Honest Ecommerce

Robert was born and raised in Maryland and went to UMD for undergrad. 

He joined the US Marines while still studying and in 2003, took a year off for Operation Iraqi Freedom with a light armored reconnaissance unit. 

After his deployment, he received his Bachelors in Economics with a Minor in Math and moved to NYC to work at UBS in investment banking. 

After a few years, he moved to South America for a year to learn Spanish and to do an Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile marathon). 

After completing the race, he came back to NYC and worked at Goldman Sachs in their Principal Strategies Group investing around the world and across various industries before receiving an MBA from the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania). 

After graduation, he moved to Korea for a year to look for startup ideas and moved back to NYC as the CEO and cofounder of Slidejoy.

Slidejoy was acquired by Buzzvil in 2017. 

After running the US operations of Buzzvil, he co founded P.S. with a few friends. 

Raja Agnani was born in Queens, NY, and has spent the majority of his life in Southern California. 

After graduating from UCLA as a Regents Scholar with a BS in Biology, he worked in investment banking at Jefferies & Company in San Francisco. 

Raja then worked at Relativity Media, a private equity-backed investment firm and media startup, where he evaluated and executed 25+ investments in top Hollywood films and other media entities.

He left this role to pursue his MBA at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. 

After graduating, Raja worked at Facebook, where he led business strategy and operations within the sales organization, and helped some of the largest advertisers in the world grow their businesses utilizing Facebook and Instagram. 

An entrepreneur at heart, Raja has always wanted to start his own company — combining his desire to create high quality consumer products and a passion for Ecommerce, he co-founded P.S.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:22] Rob’s Ecom background
• [03:26] Raja’s Ecom background
• [05:37] Do you need a co-founder?
• [10:38] The lack of competition in the market
• [14:47] Regulations in the condom industry
• [17:06] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [17:26] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [18:10] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [19:37] Sponsor: BeProfit beprofit.co
• [21:08] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [22:13] What makes PS different
• [24:09] Developing trust is important for brands like PS
• [29:16] Growth and success is a learning process
• [31:05] Your brand is a representation of you
• [32:44] Think about the long-term in your brand
• [33:35] Building relationships through interactions
• [34:38] Where to find PS condoms

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Thinner, smoother condoms that don’t smell psgoodtimes.com
• Connect with Rob linkedin.com/in/trobseo
• Connect with Raja linkedin.com/in/rajaagnani
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Visit beprofit.co and use code HONEST15 to get an exclusive 15% off any plan for the lifetime of your plan
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.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!

Charles McElroy is founder of Goldleaf, a science-forward printing company specializing in guided notebooks and elegant prints for cannabis patients, growers, and enthusiasts. 

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Goldleaf sells to 5 continents and custom designs for like-minded organizations around the world. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:12] Quick background for Gold Leaf
• [01:53] Where the idea of Gold Leaf came from
• [05:49] Working to gain experience
• [07:52] Novel ideas vs niches
• [10:51] Marketing vice products
• [12:44] The challenges and benefits of SEO
• [14:30] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [14:50] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [15:34] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [17:00] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [17:33] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [18:20] SEO capabilities of Shopify
• [19:20] The iterative process of SEO
• [19:47] On-page and off-page SEO
• [23:41] The Shopify link structure
• [24:56] Goldleaf’s tech stack
• [27:51] Native vs third-party integrations
• [28:57] Customizing Shopify notifications
• [29:06] Integrating orders from multiple sources
• [31:27] Go where your customers are
• [34:08] The difficulty of being shadow banned
• [36:30] The Farm Bill actually made the industry worse
• [37:51] Where to find Goldleaf

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Botanical science with thoughtful, minimalist design shopgoldleaf.com
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.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!

Alexa Leigh is a contemporary jewelry line based in Miami with roots in both Aspen and New York. 

Founded by Alexa Leigh Meyer, the brand was launched in 2010 with the intent to create sentimental value behind each piece. 

The collection spans from ball bracelets to chain necklaces, rings, anklets, and earrings. 

