Ecommerce Conversations

Braxton Manley was a sophomore at Texas Tech University in 2017 when he attended a workshop on entrepreneurship. The purpose was to conceive a product based on market research. "My idea was cool Apple Watch bands," Manley told me. Fast forward to 2021 and his company, Braxley Bands, is a direct-to-consumer seller of elastic, colorful bands.

Ridge wallets launched via a Kickstarter campaign in 2014. Sean Frank is the company's chief operating officer. Ultra-thin, metal-clad, with RFID protection, the wallets are enormously popular in the U.S., with $50 million in sales in 2020 alone. Influencer marketing has driven much of the growth.

Patrick Coddou's company, Supply.co, sells razors and shaving accessories. My company, Beardbrand, sells beard products. He wants men to shave. I want them to grow a beard. We're both direct-to-consumer ecommerce merchants selling premium grooming products to males. We're direct competitors, in other words.

Industry pundits might say the future of retail is brands, manufacturers, and marketplaces. But don't tell that to Blair Budlong. His company, DecksDirect, doesn't own a brand, manufacture a product, or sell on marketplaces. And it thrives.

Jack Haldrup, the founder of Dr. Squatch, has transformed his men’s grooming brand from $5 million to $100 million in just 18 months. He discusses the challenges of breaking into the crowded natural soap market and the importance of educating men on personal care. Jack shares insights on leveraging viral marketing and subscription models to enhance customer engagement. He highlights key lessons from door-to-door sales and the adaptability required in today’s changing business landscape, emphasizing the significance of creative video advertising.

The required skills to launch a business are typically much different from managing it for the long term. Bill D'Alessandro has done both. He launched a single ecommerce business in 2010 and then transformed the company into an operator of multiple online brands. He has evolved from performing most every task to focusing on a few.

In 2012 Vivian Kaye was a successful wedding decorator. But she had a problem. The climate in Toronto, Canada, was brutal on her hair. Kaye's solution was hair extensions, which were easy and attractive. Fast forward to 2021, and KinkyCurlyYaki, Kaye's company, sells hair extensions, wigs, and more — all to empower Black women with confidence and beauty.

Finbarr Taylor moved to the U.S. with a goal. "I moved from Scotland to Silicon Valley nine years ago with the express intent of starting a tech company," he said. "I'm doing it, and I'm having the time of my life. I'm in no rush to stop." Taylor's tech company is Shogun, which provides innovative page-builder tools that enhance ecommerce sites. He is co-founder and CEO.

Perhaps no industry has been more disrupted by the internet than education. Online training is booming — from 1-hour courses to college degrees. Take Barbell Logic, for example. It provides one-on-one strength and conditioning training, entirely web-based. Matt Reynolds founded the company in 2016.

Online selling is increasingly competitive, forcing merchants to selfish and shortsighted decisions. That's according to Corey Blake, CEO of MWI, a digital marketing agency. "When we have a scarcity outlook with shortsightedness," he told me, "We're scraping and clawing to keep it all. A better approach is an abundance mentality."