Sam Shames is the Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Embr Labs, the company behind the Embr Wave: a wristband that heats and cools to help people manage comfort, sleep, stress, and hot flashes.

What started as a project in an MIT prototyping competition turned into a 12-year journey building a hardware company from scratch. Along the way, Sam and his co-founders grew Embr Labs to 200,000+ units sold, $50M+ in lifetime revenue, and $66M in venture funding. A $100K Kickstarter goal became $630K in sales, powered by a loyal community they engaged long before launch.

Sam’s path blends technical innovation with customer-driven growth. From proving the science behind their product, to surviving on $2K a month while raising capital, to pivoting into a hardware subscription model, he’s learned what it really takes to scale an ecommerce hardware brand.

Whether you’re building a DTC product, validating a new idea, or evolving your business model to better serve customers, Sam offers an unfiltered look at the grind, the pivots, and the lessons behind turning a student prototype into a category-defining company.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:42] Intro
• [01:03] Sharing early lessons in subscription
• [01:34] Connecting through founder communities
• [02:26] Brainstorming solutions to real pain points
• [03:21] Receiving thousands of customer emails
• [03:58] Deciding to sell when demand was clear
• [04:52] Realizing experience changes decisions
• [05:14] Understanding the customer segments
• [06:34] Raising angel and pre-seed funding
• [07:41] Building community through early feedback
• [08:53] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye, Heatmap, Grow
• [12:05] Preparing manufacturing before crowdfunding
• [14:10] Adapting playbooks as channels change
• [15:36] Spotting misalignment in value capture
• [18:00] Screening customers to limit fraud
• [19:08] Partnering with experts on subscriptions
• [19:51] Highlighting temperature as a daily pain point
• [21:32] Showing value instantly on first try

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Personal temperature control embrlabs.com/
• Follow Sam Shames linkedin.com/in/samshames
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Clear, real-time data built for ecommerce optimization heatmap.com/honest
• The Premier Conference for Ecommerce Operators joingrow.com

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Shawn Khemsurov is the Co-Founder of Electric Eye, a Shopify design and development agency, and a Partner at Feel, a brand studio where art meets commerce. With over ten years of experience in fashion retail, Shawn has worked with iconic brands including Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap Inc, Nike, Homage, and Only NY, spanning everything from digital experiences to product design.

Shawn’s journey started in retail, where he immersed himself in the many facets of the industry: from visual merchandising to customer experience, giving him an ability to understand exactly what his clients need. He combines this insight with design expertise to create unique, engaging experiences that drive sales and build brand loyalty.

Whether you’re running an Ecommerce brand or building your first Shopify store, Shawn offers a candid, insider look at what it takes to create digital experiences that sell and delight customers.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:44] Intro
• [01:18] Avoiding hiring the wrong designer
• [02:34] Identifying gaps in specialized expertise
• [03:39] Assessing designs for sales potential
• [04:29] Evaluating expertise before hiring partners
• [05:06] Balancing creativity with usability
• [09:02] Providing consulting upfront for clarity
• [11:19] Avoiding overloading the homepage
• [14:42] Focusing on what users actually see
• [15:26] Choosing the right theme upfront
• [16:38] Collaborating with competent developers
• [17:29] Balancing custom design and Shopify

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Brand studio and creative partner feel.studio/work
• Follow Shawn Khemsurov linkedin.com/in/shawnkhemsurov/

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

John Clark is the founder of Modern Shelving and Tandm Surf, two brands born from a simple idea: if he could sell it, his wife, an engineer, could build it. What started as a family-run shelving business evolved into a global Ecommerce company, while a day on the water with his daughter inspired an inflatable tandem surfboard that would later appear on Shark Tank.

John’s journey blends practicality with creativity. From solving everyday pain points with shelving to creating a patented surfboard that makes riding waves accessible to anyone, he’s built businesses that reflect both lifestyle and innovation. Along the way, he’s navigated the challenges of pitching on national TV, scaling niche products in the DTC market, and balancing multiple ventures without losing his entrepreneurial spark.

