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Ecommerce Conversations

Practical Ecommerce

568 episodes

1 day ago

In his previous appearance on the podcast, in November 2022, Jai Dolwani was the CMO of a wine subscription company that would shortly declare bankruptcy. It was his third struggling startup, he says, prompting "serious self-reflection." He pivoted to entrepreneurship and launched The Starters, a marketplace for fractional ecommerce talent, in late 2023. The company has thrived, having attracted more than 600 freelancers and 500 client brands. In this episode, Jai addresses the demand for ...

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In his previous appearance on the podcast, in November 2022, Jai Dolwani was the CMO of a wine subscription company that would shortly declare bankruptcy. It was his third struggling startup, he says, prompting "serious self-reflection." He pivoted to entrepreneurship and launched The Starters, a marketplace for fractional ecommerce talent, in late 2023. The company has thrived, having attracted more than 600 freelancers and 500 client brands. In this episode, Jai addresses the demand for ...

Show more...

Episodes (20/568)

Ecommerce Conversations

Ecommerce Success with Fractional Talent

In his previous appearance on the podcast, in November 2022, Jai Dolwani was the CMO of a wine subscription company that would shortly declare bankruptcy. It was his third struggling startup, he says, prompting "serious self-reflection." He pivoted to entrepreneurship and launched The Starters, a marketplace for fractional ecommerce talent, in late 2023. The company has thrived, having attracted more than 600 freelancers and 500 client brands. In this episode, Jai addresses the demand for ...

2 days ago

39 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Protein Bar Founder Thrives in a Crowded Field (Encore)

Please enjoy this repeat of a popular episode first aired in January 24, 2025. According to Will Nitze, founder and CEO of IQBAR, success in a competitive market requires finding its uncompetitive niches. He did that with his flagship protein bar, which is plant-based, low-sugar, and plainly labeled. That was seven years ago when he launched the company with a $75,000 Kickstarter campaign. Fast forward to 2025, and IQBAR also makes IQMIX (hydration) and IQJOE (coffee). All promote brain he...

1 week ago

36 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of 2025

In this episode, host Eric Bandholz reflects on his business and life at year-end. He reviews what worked for Beardbrand in 2025, what didn't, what was painful, and what made it all worth it. It's a reminder, he says, to take stock of our own priorities — how we allocate time, energy, attention — and whether they align with the life we're trying to build. Longtime listeners know that 2023 and 2024 were extremely challenging for Eric personally and for Beardbrand. The good news is that the...

3 weeks ago

28 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Expat Money CEO on Moving Abroad

In "How to Leave the U.S.A.," the venerable New Yorker magazine recently addressed what many residents have apparently considered. Yet Mikkel Thorup has lived outside of his native Canada for 25 years. He's visited 120 countries and resided in nine of them. His business, Expat Money, helps others do the same while protecting assets and lifestyle. Why relocate overseas? What are the risks and the rewards? Mikkel addressed those questions and more in this episode. For an edited and condensed...

1 month ago

39 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

CFO: Brands Rarely Max Out Meta Ads

Abir Syed is an accountant turned marketer turned chief financial officer. He says ecommerce marketing success largely depends on creative volume, and few merchants have exhausted any channel, much less Meta. Abir is co-founder of UpCounting, an accounting and fractional CFO firm in Montréal, Canada. In this episode, he shares common financial mistakes of merchants, key metrics to monitor, and, yes, how to grow ecommerce ad revenue on Meta. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedd...

1 month ago

37 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Will Google's AI Mode Dominate ChatGPT?

Jeff Oxford is our go-to interview for ecommerce SEO. The founder of Oregon-based 180 Marketing, an agency, Jeff first appeared on the podcast in 2022 when he addressed SEO's "four buckets." We invited him back late last year to explain AI's impact on search traffic and how merchants can adapt. In this our latest interview, he shared optimization tactics for ChatGPT, with a caveat: Google's AI Mode could eventually dominate. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: h...

1 month ago

38 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Solar Power Developer on Fueling the Grid

Chris Elrod is a renewable power entrepreneur. His company, Treaty Oak Clean Energy, builds massive solar projects that provide electricity for large corporations and utility firms. It's boom times for electricity generators as the likes of Google, ChatGPT, and Amazon scramble for reliable sources. How, exactly, does a company build a solar-generating plant and then sell the electricity to end users? Eric asked Chris those questions and more in this conversation. For an edited and condense...

1 month ago

37 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Natural Toothpaste Propels Wellnesse.com

Seth Spears is a Colorado-based entrepreneur who once taught consumers how to make their own non-toxic personal care products. He says customers valued the results but not the actual production process. "They kept asking us for ready-made versions," he told me. So he launched Wellnesse, a direct-to-consumer brand producing all-natural self-care goods, in 2020. Toothpaste quickly became the dominant item. In our recent conversation, Seth shared the origins of Wellnesse, the demand for holist...

1 month ago

30 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Etsy Merchant Eyes Shopify, Dual Brands

Kevlyn Walsh is a Denver-based art teacher turned entrepreneur. She launched Festive Gal, an Etsy shop, in 2019 after her handmade headband was a hit among Christmas party attendees. Fast forward to 2025, and Festive Gal is thriving, selling custom gifts and party supplies. A new second site, Bake It Fancy, on Shopify, sells cooking accessories. Amid the growth, Kevlyn manages employees, production, and, yes, Etsy constraints. She addresses those challenges and more with host Eric Bandholz....

