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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Business
Agency Marketer Goes In-house at Range Leather
October 28, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Tim Aton worked at a marketing agency running high-dollar campaigns for clients. Then a friend who owned a leather-goods company called. Here's Aton's story.
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Business
DTC Holsters Are a Last Line of Defense
October 21, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Mike Pfeiffer is a web developer turned YouTube entrepreneur. In 2015, he made a firearms holster at home for his own use. Then he mentioned it on his videos. Here's his story.
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Content Marketing
Ballet Dancer Shifts to Photo, Video Creator
October 14, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Until early 2020, Matthew Gattozzi was a professional ballet dancer. Then a back injury forced a career change and the launch of Goodo Studios, which produces photos and videos for ecommerce companies.
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Finance
Supply.co Founder on Selling the Business
October 7, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Supply.co is a direct-to-consumer seller of razors and shaving supplies. Co-founder Patrick Coddou has just sold the company, having survived the iOS 14.5 debacle. Here's his story.
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Business
Business Is Art to Fringe Sport Owner
September 30, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Fringe Sport is a leading online seller of barbells and exercise equipment. Founder Peter Keller addresses his priorities — business and life — in this week's "Ecommerce Conversations" episode.
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Customer Service
HelpFlow, a Live Chat Service, Ramps Up
September 23, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Jon Tucker founded HelpFlow in 2015, providing customer support services to ecommerce brands. He speaks with host Eric Bandholz in this week's podcast episode.
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Analytics & Data
iOS ‘Debacle’ Spurs Triple Whale
September 16, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Overcoming the impact of iOS 14.5 requires ad testing and better attribution. That's according to Rabah Rahil, the chief marketing officer of Triple Whale, an analytics platform.
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Business
The Ultimate Brand in Tattoo Skincare
September 2, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
What began as a side hustle for a group of graduates became a multi-million dollar DTC company. Mad Rabbit's Drew Fallon explains the journey in this week's Ecommerce Conversation.
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Business
Live Events Lift Chisos Boots, a DTC Brand
August 26, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Ninety percent of Chisos Boots' revenue is online. But the company still runs a physical store and hosts in-person events. Both are essential for building the brand and community.
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Social Media
Polarizing Tweets Pay Off for Steak-umm
August 12, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
The Twitter account for Steak-umm, the food brand, had 1,000 followers when it hired Nathan Allebach in 2017. By 2021 followers numbered 200,000. He explains in this week's "Ecommerce Conversation."
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Business
Spiceology Founder Pivots to CPG Startups
July 29, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Having successfully launched Spiceology, Pete Taylor semi-retired in 2019, contemplating his next venture. Fast forward to 2022, and that company is Midas Brands, a DTC seller of consumer packaged goods.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
FBA Seller, Tired of Storage Fees, Launches 3PL
July 22, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Mark Taylor is a former Fulfillment-by-Amazon seller weary of paying expensive long-term storage fees. His solution is Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving mainly Amazon sellers, which he launched in 2018.
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Business
Ridge Wallet CEO on Influencer Turmoil, iOS 14.5
July 15, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
The year 2021 produced dramatic escalations in influencer marketing rates and upheaval in Facebook ad performance. Both are critical marketing channels for Ridge Wallet, the maker of metal-clad billfolds.
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Business
Guatemalan Entrepreneurs Are Gay, Married, Successful
July 8, 2022 • Eric Bandholz
Hans Schrei launched Wunderkeks, a direct-to-consumer cookie company, from his mom's kitchen in Guatemala in 2012. Amid obstacles, he immigrated to Austin, Texas, with his husband in 2019. Here's their story.