Ecommerce Conversations

It sounds like a movie script. A gay entrepreneur in Guatemala launches a cookie company in 2012 from his mom's kitchen. He meets another Guatemalan entrepreneur, also gay, who joins the business. They get married, immigrate in 2019 to the U.S., and, overcoming a slew of obstacles, relaunch the company from their base in Austin, Texas, achieving success.The company is called Wunderkeks. The entrepreneurs are founder Hans Schrei and his co-owner husband, Luis Gramajo.I recently spoke with them. Our conversation addressed much more than selling cookies.Read the condensed transcript on Practical Ecommerce: https://pec-ly.com/?6jMY

Folks who grind their teeth while sleeping rely on custom-fitted guards for prevention. For sellers of those guards, the complication is the custom-fitting. It requires an exact teeth impression, which presumably calls for an in-person visit.But not if the seller is Pro Teeth Guard, a San Diego, California-based online dental lab that sells made-to-order teeth guards via ecommerce. Its impressions-by-mail process facilitates custom manufacturing — and satisfied customers.I recently spoke with JP Ji, Pro Teeth Guard's president, on production challenges, customer service strategies, marketing, and more.

Host Eric Bandholz's company, Beardbrand, recently completed a migration to Shopify 2.0 and a new premium theme, the fourth since its inception in 2013. Jenny Durre, Beardbrand's in-house designer, managed the entire 2.0 process — selecting the theme, customizing pages, streamlining the layout, and ultimately going live with the new version. She describes it all in this conversation.A condensed and edited (for clarity) transcript is at: https://pec-ly.com/?6jBh.  

Search engine optimization for ecommerce boils down to four buckets. That's according to Jeff Oxford, founder of 180 Marketing, an Oregon-based firm. Read a condensed and edited (for clarity) transcript at https://pec-ly.com/?6jrc.

Apple's iOS 14 privacy changes have created a windfall for direct mail providers such as PostPilot. Owners Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein explain how modern postcard programs mimic email campaigns.Read a condensed and edited (for clarity) transcript at https://pec-ly.com/?6jhw. 

Chris Harrison co-founded Liber & Co., a maker of cocktail syrups, in 2012. The Austin, Texas-based company thrived by selling mostly to bars and restaurants. Then Covid hit.

Joel Runyon launched Impossible, a fitness and performance company, in 2010. The company sells digital training programs, apparel, and nutritional supplements. "Sleep," a powder drink, is the latest. It helps high performers recharge and recover via deep sleeping.

Molson Hart launched Viahart, a manufacturer of educational toys, in 2010, selling mainly on Amazon. The company experienced repeated intellectual property theft, which prompted his launch of a second company, Edison Litigation Financing.

Thanh Pham, the founder of Asian Efficiency, a productivity training company, once focused on efficiency to help folks get more done. Then he realized the real driver of productivity is happiness, not time management or focus.

In 2018 Sarah Moret, an accountant and athlete, couldn't find a suitable aluminum-free deodorant. So she made her own. Fast forward to 2022, and that deodorant business is now Curie, a thriving direct-to-consumer seller of personal care and lifestyle goods.