John Melizanis believes third-party logistics fees often produce surprise charges. Per-item pricing for picks, packs, and receiving can turn an anticipated $1 per order fee into $2.50 or more, he says. John is the co-founder of ShipDudes, a New Jersey-based 3PL launched in 2020. His company uses flat-rate pricing for pick-and-pack and warehousing, and no...

Nate Lagos is vice president of marketing for Original Grain, a direct-to-consumer seller of luxury watches. He relies on Facebook advertising, but not for immediate customer acquisition. “Platforms such as Facebook are megaphones, not salespeople,” he says. In this episode, Nate shares his marketing origins, advertising tactics, influencer management, and more. For an edited and...

Ray Reddy is a two-time mobile commerce entrepreneur, a Google veteran, and, now, the head of Shopify POS, the company's in-store platform. He says the future of retail is location-agnostic, where shoppers can easily move from online to brick-and-mortar without losing account details, order history, and shipping info. That, he says, is the path of...

This year host Eric Bandholz has sprinkled occasional episodes with real-life master classes from Beardbrand, his company. To date he's addressed hiring, branding, profit-building, priority-setting, and exiting. For this installment, he shares Beardbrand’s experience of losing nearly $1 million across 2023 and 2024. It got bad. Cash levels dropped to where they were in year...

Next-gen health and wellness is an apt description of MNLY. Luke Hartelust launched the platform in 2021, pronouncing it “Manly,” and then pivoted twice while remaining focused on modern care for men. The current version combines AI with home-based testing, diagnoses, and nutrition. Customers pay an upfront fee and a monthly subscription afterward. In this...

Shakil Prasla once owned 12 ecommerce consumer brands generating $50 million in combined annual revenue with 50 employees. But he grew wary of the fluctuating revenue and non-stop marketing, so he pivoted during Covid to wholesale personal protective equipment. That's when he and I last spoke. The PPE business, Gloves.com, had misgauged demand and lost,...

Michael Simpson is a New Mexico-based father of seven and a National Guard veteran. Returning from a 2021 deployment, he sought a business to acquire, hoping to avoid his previous job. A listing from a brokerage caught his attention. Discount Catholic Products had launched in 2003 and was for sale. The company's mission appealed to...

Host Eric Bandholz, a seasoned entrepreneur, evaluates good and bad reasons to sell a business. He says that ideally, founders build a business they love, one that enhances their lives. To Eric, business is one of life's greatest gifts, offering freedom, wealth, connection, and the ability to serve, create, and leave a lasting mark on...

For years Jack Oswald was a touring tennis professional. He aimed for top worldwide rankings, the key to serious earnings. The rankings never came, but constant travel exposed a nagging problem: his tennis bags kept breaking. Thus began his passion for designing a better bag for athletes on the go. And that led to Cancha,...

Sally Wilson is a lawyer turned craft entrepreneur. She's also an involved mother who shares her business and passions with two kids. She says being a great mom doesn't mean sacrificing who you are. Sally launched Caterpillar Cross Stitch a decade ago from her home in England. Fast forward to 2025, and her company has...