What makes our line so unique is that anything can be customized, with special charms or special requests in order to make one of a kind pieces for you and your loved ones.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:06] Starting a jewelry business online
• [04:38] Gaining experience to help your Ecom
• [06:06] From first collection to full-time
• [07:09] The changes from side hustle to full-time
• [09:02] Alexa Leigh’s customer acquisition plan
• [10:55] The benefits of personifying your brand
• [11:58] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [12:18] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [13:08] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [14:28] Sponsor: BeProfit beprofit.co
• [15:59] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [16:47] Being authentic and AL’s viral hashtag
• [18:57] Inventory is always a challenge
• [20:44] Go with your gut and do things differently
• [22:38] Don’t just follow competitor strategies
• [24:10] Influencing vs inspiring
• [24:51] Where to find Alexa Leigh

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• A contemporary jewelry line based in Miami with roots in both Aspen and New York alexaleigh.com
• Connect with Alexa linkedin.com/in/alexa-meyer-29816a11
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Visit beprofit.co and use code HONEST15 to get an exclusive 15% off any plan for the lifetime of your plan
• Get a started with a free account at klaviyo.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!

Joe Johnson believes that he was born to be an entrepreneur. 

From the age of 5 years old he was creating his own businesses and he loved every second of it. 

Joe has been featured on ABC's Shark Tank, Forbes 30 Under 30, USA Today and others. 

As a student athlete, he was the Captain of the Michigan State Wrestling team, while achieving the highest honors and graduating with a degree in Finance from the Honors College with a perfect 4.0 GPA. 

Joe is the husband to an incredible wife and father to two wonderful kids, who are going to change the world. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:17] Entrepreneur since 5 yrs old
• [02:28] The unflattering side of owning a business
• [03:23] Where the idea of Vade came from
• [05:20] Novel ideas vs improvements
• [06:54] From proof of concept to multiple launches
• [08:32] The focus on getting the customer educated
• [11:38] Using curiosity as a selling point
• [12:14] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [12:34] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [13:18] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [14:45] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [15:17] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [16:04] When VADE picked up the pace
• [19:28] The past few years of growth for VADE
• [21:41] Propping up Ecom through expanding retail
• [22:09] VADE’s 2022 goals
• [22:57] How has Joe’s role changed over the years?
• [24:35] Leadership is different from entrepreneurship
• [27:30] Where to find VADE 

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Protein Powder, Pre-Workout & Meal Replacement vade-nutrition.com
• Connect with Joe linkedin.com/in/joe-johnson-b57210123
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.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!

Kyle LaFond is the Founder of American Provenance. 

Kyle started his career as a wildlife biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources but later transitioned into teaching middle school science. 

During his years as an educator he became passionate about encouraging his students to use safe, natural personal care products. 

This led to the launch of American Provenance from a renovated machine shed on his family’s 4th generation dairy farm. 

Kyle is always willing to share his experiences and has continued to help and mentor startup founders across the country. 

In his free time Kyle likes to work on various projects around his family farm. 

On nice weekends you can find him hiking or fishing on some of Wisconsin’s wonderful public properties. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:09] Kyle’s very interesting founding story
• [03:25] Becoming more than just a project
• [04:49] First products that were brought to market
• [06:16] From brick and mortar to D2C
• [10:02] Amazon is a necessary evil
• [11:47] Sales velocity and economies of scale
• [13:29] Guidelines to consider in-house or partners
• [15:03] AOV is a big consideration
• [15:28] How Kyle increases AOV in their Shopify site
• [17:16] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [17:36] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [18:21] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [19:51] Sponsor: BeProfit beprofit.co
• [21:18] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [22:15] Lifetime value in relation to AOV
• [24:00] LTV formula is different for every business
• [24:39] How AP is different from competition
• [26:26] Just doing it and the importance of roles
• [28:01] Where to find Kyle and his products

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Minimal-ingredient personal care products that contain no harsh chemicals, preservatives or artificial ingredients, and are always cruelty-free. americanprovenance.com
• Read Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business eosworldwide.com/rocket-fuel-book
• Read Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business eosworldwide.com/traction-book
• Connect with Kyle linkedin.com/in/kyle-lafond-b11055b9
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Visit beprofit.co and use code HONEST15 to get an exclusive 15% off any plan for the lifetime of your plan
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.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!

Austin Brawner is an Ecommerce business coach and the host of the Ecommerce Influence podcast. 

About 5 years ago, he built a successful eCommerce growth agency and worked with a bunch of brands you’ve probably heard of like MVMT Watches, Pura Vida Bracelets, Blenders Eyewear, Kettle & Fire, Tecovas, and Four Sigmatic. 

He has an intimate knowledge of what it looks like in the trenches of fast-growing DTC brands. 