Whether you’re running a growing ecommerce brand or looking to turn family values into scalable business, John offers an honest look at what it takes to transform passion into products people love and companies that last.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:37] Intro
• [01:21] Launching new products to fuel business growth
• [03:14] Adopting Google Adwords to drive early sales
• [04:00] Turning family traditions into a business idea
• [05:39] Making surfing accessible to everyone
• [07:07] Sharing prototypes at the beach for feedback
• [08:00] Pitching novelty ideas that capture attention
• [09:28] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye, Heatmap, Grow
• [12:40] Answering what really happens after the deal
• [14:29] Leveraging the Shark Tank bump for growth
• [17:56] Using events to build brand visibility
• [19:06] Finding the right partner for long-term success
• [19:40] Patenting inflatable boards for portability
• [20:45] Building community beyond physical products
• [23:01] Encouraging entrepreneurs to think globally

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Versatile designs + unique storage solutions for any space modernshelving.com/
• Shark Tark approved Tandem bodyboards and pool saddles tandmsurf.com/
• Follow John Clark linkedin.com/in/johngclark
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Clear, real-time data built for ecommerce optimization heatmap.com/honest
• The Premier Conference for Ecommerce Operators joingrow.com

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Allison Luvera and Lauren De Niro Pipher are the Co-Founders of Juliet Wine, where they’re redefining boxed wine with award-winning California varietals and eco-conscious cylindrical packaging that challenges the category’s decades-old perception. Allison is an award-winning brand builder with a dual BS in Finance and Marketing from Boston College, an MBA from The Wharton School, and WSET Level 2 Certification in Wine. She’s also a founding member of the Alternative Packaging Alliance, a coalition of high-end boxed wine brands dedicated to advancing sustainable packaging in the wine industry. 

Lauren brings nearly two decades of sales, business development, investor relations, and design expertise from leading roles at Virgin Galactic, Uber, and Douglas Elliman, along with a BS in Culture & Communications from NYU and a Sustainability Certification from Cambridge University’s Judge School of Business.

Before launching Juliet, Allison built a career leading brand strategy, design, and storytelling for premium products, earning a reputation for transforming overlooked categories into high-value lifestyle experiences. Lauren honed her skills in building relationships, scaling sales, and translating brand vision into tangible growth. Together, they’ve created a brand that blends “affordable luxury” with modern consumer expectations and a design-first approach that stands apart from traditional boxed wine.

In this episode, Allison and Lauren share how they spotted an opportunity to reimagine boxed wine, why they launched DTC first to prove product-market fit, and how they tested seven price points to find the sweet spot before expanding to retail. They also reveal how early customer data shaped their go-to-market strategy and helped secure high-quality retail partners who understood Juliet’s unique value.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:40] Intro
• [01:07] Highlighting sustainability as a core advantage
• [01:58] Reimagining a category for modern consumers
• [03:46] Meeting evolving consumer demands head-on
• [05:21] Sourcing partners to match product vision
• [06:55] Reframing consumer perceptions of boxed wine
• [09:03] Prototyping early to speed market entry
• [09:20] Testing multiple price points before scaling
• [11:47] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye, Heatmap, Zamp
• [15:44] Adjusting pricing after early market feedback
• [17:33] Making decisions to drive progress forward
• [19:21] Proving product-market fit to win distributors
• [20:48] Proving demand before pitching big retailers
• [21:10] Meeting online customers where they are 
• [22:38] Boosting AOV with strategic bundles

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Eco-friendly and delicious luxury boxed wine drinkjuliet.com/
• Follow Allison Luvera linkedin.com/in/allisonluvera
• Follow Lauren De Niro Pipher linkedin.com/in/iamldp
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Clear, real-time data built for ecommerce optimization heatmap.com/honest
• Fully managed sales tax solution for Ecommerce brands zamp.com/honest

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Marielle Bobo is the VP of Content at Shoptalk Spring and Fall, where she curates programming and secures industry-leading speakers to spark the most important conversations in retail and ecommerce. She’s spent 25 years in cross-platform media, serving as Editor-in-Chief & SVP of Programming at EBONY, Fashion Director at Essence, and shaping fashion, beauty, and retail narratives at Womenswear Daily, Allure, and Cosmopolitan.

