Today we're diving into the story of Kira Karmazin, a former VP of Merchandising for Carter's, Gap, and Victoria's Secret who took her knowledge of working at really high levels of fashion and the garment industry and started her own business, KiraGrace.com. Not only has she been able to gain a better work-life balance through entrepreneurship, but she’s also built something incredibly cool at the same time. Listen in as Kira discusses how she optimized for work-life balance through entrepreneur...
Feb 24, 2023•40 min
Who said making more money had to be boring? Sharoon Thomas is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fulfil.io, an ERP built for larger 7-figure, 8-figure, and 9-figure brands that helps them scale by leveraging efficiencies and automations. He joins the show today to geek out about all things ERP and not just why you should have one, but also how it could completely transform your business. Sharoon's experience in building Fulfil.io has given him valuable insight into what it takes to develop and implement...
Feb 17, 2023•40 min
Want to know the secret behind building an 8-figure brand in just two years? Today I’m joined by Isaac Medoris, the owner and founder of MiniKatana.com. If you're a listener of podcasts in the eCommerce space, chances are you've already heard of Isaac's success. In just two years, he has taken his business from nothing to an 8-figure brand, all through the power of short-form video. Listen in as Isaac shares why video is the most powerful online sales medium available, how it fueled his brand gr...
Feb 10, 2023•58 min
If you own a business, you know that one of the hardest parts is the people part. Whether it’s leading people, developing people, or retaining people, it can be a major challenge, and having a solid team in place becomes more important as you grow—and even more important as you look to sell. Byron McFarland is a Succession and Equity Compensation Strategist with The McFarland Group who has helped countless firms design compensation plans to incentivize and retain key people, and in this episode,...
Feb 03, 2023•37 min
Curious about the latest trends in digital marketing? Andrew Foxwell, Co-Founder of Foxwell Digital, joins me today to uncover some of the trends happening in the digital marketing landscape, including, of course, what you might be able to expect from Facebook advertising in the near future. In this episode, we’re diving into the rumors circulating about Facebook's performance, how advertising on Facebook has become easier in some ways (and much harder in other ways), and what is driving overall...
Jan 27, 2023•42 min
Today I’m joined by Ron Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Obvi, a protein powder specifically designed for women. He has a super cool story of how he’s grown the company to over $30 million in size in just three years, and his insight is invaluable for anyone looking to start a business and grow it quickly. Listen in as we dive into the marketing strategies that have worked best for Obvi, how Ron built his rockstar team, and how he overcame the challenges of financing and hiring that team. He also sha...
Jan 20, 2023•53 min
This is part two of my discussion with Matthew Bertulli, co-founder and CEO of Pela, a company that produces eco-friendly products such as the Lomi food disposal device and the PelaCase phone case. In this episode, we are diving into all things business moats—including what they are—and talking about what makes a business really and truly defensible. Listen in as we take a deep dive into the areas of business that are often used to create a competitive advantage and explore the many different wa...
Jan 13, 2023•32 min
Matthew Bertulli is the co-founder and CEO of Pela, a company that produces eco-friendly products, such as the Lomi food disposal device and the PelaCase phone case. He is super passionate about environmental and waste issues, and his journey to finding a way to both reduce waste and make money with some really cool products is impressive, to say the least! Listen in as Matthew shares what it was like once upon a time being two weeks to Christmas with 100 employees and no payroll, as well as how...
Jan 06, 2023•37 min
In this episode, we have an in-depth conversation with Jesse Pujji, a well-known entrepreneur and investor who has previously appeared on the show. Jesse is the Founder of Gateway X, Executive Chairman of Ampush and GrowthAssistant, and most recently, the CEO and Founder of KahaniApp.com, a software company that enhances eCommerce store websites into engaging mobile experiences. Listen in as we dive into various topics in this episode, including how many people are on Jesse’s various teams, how ...
Dec 30, 2022•50 min
What do you get when you combine TikTok with DTC and eCommerce? You may just get Dulma Altan, the founder of Makelane.com, creator, and commentator on all things DTC and eCommerce on TikTok. Dulma has been on the up-and-up in the eCommerce space, and I’m excited to chat with her about so many different things, including Silicon Valley, capitalism, community, and more. Listen in as she shares what it was like moving from Mongolia to the U.S., the lessons she learned from her first business, and w...