He also has an inside perspective on all the ways business owners sabotage themselves from building the lives they want — because he's done it to himself in the past. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:25] Chase and Austin had similar Ecom starts
• [02:08] Austin’s Ecommerce journey
• [04:27] Early marketing automation software
• [05:07] Brands that Austin worked with
• [07:39] Any automation is beneficial and profitable
• [09:23] Owned and retention vs paid and rented
• [10:01] Pushing to grow vs knowing what makes you grow
• [12:46] Being first is not enough
• [13:35] Negativity hurts your success
• [16:21] Mindset makes it easier or harder to work
• [17:07] A day in the life of Austin
• [19:56] Learning through books and other founders
• [21:16] Relationships and timelines
• [23:03] The 3 business lifecycle stages
• [24:38] Think like marketers, not manufacturers
• [25:47] Think first before outsourcing creative work
• [26:41] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [27:01] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [27:46] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [29:12] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [29:45] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [30:32] The Effortless Growth Operating System
• [33:51] The EGO System is accessible through membership
• [35:00] Determining what you really want
• [36:03] Grow your business to a point 
• [37:33] Making your growth simple
• [38:26] Ask better questions
• [39:07] Paint a clear picture of where you want to go
• [40:34] Focus on one goal at a time
• [41:14] Assemble your championship squad
• [42:33] Sticking to your philosophy
• [43:47] Circumventing processes lead to bad people
• [47:08] Raise the floor
• [48:00] Run an agency or an Ecom business?
• [49:04] Books that changed Austin’s life
• [50:41] Reverse testimonials
• [52:19] Where to find Austin

Resources:

• Unlock massive growth in your business without burning out brandgrowthexperts.com
• Convert more visitors into paying customers ecommerceinfluence.com
• Connect with Austin austinbrawner.com linkedin.com/in/austinbrawner
• Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine mikemichalowicz.com/profit-first
• Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business eosworldwide.com/traction-book
• Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future cameronherold.com/vivid-vision
• Who: The A Method for Hiring whothebook.com
• Double Your Profits: In Six Months or Less (Packaging May Vary) amazon.com/Double-Your-Profits-Months-Less/dp/088730740X
• Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits simplenumbers.me/the-books
• The Brain Audit psychotactics.com/products/the-brain-audit-32-marketing-strategy-and-structure
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.com/honest
• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube 

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!

In a few short years, Steve Sando has taken the lowly bean from a neglected legume to superstar-status ingredient. 

Sando’s company, Rancho Gordo, grows, imports, and promotes heirloom and heritage varieties while working directly with consumers and chefs like Thomas Keller, Deborah Madison, Paula Wolfert, and David Kinch. 

Sando’s seed saving, bean production, and marketing efforts provide professional and home chefs with heirloom beans that would otherwise have been lost to history. 

The beans, along with corn, chiles, and tomatoes, have become key ingredients in the new American food revolution centered in Sando’s native San Francisco Bay Area. 

In fact, Sando and Rancho Gordo were named number two on Saveur Magazine’s “The Saveur 100 list for 2008.” 

Bon Appetit magazine declared Sando one of the Hot 10 in the food world of 2009. 

Food + Wine magazine placed Steve “at the forefront of the current seed-saving movement.” 

Steve’s three books are Heirloom Beans (Chronicle, 2008) (with Vanessa Barrington), The Rancho Gordo Bean Growers Guide (Timber 2011) and Supper at Rancho Gordo (Rancho Gordo Books 2014). Heirloom Beans is in its fourth printing. 

Steve Sando came to agriculture not from the 4H club but from the grocery store. As a frustrated home cook, he decided to grow the ingredients he wanted in his kitchen. 

At the forefront of neglected ingredients were beans. Although they are an indigenous product of the Americas, the only beans available commercially to most home cooks were pintos, navys, and kidneys. 

Discovering heirloom beans to be as rich and varied as heirloom tomatoes, Sando almost singlehandedly created the market for these unique and worthwhile legumes. 

