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.

Contact Eric via email or LinkedIn.

Conversion
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 16: Custom Manufacturing

May 15, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

Selling manufactured goods directly to consumers, with no retail middlemen, has exploded on the internet. For this episode 16, I spoke with Jimmy Hayes, the co-founder of Minaal, a manufacturer of "bags and gear for life on the move."
Content Marketing
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 15: Content Essentials

May 5, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

Content marketing for ecommerce businesses is much more than a sales pitch. Done well, it connects with prospective customers and tells the story of a brand. In this episode 15 of my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up, I spoke with Andrew Snavely, the founder of Primer, an online magazine, and Ryan Hunter Masters, the founder of Show Her Off, and a dance instruction site.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 14: Using Kickstarter

April 16, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

A successful campaign on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform, can help validate a business and a product. Cathryn Lavery, the founder of BestSelf, a producer of productivity journals and tools, used Kickstarter in 2015 to launch the company. What follows is my entire audio conversation with Lavery, and a transcript, edited for length and clarity.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 13: Raising Money

March 25, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

Launching an ecommerce business takes perseverance, passion, and, typically, money. Raising that money can be time-consuming and frustrating. I recently spoke with Joshua Bingaman and Brad Day of Helm Boots, a manufacturer and seller of handcrafted leather boots. We discussed the process of evolving from a start-up, bootstrapped company to one that needs investors, money, and structure.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 12: Acquiring Companies

February 20, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

Acquiring ecommerce businesses requires skill and diligence. Financing is a major consideration, as is learning from the previous owner and hiring new executives, if necessary. This is episode 12 in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 11: Selling on Amazon

January 28, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

A fundamental decision for many ecommerce entrepreneurs is whether to sell on Amazon. The potential is high, but the competition is increasing tough, among other risks. This is episode 11 in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up. For this installment, I spoke with Mike Tecku, co-founder of Sky Solutions.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 10: Apparel Sales, Manufacturing

January 10, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

Selling apparel online is notoriously competitive. The margins are thin, typically. With hundreds of SKUs for size and color and styles, inventory management can be complicated — especially when the ...
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 9: YouTube Strategy

December 30, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

Producing quality videos is immensely difficult. It requires a clear vision from idea to finished product. This is episode nine in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 8: Customer Service

December 12, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

Startups and seasoned merchants alike can run into hiccups with managing customer service. Is it better to do it in-house or to outsource? Should you hire someone from the start? This is episode eight in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 7: Shipping and Fulfillment

November 28, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

A merchant who sells physical products has to figure out how to efficiently get those items into the hands of customers. It can become complicated as the business scales and receives international orders. This is episode seven in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up.
Staffing
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 6: Hiring Employees

November 15, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

Without the right people, a new ecommerce business would almost certainly fail. Refining the hiring process can help find the perfect candidate. For this interview, I spoke with Ayman Al-Abdullah, president of AppSumo, about his hiring method and how it has evolved.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 5: Paid Acquisition

October 30, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

Knowing where to advertise can be daunting to new and experienced ecommerce entrepreneurs alike. There are many options. Digital marketing agencies can provide some answers. For this interview, I visited with Alex Hart, founder of Good Joo Joo, an Austin, Texas-based digital marketing agency. I asked her about paid acquisition, the process of using advertising to acquire customers.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 4: Copywriting Matters

October 17, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

Good copy sells. Spicing up your copy will give your online store a personality to stand above competitors. In this fourth installment in my series of conversations about building an ecommerce business, I visited with Neville Medhora, founder of Kopywriting Kourse.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 3: Early Days

October 9, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

The early days of an ecommerce business are among the most important. Growing a business from infancy is complicated and unforgiving. This is the third installment in my series of conversations about building an ecommerce business.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 2: Selecting Platforms

September 26, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

Selecting an ecommerce platform is among the most critical decisions of a new entrepreneur. There are hundreds of choices — hosted, licensed, open source. Key factors in the process typically ...
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 1: Choosing Partners

September 18, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

This is an extended series on launching, growing, and selling an ecommerce business. This initial installment will address the process of choosing business partners. My two partners at Beardbrand are supportive and knowledgeable. I asked one of them, Lindsey Reinders, to offer suggestions and tips for selecting partners.
Content Marketing > Merchant Voice
The ultimate content marketing strategy

August 22, 2016 • Eric Bandholz

The idea of using content to help drive ecommerce sales can sometimes feel daunting. Today’s digital landscape is a 24-hour news cycle, with social media platforms that never sleep. Content ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Use collaborations to expand reach, revenue

July 5, 2016 • Eric Bandholz

Entrepreneurs tend to focus on their own companies and how to build them from within. While this focus is a major factor in growing a business, don’t overlook the benefits of ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Developing custom, manufactured products

June 10, 2016 • Eric Bandholz

Building a business requires a lot of moving parts. From cultivating relationships with peers and customers to branding and marketing, there are many factors that go into being successful. But ...
Business > Merchant Voice
To grow an ecommerce business, step away

May 11, 2016 • Eric Bandholz

I recently returned from a trip to Amsterdam. It wasn’t a holiday, but a strategy meeting. The three owners of Beardbrand spent a week in the city to focus on ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Does your company have a soul?

April 9, 2016 • Eric Bandholz

When they hit a plateau on the growth of their business, entrepreneurs often look at ways to initiate a spark. One of the biggest things that companies overlook is the ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Pop-ups bad for the web, bad for business

March 9, 2016 • Eric Bandholz

Our company is approached frequently by app makers that are selling pop-ups, or modals, for our ecommerce site. The pitch is usually the same: Use our pop-up to get more ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Beardbrand’s photography process

February 9, 2016 • Eric Bandholz

Photography should be a high priority for ecommerce merchants. There are tons of guides on how to take great photographs. This article won’t be one of those. Instead, I hope ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Technology stack for Beardbrand

January 12, 2016 • Eric Bandholz

I’ve always appreciated other companies opening up about their business. So I’d like to share a bit of details on our technology platform. As of January 2016, our business is ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Selling on Amazon: my company’s strategy

December 11, 2015 • Eric Bandholz

The elephant in the room when it comes to ecommerce is Amazon. The assumption among many merchants and their customers is that you have to be on Amazon or you ...
Business > Merchant Voice
YouTube: The coolest social media platform

November 19, 2015 • Eric Bandholz

YouTube is the coolest social media platform. I don’t know why it gets overlooked in the business community. If you ignore YouTube, you are missing out on a great community.