Dec 23, 2022•1 hr
It is the most wonderful time of the year! Not only is it a time to get together with friends and family and enjoy each other’s company, but it’s also the time of year when Bill D’Alessandro and I look back on our predictions from a year ago, see where we were massively off, and make even more predictions for the coming year. So get comfortable, grab your holiday favorite drink, and get ready to see how egregious our predictions were from last year, and speculate with us on what 2023 will bring....
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Do you know where your best customers are coming from? Sara Livingston is the Head of Customer Solutions at Rockerbox.com, and she joins the show today to geek out about all things traffic. From trends to new channels, we’re getting into all of it today and answering the question: how do you determine where you should be spending your marketing budget? Get ready to dip into the weeds as Sara shares where the traffic trends currently sit when it comes to where brands are spending their ad money, ...
Dec 09, 2022•56 min
Dalia Rojas is the owner of Sixty61.com, an incredible brand and eCommerce store that carries custom sport bike parts and accessories. Dalia is also a newer member to the eCommerceFuel community, and she’s been an incredible member in the short time she’s been part of the community, so I wanted to get her on the podcast to learn more about her, what she’s up to in eCommerce, and her interesting journey to owning Sixty61.com. Listen in as Dalia shares how she first acquired the brand after coming...
Dec 02, 2022•31 min
I was recently looking through the new members to the eCommerce Fuel community and there was one company that caught my eye: Mountain Gazette. Mike Rogge, founder and owner, joins me today to talk about his journey re-launching and breathing new life into the beautiful oversized magazine that celebrates all things mountain sports, adventure sports, and the outdoors. Listen in as Mike shares what it’s like to buy something from the past and revive it, how he is marketing the magazine, and how he ...
Nov 25, 2022•44 min
If you’ve been out and about on a Sunday, you have probably come across the product created by today’s guest. Chris Ruder is the Founder of Spikeball.com and he has a really cool story about how he started the company and ran it as a side hustle for five years before taking it full-time and growing it to where it is today. Listen in as Chris shares what it was like raising the initial $100k he needed to launch the business from friends and family, why he never considered using third-party invest...
Nov 18, 2022•40 min
How do you build a great routine in your life as an entrepreneur? Is it possible to have a schedule that allows you to have flexibility, get things done, see your family—and is also efficient so that you’re not working 80 hours a week? This episode is for all the hyper-efficiency and optimization geeks out there because I'm answering these questions and more. I’ve experimented with a lot of different methods and hacks over the years to get the most out of my day, and today I’m talking through th...
Nov 11, 2022•23 min
Even a decade into eCommerce, I am still often amazed by the variety of things that people make a living from selling online. From high-end toilet seats to live chickens, it never ceases to blow my mind, and it’s so cool to see people build really niche, and really interesting, businesses. In today’s episode, I’m flying solo and diving into the nitty-gritty of our Charlotte event. I'll be sharing some of the more interesting and unique takeaways that came out of the event and giving you a flavor...
Nov 04, 2022•25 min
What is the future of Amazon? That’s what we’re diving into today with Bill D’Alessandro of ElementsBrands.com. Bill is a repeat guest on the show and someone who has very different views on the current—and future—state of Amazon. Listen in as we debate whether Amazon is dying like some believe, whether brands should be leaving the platform for greener pastures, and Amazon’s biggest weakness. Whether you sell on Amazon or not, the behemoth is hard to ignore if you’re in eCommerce, so this is an ...
Oct 28, 2022•40 min
It’s been a tough few years for many eCommerce brands, and in this episode, we’re chatting with Brenden Marquardt, owner of LoriBeds.com, a brand of really beautiful murphy beds that are functional, affordable, and made in the U.S. Brenden has built an amazing business that has also faced a pretty challenging period, over the last six months in particular, and we’re diving into some of the challenges they’ve faced, as well as what they’ve done to weather the storm. Listen in as Brenden shares ho...
Oct 21, 2022•59 min
We all know that great customer service is a cornerstone of any successful eCommerce business, but finding a truly great customer service hire is not always easy. Aaron Powell from BunchBikes.com joins me today to share how he was able to find and hire someone who is above and beyond your average run-of-the-mill team member and how that hire has revealed the true definition of what it means to be an “A-Player.” Listen in as Aaron discloses how he found his unicorn customer service hire, as well ...
