audiobook/B0BVPCFJM3Today’s Guest:Brent Cooke, former CMO of MVMT, has an extensive experience designing and executing clearly defined marketing and communications strategies that drive customer-centric growth for industry leaders and leading national brands. Proven track record of managing challenging business situations and executing turnaround and growth initiatives to achieve revenue and profitability goals, stakeholder buy-in, and customer needs. Connect and learn more about Brent:Email: 4thwallinsights@gmail.comLinkedIn: https://.linkedin.com/in/brent-cooke-mktg/