Before taking the helm at Shoptalk’s content strategy, Marielle built a career telling stories that resonate: across print, digital, video, and live events, earning a reputation for translating trends into actionable insights. That lens now drives how she programs Shoptalk, ensuring attendees walk away with strategies they can implement immediately.

Marielle shares what’s different about Shoptalk Fall this year compared to year one, the genesis of the brand-new Leadership track, and why now is the moment for retail leaders to think differently about org design, planning, and agility. She also reveals which sessions ecommerce store owners and DTC brands can’t afford to miss, plus how her editorial background influences the way she curates content for maximum impact.

Whether she’s explaining how to navigate a packed agenda or uncovering the most relevant themes for today’s volatile retail landscape, Marielle offers a candid look at how great content can transform an industry event into a growth engine.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:40] Intro
• [01:01] Exploring global event series for innovators
• [02:05] Kicking off with immersive retail experiences
• [04:13] Planning your conference strategy in advance
• [06:20] Recapping key learnings before the show ends
• [09:50] Learning from leading retail and DTC brands
• [11:51] Finding solutions through casual conversations
• [12:58] Highlighting brick-and-mortar’s role in Ecommerce

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Organizing retail’s industry’s very best events shoptalk.com/
• Providing senior execs workshops, strategy sessions, Chicago retail tours, insights from 130+ leaders, and targeted connections fall.shoptalk.com/
• Follow Marielle Bobo linkedin.com/in/marielle-bobo

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Hannah Ruhamah Crum is the Founder of Kombucha Kamp, the leading education platform and Ecommerce brand for homebrewed kombucha. She’s also the co-author of The Big Book of Kombucha and the cofounder and former president of Kombucha Brewers International, where she’s helped shape industry standards for fermentation and transparency.

Before launching Kombucha Kamp, Hannah was a language teacher and aspiring actress who stumbled into kombucha at a raw food restaurant in San Francisco. A single sip turned into a full-blown obsession, leading her to teach local brewing classes out of her apartment, blog about the gut microbiome, and ship SCOBYs from her kitchen table before launching a full Ecommerce operation.

Hannah shares how she followed inbound demand signals to grow from DIY educator to industry leader, why homemade kombucha is different from store-bought, and how she scaled without outside capital. She also unpacks how COVID reshaped her business overnight, why she walked away from a quarter-million-dollar facility, and what she's learned about managing people without formal training.

Whether she’s explaining what it means to be a “bacteria farmer” or how her belief in gut health intersects with spiritual wellness, Hannah offers a candid look at what it takes to build a mission-driven CPG brand from scratch.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:40] Intro
• [01:15] Selling starter kits not just products
• [02:34] Discovering a product by total accident
• [04:56] Blogging to fix misinformation online
• [06:16] Podcasting early to build brand authority
• [09:05] Reclaiming gut health through real food
• [10:44] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye, Heatmap, Zamp
• [14:42] Protecting tradition through policy advocacy
• [18:51] Rebuilding ops with a lighter footprint
• [21:30] Outsourcing production for better margins
• [23:02] Building loyalty with rewards that convert

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Providing free information and education about Kombucha kombuchakamp.com
• Follow Hannah Ruhamah Crum linkedin.com/in/hannahcrumla
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Clear, real-time data built for ecommerce optimization heatmap.com/honest
• Fully managed sales tax solution for Ecommerce brands zamp.com/honest

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Leah Garcia is the Founder & CEO of NULASTIN®, the first beauty brand to commercialize elastin-based haircare. With a background as a professional athlete and award-winning media personality, Leah brings a performance mindset to DTC brand building, combining storytelling, product innovation, and operational grit.

Before launching NULASTIN, Leah built a successful career in broadcast journalism and sports media, covering professional bull riding for CBS and competing internationally in mountain biking. That same tenacity shows up in how she scaled NULASTIN to $17.5M in revenue before hiring her first employee, bootstrapping the brand through direct response marketing, Indiegogo campaigns, and scrappy user-generated content.

Leah shares why she shifted from a crowded skincare category to focus on brows and lashes, how “less polished” creative outperformed high-production assets, and why authenticity still drives her best-performing ads. She also breaks down her product development process, the metrics she tracks most closely, and how she’s approaching influencer and affiliate marketing now that the brand has scaled.

Whether she’s explaining why awkward websites sometimes convert better or why prestige branding can alienate loyal buyers, Leah offers a no-BS look at building a beauty brand that lasts without relying on glossy tactics or VC backing.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:43] Intro
• [01:20] Launching niche beauty products with clear focus
• [02:00] Identifying a personal need in the market
• [03:20] Investing early in a science-backed idea
• [04:30] Taking control after early business loss
• [05:36] Accepting risk when investing your own money
• [06:53] Bootstrapping with decks, debt, and side hustles
• [09:22] Trusting instinct over validation frameworks
• [10:38] Learning from regulatory arrogance
• [12:55] Leveraging infomercial skills for DTC
• [14:46] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye, Heatmap & Zamp
• [18:43] Focusing early on user generated content
• [20:42] Understanding the tradeoffs of premium branding
• [22:30] Selling before customers hit the website
• [23:20] Learning from infomercial-driven growth
• [27:29] Blending legacy service with modern tech

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Elastin-based hair and skincare nulastin.com/
• Follow Leah Garcia linkedin.com/in/leah-garcia-592988
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Clear, real-time data built for ecommerce optimization heatmap.com/honest
• Fully managed sales tax solution for Ecommerce brands zamp.com/honest

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Aaron Zagha is the Chief Marketing Officer at Newton Baby, the largest direct-to-consumer brand in the baby sleep category. With a background in investment banking at Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan, Aaron brings a financial operator’s lens to performance marketing, attribution modeling, and team leadership.

Before joining Newton, Aaron led international Ecommerce for Teleflora, managing growth across global markets and navigating the complexity of seasonal retail cycles and cross-border logistics. Today, he applies that same analytical rigor to the world of baby and juvenile goods where trust, conversion, and retention all hinge on deeply personalized journeys.

Aaron shares how finance-trained marketers bring discipline to growth forecasting, why he encourages his team to challenge attribution models, and how incrementality testing has become central to his media mix. He also unpacks the pitfalls of over-indexing on Meta, why Pinterest deserves more spend, and how to onboard new marketing hires with the right mental models from day one.

Whether he's explaining why some site visitors can’t be influenced or why channel diversification is more urgent than ever, Aaron delivers a clear-eyed, tactical view into what’s working in DTC marketing today.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:40] Intro
• [01:13] Finding opportunity through internal mobility
• [02:34] Building with seasoned tech entrepreneurs
• [03:09] Keeping connections that open future doors
• [03:53] Auditing channel mix to unlock growth
• [04:50] Applying stats to improve ad performance
• [05:54] Selling off-site and skewing test results
• [08:00] Optimizing upstream metrics with caution
• [09:00] Driving sales with offer and positioning
• [10:19] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye & Zamp
• [12:44] Relying on incrementality to guide spend
• [14:20] Backing bold ideas with leadership support
• [15:31] Humanizing luxury to boost relatability
• [17:01] Turning off losers without ending the test
• [20:14] Feeding AI tools to stay effective
• [21:11] Measuring performance with GeoLift tests

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• #1 rated baby crib mattress newtonbaby.com/
• Follow Aaron Zagha linkedin.com/in/aaronzagha
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Fully managed sales tax solution for Ecommerce brands zamp.com/honest

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Donata Stroink-Skillrud is an attorney licensed in Illinois, a Certified Information Privacy Professional, and President of Termageddon, a SaaS platform transforming how eCommerce businesses handle legal compliance. Built at the intersection of privacy law expertise and technology, Termageddon helps online businesses stay compliant with ever-changing privacy regulations, without needing a legal team.

