Ecommerce Wizards Podcast

Preston Brown is a speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and real estate guru. He is the Owner of Zia Homes, a luxury home builder located in El Paso, Texas. He works closely with other entrepreneurs and business leaders to scale effectively and discover their purpose. As a speaker, Preston orates extensively on culture, entrepreneurial growth, business, and achieving financial freedom.

Entrepreneurs are faced with thousands of thought leaders, books, blogs, and opinions on how to succeed. The sheer volume can be intimidating and confusing, with contradictory information becoming more abundant. There are several pitfalls to avoid, including the personal and the business side of starting a business. With all of this in mind, how do you find actionable steps toward being a successful entrepreneur?

Preston Brown is an entrepreneur who helps others start and scale their businesses. Through his personal success, he has taken his tenants and synthesized them into a simplified list.

In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual invites Preston Brown onto the show to discuss the essentials for entrepreneurs. They break down the seven steps and the keys to securing each one. They touch on a host of valuable wealth-building and management topics, including the best ways to invest. The two also discuss employees, software, automation, and much, much more.

Tom Kulzer is the CEO and Founder of AWeber, a company he started in 1998 to guide small businesses in fostering more engaging customer relationships and designing effective email marketing. Tom grew the company from zero to 300,000 clients through his unique take on market strategy and team building. Due to his dedication to building a thriving and unique workplace culture, AWeber has been voted one of Pennsylvania's Best Places to Work 10 years in a row.

Email marketing is an often misused tool. For many people, emails feel stiff and forced and lack helpful information or offer them anything they truly want. How can ecommerce brands use email marketing to engage customers and boost their lifetime value? AWeber is an agency that helps small businesses connect with their clients and communicate more effectively through emails. Their version of email marketing is far more organic, inviting, and effective than many other simple solutions. The result is a vital marketing tool that will exceed expectations. So what do you need to know to get started?

In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual invites Tom Kulzer, the CEO and Founder of AWeber, to break down the essentials of email marketing for ecommerce businesses. Tom walks through the most common mistakes and the small tweaks that can lead to huge improvements. They also address the terms of service for email platforms, selling to other businesses, and the best ways to collect new subscribers.

Erik Dotzauer is the Ecommerce Manager at DocShop Pro, a one-stop-shop medical supply marketplace that also provides a customizable inventory management system for clinical offices. He has served in a host of leadership and marketing positions, including Senior Magento Project Manager and Team Lead at Human Element and Director of Athletics Marketing at Eastern Michigan University. His early career was spent in city and community development.

Every online marketplace is made or broken by its ecommerce platform. The customer experience, data management, and usability have lasting repercussions that can lead to meaningful growth. While there are many areas in business that taking shortcuts can be justified, your platform should be a priority. Few companies understand this principle better than DocShop Pro. As a massive online storefront for medical practices, DocShop Pro has grown considerably over the last decade. A major component of this success has come from adopting a more capable ecommerce platform. And you can hear all about it in this episode.

Guillaume Le Tual sits down with Erik Dotzauer, Ecommerce Manager at DocShop Pro, on this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast to discuss Erik's experience with Adobe Commerce. They talk about the company's eight years of growth, the necessary changes they made, and how they functioned both online and offline. Erik also details how DocShop's ecommerce platform helped accelerate its growth.

Jay Gibb is an entrepreneur, developer, consultant, and the CEO and Founder of CloudSponge. Since 2010, the company has helped ecommerce businesses increase their sharing volume and referral email open rates. He spent over 22 years at Arizona Bay as a principal engineer and partner and recently joined Verto as VP of Product Strategy. Throughout his career, Jay developed specialties in software development management and product design, software architecture, and process definition and execution.

Every ecommerce store is looking to grow by leaps and bounds, but few have their websites and processes optimized. Substantial improvements can be highly effective, but so can minor tweaks. There are many tactics that can lead to long-term advancement and repeat customers, but they're easy to overlook. Jay Gibb is an entrepreneur and ecommerce expert who helps business leaders in this exact situation. So what are his tips and tricks? Guillaume Le Tual invites Jay Gibb, the Founder and CEO of CloudSponge, to talk about effective ecommerce tactics on this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast. They discuss the best way to get referrals and leverage address books to your advantage. They also go through emails, coupons, and keeping your customer on your website longer. Stay tuned to hear all of this and more.