He now grows more than 25 varieties in California and works with small indigenous farmers in Mexico to import their heirloom beans for the U.S. market. He lives in Napa and travels frequently throughout the Americas. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:38] Why beans?
• [02:15] Rancho Gordo’s first Ecom platform
• [03:24] Why Steve had to hire
• [04:07] How Rancho Gordo got its first customers
• [05:13] The moment Steve took it seriously
• [06:51] Shopify’s evolution throughout the years
• [07:19] Email marketing and product-market fit
• [09:04] You don’t have to be an expert
• [09:31] Competition based on talent, not budget
• [10:17] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [10:37] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [11:22] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [12:49] Sponsor: BeProfit beprofit.co
• [14:20] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [15:07] Scaling Rancho Gordo’s email list
• [16:11] What helped RG have consistent growth?
• [18:27] Having a niche produces passionate people
• [19:26] Steve’s political leanings actually help
• [20:59] Business and politics
• [21:31] Better sales vs better experience
• [22:59] The reality of lifestyle businesses
• [23:15] The heirloom difference
• [23:53] Supply chain difficulties
• [24:41] Black Friday without discounts?
• [25:30] Passionate marketplace + good product
• [25:53] Know and please your customers

Resources:

• Continue the New World traditional culture and try out heirloom beans ranchogordo.com
• Connect with Steve linkedin.com/in/stevesando
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Visit beprofit.co and use code HONEST15 to get an exclusive 15% off any plan for the lifetime of your plan
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.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!

On the tail end of some major life changes, in 2006, at the age of 23, Sam Dean took every penny he and his wife had (and some they didn't) and bet it all on selling body jewelry to strangers on the internet. 

Fresh off the memories of the "dot com bubble" and unknowingly walking towards the '08 Financial Crisis, Sam was continuously warned by family and friends that the internet and body jewelry are fads and won't be around forever. 

15 years later it seems wild that anyone ever doubted the Ecommerce future, but Sam saw the writing on the wall. 

With hundreds of thousands of customers, Plug Your Holes now ships 8-12k orders per month and employs over 2 dozen people in their Kansas City headquarters. 

Sam is now looking to the future of PYH, his family and his other endeavors. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:59] Sam’s journey to Ecom
• [02:33] The idea of selling body jewelry
• [03:38] The genre and aesthetics are misaligned
• [04:34] Inherent go-to-market strategy from bands
• [06:14] The Vans Warped Tour Experience
• [08:13] How the Tour helped Plug Your Holes
• [09:39] 2000’s Ecom vs now
• [11:47] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [12:07] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [12:58] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [14:18] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [14:51] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [15:38] Social media approach to awareness
• [18:19] Mistakes Sam wants you to avoid
• [20:26] What you start with doesn’t really matter
• [21:10] Determining what you are really doing
• [22:01] Concert goers and body jewelry customers
• [23:19] Culture, acceptance, and employment crisis
• [24:34] Take the first step
• [25:25] Pushing your minimum viable product

Resources:

• Plug Your Holes plugyourholes.com
• Connect with Sam @Sam_Dean
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.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!

Resources:

• Connect with Chase linkedin.com/in/chaseclymer
• Connect with Andrew linkedin.com/in/andrewchristensenjones
• Provide a better post-purchase experience go.route.com/fast-demo
• Register to the next webinar about the Brand Scaling Framework carthook.com/webinar/building-a-brand-scaling-framework

Reza Khadjavi is the CEO and co-founder of Motion, a visual analysis tool for marketers and media buyers to identify which creatives perform best and why. 

On a mission to improve the creative analysis workflow efficiency between brand and performance marketing teams, he is passionate about helping marketers identify specific attributes behind what makes creatives click to drive revenue. 

Reza previously co-founded Shoelace, a full-funnel marketing agency focused on helping DTC brands scale. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:31] Reza’s Shopify background and journey
• [03:59] The evolution of Shoelace
• [05:49] The conception of Motion 
• [10:01] How Shoelace operates
• [11:48] Where does Motion help in content creation?
• [15:03] Test out even unpopular ideas
• [16:26] The balance between creative and objective
• [18:06] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [18:26] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [19:11] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [20:37] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [21:10] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [21:57] 3 content systems to build out
• [23:49] Creative production and creative strategies
• [25:13] Directing influencers for more value
• [26:23] Using UGC as a guide
• [27:03] Low-level testing vs high-level concepts
• [30:30] Video ad editing tips using Motion
• [32:29] The importance of naming conventions
• [35:10] Where to find Shoelace, Motion, and Reza

Resources:

• Creative reporting for Facebook Ads Manager motionapp.com
• Be precise with your ads using customer journey marketing shoelace.com
• Why naming conventions are important motionapp.com/blog/facebook-naming-conventions
• Connect with Reza @rezakhadjavi [email protected]
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.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!