Ecommerce Conversations

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. We are an independent publishing company, founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

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

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, the overall state of ecommerce, the perils of excessive debt, and the need to disrupt the dental market.For a condensed transcript (with embedded audio), please see: https://pec-ly.com/?6mD2For all transcripts and audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Dennis Hegstad's third Shopify app is called Vigilance. It monitors and blocks the injection of unwanted coupon codes at checkout, saving merchants big bucks. He discusses the financial harm to merchants of "leaked" coupon codes, Vigilance's method of blocking their use, and more.Hegstad previously launched and sold LiveRecover, an SMS-based Shopify app for recovering abandoned carts. He then acquired and sold OrderBump, an app for Shopify upsells.To read the condensed transcript (with full embedded audio): https://pec-ly.com/?6mA6For all past transcripts, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Tim Conley helps founders overcome mental hurdles and grow their businesses. Most entrepreneurs, he's observed, prefer daily operations and putting out fires. If there are no fires, entrepreneurs will sometimes set them to put them out. In this conversation, Conley explains why entrepreneurs must evolve from the daily nitty-gritty into long-term strategists. This requires delegation, new creative outlets, and a shift in roles.To read the edited and shortened transcript (with embedded audio), please see https://pec-ly.com/?6mt9For all edited transcripts, see https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts