Honest Ecommerce

Erin Murray is the Chief Brand Officer at Mad Rabbit, a fast-growing tattoo skincare brand reshaping the way consumers and professional artists approach post-ink care. With deep expertise in brand storytelling, product development, and digital strategy, Erin has helped propel Mad Rabbit to quadruple sales year-over-year and expand from a direct-to-consumer model into major retail partnerships.

Driven by the belief that brand growth stems from authentic community engagement, Erin has steered Mad Rabbit's shift from a purely consumer-first brand to one that deeply integrates pro artist voices. Under her leadership, the brand has launched ambassador programs, refined its identity, and executed a digital-first yet retail-savvy strategy that connects across multiple touchpoints.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:40] Intro
• [00:56] Recognizing emerging consumer needs
• [01:26] Scaling brands before the market exists
• [03:15] Growing communities that drive revenue
• [04:13] Bringing in fractional experts early
• [05:44] Pivoting strategy with real consumer data
• [08:56] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye, Snowball, and Portless
• [12:58] Testing channels before doubling down
• [16:08] Driving foot traffic after landing retail
• [18:16] Thinking beyond direct response marketing
• [18:59] Scaling brands with a holistic mindset
• [20:36] Expanding products to fit customer journeys
• [22:05] Building brands without losing core buyers
• [22:53] Refining brand identity for new markets

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Mad Rabbit is your easy tattoo care solution from soothing new ink to reviving & protecting current ones madrabbit.com/
• Follow Erin Murray linkedin.com/in/airynn00
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Drive revenue through affiliates & referrals socialsnowball.io/honest
• Revolutionize your inventory and fulfillment process portless.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!

Paul Chambers is the Co-Founder of SubSummit, the world’s largest conference dedicated to subscription, membership, and recurring revenue models in the direct-to-consumer space. With over 20 years of experience in subscription commerce, including launching Gentleman's Box in the early 2000s, Paul brings a rare blend of operator insight and community-building expertise to the challenges of scaling retention-first brands.

Driven by the belief that subscriptions are more than a billing model, Paul helped transform SubSummit from a small founder meetup into a global ecosystem, connecting thousands of brands each year. The event fuses tactical content with curated networking and is designed to help ecommerce teams grow beyond one-off purchases and into long-lasting customer relationships.

Each year, Paul and his lean team develop a thematic roadmap for the event, guiding DTC operators through the shifting landscape of loyalty, retention, and membership. From Walmart+ to Amazon Prime to True Classic’s hybrid models, Paul studies the movements of top brands and distills them into actionable lessons for growing recurring revenue.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:42] Intro
• [00:54] Navigating business partner dynamics
• [02:31] Connecting DTC brands through events
• [03:08] Starting with a founder-first vision
• [04:30] Learning big lessons from small niches
• [06:05] Rebranding to reflect the vision
• [06:59] Investing upfront in long-term value
• [10:15] Improving how people connect
• [12:42] Balancing virtual and in-person events
• [14:17] Designing curated table conversations
• [15:48] Making events affordable for founders

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Leading subscription commerce conference subsummit.com/
• Follow Paul Chambers linkedin.com/in/paulcchambers

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!

Demi Marchese is the Founder and Head of Brand at 12th Tribe, a fast-growing fashion brand blending curated style with operational excellence to empower the next generation of confident women. With expertise in merchandising, marketing, and brand-tech integration, Demi turns creative vision into scalable systems that drive real growth.

Bootstrapped from scratch, 12th Tribe reflects Demi’s hands-on leadership across every function, from designing product drops to building workflows that streamline team execution. She’s driven by a mission to not only create beautiful apparel, but to curate a lifestyle rooted in confidence, freedom, and community.

Demi is also a systems thinker, embracing AI and automation to scale brand voice, streamline content, and optimize customer journeys. She’s trained ChatGPT to mirror her own copy style, implemented AI-driven SMS segmentation, and continues to experiment with tools that bring brand and tech closer together.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:40] Intro
• [01:00] Building a site before Shopify blew up
• [03:34] Testing demand without inventory risk
• [05:06] Leveraging organic social growth
• [07:09] Responding quickly to market shifts
• [08:57] Episode Sponsors: Intelligems & Electric Eye
• [12:01] Refocusing on your core customer
• [14:10] Scaling brand voice using AI

Want more insights from top Ecommerce leaders? Our episode guest was a featured speaker at eTail Palm Springs 2025, sharing insights with top Ecommerce minds. If you want to be part of the next big discussions, join eTail Boston in August 2025 and/or eTail Palm Springs in February 2026!

Learn more at eTail’s official sites:

etaileast.wbresearch.com/

etailwest.wbresearch.com/

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Your online vibe director + stylist 12thtribe.com/
• Follow Demi Marchese linkedin.com/in/demimarchese
• Book a demo today at intelligems.io/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/

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!

Robert Cardiff is the co-founder and COO of Laundry Sauce, an 8-figure DTC brand reinventing the way consumers experience laundry. With a background in venture building and performance marketing, Robert helps Ecommerce brands unlock growth by identifying white space, building high-affinity products, and scaling through bold creative bets.

Before launching Laundry Sauce, Robert founded multiple consumer businesses and now leads Give Ventures, a nonprofit teaching entrepreneurship to underserved youth in Central and South America. His work spans brand development, manufacturing operations, investor storytelling, and go-to-market execution—giving him rare end-to-end insight into what it takes to launch premium products in commoditized categories.

In 2021, Robert and his co-founders made a $40,000 investment in a single anchor video—before making a single sale. That video helped legitimize their vision and raise millions in capital, setting the stage for their early DTC success. By skipping Amazon, obsessing over product-market fit, and treating customer feedback as gospel, Robert and his team built a brand people actually love in a category no one cared about.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:39] Intro
• [01:22] Positioning beyond generic options
• [02:18] Differentiating in legacy categories
• [04:05] Asking why they’d buy your product
• [07:04] Iterating through multiple brands
• [08:45] Episode Sponsors: StoreTester and Intelligems
• [11:57] Partnering with top creatives
• [13:18] Launching with paid media first
• [15:33] Hiring experts for each channel
• [17:21] Growing with mostly organic traffic
• [18:10] Getting DTC focus right first
• [20:05] Surveying customers to guide R&D

Want more insights from top Ecommerce leaders? Our episode guest was a featured speaker at eTail Palm Springs 2025, sharing insights with top Ecommerce minds. If you want to be part of the next big discussions, join eTail Boston in August 2025 and/or eTail Palm Springs in February 2026!

Learn more at eTail’s official sites:

etaileast.wbresearch.com/

etailwest.wbresearch.com/

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1
• The World’s Best Smelling Detergent https://laundrysauce.com/
• Follow Robert Cardiff https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertcardiff
• Book a demo today at https://www.intelligems.io/
• Done-for-you conversion rate optimization service https://storetester.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!

Review Link: http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1447700156

Honest Ecommerce is a weekly podcast, community & educational resource providing online store owners with honest, actionable advice to increase their sales and grow their business. Visit http://honestecommerce.co/ for more information.

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Sia Karamalegos is a freelance web developer and web performance engineer helping ecommerce brands turn faster load times into real revenue. As a Google Developer Expert in Web Technologies and a former engineer on Shopify’s performance team, Sia brings a unique blend of hands-on experience and deep technical insight to the challenge of building faster, more performant online stores.

With a passion for developer education and community building, Sia organizes the Eleventy Meetup, Durham Social Hack Night, and a new global web performance meetup, connecting engineers around the world to share real-world tactics and tools. She’s also a frequent international speaker and writer, known for making complex topics like Core Web Vitals and JavaScript performance approachable and actionable.

In 2024, Sia launched ThemeVitals, a tool that benchmarks Shopify themes using real user data—not lab simulations to uncover which themes actually perform well across the devices your customers use. It’s a mission rooted in impact: helping merchants and theme developers make smarter, faster decisions that drive conversion and long-term growth.

Through her work, Sia is redefining how ecommerce teams think about performance, showing that real user data, smart defaults, and community-driven tooling can transform the way we build the web.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:40] Intro
• [01:00] Focusing on real-world site speed fixes
• [02:39] Improving performance metrics for merchants
• [04:22] Translating Google metrics for merchants
• [04:56] Understanding how Core Web Vitals work
• [07:34] Balancing traffic vs technical optimization
• [10:36] Shifting focus from speed to sales
• [13:16] Balancing performance with product experience
• [15:26] Highlighting global device performance gaps
• [16:54] Uploading giant images the wrong way
• [21:04] Auditing your tech stack regularly
• [21:53] Comparing Shopify themes with real data
• [24:11] Balancing features vs speed in theme choice
• [26:00] Avoiding minimalist themes that lack function
• [28:08] Encouraging feedback for future improvements

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Explore real-world Core Web Vitals performance data for popular Shopify themes themevitals.com/
• Web Developer & Performance Engineer sia.codes/
• Follow Sia Karamalegos linkedin.com/in/karamalegos

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!

Jiake Liu is the Co-Founder and CEO of Outer, a brand revolutionizing outdoor living by reimagining furniture and transforming backyards into immersive, functional spaces. With a mission to make life outside effortless and enjoyable, Outer combines eco-friendly materials, durable design, and an innovative showroom model—crowdsourcing real customers’ backyards to create a unique, community-driven shopping experience.

Before launching Outer in 2018, Jiake built his career in tech and software engineering at Riot Games, where he honed his expertise in problem-solving and user experience. Now, as an angel investor and founder, he’s leveraging technology, sustainability, and consumer-first innovation to redefine how people connect with their outdoor spaces.

In 2025, Jiake is taking Outer beyond furniture with Outer Spaces—a proprietary solution designed to convert vacant backyards into fully functional outdoor living spaces, from wellness retreats and dining areas to personal gyms.

Under his leadership, Outer is reshaping the way we think about outdoor living—proving that sustainability, design, and convenience can coexist seamlessly in Ecommerce.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [01:06] Intro
• [01:48] Introducing a new way to sell products
• [03:40] Finding the right investors for growth
• [05:10] Pitching a better product to investors
• [07:38] Building a brand through viral marketing
• [08:35] Building brand trust through storytelling
• [09:43] Validating ideas with ad mockups
• [10:13] Talking to customers before launching
• [11:14] Staying connected with customers post-purchase
• [11:57] Inventing solutions before customers ask for them
• [14:06] Episode Sponsors: StoreTester and Intelligems
• [17:19] Building trust with real product experiences
• [19:58] Turning media buzz into big opportunities
• [22:22] Mastering numbers before raising capital
• [23:27] Building outdoor spaces in one day

Want more insights from top Ecommerce leaders? Our episode guest was a featured speaker at eTail Palm Springs 2025, sharing insights with top Ecommerce minds. If you want to be part of the next big discussions, join eTail Boston in August 2025 and/or eTail Palm Springs in February 2026!

Learn more at eTail’s official sites: 
https://etaileast.wbresearch.com/
https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• The Perfect Outdoor Sofa is Now Within Reach liveouter.com/
• Follow Jiake Liu linkedin.com/in/jiakeliu
• Book a demo today at intelligems.io/
• Done-for-you conversion rate optimization service storetester.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!

Michael Hughes is a trailblazer in the luxury mattress industry, revolutionizing the way consumers experience organic sleep. As the Founder & CEO of PlushBeds, he built one of the largest direct-to-consumer brands specializing in toxin-free, eco-friendly mattresses. Inspired by his father’s battle with Parkinson’s, Michael set out to create a healthier sleep environment—one that blends sustainability with uncompromising comfort.

With 25+ years in Ecommerce and direct selling, Michael transformed PlushBeds into a market leader, becoming one of the largest importers of organic latex in the U.S. His expertise spans product innovation, supply chain mastery, and direct-to-consumer growth strategies, allowing him to scale without sacrificing quality.

Today, Michael is on a mission to redefine luxury sleep, ensuring that health-conscious consumers don’t have to choose between comfort and sustainability. PlushBeds continues to set new standards in organic sleep solutions, proving that a commitment to quality and purpose-driven business can drive long-term success.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:38] Intro
• [01:16] Introducing your brand to new audiences
• [01:49] Pivoting from finance to Ecommerce
• [06:47] Naming the brand with a simple idea
• [07:33] Studying competitors to find market gaps
• [11:44] Asking the right growth questions
• [12:32] Driving traffic with paid search & SEO
• [13:11] Testing orders before realizing it was real
• [14:36] Rebuilding after a devastating setback
• [15:30] Episode Sponsors: StoreTester and Intelligems
• [18:42] Analyzing competitors to stay ahead
• [19:39] Adopting AI but not mastering it yet
• [20:14] Adapting to an AI-native generation
• [21:03] Building a custom mattress-making machine
• [28:20] Listening to feedback to improve products

Want more insights from top Ecommerce leaders? Our episode guest was a featured speaker at eTail Palm Springs 2025, sharing insights with top Ecommerce minds. If you want to be part of the next big discussions, join eTail Boston in August 2025 and/or eTail Palm Springs in February 2026!

Learn more at eTail’s official sites: 
https://etaileast.wbresearch.com/
https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Organic latex mattresses offer superior comfort & support plushbeds.com/
• Follow Michael Hughes linkedin.com/in/michael-hughes-plushbeds
• Book a demo today at intelligems.io/
• Done-for-you conversion rate optimization service storetester.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!

DJ Sprague is a pioneer in Ecommerce reputation management, helping brands turn trust into a competitive advantage. As the CMO of Shopper Approved and co-author of Reputation King, he has spent decades refining strategies that boost online credibility, improve search rankings, and drive revenue growth.

Before joining Shopper Approved, DJ built his career across marketing, advertising, sales, and PR, leading companies to exponential growth—including scaling revenue from $7M to $54M in just four years. With over 35 years of experience and nearly 70 professional certifications, he applies behavioral science principles and ethical influence strategies to help Ecommerce brands win more customers through trust.

Today, DJ is on a mission to redefine reputation management for online sellers. Under his leadership, Shopper Approved has become a Google review partner and the world’s first Diamond Cialdini Certified Marketing Agency, setting new standards in verified reviews, social proof, and search engine dominance. As the digital landscape evolves, DJ is proving that trust isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation of ecommerce success.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:42] Intro
• [01:08] Displaying social proof to boost conversions
• [02:47] Dominating search results with positive reviews
• [03:45] Getting more credibility in Google Shopping
• [05:48] Why trust is the key to first-time buyers
• [09:25] The limits of review distribution
• [10:50] Balancing review collection across platforms
• [12:50] Common mistakes killing your online reputation
• [19:39] Real data on how reviews boost conversions

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• More reviews, traffic, and conversions shopperapproved.com/
• YOUR REPUTATION. NEXT LEVEL reputationking.com/
• Follow DJ Sprague linkedin.com/in/duanesprague

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!

Aman Advani is an innovator, entrepreneur, and the driving force behind Ministry of Supply, a brand redefining comfort in professional clothing. As the CEO and Co-Founder, he has fused engineering, technology, and fashion to create apparel that is soft, stretchy, and wrinkle-free—without the need for dry cleaning or ironing.

Before launching the Ministry of Supply, Aman built his career in management consulting at Deloitte and TechnoServe, developing a sharp eye for problem-solving and operational efficiency. Armed with a BSIE from Georgia Tech and an MBA from MIT, he turned his passion for performance-driven fashion into a thriving brand that has earned recognition from Fast Company, NASA, and Guinness World Records.

Today, Aman is on a mission to engineer the future of apparel. Under his leadership, Ministry of Supply has perfected the balance between comfort and performance, pushing the boundaries of wearable technology, supply chain innovation, and customer-first branding. As the retail landscape shifts, he’s proving that science-driven design isn’t just a trend—it’s the future of fashion.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:39] Intro
• [01:18] Turning DIY fixes into a scalable business
• [02:58] Launching a Kickstarter to validate demand
• [03:36] Refining the product through 14 iterations
• [04:19] Struggling with a supply chain built for 30K
• [04:56] Handling the chaos of rapid demand
• [05:53] Prioritizing backers over new sales
• [06:51] Embracing feedback to improve the product
• [08:01] Building a website before Shopify took over
• [08:59] Regretting early diversification too soon
• [10:12] Episode Sponsors: StoreTester and Intelligems
• [13:25] Defining what makes fashion timeless
• [15:22] Lessons from switching platforms
• [16:13] Optimizing analog strategies for digital growth
• [18:00] Why great products outlast trends
• [19:42] How supply chain strategy drives growth
• [21:12] Balancing art and science in retail
• [21:47] Why personalization is the next big shift

Want more insights from top Ecommerce leaders? Our episode guest was a featured speaker at eTail Palm Springs 2025, sharing insights with top Ecommerce minds. If you want to be part of the next big discussions, join eTail Boston in August 2025 and/or eTail Palm Springs in February 2026!

Learn more at eTail’s official sites: 
https://etaileast.wbresearch.com/
https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Performance Clothes for Work ministryofsupply.com/
• Follow Aman Advani linkedin.com/in/amanadvani
• Book a demo today at intelligems.io/
• Done-for-you conversion rate optimization service storetester.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!

Brandon Horoho is a brand builder, e-commerce strategist, and the driving force behind one of the most innovative American-made knife companies. As the Co-Founder, VP, and CMO of Montana Knife Company (MKC), he has transformed a niche product into a multi-million dollar brand with a cult following.

Before launching MKC, Brandon spent decades in e-commerce and product marketing, overseeing the launch of 1,500+ products across the outdoor and fitness industries. His expertise in community-driven marketing, scarcity-based sales models, and direct-to-consumer growth strategies has helped MKC scale rapidly—without relying on traditional advertising.

Today, Brandon is on a mission to redefine American-made manufacturing in the digital age. Under his leadership, MKC has built a passionate audience of hundreds of thousands, mastering sellout product drops, a unique VIP program, and customer-first engagement strategies. By focusing on transparency, quality, and people-first branding, he’s proving that DTC success isn’t just about sales—it’s about creating a movement.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:41] Intro
• [00:56] Exploring the evolution of product lines
• [01:56] Building a brand during the COVID lockdowns
• [05:05] Scaling from custom batches to forecasting demand
• [08:48] Mentoring young talent to grow the business
• [09:38] Using Instagram content to build brand recognition
• [12:30] Episode Sponsors: StoreTester and Intelligems
• [15:42] Managing a high return customer rate challenge
• [16:41] Turning loyal customers into brand ambassadors
• [19:32] The power of surprise in building brand loyalty
• [20:38] Scaling product drops with lean manufacturing
• [22:36] Forecasting product drops 8 months ahead
• [23:13] Avoiding pre-orders to build trust with customers
• [24:35] Leveraging American-made for authentic marketing

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Working Knives For Working People montanaknifecompany.com/
• Follow Brandon Horoho linkedin.com/in/brandonhoroho/
• Book a demo today at intelligems.io/
• Done-for-you conversion rate optimization service storetester.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!