2 months ago

35 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Batch Cannabis Scales to $50 Million

Andy Gould co-founded Batch, a Wisconsin-based D2C cannabis brand, in 2018. He says the company struggled for years until it perfected content creation and advertising. “Once we dialed in our Meta ads and built a strong creative flywheel, everything took off,” he said. Host Eric Bandholz first interviewed Andy and his two co-founders in 2023. In this latest conversation, Andy addresses video production, regulatory scrutiny, and “hockey stick” growth — from annual revenue of $5 million ...

2 months ago

35 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

E-Bike Founder's Path to Purpose

By late 2023 Aaron Powell had become disillusioned with Bunch Bikes, the electric cargo bicycle company he founded in 2017. Costs were rising, cash was scarce, and the supply chain was chaotic. He contemplated chucking it all, selling the business, and moving his family to Europe from his base in Texas. Then he reconsidered. Bunch Bikes had many positives, including a sense of purpose and meaning from improving customers' lives. So he stayed. Aaron first appeared on the podcast two years a...

2 months ago

35 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Alibaba.com Exec on Suppliers, Tariffs, IP

Few companies have done more for global prosperity than Alibaba.com. Launched famously in China by Jack Ma, a former school teacher, in 1999, the company now connects 200,000 suppliers with millions of retail merchants. Suppliers grow, retailers diversify, and consumers have more choice for less money. Yet the B2B giant is not perfect. Language differences, intellectual property theft, and quality control can upend a supplier-buyer relationship. Rah Mahtani is Alibaba.com's head of commerc...

2 months ago

34 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Subscription Pro on Growth, Churn, LTV

For 12 years Andrei Rebrov managed infrastructure and operations at Scentbird, a perfume subscription company he co-founded in 2013. He learned the importance of acquiring the right subscribers, those who stay for a while and generate lifetime value for the business. The key, he says, was accurate, timely analytics to assess channels, creative, and promos. Finsi, his new company, provides those metrics, enabling merchants to predict a prospect's value over the long term. In this episode, An...

3 months ago

35 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Startup Vet Revives Legacy Fitness Brand

Jon Shanahan destroys the myth that founders make lousy employees. He co-founded Stryx, a men's cosmetics provider, in 2017 and is now the marketing head at TRX, the storied exercise equipment company. He has thrived in both roles. He joined TRX in late 2022 amid a post-Covid hangover and a stale legacy brand. Fast forward to late 2025, and TRX is refreshed and flourishing, thanks in part to Jon's entrepreneurial mindset. While at Stryx, Jon appeared on the podcast twice, in 2020 and 2022. ...

3 months ago

35 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

CFO Shifts to Menswear, Egyptian Roots

In 2020, Karim Abed was the chief financial officer for a Texas-based home builder. The job paid well, he says, but he yearned to launch his own business and reconnect with his Egyptian heritage. Fast forward to 2025, and that business is WYR, a men's apparel brand utilizing Giza cotton, the storied fabric, and small Egypt-based factories. The company is thriving. Karim shares his story with host Eric Bandholz, addressing WYR's initial struggles, subsequent growth, and, yes, the benefits of...

3 months ago

38 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

How Brands Boost ROI with Smart Data

Ecommerce marketers know the challenge of delivering relevant promotions to prospects without violating privacy rules and norms. Yet many providers now offer solutions that do both — personalize offers and respect privacy — for much greater performance. Two of those providers are guests in this week's episode. Sean Larkin is CEO of Fueled, a customer data platform for merchants. Francesco Gatti is CEO of Opensend, a repository of consumer demographic and behavior data. For an edited and con...

3 months ago

33 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

36 Ways to Revive an Ecommerce Business

Host Eric Bandholz occasionally departs from interviews to share his experiences owning and operating Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer brand he launched a decade ago. To date, he has addressed hiring, branding, profit-building, priority-setting, exiting, overcoming setbacks, and top business models. This too is a solo episode, addressing entrepreneurial doldrums, when a business is seemingly stuck in no growth or worse. That's been the case with Beardbrand over the past couple of years, as...

4 months ago

35 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Ecom Exec: Marketing Attribution Is a Waste (Encore)

Please enjoy this repeat of a popular episode first aired in September 2023. Andrew Faris is the former CEO of 4x400, an ecommerce aggregator. He left that job in 2021 and now consults with merchants and manages their advertising campaigns, mostly on Meta. I asked him for his keys to successful Meta ads, having spent nine years on that platform. "The best ad managers are writers," he told me. And "there's no reason a brand under $50 million in revenue needs an attribution tool." Faris first...

4 months ago

39 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Smarter Paths to Global Sales

On-again, off-again tariffs have not lessened the opportunities for cross-border expansion. Global consumers still seek quality goods from trusted merchants. Yet success in international selling requires careful attention to fulfillment, customs, duties, and more. That's the role of Passport, the provider of cross-border logistics, localization, and support for ecommerce sellers. In this episode, Alex Yancher, Passport's founder and CEO, shares tactics for profitable global ecommerce sales....

4 months ago

36 minutes

Ecommerce Conversations

Triple Whale's Moby AI Gets Things Done

We've all heard the buzz surrounding agentic AI agents. What's missing for many of us is how they can help our business. What is an AI agent? Can it really perform tasks and get things done? In this episode, host Eric Bandholz asks those questions and more to Anthony DelPizzo. He is the head of product marketing with Triple Whale, the Shopify-backed ecommerce analytics platform that has launched its own AI agent called Moby. It responds to ChatGPT-like prompts, suggests marketing channels, a...

4 months ago

35 minutes