Welcome to the first episode of a new series on the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast! In this series, we step aside from the usual interviews and dive into the world of brand operators, exploring successful brands through the lens of their GQ score (Growth Quotient). To kick off the series, we interview Dave Rekuc, President of Bambu Earth, our own brand with a GQ score of 119.7. Explore the strengths and weaknesses of this middle-market bootstrap ecommerce brand that's expected to hit $12 million in ...
Jan 18, 2024•56 min
ADmission members-only episode preview. Unlock full episodes at youradmission.co As the post-holiday slump hits, many brands are facing a dreaded “revenue valley” — a down moment where people just aren’t buying. In this episode, Taylor unpacks the tactics you need to survive any post-peak revenue hangover.
Jan 17, 2024•5 min
On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard shift focus from long-term 2024 predictions to the most important trends happening right now — the decline of the “Head of Growth” role, the shift toward fixed fees for vendors, the rise of the Chief Operating Officer, and more. Show Notes: Get 30 free days of Toki’s cutting-edge customer loyalty platform (including cashback and paid membership programs) at buildwithtoki.com/ctc . See Taylor’s Ecommerce Ins and Outs tweet here . The Ecommerce Pl...
Jan 11, 2024•27 min
As we enter a new year, Taylor and Richard walk through 5 critical ecommerce trends that we expect to take off in 2024. 1. The rise of the product influencer brands 2. Less, better stuff trend 3. The ***** grift comes to an end 4. Contribution margin shows up in Shopify Dash 5. ****** bubble pops Gotta listen to fill in the blanks... Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm....
Jan 04, 2024•33 min
ADmission members-only episode preview. Unlock full episodes at youradmission.co In this episode, Taylor breaks down one of the most crucial metrics in ecommerce: LTV. Watch to learn more about how to measure it, how it impacts different industries, and how to grow it into an elite level.
Dec 21, 2023•6 min
In this final episode of our 5-part series on the Prophit system, Taylor and Richard get on the mic to wrap things up, explaining how all the elements of the system work together to deliver on a daily plan for predictable, profitable growth. Show Notes: Elevar is offering 50% off Expert Installation ($1000 value) with the purchase of a subscription (Essentials Plan or above) by January 19, 2024*. Please complete this short form to take advantage of the offer. *Offer available for new Elevar clie...
Dec 21, 2023•45 min
What do you do when your Meta ads account is on fire? How about when you need more creative? And what do you do when the account is performing too well? In this episode, Richard chats with Max Rosewater, Senior Paid Social Buyer at CTC, about the key parts of his decision-making process — and, how to translate your forecast into a day-to-day, channel-specific media plan. Show Notes: Elevar is offering 50% off Expert Installation ($1000 value) with the purchase of a subscription (Essentials Plan ...
Dec 14, 2023•31 min
ADmission members-only episode preview. Unlock full episodes at youradmission.co In this episode, Taylor breaks down one of the most crucial metrics in ecommerce: LTV. Watch to learn more about how to measure it, how it impacts different industries, and how to grow it into an elite level.
Dec 07, 2023•6 min
On this episode, Richard chats with Aileen McKenna, Director of Creative Strategy & Performance at CTC, about the creative aspect of our growth methodology: How to use your topline financial goals to operationalize your creative production, and how to come up with good creative ideas — quickly. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.
Dec 07, 2023•48 min
On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard discuss Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2023 — the good, the bad, and what this year’s business-as-usual BFCM means for the ecommerce landscape in 2024. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.
Nov 30, 2023•22 min
ADmission members-only episode preview. Unlock full episodes at youradmission.co In this episode, Taylor and Richard talk creative — but from an unexpected angle. Listen in as Taylor breaks down how to calculate creative needs by determining month-by-month Spend/aMER requirements.
Nov 29, 2023•7 min
We're taking a break this week from our regular episodes for Black Friday. In the meantime, we're dropping a preview of Taylor's 2023 BFCM Q&A with ADmission members. To watch the entire episode, head over to youradmission.co to get started on an ADmission
Nov 24, 2023•6 min
On this episode of the podcast, Richard chats with Luke Austin, Directory of Growth Strategy at CTC about part 2 of our growth methodology: how to build a forecasting model that ladders up to your business goals and provides clear marching orders for your creative and paid media efforts. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm....
Nov 16, 2023•46 min
ADmission members-only episode preview. Unlock full episodes at youradmission.co In this first episode of our brand-new bonus series, Taylor and Richard sit down to talk everything Cost Caps — why you should be using them, when to use cost caps vs min ROAS bidding, and how to set up your cost cap campaigns in Meta Ads manager. Then, they discuss the biggest barrier to Cost Caps success — creative volume — and how to make sure you have the creative you need to support your desired spend....
Nov 14, 2023•5 min
On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard embark on part 1 of a 5-part series on CTC’s new growth methodology: the Prophit System. They kick the series off by discussing the crucial beginning of the journey: defining a business objective that will lead to the outcome that you want. Show Notes: Want access to our new bonus episodes? Join ADmission today: youradmission.co Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: http://getsaral.com/champi...
Nov 08, 2023•36 min
On this episode of the podcast, Taylor is joined by Connor Rolain, Head of Growth at Hexclad, and Connor MacDonald, CMO at Ridge.com, to talk their BFCM strategy — from pacing your sale strategy to the tradeoff between offer simplicity and inventory constraints. Show Notes: Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questi...
Oct 26, 2023•55 min
The past few episodes of the Ecommerce Playbook focused on the profitability struggles that will define 2024. But this week, Taylor and Richard demonstrate how you reach profitability: a clear forecast that sets daily expectations across dozens of key metrics. Show Notes: Get V2 of the Ecommerce Diagnostic Toolkit before the price goes up here: https://bit.ly/46WU14Q Want us to put this system in place for you? We’d love to talk. Just get in touch with us at https://commonthreadco.com/pages/eco...
