Honest Ecommerce

Mike Feldstein is the founder of Jaspr, an exceptional air purifier designed for high performance but with aesthetics that the D2C market demands. 

Working in the wildfire and flood restoration sector, Mike witnessed how polluted air can damage people’s health, and he discovered that standard air purifiers on the market cannot make substantial improvements in air quality. 

He decided to create something to fix the problem. Jaspr air purifiers have all of the power and efficacy of an air scrubber while being quiet and stylish – something that people would actually use.

Jaye Genung comes from an eclectic career history that includes project management, product development, procurement and account management. 

Her employment history includes medical devices, b2b electro-mechanical and cpg companies. 

This mosaic of experience set the stage for her to be able to start out with her own founder's story.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:48] Intro
• [02:26] Seizing the opportunity to start a business
• [04:10] Considering the working class in product designs
• [04:52] Researching the supply chain with trusted network
• [06:25] Negotiating for MOQs & prioritizing customer needs
• [07:50] Having someone that pushes you and believes in you
• [08:26] Talking to people means building a relationship
• [09:48] Doing your research and creating a strategy
• [10:33] Offering something new & investing on ads 
• [11:26] Gaining traction quickly after the first 100 orders
• [12:02] Investing in ads for customer acquisition
• [12:47] From a side hustle to working full time
• [13:44] Seeing the business grow over the years 
• [14:46] Pushing through amid doubts & mental blocks
• [15:15] What CEOs need to learn and accept
• [16:09] Success is not just one thing
• [17:03] Finding out what you’re good and not good at 
• [17:43] Be honest and reach out to your network
• [18:35] having the best product is not enough
• [19:17] Finding balance in every tenet of your business
• [20:14] Where to get high-quality heated apparel

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• 100% female owned heated apparel company gobiheat.com/
• Follow Gobi Heat on LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/gobi-heat/

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!

One of the most highly regarded independent consultants in his industry, Kurt Elster is a Senior Ecommerce Consultant who helps Shopify merchants like Jay Leno’s Garage uncover hidden profits in their websites through his ecommerce agency Ethercycle. 

With two million downloads, Kurt is best known for hosting The Unofficial Shopify Podcast.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:55] Intro
• [01:55] Compare platform to Shopify before migrating
• [02:51] Figure out why you want to migrate
• [03:45] New things acquired after migrating to Shopify
• [04:44] Migrating helps you reconsider and review things
• [05:26] Maximize migration & explore change opportunities
• [06:40] Prioritize customer service over minor details
• [08:42] Migration is doable, but never easy
• [10:38] Navigating Shopify data migration
• [12:37] The impact of design on migrating
• [14:26] Map out key considerations when migrating
• [16:21] Embrace change to get better results
• [17:21] Keep up and learn new tools and techniques
• [18:28] Make learning easier with efficient solutions
• [19:23] Overcome fear with secure data migration
• [22:19] Streamline unusual Shopify migration
• [24:54] The importance of thorough sample checks
• [25:23] Challenges in subscription & internationalization
• [26:25] Addressing backend processes 
• [27:10] Navage Nose Cleaner’s Shopify migration story
• [28:42] Wheel Wiz’s Shopify migration story
• [29:37] Realities & considerations of a rush migration
• [30:45] Adams Polishes’ migration story
• [31:47] Migration as a line item in a project
• [32:35] Modern Sprout's migration story
• [33:32] WordPress freedom VS Shopify constraints
• [34:43] Corresponding tasks & results of blogging
• [36:10] Shopify’s unique ecosystem advantages
• [38:46] Telltale signs that it’s time to move to Shopify
• [39:27] Migrating during redesign is the key
• [40:09] Leverage Shopify features to implement discounts
• [41:09] Learn more about Kurt Elster

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Ecommerce consultancy for Shopify merchants ethercycle.com/
• Follow Kurt Elster linkedin.com/in/kurtelster/
• Subscribe to Kurt Elster’s newsletter kurtelster.com/
• Listen to Kurt Elster’s podcast unofficialshopifypodcast.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!

Lucas Cao is the President and CEO of Squid Industries, an American manufacturing company with a focus on the butterfly knife and trainer industry.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:49] Intro
• [01:48] Getting interested with the idea of balisong
• [03:00] Becoming a collector & joining the community
• [03:57] Seeing the barriers for interested newcomers
• [04:44] Trying to make a balisong trainer
• [05:37] Discovering the popularity of balisong
• [06:30] Testing the waters and the success rate
• [07:37] Gaining traction bit by bit
• [09:03] Planning things ahead and investing on manpower
• [10:27] Running the business remotely
• [11:15] Purchasing their first manufacturing equipment
• [12:29] Continuing the business full time
• [13:09] Vertical integration and quality control
• [13:53] An unexpected success in hindsight
• [14:32] The meticulous process of picking a brand name
• [17:26] Investing on passion and in the community
• [18:34] The goal is to make the best product possible
• [20:05] Sporadic growth, full of highs and lows
• [21:26] A shift on the velocity of production
• [22:18] Leveraging the resources available to you
• [22:52] Episode sponsors
• [26:17] The challenge in manufacturing and prototyping
• [27:46] The importance of versatility
• [28:50] Maximizing influencer marketing
• [30:20] Standing out from the competition
• [30:54] Trying different avenues of advertising
• [31:39] Effectively conveying your idea to manufacturers
• [34:05] Talk to manufacturers with different processes
• [35:14] Where to find Squid Industries Co.

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• High performance and community-driven balisongs squidindustries.co/  
• Follow Lucas Cao linkedin.com/in/lucas-cao-6a3412b1/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Take your retail business to the next level today https://shopify.com/honest
  Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period
• Schedule your free consultation with a Sendlane expert sendlane.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!

Ryan and Ashley Reynolds are owners of a high 7 figure subscription and e immerse brand that is embracing tactile analog planning in the digital age. 

Ashley founded the business in 2015 and the two have operated the business together ever since.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:49] Intro
• [01:30] Channeling inner entrepreneurial qualities
• [02:13] Entrepreneurship starts from a place of need
• [03:31] Stumbling upon the right community
• [04:00] How Cloth and Paper’s first design came to life 
• [04:49] The shift from personal endeavor to business
• [06:11] Focusing on community engagement
• [07:08] Printing the first products by hand
• [08:16] Growing the business around the community
• [09:14] Learning that customers don’t want other products
• [10:21] Subscription box as a way to liquidate inventory
• [11:08] Episode sponsors
• [14:32] Using an easy subscription platform
• [15:15] Switching to a more robust app 
• [16:21] Maintaining organic growth for 3 years
• [16:53] Tapping into other marketing efforts
• [17:21] Knowing what your customers want at certain times
• [17:52] Leveraging Meta and Google Ads
• [18:16] Fail fast, pivot, and move forward
• [18:51] Hiring employees for tasks you’re not good at
• [19:28] Finding out where your skills best fit 
• [20:03] Keep a lean business for as long as possible
• [21:01] How co-founders should work side by side
• [22:34] Invest in people’s talents and potential growth
• [23:32] Bring in skills that you don't have at a C level
• [24:15] Where to get aesthetic planning tools

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Luxury aesthetic stationery and planners clothandpaper.com/
• Follow Ashley Reynolds linkedin.com/in/ashley-r-a52bb9154/
• Follow Ryan Reynolds https://www.linkedin.com/in/rnr7h/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts https://electriceye.io/connect
• Take your retail business to the next level today https://shopify.com/honest
  Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period
• Schedule your free consultation with a Sendlane expert https://sendlane.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!

Gavin first founded Disco Labs, an agency that specializes in custom solutions for the world's biggest brands. With the sole focus of deep platform knowledge and ecosystem leadership, Disco Labs is the global partner of choice for complex projects involving Shopify. 

In addition to working with startups, scale-ups, and large enterprises, Disco Labs has released numerous open-source projects, and written detailed courses teaching others how to successfully build custom and public applications on Shopify. 

From Disco Labs came Submarine. After over a decade working with leading ecommerce merchants and solving complex challenges for them, we saw the need for better building blocks for merchants, agencies and developers when it comes to customer experiences that go beyond the transactional. 

Originally built as an internal tool to deliver those experiences, Submarine’s now a constantly-evolving platform accessible to all and tasked with making innovative commerce experiences possible for the world’s leading brands. 

Gavin is also the author of The Definitive Guide to Shopify Themes, a slew of popular Shopify frameworks like Bootstrap for Shopify and Cart.js, and numerous articles for publications like net magazine. 

He can often be seen popping up on Shopify podcasts and blogs across the internet, or in person speaking at meetups and conferences around the world.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:49] Intro
• [01:14] Start of the journey on the Shopify ecosystem
• [02:54] Witnessing the evolution of Shopify
• [03:46] The transition from freelancing to running an agency
• [04:45] Being a niche in the early years of Shopify
• [05:55] Agencies aren’t all one size
• [07:18] The contrast between functions and specializations
• [08:24] Custom apps require specific skill sets
• [09:29] New functions & extensions on Shopify products
• [10:16] A platform built for customization requests 
• [11:29] Visible capabilities get people’s attention
• [12:01] Flexibility & accessibility for all merchants
• [12:56] The transition from an agency to a product
• [14:04] Challenges in running two different businesses
• [14:34] The defining moment that motivated the shift
• [15:09] Deciding what’s the top priority
• [16:41] Accepting suggestions from the audience
• [17:55] Seeing your hard work paying off
• [19:07] Shoehorning your business is a sign you need help
• [20:25] Submarine’s approach to different business needs
• [21:06] What Submarine has to offer
• [22:02] The cost of trying to do things on your own
• [22:39] Managing overly complex customization requests
• [23:47] Keeping it simple and applying flexibility
• [25:10] How Submarine can help your business

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Flexible commerce that connects with customers getsubmarine.com/
• Follow Gavin Ballard linkedin.com/in/gavinballard/

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!

Russ is a repeat startup founder with a consistent track record of getting companies from zero to 8 figures+ of revenue. He’s previously on the founding team at Hello Bello. 

Mike is an entrepreneur and angel investor with 10+ years experience in consumer tech and products. He’s previously a founder of PRNCPLS, Co-Founder of Cameo (acquired by Vimeo), Partner at Parlor Coffee. 

Freestyle's diapers and wipes are sold at over 1000 grocery stores around the US, including at all Whole Foods locations nationwide. See their latest designs at www dot freestyle dot world.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:48] Intro
• [01:31] Connecting with your potential co-founder
• [02:31] Establishing what differentiates you from the rest
• [03:11] Using an organic ingredient as a main component
• [03:58] The balance between co-founders & their skill sets
• [05:48] Delegation and stepping into each other’s shoes
• [07:13] Unique challenges of running a diaper brand
• [08:40] Validating the idea through market research
• [09:14] Run ambitious tests to try out if the idea works
• [10:06] Episode sponsors
• [15:13] Dedicating a budget and a strategy
• [16:20] The ideation behind building a prototype
• [17:19] Keeping the capital intact through fundraising
• [18:17] Timeline: from inception to the official launch
• [19:12] Using relevant influencers to spread the word
• [19:42] Launching limited edition merch and accessories
• [20:21] The stereotyped story of becoming a dad
• [21:05] The inspiring story Freestyle wants to deliver
• [21:58] Collaborating with the community
• [23:05] Allocating budget to re-engage audiences
• [23:38] Ensuring a seamless retail experience
• [24:12] Having multiple touch points for wider reach
• [24:44] The secret to a successful D2C business
• [25:46] Where to get high-performance diaper & wipes

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• High-performing diapers for parents and for the planet freestyle.world/
• Follow Guest Russ Wallace linkedin.com/in/russwallace/
• Follow Mike Constantiner linkedin.com/in/mikeconstantiner/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Take your retail business to the next level today shopify.com/honest
  Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period
• Schedule your free consultation with a Sendlane expert sendlane.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!

Walter Hinchman is the CEO and founder of Swolverine. He has multiple fitness certifications, as well as a Masters in Business from the University of Nevada. 

