Eric Bandholz

Articles by: Eric Bandholz

Eric Bandholz

Eric Bandholz is the host of "Ecommerce Conversations," Practical Ecommerce's weekly podcast, and co-founder of Beardbrand, a leading men’s grooming company that focuses on beard care. With the help of his co-founders, he’s bootstrapped Beardbrand from zero sales to a multi-million dollar business.

Eric is an ecommerce authority, having spoken at dozens of industry conferences and meetups.

Email Eric.

Schools & Resources
Is College Necessary for Business?

May 26, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and OpenAI's Sam Altman are college dropouts. We asked Brandon Chicotsky, a professor of marketing at Texas Christian University, if college is worth the time and money.
Customer Retention
Pet Chinchillas Save Family Business

May 19, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Josh Paulson acquired his grandfather's pet-accessories business when it was losing $25,000 per month. Focusing on pet chinchillas provided the long-term turnaround.
Business
Influencers, Community Drive Batting Glove Maker

May 12, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Bruce Bolt is a family-owned business in Austin, Texas, that makes and sells baseball batting gloves — for little leaguers to MLB pros.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Fulfill.com Is a Marketplace of 3PLs

May 5, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

In 2019 Joe Spisak's ecommerce company had gone through three fulfillment companies in 18 months. With Fulfill.com, he aims to ease the difficulty of selecting providers.
Business
Entrepreneur Left Google to Launch Ballsy

April 28, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Adam Hendle had a dream job with Google. Then he had an idea for a men's hygiene brand.
Social Media
A Hunger to Learn Drives Paid Social Success

April 21, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Andrew Foxwell launched his agency in 2012, focusing on social media advertising. Amid nonstop industry change, Foxwell concludes successful marketers must adopt a learning mindset.
Influencers & Affiliates
Pro Boxer Pivots to CBD Wellness

April 14, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Mike Lee was once a 12-0 professional boxer who fought for a world title. Then anxiety and injuries took a toll. Soul, his CBD brand, is the result.
Content Marketing
Humor Lures Customers for Balls.co

April 7, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Kevin Williams is a no-nonsense investor who ended up owning and running a seller of grooming supplies for male private parts. Here's his story.
Inventory
T-shirt Seller on Licensing, Drop-shipping, More

March 31, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Kevin Stecko launched 80sTees.com in 2000 selling t-shirts imprinted with pop-culture items. Fast forward to 2023, and the site has 120,000 SKUs.
Google Ads
Amid Headwinds, SpyGuy Doubles Down

March 24, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Allen Walton has overcome a Google Ads ban, rising competition, personal setbacks, and more.
Content Marketing
CopySmiths Founder on AI Writing Tools

March 17, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Katrina McKinnon was once wary of artificial intelligence-powered writing tools. Now she embraces them. She sees a coming sea change, with many opportunities for storytellers.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Consultant on Competition, Black-hat Sellers

March 10, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Amazon's marketplace in 2023 is crazy competitive. Ken Freeman, a former Amazon seller turned consultant, loves the challenge.
Business
Concealed Gun Safe Maker Seeks New Markets

March 3, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Tony Smith acquired TimberVaults, a direct-to-consumer seller of concealed gun safes, for the expansion opportunities, such as hidden storage of jewelry and documents.
Business
Profit from Paid Acquisition Key for Ecom Owner

February 24, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Zack Stuck acquires and launches ecommerce companies. His top rule? Customers acquired from paid campaigns must be immediately profitable.
Business
The Rolex of Nutritional Supplements

February 17, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Mike Tecku sold his successful Amazon stores, retired, and became bored. His latest venture is Momentum, a maker of nutritional shakes, which he calls "the Rolex of supplements."
Content Marketing
6 Daily Videos Drive DTC Sword Seller

February 9, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Mini Katana is a direct-to-consumer seller of Samurai-themed letter openers, swords, and related accessories. Just two years old, the business produces a whopping six videos every day. That's 3,000 videos to date.
Business
Maker of Apple Watch Bands Looks to Diversify

February 3, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Braxton Manley launched Braxley Bands in 2017 from a college project. He's now selling internationally and looking to diversify his product line.
Business
Ridge Wallet CEO Aims for $1 Billion Exit

January 27, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Sean Frank addresses the overall state of ecommerce in 2022, the perils of excessive debt, and his goal of selling the company within three years.
Design & Dev Tools
Shopify App Developer Takes on Coupon Leaks

January 20, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Dennis Hegstad's latest Shopify app is called Vigilance. It monitors and blocks unwanted coupon code injections at checkout, saving merchants big bucks.
Staffing
Entrepreneurs Are Arsonists, Says Business Coach

January 13, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

According to Tim Conley, a business coach, most founders prefer putting out fires in their businesses and neglect long-term strategy. If there are no fires, they often set them.
Amazon & Marketplaces
End-of-year Reflection and 2023 Forecast

January 6, 2023 • Eric Bandholz

Beardbrand founder Eric Bandholz, the host of the "Ecommerce Conversations" podcast, reflects on his company's performance in 2022 and beyond.
Customer Retention
Amid a Cash Crunch, OneBlade Retrenches

December 30, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

COO Charles Pyles implemented forced economizing when the company's sole investor couldn't inject additional funds. He shares his story in this week's "Ecommerce Conversations."
Customer Retention
PetPlate Exec on Selling ‘Human-grade’ Dog Food

December 23, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

PetPlate makes and sells dog food via subscriptions, having launched in 2016. The company's in-house advertising exec describes acquisition tactics and more.
Influencers & Affiliates
Homes Smell Better with Pura

December 16, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Pura makes and sells smart fragrance diffusers controlled via a phone app. Launched in 2015, the company has scaled to 180 employees. CMO Daniel Lacey tells the story.
Business
Founder’s Gut Health Inspires Poppi, a Soda

December 9, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Persistent stomach pain prompted Allison Ellsworth to formulate a prebiotic soda, which she named Poppi. That was in 2018. It's now among the fastest-growing beverage brands in the U.S.
Business
Chaiz Aims to Disrupt Car Warranty Biz

December 2, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Extended auto repair warranties are expensive and inefficient according to Ryan Hartman, chief marketing officer of Chaiz, a startup price comparison marketplace.
Business
Winc CMO on Complexities of Online Wine Sales

November 25, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Jai Dolwani is chief marketing officer of Winc, a publicly-traded wine membership club. Selling alcohol online in the U.S. is challenging owing to 1920s-era laws on distribution and marketing.
Business
Investment Banker Shifts to Male Sexual Wellness

November 18, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Jordan Elist launched Mate, a provider of male sexual wellness supplements, in 2020. "I’m the son of a urologist. I grew up learning about men’s sexual health," he says.
Platforms & Apps
Klaviyo Founder: ‘We’re Good at Storing Data’

November 11, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Andrew Bialecki launched Klaviyo in 2012 as a data repository for other businesses. Then a friend told him about Shopify. Fast forward to 2022 and Klaviyo is a global email-marketing juggernaut.
Business
Frugal Living Suits ‘My Wife Quit’ Founder

November 4, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Steve Chou is a successful entrepreneur. But quality of life drives many of his business decisions. Frugal living is one component.