Ecommerce Conversations

Aaron Orendorff is a chaplain turned writer turned digital marketer. He was the first editor-in-chief at Shopify Plus and then vice president of marketing at Common Thread Collective, an ecommerce agency.He's now head of marketing for Recart, an SMS platform, but his passion is empowering colleagues and clients. "I find joy in bigging others up," he says.In this episode, he shares his ecommerce journey, communication methods, and, importantly, achieving sobriety.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qNSFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.

Mike Carroll, a weightlifting buddy of host Eric Bandholz, lost his job last fall. He had been an insurance salesman for 25 years and is now contemplating a new career. Eric asked him, "Have you thought about ecommerce?"He had not.Launching an ecommerce company intrigued him, but he was unsure where to start. Knowing many would-be entrepreneurs with similar concerns, Eric invited him on the podcast.Here's that conversation.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qKiFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.

Hosting "Ecommerce Conversations" is a welcome respite from my day job of running Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer company I co-founded in 2012. I periodically post updates on Beardbrand's performance, hoping the transparency helps other entrepreneurs. This episode is my recap of 2023. It was a terrible year for me and Beardbrand — the first year we were in the red. We've always had around 15% margins, but not in 2023.We experienced declining sales, unexpected tax bills, a frivolous lawsuit, and the loss of a key wholesale account. Yet we persevered by raising prices, reducing expenses, opening a new sales channel, and changing manufacturers.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qEEFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.

Mike Beckham, Co-founder of Simple Modern, shares his ecommerce journey, addressing Amazon, digital-first merchandising, and physical-store sales. He talks about the benefits of competitive markets and the importance of capturing a small percentage of those markets. The podcast also discusses the challenges of entrepreneurship, the advantages of digital and agility, strategies for protecting channels in competitive markets, scaling a business, and investing in machines.

Joe Anhalt is a New York-based copywriter turned designer turned all-around marketer. He consults with direct-to-consumer ecommerce companies on growth strategies, including branding.He emphasizes storytelling and conveying a brand’s point of view. “You can bring shoppers into your world,” he said. “Brand-building is like world-building.”In this episode, he addresses multiple growth tactics, including marketing channels, design essentials, multichannel selling, and, yes, the importance of the brand.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6quNFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.

David Perell helps folks improve their writing skills. His company offers an online course, YouTube author interviews, and a weekly newsletter. But his broader goal is supporting excellence.He stated, "It's worth doing exceptional work with whatever you do. The modern world is polluted with mediocrity."In this episode, Perell addresses writing and speaking and their impact on entrepreneurial success. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qr9For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.

Postscript is an SMS marketing provider for Shopify brands. The company launched in 2018 and has since raised a whopping $106.2 million across four funding rounds, per Crunchbase. Alex Beller is Postscript's president and one of three co-founders.Postscript's marketing platform is SMS-only and Shopify-only. To Beller, that translates to "best in class" performance.In this conversation, Beller addresses the company's focus, regulatory compliance, 2023 results, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qoDFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   ******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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.

In 2016 David Gaylord was a Shopify employee looking for a side hustle. Then he came up with a funky idea: skincare lotions for hair removal along bikini lines. The business name was even funkier: Bushbalm.Fast forward to 2023, and Bushbalm is booming, selling lotions and trimmers directly to thousands of consumers and wholesale to Ulta Beauty and 3,000 waxing salons. It spends a whopping $200,000 per month on Facebook ads.In this conversation, Gaylord shares his journey, addressing sales channels, marketing tactics, and, yes, the name.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qjYFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved!   ******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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.

Merchants often default to China for outsourced manufacturing. Yet competitive suppliers exist worldwide. For Palermo House, a direct-to-consumer provider of luxury furniture, Argentina is a natural source.Marco Ferro is the company’s California-based founder with Argentina roots. He was born there, as were his parents, co-owners of the business.In this episode, Ferro addresses importing goods from South America, shipping furniture to customers, bootstrapping challenges, and more. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qgkFor 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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.

In 2014 Eric Steckling launched Brio, a Michigan-based direct-to-consumer seller of beard trimmers. In 2022 the company acquired Ollie, a subscription-based provider of teeth whiteners.The brands are seemingly complementary. Both sell grooming products. But merging them was challenging. Having been combined post-acquisition, they now function separately.In our recent conversation, Steckling addressed launching Brio, acquiring Ollie, and lessons learned along the way. The entire audio of our discussion is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qcnFor 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 This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.