Ecommerce Conversations

Ecommerce Conversations host Eric Bandholz is the founder of Beardbrand, a leading direct-to-consumer seller of men's grooming products. 2023 has been challenging for the business — "a perfect storm of calamities" per Eric.

This episode is admirably transparent with Eric sharing his view of good and bad decisions, supply chain hurdles, marketing missteps, and much more. It's a story of perseverance and determination. It's an entrepreneur opening up, hoping to help others in similar circumstances. 

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

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Elizabeth Mercer had her first child four years after launching Sleekform, an online seller of ergonomic office furniture. Returning to work after childbirth was a challenge. 

"I thought I could just come back and be off to the races," she said. "I knew my body would take time to recover, but I did not expect the mental taxation of childbirth."

She persevered. In this episode, she describes adjusting to motherhood while running a company — including priorities, time management, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?P71

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Steve Chou is a merchant, blogger, podcaster, and trainer. He's now a book author with the release in May of "The Family First Entrepreneur," his HarperCollins title on business, freedom, and priorities.

This is Chou's third appearance on the podcast. In 2020 he discussed Bumblebee Linens, his osCommerce store. In 2022 he described his preference for frugal living despite having achieved financial success.

In this interview, Chou addresses the process of publishing and promoting his book, now a Wall Street Journal bestseller. He recounted finding a publisher, securing an advance, appearing on hundreds of podcasts, and his hopes for long-term sales.

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

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Brad Moss is a former Amazon product manager turned video game developer. He's now chief Amazon officer at Brandless, a direct-to-consumer seller of home, health, and beauty goods and an active acquirer of other companies.

Brandless launched in 2017 and famously flamed out in early 2020 after raising close to $300 million in funding. A private equity firm purchased the assets, regrouped, and is now thriving by all accounts.

In this interview, Moss discusses Brandless's journey, its acquisition criteria, and his own interests, which include a side AI project. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6o90

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Athena Severi co-founded Titan Network, an Amazon-seller community, in 2019 with Dan Ashburn, a U.K.-based merchant. Before that, the pair launched China Magic for product sourcing.

Titan Network hosts in-person events and offers workshops, mentoring, and collaboration. 

In this conversation, Severi discusses Titan, selling on Amazon, the benefits of community, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6o3O

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com  

I recently joined a group of ecommerce owners on a hiking trip in Utah. It was 15 of us more or less, sharing our entrepreneurial journeys amid stunning scenery. 

Late one night, four of us gathered around a table for this episode — three former guests of the podcast and me. 

Mark Taylor is the founder of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL. Mike Tecku started Momentum, a nutritional supplements brand, after selling his Amazon Marketplace businesses. Will Roman is the owner of Chisos, a direct-to-consumer boot brand. My company, Beardbrand, is a DTC seller of men's grooming products.

We reflected. Why own a company? Is it worth the hassle?

We discussed those questions and more. Our entire audio conversation is embedded below. The transcript is edited and condensed.

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

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Brandon Chicotsky is a professor of marketing at Texas Christian University. He states that his students have endured years of standardized, grade-level tests and are focused on the right answer or the best GPA. 

But Chicotsky realizes businesses often face decisions with no right answer. And that has impacted his method of teaching. "I don't offer exams in my class," he said. "Everything I offer has a subjective outcome, not a definitive answer."

In this interview, Chicotksy addresses the role of a college-level business curriculum, discussing the overall experience, monetary value, benefits and drawbacks, and more.

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

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Josh Paulson acquired his grandfather's pet accessories company in 2015 when it was losing $25,000 per month. Three months later it broke even. The company, Quality Cage, manufactures products for pet owners and veterinarians.

When Paulson arrived, the company had 2,000 SKUs across multiple pet verticals. Focusing on chinchillas provided the long-term turnaround. "We niched down into only chinchilla products," he said.

Paulson shares his journey in this episode, addressing custom manufacturing, organic marketing, and more.

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

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Bruce Bolt is a direct-to-consumer baseball batting glove company in Austin, Texas. The business launched in 2017 when its founder was 16. He needed a better batting glove and a job. Making and selling his own gloves solved both needs.

Chris Hall is Bruce Bolt's director of marketing. He and I recently spoke, addressing acquisition tactics, ad performance, and more. 

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

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 2019 Joe Spisak's ecommerce company had gone through three third-party fulfillment companies in just 18 months. Frustrated, he began fulfilling in-house, which led to offering fulfillment services to other brands. And that led to Fufill.com, a marketplace of nearly 600 fulfillment companies worldwide, connecting merchants to providers.

In this conversation, Spisak describes his fulfillment experiences as a seller, the pain and expense of changing providers, the need for 3PL transparency, and much more.

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

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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com