Omar Soliman is the Co-founder and COO of Couryah, a Canadian-based online on-demand delivery platform launched in 2019 designed to be a one-stop-shop for your needs — from grocery stores to drug stores to restaurants and more.

Originally from Cairo, Omar moved with his family to Canada in 2007 and dove head-first into ecommerce and marketing. He has an extensive background in business analysis and raising customer service standards. His previous positions include Manager of Franchise Performance at Restaurant Brands International and Business and Operations Analyst at Citco Group. Additionally, Atlantic Business Magazine recognized him as one of its 30 Under 30 Innovators.

Every startup wants to hit the ground running, but how many actually accomplish that goal? The current ecommerce landscape is filled with tough competition and several pitfalls for new businesses. However, some startups have found quick success through a combination of preparation and strategy. Couryah is a grocery delivery platform that rose to the occasion. Now you can learn exactly how they did it. In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual hosts Omar Soliman, the Co-founder and COO of Couryah, to discuss how they handled their overnight success. They break down the platform and the advantages of their product. They also touch on the competition, starting their business with minimal capital, and Omar's advice for other entrepreneurs.

Brent Peterson is an entrepreneur, commerce evangelist, and a Magento Master. His podcast, Talk Commerce, is designed to help entrepreneurs know how to start, grow, and scale their businesses through the lens of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and marketers.

Before he sold it, Brent was the President and Co-founder of Wagento, a full-service Magento ecommerce development agency specializing in SEO, web design, and the Magento platform. Speaking at Magento events worldwide, he's given presentations, keynotes, and held workshops. In addition, he is an active member and the SAP Chairperson of the Minnesota Chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization.

Employee happiness is a nebulous concept; however, it's evident that happier employees lead to stronger businesses, but many companies still fail to invest in their teams. When top talent leaves, it trickles down into all aspects of the organization. So what can you do to attract and retain valuable employees in this competitive environment? From his experience mentoring Wagento's project team on a customer and employee-centric approach to communications and project management, Brent Peterson has gained many insights into employee happiness. It takes more than offering a big paycheck for companies to attract and retain talent in today's job market. Employees have the power of negotiation since the jobless rate is so low, which means businesses big and small have to compete with each other, keeping employee happiness at the forefront. On this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual speaks with Brent Peterson, the host of Talk Commerce, to discuss employee happiness and its direct influence on business success. They touch on the hiring process, keeping star talent, the challenge of having a remote team, and system modifications that benefit everyone. Brent also goes through the expectations of employees and businesses and how they relate to each other.

René-Sylvain Bédard is the Founding CEO of Indominus, the President and Chairman of the Board for its consulting arm, and the Chairman of the Board for the AI arm of the business. Indominus is an innovative IT firm that provides comprehensive strategic support, develops cybersecurity programs, and leads major technological transformation projects, applying automation and artificial intelligence to company operations to help them scale and grow.

René-Sylvain has an extensive career spanning 25 years with clients such as Hilton, Bell Canada, the Toronto Montreal Stock Exchange (TMX), and various municipal government agencies. He is a recognized Microsoft partner and has previously worked with HP and Dell. He is also an entrepreneur and public speaker in the areas of infrastructure and cybersecurity.

On the last episode with René-Sylvain Bédard, he and Guillaume discussed cybersecurity and potential pitfalls to avoid. Now, they dive deeper into visibility. Preventing cyberattacks is crucial, but having an incident monitoring system in place is equally, if not more, important. Many companies have blindspots in their detection systems, leaving vulnerable windows for potential attackers. So now that you've taken a step towards greater security, how can you finalize that shift with better visibility? In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, René-Sylvain Bédard returns to talk with Guillaume Le Tual about the visibility of cyberattacks. They touch on the concept of "eyes on console," various systems that can notify ecommerce businesses, and why you must implement protection across all devices.

René-Sylvain Bédard is the Founding CEO of Indominus, the President and Chairman of the Board for its consulting arm, and the Chairman of the Board for the AI arm of the business. Indominus is an innovative IT firm that provides comprehensive strategic support, develops cybersecurity programs, and leads major technological transformation projects, applying automation and artificial intelligence to company operations to help them scale and grow.

