Ecommerce Conversations

Merchants often default to China for outsourced manufacturing. Yet competitive suppliers exist worldwide. For Palermo House, a direct-to-consumer provider of luxury furniture, Argentina is a natural source.

Marco Ferro is the company’s California-based founder with Argentina roots. He was born there, as were his parents, co-owners of the business.

In this episode, Ferro addresses importing goods from South America, shipping furniture to customers, bootstrapping challenges, and more. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qgk

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

In 2014 Eric Steckling launched Brio, a Michigan-based direct-to-consumer seller of beard trimmers. In 2022 the company acquired Ollie, a subscription-based provider of teeth whiteners.

The brands are seemingly complementary. Both sell grooming products. But merging them was challenging. Having been combined post-acquisition, they now function separately.

In our recent conversation, Steckling addressed launching Brio, acquiring Ollie, and lessons learned along the way. The entire audio of our discussion is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qcn

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Mark Wagner believes the best payment chargeback recovery systems are automated and data-driven. He founded Disputifier, an Austin, Texas-based chargeback software company, on that premise in 2021.

He told me, "We've developed an intuitive system over the years. It combines data from the transaction with our testing and identifies an appropriate response."

In this episode, Wagner discusses the state of ecommerce chargebacks and how merchants can recover false claims. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pYN

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Ryan Hunter Masters is a Colorado-based musician who loves to dance. In 2015 he launched Show Her Off to teach swing dancing online. The business sells video courses — streaming and DVD — to booming success.

Hunter Masters first appeared on the podcast in 2019. In this second conversation, he addressed the origins of Show Her Off, customer acquisition channels, and his internal litmus test for starting any new company. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pSl

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

The last time host Eric Bandholz discussed his company in an episode was in July. Things were close to their worst. He had furloughed his team for a month. But now the team is back to full-time. His strategy is focusing on Facebook as an acquisition channel. He switched the company's Facebook marketing approach from multi-phase testing to bid caps.

He made the change at the beginning of October, and he's seeing cost per acquisition fall in line with profit expectations. The downside is that there are only a few conversions daily due to the negligible budget. 

Beardbrand is now at a breakeven profit-wise. That's not what he expected after 11 years, but he has "come to terms with the fact that this is essentially a new business. I have to look at Beardbrand from a startup perspective. What worked for us when we launched in 2012 is entirely different than now."

It's a new beginning for a venerable, 11-year business, as told here in an admirably transparent manner.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pO3

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com

Adam Robinson is a former Lehman Brothers financier who in 2012 founded and later sold an email marketing company. Among the company's features was "identity resolution" — the ability to locate folks' email addresses. 

That identity technology is the basis of Retention.com, which he launched in 2019. The firm can link anonymous website visitors to their email addresses. The website  can then email those folks, soliciting their business. Robinson calls the process "email laundering."

In this conversation, he addresses privacy rules, spam concerns, and acquiring the Retention.com domain. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pIQ

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Paul Jauregui had much to celebrate when he first appeared on this podcast in 2020. BK Beauty, the cosmetics company he co-founded with his wife, Lisa, had reached $1 million in sales in its first year. He returned in early 2022 with more good news: The company had launched a thriving affiliate marketing program and bypassed the Facebook ad meltdown from iOS 14.5.

He's back, having surpassed a whopping $10 million in annual revenue, bolstered by early success on TikTok Shop. In this our third interview, he shares BK Beauty's growth challenges, positive TikTok vibes, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pD7

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

John Ruggiero is co-founder with his wife, Michelle, of Manly Bands, a Utah-based direct-to-consumer seller of men's rings. The company launched in 2016 after John couldn't find a suitable wedding band.

This is Ruggiero's second appearance on the podcast. In April 2021, we discussed the company's founding, unique ring materials, and more. 

Since then, Manly Bands has acquired its manufacturer. Filming the making of rings from, say, Jack Daniel's whiskey barrels or Fender guitar strings creates compelling video, says Ruggerio, perfect for storytelling on social media and elsewhere.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6ps5

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Consumers are discovering the medicinal benefits of cannabis plants. Three college grads in Wisconsin saw the opportunity in 2018 when they launched Batch, a direct-to-consumer seller and custom manufacturer of products from CBD, the non-impairing marijuana and hemp extract.

Fast forward to 2023, and Milwaukee-based Batch produces CBD oils, gummies, and other products for itself and external brands.

I recently spoke with the founders, Dennis Mistrioty, Andy Gould, and Griffin Lynch — all lifelong buddies — about launching the company, manufacturing products, acquiring customers, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pnB

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

******

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

In 2013 David Lindahl opened a sort-of public service Twitter account. Its purpose was to alert folks in his native Washington State when Mt. Rainier was visible, unobscured by clouds. He called the account Rainier Watch, as in keeping watch on that dominant landmark.

Fast forward to 2023, and Rainier Watch is a community, a website, and a manufacturer of mountain-themed apparel. The business is a side hustle to Lindahl's day job as a web developer. But it may soon require full-time focus. Sales have increased dramatically, owing in part to in-person markets and local REI stores.

In this episode, Lindahl discusses the company's origin, launching the apparel component, and the benefits of in-person selling. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6piA

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

******

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