Walter has more than 12 years in the fitness industry, and is currently pursuing his Masters in Human Nutrition And Functional Medicine.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:43] Intro
• [01:14] A business idea from a personal dilemma
• [02:16] Taking the jump to build a startup business
• [02:42] Giving the actual clinical doses customers expect 
• [03:06] Providing full transparency and labeling
• [04:02] Starting with less but gaining more along the way
• [05:03] Taking calculated risks and strategic investments
• [05:42] Challenges push business owners to persevere
• [06:29] Doing your best for anything and everything
• [06:54] Episode sponsors
• [10:18] You are ought to hustle your way up
• [11:40] Exerting efforts to grow your business
• [12:10] Believing in yourself & knowing success takes time
• [13:15] Content is King, Traffic is God
• [14:22] Regularly releasing content to keep the momentum
• [15:04] Gradual Change, Continuous Efforts
• [16:15] Targeting people already connected with the brand
• [17:11] Optimizing content marketing through SEO 
• [18:09] Get performance supplements from Swolverine

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Scientifically proven performance supplements swolverine.com/
• Follow Walter Hinchman linkedin.com/in/walterhinchman/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Take your retail business to the next level today shopify.com/honest
  Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period
• Schedule your free consultation with a Sendlane expert sendlane.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!

Zack Schreier is the cofounder and CEO of Lifestacks, and previously the creator of Quevos Egg White chips for which he secured a deal on Shark Tank. 

As a Type 1 Diabetic, Zack is obsessed with building a lifestyle that supports his health and performance holistically, and he's passionate about creating and sharing products that delight and empower others. 

Zack recognized a widespread deficit in focus, energy, and willpower, leading to the founding of Lifestacks and the development of their first product, a delicious supplement-infused coffee creamer that helps consumers be at their best.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:41] Intro
• [02:03] Being your own health’s steward
• [02:49] Creating the world's first egg-white chips
• [03:41] Kick starting a more high-impact business
• [04:01] Gained exposure from evolving marketing channels
• [05:13] A pivotal experience at Shark Tank
• [05:44] Prepping to effectively pitch the business
• [06:26] A successful deal with an expert in the space
• [06:58] A sustained lift after the Shark Tank episode
• [08:00] Stockpiling inventory to accommodate future demand
• [08:51] Don’t let one time wonders deviate you
• [10:21] Balancing business management and personal goals
• [11:17] Good health means improved daily performance
• [12:50] Rebranding a high commodity product
• [13:51] Episode sponsors
• [19:00] Using a different approach to Lifestacks
• [20:19] Focusing on a specific & accessible target market
• [20:42] Validating products through customer feedback
• [21:22] Repeat purchase as success indicator
• [22:22] The circular causality of business
• [23:10] Driving more awareness to a broader audience
• [23:51] The importance of branding and brand message
• [25:16] The missionary, the mother, and the mechanic
• [26:11] Lifestacks thrive in formulation and R&D
• [27:10] Improving your health with Lifestacks

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Supplement-infused coffee creamer for improved productivity and performance lifestacks.com/
• Follow Zack Schreier linkedin.com/in/zack-schreier-808935137/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Take your retail business to the next level today shopify.com/honest
  Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period
• Schedule your free consultation with a Sendlane expert sendlane.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!

Bahadir, coming from a digital product management background, crafted products for both small online businesses and public DTC companies like Martha Stewart’s Marley Spoon. 

In the past 5 years, he has been leading his tech company Fabrikatör (can be read as fabricator in English) building solutions for DTC businesses.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:49] A business born out of witnessing inventory pains
• [02:47] Providing solution for out of stock/overstock  
• [03:48] Challenges arise when solving inventory issues
• [04:58] When an inventory planning software is needed
• [06:10] Prepare your stocks for peak seasons
• [06:37] Prioritize inventory as early as you can
• [07:24] Learn spreadsheets for a solid foundation
• [08:14] The painful lag between investments and supply
• [09:38] Using a unified platform to track all operations
• [10:41] Monitor where you park your cash and capital
• [11:38] Inventory forecasting makes or breaks a business
• [12:35] Successfully using pre-orders as a research tool
• [14:10] Your storefront reflecting your inventory
• [15:15] An inventory solution for every step of operations
• [16:56] Pre-orders as a safety net for unexpected issues
• [17:45] Inventory issues affect marketing efforts as well
• [18:41] Collaborative platform for marketing and operations
• [19:43] Overstocking costs more in an ever-changing market
• [20:20] Reducing carbon footprint as an Ecommerce business
• [21:21] Get started with Fabrikator’s all-around solutions

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Inventory management software for Shopify fabrikator.io/
• Follow Bahadir Efeoglu linkedin.com/in/befeoglu/

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!