Ecommerce Elite

I talked to Matt and Meredith Snow, Co-founders of BoredWalk Los Angeles. This power couple catapulted from being creatives who love to test waters in terms of design and career to being Ecommerce Elites. The duo shared how their love for anything aesthetic made them decide to start selling handmade handicrafts with pop art themes. Although the concept was great, it was not sustainable. This concern made them switch gears to wearable items, something that does not need tedious work on their part, especially on the production side. To keep the business up and running, they utilized their garage space and a guest room as an office.

I talked to Angela Smith, CEO of Off The Racks Boutique, a women's clothing store that sells clothes, makeup, and fashion accessories. Currently, their sales continue to skyrocket in their online shop and mobile shopping app. Angela started her business in 2013 as a side hustle while working in the child support office. With only a spare room and five racks of clothes, the boutique's first collection of tank tops went viral, and the rest was history. Realizing that the small team had already outgrown the extra room in their home, Angela moved into a new space and continued to grow her business.

I talked to Shash Singh, CEO of Linx Digital Agency, a digital marketing company that helps eCommerce and info product businesses scale to 8 figures with YouTube advertising. He mentioned that the most common misconception is that YouTube advertising is only for coaches and info ads since the platform requires so much creativity for product videos to sell. However this is not the case, some eCommerce businesses have seen excellent results. Shash added that the site could work for direct response e-commerce to strengthen branding, increase sales in profitable acquisition cost, and boost credibility, which helps dominate the industry.

I talked to Raj De Datta, Founder of Bloomreach. Raj has catapulted from being an entrepreneur to an eCommerce Elite. His company offers digital solutions that combine the power of unified customer and product data with the speed and scale of AI and predictive decisions for a magical eCommerce experience and conversions. Raj and his team help startups and entrepreneurs scale up and become masters with these processes.

• Drive conversion path from first marketing touchpoint
• Creates a solution around customer data and personalized marketing
• Incorporates SMS, ad campaigns, and email marketing 
• Inspires audience with great content, articles, and manuals

I talked to Roger Hardy, CEO of Kits.com. Kits is an online eyewear boutique that sells high-quality but affordable men's and women’s glasses, blue light blocking lenses, and accessories. Roger has catapulted from a marketer for a contact lens company to being an eCommerce elite. He remembers how his previous company sold contact lenses to doctors with a huge markup from its retail price; that was his ‘eureka” moment. He also realized that the eyewear business is outdated. So, he decided on creating his own eyewear company where customers can get free eye examinations on iPhones in a jiffy. This 3-year old company has served an estimated of one million happy customers this year and is hopeful to gain more traction in the days ahead. In the podcast, he mentioned the importance of really digging into customer satisfaction by providing high-quality products, speed delivery, customization, and subscriptions. 

I talked to Dyana Rafferty, Founder of Julia Rose Wholesale. She started doing wholesale business in 2019 and has catapulted from a startup owner to being an eCommerce elite. While 2019 was not the best time for wholesale businesses, her company rose from the ashes. Dyana’s company experienced exponential growth selling seasonal products, handbags, and more. She has been sourcing and designing her own line when the product that she was looking for did not have the patterns she liked. Before she started her company, she worked in retail for years in which she started to blend. She grew her Facebook group to 22,000 followers. Her experience in the retail industry made her gain insight. When asked how she managed to bring her business to a massive increase, her answer was, “Ignorance is bliss.” She didn't even know that 2019 was a gloomy year for the wholesale business.

I talked to Elliot Begoun, CEO of  TIG Brands. The company helps emerging companies in the natural product space. Its mission is to build nimble, capital-efficient, resilient brands. The value that the company delivers is exceptional. Elliot’s desire to escape from the corporate wheel rat race years ago has paved a way for several brands to catapult to their next level. He describes his company as a non-traditional alternative accelerator where CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) brands reach an unstoppable growth. Elliot believes that he is a breaker of the status quo. He said,” If you think you are faking it, you are doing it wrong.” This mindset has helped several brands climb the ladder of success. Although this entrepreneur-consultant claimed that he did not start well. Today, he and his team have become more involved by becoming participants and stakeholders.

Danielle Amelia, CEO of Styled AF, a marketing and consulting company. Danielle started as a women’s boutique owner and later transitioned as a digital marketing consultant, helping clothing businesses catapult from being passable to unstoppable. This entrepreneur from Austin shared how her experience in the TV service provider industry and working in a popular clothing direct sales company has taught her the ins and outs of marketing. She said that her desire to avoid the hustles and bustles of being in a corporate wheel has made her decide to be an entrepreneur. Her decision to take full ownership of Styled AF comes from her passion to add value to her clients, and at the same time, put money on the table.

Kelly Pearson, Founder of Aiden and Oak. She has catapulted from being a clothing women’s boutique owner in 2016 to being an eCommerce elite. This entrepreneur/mom shared how a maternity leave opened the idea of leaving her corporate job and focusing on running a business full-time. She also said that her desire for quality time with her family made her decide to switch gears. When COVID hit, she closed the open shop in her property and decided to go online-focused. She is here to explain the importance of adapting to some marketing advancements that do not only help reduce cost but also increase efficiency to achieve time freedom.

Shane Ball, CEO of the clothing brand Stay Wear. He recounted that he would always burn CDs for his girlfriend, now his wife. And while listening to the songs, most of them have the word “stay”. In 2014, he launched his clothing business with the mission of changing the stigma of the “misunderstood” skaters. When people started to connect ‘stay’ to suicide prevention, it led him to create a brand that resonates with the darkest ordeals and connects to every person living with mental health problems. His goal evolved into an advocacy of conveying the right message to raise mental health awareness. Stay Wear has helped hundreds of people battling with emotional, psychological, and social anxieties start a conversation, find hope, and regain life’s purpose through its statement apparel.