René-Sylvain has an extensive career spanning 25 years with clients such as Hilton, Bell Canada, the Toronto Montreal Stock Exchange (TMX), and various municipal government agencies. He is a recognized Microsoft partner and has previously worked with HP and Dell. He is also an entrepreneur and public speaker in the areas of infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity can be a nebulous concept for many ecommerce businesses. Everyone can acknowledge the importance without adequately investing in their own protection. The result is weak systems that are prone to disaster, costing companies far more than they ever would have spent on security. It's not only important to focus on cybersecurity but to find the right people who can properly implement it. René-Sylvain Bédard is an expert on cybersecurity and the present danger of cyberattacks. He started his company, Indominus, to help other companies navigate their journeys toward better prevention and restoration. So what do you need to know to keep your company safe? In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual interviews René-Sylvain Bédard, Founding CEO of Indominus, to discuss the most critical aspects of cybersecurity for ecommerce businesses. They break down the current state of cyberattacks, necessary training and protections, and how to identify threats. They also go through two-factor authentication, tokenization, and much more.

With over 13 years of experience as an entrepreneur, Nathan Hirsch is a knowledgeable ecommerce leader and a successful founder. He is the Co-founder and CEO of EcomBalance, which offers simple bookkeeping services for growing ecommerce brands. He co-founded and eventually sold FreeeUp, which provided online business owners a more reliable and faster way to hire talented workers online.

Nathan also co-founded Outsource School to help companies find virtual assistants. Most recently, he launched the sister company of EcomBalance, and AccountsBalance was born and provides bookkeeping services to agencies, SaaS, and online businesses. At the beginning of his career, Nathan got his start selling textbooks through Amazon, and he and his co-founder eventually scaled it to $5 million.

In the last episode, Guillaume spoke with Nathan Hirsch about how to scale a business from nothing to eight figures. Now they touch on the next step for many entrepreneurs: How do you successfully sell and exit your business? There are countless pitfalls you need to be aware of when selling. Higher numbers are not always better, and many unsuspecting entrepreneurs have missed the proper way to exit. Since Nathan and his business partner successfully navigated their own deal, he wants to offer those same insights to you. In this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual interviews Nathan Hirsch, the Co-founder and CEO of EcomBalance, to detail how to successfully sell an eight-figure business. They talk about the success that led to exiting, how to maximize your company's value, and strategies for negotiating the best possible deal. Stay tuned to hear all of the essential advice for yourself!

With over 13 years of experience as an entrepreneur, Nathan Hirsch is a knowledgeable ecommerce leader and a successful founder. He is the Co-founder and CEO of EcomBalance, which offers simple bookkeeping services for growing ecommerce brands. He co-founded and eventually sold FreeeUp, which provided online business owners a more reliable and faster way to hire talented workers online.

Nathan also co-founded Outsource School to help companies find virtual assistants. Most recently, he launched the sister company of EcomBalance, and AccountsBalance was born and provides bookkeeping services to agencies, SaaS, and online businesses. At the beginning of his career, Nathan got his start selling textbooks through Amazon, and he and his co-founder eventually scaled it to $5 million.

Every entrepreneur wants to know the keys to launching a successful ecommerce startup. What about the challenge of starting from scratch and working up to eight-figure revenue? This process is difficult but not impossible, and few know this better than Nathan Hirsch. Starting in his college dorm room, Nathan quickly built his side hustle into a full-blown business. Since then, he has started and successfully operated several other companies using the same winning principles. One of his more recent ventures is Outsource School, having scaled the business from zero to eight figures of income. Now he explains the process he uses that makes his companies thrive. On this episode of the Ecommerce Wizards Podcast, Guillaume Le Tual talks with Nathan Hirsch, the Co-founder of Outsource School, the Co-founder and CEO of EcomBalance, and the Co-founder of FreeeUp, about his advice and strategies for launching his businesses from the ground up. They talk about Nathan's entrepreneurial background, the internal structures his teams used, and how they got the word out about their brand. They also take time to break down Outsource School's approach to hiring and freelancing.