Oct 14, 2022•52 min
What does it take to build a brand in this day and age, and how has the branding experience changed from even a decade ago? David Segal is not only a tea veteran, having founded David’s Tea and now Owner and Co-Founder of FirebellyTea.com, but he also has a ton of branding experience that spans years. He joins the show today to talk all things branding and so much more. Listen in as we dive into David’s retail experience, what it’s like starting a brand today versus years ago, and how he is weav...
Oct 07, 2022•47 min
In this episode, we’re deep diving into all things leadership with Jesse Pujji, whose name you might be familiar with as a second-time guest on the show. He’s an entrepreneur and investor who is also the Founder of Gateway X, Executive Chairman of Ampush and GrowthAssistant, and more recently, CEO and Founder of Kahani, a software that transforms eCommerce stores from boring websites into engaging mobile experiences. Listen in as we talk about a bunch of different stuff, including what it means ...
Sep 30, 2022•49 min
By far, the thing that has made the biggest impact in terms of financial results in my own business—while doing the least amount of work—has been pricing, and it’s something that I’ve always wished I had done so much sooner. Joining me on the show today is Drew Marconi, co-founder of Intelligems.io, which helps eCommerce brands scientifically test their pricing to find the right one for their brand, and we’re geeking out together on all things pricing. Take a listen as we discuss the current pri...
Sep 23, 2022•26 min
What do you get when you take a discontinued National Geographic catalogue and 12 years of experience in the print catalogue sector? If your name is Allan Shiffrin, you may just get an 8-figure business. If you’re an eCommerce brand, you’re definitely going to want to listen to this episode to find out how you can make direct mail a major source of sales for your brand. Listen in as we geek out about catalogs, direct mail, and how to be able to make what is equivalent to a Facebook lookalike aud...
Sep 16, 2022•51 min
Search for “side hustle ideas” in Google and you’ll get a million and one results. In fact, side hustles have trended upward over the last couple years as people worked them to supplement their income during the pandemic—and many even used their side hustle as an exit path during the “Great Resignation.” Spencer Jan is the co-founder of SoloStove.com, and he is one of the side hustle success stories, having bootstrapped his way to a $2-billion valuation in only 8 years while working a full-time ...
Sep 09, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Do you understand why your customers buy? This week, we’re running a replay of one of the more interesting episodes from the last year with Charles Burdett of PipDecks.com, which is a suite of card decks that helps people do anything from brainstorming creative workshop ideas and improving their storytelling to designing more innovative products. What makes PipDecks.com particularly interesting is how Charles was able to take a product that has a very low cost of goods and sell it at incredibly ...
Sep 02, 2022•44 min
Email has to be one of the biggest pain points that entrepreneurs face, and it’s also something that is an inevitability in today’s world if you’re in eCommerce. I’m happy to say that I finally feel like I’ve gotten to a good place when it comes to my inbox—I no longer feel a sense of chaos when I open my email, and what used to take me over 2 hours now takes me half the time it used to. In this last solo episode of the summer, I’m discussing how I managed to wrangle my email and cleared out mos...
Aug 26, 2022•16 min
Welcome to another episode in the summer mini-series where we're diving into topics related to creating an amazing life—something that I know applies to all the entrepreneurs listening. Today we're jumping into something that all the finance geeks will love: tracking your net worth and spending. I'm sharing not only why you should be doing it, but also the best ways I’ve found to pull the info together in a way that makes sense and doesn’t have you sharing your financial info with third-party ap...
Aug 19, 2022•32 min
If you’ve noticed recently that your emails are not being read or clicked through as often as usual, you are not alone. Today on the show I have Daniel Reifenberger, our resident ECF email marketing expert and the Founder and Chief Strategist at YourLoyalTribe.com, to walk us through what has been going on in the world of email marketing—and of course, how you can improve your email deliverability metrics. Listen in as Daniel breaks down the audit he did on eCommerceFuel’s email deliverability, ...
Aug 12, 2022•48 min
If you’re in the eCommerce world and have any kind of inventory-based business, you know how growth can be a double-edged sword: the faster you grow, the larger the POs that you have to place and the more likely you are to slip into a negative cash flow. Ben Tregoe is the CEO and Co-Founder at BainbridgeGrowth.com, a company that helps eCommerce businesses with advanced financial modelling and evaluating different options for financing their growth. He joins me today to talk through some of the ...
Aug 05, 2022•56 min
