In this episode of Chew on This, Ron and Ash are joined by CEO and Co-Founder of Brightflow AI, Robbie Bhathal! Their conversation provides valuable insights into financial literacy, cash flow management, and leveraging financial services for business growth. It underscores the importance of understanding accounting principles, balancing the balance sheet, and planning for cash flow predictability to avoid financial challenges. Additionally, they discuss the challenges of managing a growing team in a remote work environment and the potential of AI in forecasting for better financial planning. Robbie encourages all founders to be open and spend time analyzing financial numbers for improved decision-making and risk assessment.

​1:45 - Financial literacy for brand building.

4:00 - Access to capital for small businesses.​

6:00 - Importance of finance in forecasting and operations.​

8:00 - Revenue vs. actual cash flow.

​11:19 - Financial tools for business success.​

15:20 - The significance of cash flow predictability.​

19:03 - Financial services for better cash management.

26:56 - Accounting as a science for obtaining financing and leveraging distribution.​

28:10 - Balancing the balance sheet with inventory, debt, and invested capital.​

29:00 - Planning for cash flow predictability to avoid liquidity traps.​

30:07 - Creative ways to manage cash flow and debt.

32:02 - Inward growth and small tests for financial stability.​

33:01 - Scaling financial services and accounting statements.​

41:00 - Challenges of managing a growing team remotely.

45:01 - AI vs. human advice in finance.​

47:06 - Importance of being open with your financial numbers.

​This episode of Chew on CRO delves into the intricacies of brand development, emphasizing the importance of understanding product-market fit at different stages. It highlights the significance of repeat purchase behavior as a crucial metric and the role of conversion rate in driving sales. The problem-agitate-solve approach is recommended for effective messaging. Consistency in messaging from ads to landing pages is crucial for conversions. Avoiding assumptions about brand pricing based on customer perceptions is advised. This episode also explains type one and type two error rates in data analysis and stresses the importance of considering the entire customer journey in testing metrics.

In this episode of COT, e-comm experts Ash and Ankit discuss Elon's acquisition of Twitter and the subsequent rebrand to X. They compare his strategies with their own strategies that implemented when they acquired a new coffee company, Coffee Over Cardio. Ash and Ankit also discuss Temu's $21million presence at the Superbowl and why the massive adspend might not be as crazy as most people think. They go on to discuss how launching Obvi in retail hurt their DTC, the lessons they learned, and how you can avoid making the mistake in your own business!

0:56 - Obvi's acquisition of Coffee Over Cardio.

1:19 - Elon buying Twitter.

1:50 - Why did Elon buy Twitter?

​3:04 - Elon's desire to bring authenticity to Twitter.​

6:00 - Twitter's massive layoffs.​

10:05 - Twitter's rebranding and its impact.

​16:21 - Temu/s Superbowl ads.​

19:10 - Is Temu a scam?

24:13 - Importance of quality in advertising.

​26:14 - Obvi's pricing strategy.​

28:20 - Starting from square one with branding.​

29:06 - Branding is essential.

​32:07 - Adjusting pricing strategy based on market competition.​

33:03 - Enhancing product features for different retail channels.​

35:18 - Importance of being brand agnostic in pricing strategy.​

36:00 - Adding extra ingredients to appeal to specific retail demographics.​

38:03 - Adjusting pricing strategy to match market demands.​

39:14 - Collaborating with manufacturers to optimize pricing and formula.​

41:30 - Implementing different strategies for online and retail sales.

In this episode of Chew on CRO, Ned discusses the importance of analyzing new user models and attribution. He also emphasizes the significance of building a strong case study and provides insights into identifying and addressing declining conversion rates. The impact of launching products on different platforms, pricing changes, and adjusting content strategies on conversion rates are also discussed. Ned underscores the complexity of user behavior analysis and the need to utilize various metrics for a comprehensive understanding of audience segments and their purchasing patterns.

In this episode of Chew on This, Ezra Firestone shares his journey in e-commerce and emphasizes the significance of finance and strategic planning in business growth. Additionally, he mentions the value of staying updated on marketing trends and continuously innovating products. Firestone's advice includes focusing on the fundamentals of business and paying attention to both fun tasks and strategic planning for long-term success in e-commerce. His personal anecdotes offer a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of balancing work with personal fulfillment. By focusing on building strong foundations in business, maintaining a customer-centric approach, and adapting to changing landscapes, Firestone's journey serves as a source of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to succeed in the dynamic world of e-commerce.

0:00 - Intro​

2:17 - Ezra's first sale of a physical product.

​5:21 - Ezra's experience running an SEO firm.​

8:01 - Ezra's background in coding and BigCommerce vs. Shopify.​

16:07 - Ezra's strategy of focusing on products with better profit margins in e-commerce.​

21:12 -The importance of partnerships in business.​

26:02 - The significance of solving problems for brands in entrepreneurship.​

31:02 - Ezra's journey in wealth creation and business ownership.

