Ecommerce Conversations

Jesse Hanley is a self-taught developer and marketer from Australia who lives in Japan. He launched Bento, an email service provider, in 2018 after managing campaigns from his marketing agency.

He says Bento is an artisanal provider, akin to a high-end coffee shop. He aims for self-funded growth and quality customers who seek excellent email deliverability.

He addresses those goals and more — automation flows, integrations, ISPs, reputation — as well as the realities of running an ESP. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/bento-elevates-ecommerce-email-marketing

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Before Brexit, merchants could sell cross-border into the U.K. and mainland Europe with relative ease. Both belonged to the E.U. It's now more complex and expensive, with separate customs and taxes for each region — unless the shipments come from Northern Ireland.

Through a Brexit exception, fulfillment companies (and merchants) in Northern Ireland can ship to the U.K. and the E.U. with fewer complications. It's been a boon to John Heenan's Belfast-based 3PL, The Distribution Solution.

Host Eric Bandholz met John years ago (pre-Brexit) when Beardbrand sold products in Europe via John's company. They reconnected for this episode, addressing the nuances of selling internationally in the U.K. and the E.U. and how to streamline the process.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/northern-ireland-key-to-e-u-u-k-fulfillment

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

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 health without competing against each other.

Will shares his journey in this episode — from his initial capital raise to scaling revenue, adding products, and managing wholesale channels.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/protein-bar-founder-thrives-in-a-crowded-field

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com

Kurt Elster launched his ecommerce agency in 2009 and his first Shopify store in 2011. His “Unofficial Shopify Podcast,” which he started in 2014, is now required listening for that community of merchants, developers, and vendors.

He and I recently discussed the state of Shopify — themes, upgrades, user engagement, and the overall ecosystem.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/shopify-pro-on-themes-upgrades-ecosystem

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Jeff Sheldon is a designer turned entrepreneur. He started Ugmonk, a Pennsylvania-based direct-to-consumer brand, in 2008 as a seller of graphic-inspired t-shirts. His desktop organizers, which he added in 2020, are seemingly unrelated until realizing he designed both — the t-shirt graphics and the desk tools.

Jeff first appeared on the podcast in 2020. He had just moved t-shirt fulfillment in-house and launched a Kickstarter campaign for his first desktop tool.

In this episode, he addresses phasing out the t-shirts, expanding the (successful) desktop line, and the dilemma of selling on Amazon.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ugmonk-brings-design-to-desk-tools

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts


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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

This episode first aired in July 2024.

Barry Hott is a longtime Facebook advertising consultant. He says first reactions to an ad largely determine its performance. He advises merchants to create ugly ads, those that people won't skip over.

"I'm the Ugly Ads Guy," he stated.

In this episode, Hott addresses key Facebook ad metrics, budgeting, testing, and, yes, ugly creative.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ugly-ads-perform-best-marketer-says

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   


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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Jeff Oxford's initial attempt at ecommerce was selling dropshipped beer pong tables in 2013. The business, he says, didn't survive, but his love for optimizing organic search traffic did. Thus began his SEO career and the launch of 180 Marketing, his agency.

Fast forward to 2024, and Jeff is an ecommerce SEO authority. Link building was on his mind when he appeared on the podcast in 2022. He now advises engagement — getting folks to click an organic search listing and consume the page's content — and reminds merchants that AI search has helped ecommerce rankings.

He discusses those tactics and more in this episode.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ecommerce-seo-pro-on-ai-2025-tactics

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com

Roman Zrazhevskiy is a survivalist of a sort. His company, Mira Safety, sells protective gear for seemingly existential events such as nuclear attacks or chemical warfare. He calls the threat of such events "red alerts," when geopolitical crises prompt fear into consumers. 

Zrazhevskiy first appeared on the podcast in 2021. In this episode, he shares the evolution of Mira Safety, staffing strategies, growth plans, and more.   

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/mira-safety-thrives-on-red-alerts  

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts  


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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Lawmakers worldwide are recognizing the medicinal benefits of natural compounds, such as those in cannabis and mushrooms. Once considered dangerous "drugs," both are now widely legal. And both are the focus of entrepreneur Alex Wolfe.

He co-founded a cannabis business in 2017, built a 650,000 sq. ft. growing facility, and took the company public. He now runs a mushroom-based nutritional supplement provider called Eons, which he launched in 2021.

In this episode, he shares the mental-health mission of Eons, the challenges of regulated industries, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com//eons-founder-on-mushrooms-and-mental-health

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Host Eric Bandholz occasionally focuses an "Ecommerce Conversations" episode on Beardbrand, his business. He does that not to promote the company but to share challenges and successes in the hopes of helping others.

In 2024 alone, he has addressed last year's sales decline, continued hurdles, and the hassle of changing fulfillment providers. He also interviewed Beardbrand's attorney, who successfully defended it in a lawsuit alleging accessibility violations.

Beardbrand has now overcome many of its operational setbacks. It had to relaunch certain products and switch its manufacturer. It moved to a nearby warehouse in Texas for more oversight. With these problems solved, the company's focus shifts to growth and finding new channels.

Eric discusses discusses that focus and more in this episode.
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For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/beardbrand-shifts-to-growth-new-channels

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com