After years of working directly with contract law, consumer protection, and international privacy regulations, Donata saw firsthand how fragmented, outdated, and risky privacy compliance had become for Ecommerce websites. What started as manual legal work soon evolved into an automated solution that identifies which privacy laws apply to a business and generates up-to-date, accurate website policies in minutes—not weeks.

Donata brings a legal insider’s perspective to the realities of online selling, breaking down complex regulations into practical steps for founders. From helping brands avoid FTC fines on subscription renewals, to clarifying why state privacy laws apply to your store, Donata explains the hidden legal pitfalls that quietly erode Ecommerce growth and how to protect against them.

Whether sharing how generic privacy templates leave stores exposed, why recurring billing pages are the newest legal battleground, or how to future-proof your policies against incoming U.S. state laws, Donata delivers a tactical, no-nonsense playbook for reducing legal risk and building customer trust.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:42] Intro
• [01:04] Breaking down contract laws for entrepreneurs
• [02:02] Explaining why Shopify won’t cover your compliance
• [03:57] Breaking down real costs of ignoring privacy laws
• [06:53] Clarifying why location won’t shield your store
• [08:10] Highlighting false refund claims that trigger fines
• [11:54] Identifying which privacy laws apply to you
• [13:36] Turning repetitive legal work into automation
• [14:55] Updating policies before laws take effect
• [16:29] Receiving automatic updates without extra effort
• [17:15] Saving weeks of legal work with automation
• [18:12] Staying compliant as privacy laws keep changing

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Protects business from fines and lawsuits termageddon.com/
• Follow Donata Stroink-Skillrud linkedin.com/in/donata-stroink-skillrud

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Jess Berman is the Chief Brand Officer and co-owner of BodyBio, a family-owned supplement brand redefining cellular health through premium, science-backed formulations. Built at the intersection of clinical credibility and modern digital commerce, BodyBio is helping bridge the gap between practitioner-trusted products and direct-to-consumer wellness, making elite cellular health accessible to more people than ever before.

After spending years deeply connected to BodyBio’s practitioner roots, Jess stepped into a leadership role during a pivotal shift: moving the business from B2B-only to a thriving DTC brand. What began as a family legacy focused on scientific excellence evolved into a broader mission of education, access, and brand storytelling, bringing cellular health out of the doctor’s office and into everyday routines.

Though she didn’t come from a traditional DTC background, Jess brings strategic clarity to every stage of growth, navigating channel tradeoffs, building dual B2B and DTC ecosystems, and balancing hyper-targeted paid media with high-trust organic growth.

Whether discussing how BodyBio fixed its reliance on branded traffic, why affiliate funnels outperformed typical influencer playbooks, or how brand guidelines helped unify internal teams and external agencies, Jess offers a transparent and tactical perspective on scaling a modern wellness brand without sacrificing trust.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:43] Intro
• [01:52] Rebuilding websites to unlock conversions
• [03:16] Growing brand awareness through omnichannel
• [04:26] Bootstrapping marketing with a two-person team
• [05:40] Managing fulfillment while scaling DTC
• [07:18] Finding new customers through authority partners
• [09:31] Testing creative angles to convert cold traffic
• [11:34] Leading growth through transparency and story
• [12:21] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye, Reach & Zamp
• [15:52] Defining brand guidelines before scaling online
• [17:52] Testing incrementality before scaling Amazon
• [18:48] Skipping short-term wins for long-term brand health
• [20:48] Preparing for shoppable AI disrupting search

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Supplements Made From Science https://bodybio.com/
• Follow Jess Berman https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesshkane
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Level up your global sales withreach.com/honest  
• Fully managed sales tax solution for Ecommerce brands zamp.com/honest

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!