​48:49 - Ezra talks about transitioning and trying different ventures.​

51:05 - The importance of having a great product for success in business.​

52:04 - The significance of partnerships in business.​

54:05 - The value of relationships and connections over money and success.​

56:07 - The importance of balance in life to prevent burnout.

​1:00:08 - Ezra on finding fulfillment and appreciation in life beyond material success.

​1:03:20 - The evolution of Ezra's businesses and transitioning roles.​

1:06:06 - The importance of continuous learning and adapting to new trends in business.

​1:16:07 - Being open to new opportunities and saying yes to potential growth.

In this episode of Chew on This, Ron and Ash are joined by Co-founder and Chairman of Morning Brew, Alex Lieberman, as he delves into his journey of entrepreneurship. Reflecting on the early startup days, Alex highlights the creative essence of entrepreneurship and personal aspirations. He goes on to explore what the process of selling Morning Brew was like, his personal experiences post-successful exit and after stepping down as CEO, underlining the need for continuous innovation and adaptation in the ever-evolving business landscape. The conversation delves into the significance of long-term vision, strategic partnerships, and the balance between short-term gains and sustainable growth in the startup world.

🚀 Alex discusses the formative experiences that shaped his entrepreneurial drive, including childhood bullying and personal loss.

💡 He emphasizes the importance of creativity, invention, and resilience in entrepreneurship, reflecting on his own journey.

💰 Alex shares his motivations for selling Morning Brew, such as financial security and potential future ventures.

📈 He expresses a desire to focus on storytelling, selling, and product development in future business endeavors.

🔮 Alex explores potential entrepreneurial ventures, including a focus on email marketing, specialized B2B content, and email agency services.

​2:15 - Alex reflects on the early days of starting up.

​4:25 - Inventor vs. Entrepreneur​

10:07 - Reflecting on the drive and motivation in entrepreneurship.​

14:00 - Motivation beyond just making money in entrepreneurship.​

18:08 - Contrasting different types of entrepreneurship.

25:00 - Lessons learned from building a successful business.​

37:55 - Growth from 100,000 to a million subscribers.​

38:51 - Expanded into B2B media, maintaining Morning Brew voice and style.​

41:17 - Transitioned to a CPM model for advertising.​

43:11 - Importance of getting return on ad spend for brand marketers.​

45:05 - Emphasized the value of acquiring high-quality subscribers.

​47:08 - Reflecting on feeling unmotivated after a successful exit.​

53:00 - Comparing entrepreneurship to being a scientist.​

56:04 - Importance of building a strong brand.​

1:00:03 - Discussing the benefits of a product over its features.

​1:07:44 - Considering running both an E-commerce and SaaS business.

In this episode, Noah Tucker, the CEO of Social Snowball, shares his journey of perseverance and learning from mistakes in building his business. He discusses the evolution of affiliate marketing, highlighting the shift from traditional media buyers to modern affiliates and brand ambassadors. He emphasizes the importance of influencers as a full-funnel channel and the role of affiliates in driving brand awareness and indirect traffic. Noah also explains the strategy of turning customers into affiliates with Social Snowball and creating reward tiers to incentivize referrals. Tucker's insights provide valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and marketers looking to scale their businesses effectively.

0:00 - Intro

1:01 - Noah's entrepreneurial journey.​

2:14 - The evolution of affiliate marketing.​

4:06 - How the affiliate model works on a performance-only basis.

​6:15 - Influencers becoming a full-funnel channel​

8:00 - Utilizing affiliates to drive brand awareness and indirect traffic.​

11:02 - Turning customers into affiliates.​

15:59 - Importance of customer service and touchpoints in driving referrals.​

17:10 - Using reward tiers to incentivize referrals.​

25:38 - Bootstrapping in SaaS.​

28:01 - Noah's struggle with talking to investors.​

30:19 - Social Snowball's software challenges.​

32:05 - Noah's experience with hiring and firing multiple employees.​

33:08 - Noah's encounter with a potential CTO in Barcelona.

36:05 - Noah's desperation to fix issues in Social Snowball.​

39:00 - Importance of genuine ads.​

43:01 - Affiliate marketing as a long-term customer acquisition channel.​

45:02 - Social Snowball 2.0​

46:48 - Leveraging influencers to reach target audiences effectively.​

49:09 - Turning customers into influencers for brand growth.

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In this episode of Chew on CRO, we discuss the significance of proper data analysis and strategies in CRO and highlight common data hygiene problems in brands, with Ned Macpherson from Endrock! We also discuss the transition from Google Analytics 3 (GA3) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), and the importance of high-level metrics such as pages per session (PPS), session duration (ASD), and bounce rate in evaluating brand growth and user engagement.

