In this episode of the ASOM Pod, hosts Jimmy Kim (CEO of eCom Email Marketer, formally Founder of Sendlane), John Roman (CEO of BattlBox), Amer Grozdanic (CEO of Praella), and Bryan MacDonald (Direct of eCommerce at Oma’s Pride) tackle the four pillars of a successful eCommerce business, but not in the boring, “MBA textbook” way. They dive into the messy, real-life side of launching and scaling a brand: from product differentiation (why your “unique” product probably isn’t unique enough) to launch strategies that actually build hype, not crickets. Along the way, they poke fun at industry tropes, debate Gary Vee’s influence, and share war stories from scaling in the trenches. This episode is packed with plenty of “wish I knew that sooner” insights.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The Four Pillars that separate thriving eCom brands from forgettable ones.
• How to prep for launch without overthinking yourself into paralysis.
• Why community and affiliates are your unfair advantage.
• The non-negotiables for your first tech stack (and what can wait).
• How to spot when it’s time to optimize, scale, or pivot.
• Why over communication beats silence every time during challenges.
  

Whether you’re dreaming up your first product or already pulling late nights keeping a store alive, this episode gives you the no-BS playbook for launching strong and scaling smart.

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Big shoutout to our sponsors who make this podcast possible!

Omnisend — With 125,000+ eCommerce merchants, Omnisend is the all-in-one email & SMS marketing platform built to deliver seamless, personalized experiences via email and sms with ease. Learn more at https://www.omnisend.com/

LiveRecover — Live Agents for eCommerce — Get more out of your revenue strategy with real-time SMS engagement and sales recovery for higher ROI. Learn more at https://www.LiveRecover.com

Kintsugi — AI that monitors, files, and optimizes sales tax for you. Eliminate your tax headaches forever. Mention ASOM for 3 months free at https://www.TryKintsugi.com

Subscribe at https://asompod.com

Come hang out with us IRL - https://commerceroundtable.com

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00:00 Teaser Trailer

02:43 Intro to The ASOM Pod

06:56 Debating Gary Vee’s Influence and Strategy

16:16 Four Pillars of a Successful eCommerce Business

27:06 Pre-Launch Strategies

27:27 Executing the Launch

28:40 Building Hype and Engagement

29:37 Leveraging Community and Affiliates

32:47 Soft Launch and Testing

42:32 Technical Stack Essentials

48:04 Post-Launch Optimization

51:24 Scaling Your Business

57:00 Final Advice and Conclusion

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Follow Jimmy Kim at: 

X:  https://www.twitter.com/yojimmykim 

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/yojimmykim

IG: https://www.instagram.com/@yojimmykim 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yojimmykim

Follow Bryan MacDonald at:

X: https://www.twitter.com/bryanomaspride

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-macdonald-ct

IG: https://www.instagram.com/@anythingbutasalad

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anythingbutasalad

Follow John Roman at: 

X: https://www.twitter.com/@JohnMRoman

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-roman/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/@johnnyromes

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmroman

Follow Amer Grozdanic at:a 

X: https://www.twitter.com/@AmerGrozdanic

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amer-grozdanic

IG: https://www.instagram.com/@amergrozdanic

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amergrozdanic

Contact us at [email protected] for sponsorships, appearance requests, interviews, or general information!

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