Oct 19, 2023•33 min
New customer revenue is plummeting as brands run earlier, more frequent discounts, and returning customer revenue may not be far behind. Looking at the state of ecommerce this month, CTC Director of Growth Strategy Luke Austin sits down with Richard to discuss why he’s worried about Q4 2023, and the one thing that clearly distinguishes winning brands from the field as we move into 2024. Show Notes: Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: http://...
Oct 11, 2023•30 min
The feeling among ecommerce brand leaders right now is pretty uniform: September was a bad month. And we have the data to substantiate that feeling. In this episode, Taylor and Richard dive into this week’s DTC Index newsletter and break down why last month’s “sponge squeeze” could have a major impact on performance moving forward. Show Notes: Sign up for the DTC Index here to get up-to-date information on key ecommerce trends: https://commonthreadco.com/products/dtc-index Purchase the full BFC...
Oct 04, 2023•18 min
On this episode, Taylor and Richard dive into the 2023 BFCM Offer Database, a massive spreadsheet that documents Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers from 700+ ecommerce brands. Discussion includes why you definitely should run an offer on Black Friday, a surprising truth about Buy One, Get One offers, and the role of novelty in “breaking the noise” on the biggest weekend of the year. Show Notes: Purchase the full BFCM Offer Database here: https://commonthreadco.com/products/black-friday-offer-...
Sep 27, 2023•34 min
On this episode, Taylor and Richard break down the most important trends in ecommerce, and discuss what the future holds for margin innovation, AI, and the connection between marketing and finance. Show Notes: For a limited time, join our membership program , ADmission, plus get access to all of our flagship ecommerce products for no additional cost. Get started at Stamps.com today for a four-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale! If you’re a $10M - $100M ecommerce brand with a Growth Q...
Sep 21, 2023•40 min
On this episode, CTC’s Director of Creative Strategy & Performance Aileen McKenna joins Taylor & Richard to discuss the urgency of building great evergreen ad creative in September and October, how to systemically brainstorm new ad ideas, and the right place to expend effort and resources when Black Friday comes. Show Notes: If you’re a $10M - $100M ecommerce brand with a Growth Quotient (GQ) of 130 or greater, we’ll cover $25k of ad spend when you become a CTC client. Apply here: https...
Sep 14, 2023•44 min
On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard talk to Common Thread Collective COO Orchid Bertelsen about breaking through the pre-Holiday doldrums, how to build a revenue peak that works for your brand unique needs, and why even us aging millennials should be on TikTok. Show Notes: Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc If you’re a $10M - $100M ecommerce brand with a Growth Quotient (GQ) of 130 or greater,...
Sep 07, 2023•51 min
On this episode of the podcast, Taylor is joined by his brother, QALO co-founder KC Holiday, and producer Cory Hamilton, the OG CTC employee, to reflect on the early days of CTC, how ecommerce has changed over the years, and how to grow an ecommerce business from the ground up. Show Notes: Go to ShipStation.com/thread today and sign up for your FREE 60-day extended trial. The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about...
Aug 30, 2023•50 min
The theme of our 2023 Holiday strategy: Your Black Friday/Cyber Monday outcome depends on the foundation you set in August. In this episode, Taylor and Richard break down the decisions you need to make right now to set yourself up for holiday success, from inventory planning to creative volume to revenue forecasting. Show Notes: If you’re a 130+ GQ brand between $10-$100M, we’re so confident that we can win for you that we’re willing to give you a free month. Just click here to start the applic...
Aug 23, 2023•35 min
Q4 success starts in Q3. And the most successful brands on Black Friday have one thing in common: They plan their entire marketing effort around four distinct revenue “mini-peaks” within the holiday season. On this episode, Richard talks with CTC Director of Growth Strategy Luke Austin and Senior Ecommerce Data Analyst Steve Rekuc, breaking down our comprehensive four-part plan to tackle BFCM for our clients in 2023. Show Notes: The Edge Summit, hosted by Bloomreach, is a one-of-a-kind collecti...
Aug 16, 2023•38 min
Leadership is a combination of two major skills: Knowing when the organization is heading in the wrong direction, and knowing which direction to go instead. On this episode, Taylor reflects on a recent 180 we’ve made as a business and why he thinks it’s the right time to make that change. Then, Taylor and Richard discuss the incredible power of saying “no” and how it forms the basis of strategic decision making. Show Notes: If you’re a 130+ GQ brand between $10-$100M, we’re so confident that we...
Aug 10, 2023•29 min
For ecommerce entrepreneurs and agency owners alike, creative continues to be the most important variable — and the trickiest to operationalize. On this episode, Taylor and Richard talk about a recent breakthrough at CTC: A new framework, courtesy of CTC Director of Creative Strategy Aileen McKenna, that reliably generates good creative ideas — quickly. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the wo...
Aug 02, 2023•39 min
What makes a great brand? What businesses are most likely to grow quickly? Why not ask the leader of the brand with the highest Growth Quotient score we’ve ever seen? In this episode, Taylor and Richard chat with Heart & Soil CEO Dean Brennan about the brand strategy that’s led to massive first-order profitability, dirt-cheap CAC, and 200%+ 1-year LTV growth. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have ab...
Jul 27, 2023•48 min
Once you have your ecommerce tactics down and you’re successfully turning a profit, you’re confronted with a deceptively complicated question: what do I do with all this money? In this episode, Taylor talks to Dave Rekuc, president of Bambu Earth, and Mike Beckham, co-founder and CEO of Simple Modern, about the smart way to put money back into your business. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about ...
Jul 20, 2023•55 min