In this episode, Jimmy Kim, an expert in affiliate marketing and the co-founder of Sendlane, shares insights on mastering email marketing to boost your business! He discusses the creation of Sendlane and the problems it solves in the market, mainly allowing businesses to keep all email and SMS marketing in one platform! Jimmy discusses the significance of customer retention and repeat buyers, the importance of segmenting your audience and targeting engaged customers, and the importance of understanding customer behavior and product cycles.

📜 Evolution of Email: Changes in Gmail and Yahoo are driving the need for authenticated sending, one-click unsubscribe, and a shift towards technology to enhance email marketing.

🚀 Evolution of the Business: Jimmy Kim’s journey from the car business to digital marketing, affiliate marketing, and launching Sendlane speaks to the ever-changing landscape of business.

📊 Customer Experience: The importance of providing a unified email, SMS, and reviews platform to enhance customer experience and boost retention marketing.

💼 Team Building: The emphasis on hiring experts, setting performance standards, and creating a culture focused on performance and results within the organization.

📲 SMS Evolution: The impending evolution and impact of RCS (Rich Communication Services) on SMS, as well as the importance of using SMS strategically to enhance customer engagement.

​1:26 - Jimmy Kim shares his background and how he fell in love with affiliate marketing.​

2:34 - Jimmy Kim talks about the creation of Sendlane and the problem it solved in the market.​

5:12 - The importance of having all email and SMS marketing in one platform.​

8:01 - The significance of customer retention and repeat buyers.

11:02 - The importance of segmenting your audience and targeting engaged customers.

14:01 - The challenge of balancing quality and quantity in email marketing.​

16:00 - The role of email in the customer conversion cycle.​

18:18 - The importance of understanding customer behavior and product cycles.​

20:01 - The benefits of using email and SMS marketing for businesses.​

33:10 - The importance of spreading your message and continuously talking about your product in the fast-moving internet landscape.​

34:24 - Jimmy discusses Sendlane's new product, which focuses on forms, quizzes, and surveys to enhance the customer experience.

​35:09 - The importance of using email marketing to drive customer retention and loyalty.​

36:47 - The challenge of balancing quality and quantity in email marketing and the importance of understanding customer behavior.​

37:25 - Jimmy discusses the need for SaaS companies to evolve and adapt to the changing market.

​41:30 - The importance of building a strong customer support and communication system.​

45:11 - The importance of testing and optimizing ad creatives to maintain their effectiveness.​

47:21 - The significance of segmenting your audience and personalizing your messaging.​

53:02 - Jimmy discusses the potential of SMS marketing and the evolution of communication channels.​

1:02:11 - The importance of considering the cost and value of different marketing tools and strategies.

In this episode of Chew on CRO, we discuss the significance of proper data analysis and strategies in CRO and highlight common data hygiene problems in brand, with Ned Macpherson from Endrock! We also discuss the transition from Google Analytics 3 (GA3) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), and the importance of high-level metrics such as pages per session (PPS), session duration (ASD), and bounce rate in evaluating brand growth and user engagement.

💡 Importance of experimentation in CRO strategies and GA4 for data analysis and optimization.

📈 Segmentation of website data to understand conversion funnels and areas for improvement.

📊 Key metrics to measure, including traffic trend, ad to cart rate, and checkout transaction rate.

🧠 Concept of testing and learning from different strategies to improve user experience and conversion rates.

📉 Warning against measuring metrics that cannot be acted upon, in order to focus on actionable data.​

0:00 - The importance of experimentation in DTC success

​0:41 - Introduction to Ned from Endrock

​1:06 - What is "Chew on CRO"?

​1:35 - The importance of data points and strategies in CRO

​2:09 - Common data hygiene problems in brands​

3:06 - Transitioning from GA3 to GA4 and the importance of setting up GA4 properly​

4:00 - Accessing historical data in GA4​

5:01 - The significance of high-level metrics in evaluating brand growth​

6:01 - The relationship between pages per session (PPS) and session duration (ASD)

​7:00 - Understanding bounce rate and its impact on user engagement​

10:06 - The difference between bounce rate and exit rate​

12:07 - The importance of engagement rate as a metric

​14:06 - The importance of segmenting website data for conversion rate optimization (CRO)​

18:02 - Ad to cart rates and how they can be inflated​

20:05 - The importance of focusing on checkout rate​

22:01 - Optimizing the checkout process to improve conversion rates

​25:40 - Addressing checkout abandonment​

31:00 - The impact of shipping charges on checkout abandonment​

34:07 - The importance of conducting variable experimentation and A/B testing for future business growth