Honest Ecommerce

What on earth possessed us to start a watch brand? That's a question we get all the time. 

We saw boring, repetitive designs churned out year after year. We saw watches that didn't provide for individual expression. 

There was a blatant lack of uniqueness of style and colorways. 

Plus, we saw brands that did not connect directly with the people who were wearing their products. There was a significant disconnect.

The market was ready for something new and different. A watch brand that would connect to its fans, one that would form and sustain real relationships. 

A brand that would involve the people who bought their watches in the process of product development. 

A brand that would continually aim to create distinctive limited edition watches screaming attitude and nonconformity. 

Perfect timepieces for the watch lover looking for something different to add to his or her collection. We saw the need and created LIV Watches. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:56] Tongue twisters and ad copies
• [01:33] LIV’s founding story
• [03:25] The benefit of Chaz’s background
• [04:51] How LIV got their unique designs
• [06:46] The crowdfunding go-to-market strategy
• [08:32] The benefits of successful Kickstarters
• [09:50] Look to challenge traditional approaches 
• [11:31] Reinforcing the “no budget” motto
• [12:08] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [12:28] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [13:13] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [14:39] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [15:12] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [15:59] The prospecting and retargeting process
• [16:56] Relationships and having the last word
• [18:01] From crowdfunding to DTC
• [21:00] Building their custom crowdfunding platform
• [23:06] Backing games on Kickstarter
• [23:44] Cons of using Kickstarter
• [25:31] Be careful with data and feedback
• [26:50] Lifetime value and cost per acquisition
• [28:05] Where to find LIV Watches

Resources:

• Fine Swiss watches from a brand that really cares about you and your collection  livwatches.com
• Connect with Chaz @Chazanow
• 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!

Bearaby’s Chief Growth Officer, Joaquin Arce has charted rapid expansion and impact for the award-winning weighted blanket brand in three years time. 

Joaquin optimizes all components of the business that generate revenue working cross-functionally with sales, marketing, affiliate, SEO, and beyond to expedite key growth initiatives. 

From the early days of the start-up’s initial brand ideation, to the first sale of Bearaby’s (now fan-favorite) Cotton Napper, Joaquin has worked cross-functionally to achieve success on the digital front resulting in an engaged and organic community of thousands. 

Joaquin participated in the double degree program Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Economics at Universidad del Pacifico in Peru. 

Committed to advancing Latinx business leadership, in 2020 he took part in The Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, a research and education collaboration between Stanford University and the Latino Business Action Network. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:20] The idea of Bearaby
• [04:09] The similarities between founders
• [05:02] Bearaby’s go-to-market strategy
• [06:55] Considering traditional retail partnerships
• [08:13] The site also benefits from the partnership
• [09:08] Other benefits that you might not consider
• [10:06] Mistakes Joaquin wants you to avoid
• [11:03] CTA without discount codes
• [11:50] Bearaby’s podcast placements
• [13:20] Podcasts are lacking in metrics
• [14:21] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [14:41] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [15:26] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [16:52] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [17:25] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [18:12] The Black Friday/Mindfulness campaign
• [21:13] Bearaby’s napping culture
• [22:31] The April Fool’s/Hedgehog campaign

Resources:

• Sustainable, breathable, and filler-free weighted blankets bearaby.com
• Connect with Joaquin linkedin.com/in/joaquin-arce-525b47131
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.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!

Thomas Smale is the Founder and CEO of FE International. He is a serial business entrepreneur and M&A expert, having built the industry-leading firm in the $1-100M global technology sector. 

With experience dating back to the early 2000s, Smale offers invaluable technical, diligence and negotiation advice to early-stage and seasoned business owners alike, which has resulted in over 1,000 successful exits. 

Smale can be regularly found speaking at industry events where he enjoys meeting like-minded entrepreneurs and investors. 

Alongside his duties at FE International, Smale is a sought-after author and keynote presenter for leading industry events worldwide. 

He has been interviewed on top podcasts and blogs on a variety of topics, including business strategy, buying and selling businesses, negotiation tactics and more. 

He writes a business column regularly on entrepreneurship, growth, and business management for Entrepenur.com and is a Young Entrepreneurs’ Council member. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:19] Thomas’ backstory
• [04:54] Reasons to buy or sell websites
• [06:25] 3 main buyer groups for websites
• [08:15] 3 types of websites that FE Intl buys 
• [12:30] Setting up for selling your business
• [15:31] What makes FE Intl different
• [17:15] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [17:35] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [18:19] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [19:46] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [20:18] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [21:06] Best practices for selling your website
• [22:23] Don’t sell your business when it’s declining
• [23:44] It’s easier to sell businesses now
• [25:30] Write down your processes
• [25:58] Consider an evergreen business industry
• [28:56] Does FE Intl help buyers?
• [29:55] Be careful in choosing advice
• [31:40] Should you raise money?
• [32:20] Consider your future early on
• [33:59] Where to find Thomas and FE International

Resources:

• Connect with Thomas @ThomasSmale linkedin.com/in/thomassmale
• Sell your online business with a Professional M&A Advisor you can trust feinternational.com
• Get a free valuation of your website feinternational.com/sell-your-website
• 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!

Sarah is the CEO of Sarah Delevan Consulting and host of The Good Food CFO Podcast. 

A former good food business owner and buyer, Sarah has a talent for understanding, diagnosing, and improving the financial performance of food businesses. 

From the ingredient sourcing, to product and menu pricing, to building scalable systems for long term success, she’s able to see what’s going on in a business’s day-to-day operations just as clearly as she can see the big picture. 

After years of building proven, repeatable methods and systems, she founded Sarah Delevan Consulting in 2017. 

Since then she’s helped good food businesses across the country achieve financial sustainability and profitability, and remains steadfast in her mission to change our food system one profitable good food business at a time. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:10] What got Sarah to the financial side of food
• [03:15] Are bars and restaurants easy to go bankrupt?
• [05:04] Where Sarah’s consulting business step in
• [06:43] KPIs that you should take note of
• [08:56] The Financial Success Formula
• [09:36] Common mistakes of Food/CPG brands
• [11:49] When you should raise your price
• [13:01] The entrepreneurial pitfall of pricing
• [14:56] Don’t price yourself based on Amazon
• [17:06] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [17:26] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [18:11] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [19:38] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [20:10] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [20:57] The next step: Problem solving
• [23:28] Focus on one thing at a time
• [25:18] Playing with AOV depends on certain conditions
• [27:18] Think ROI for everything you spend money on
• [28:46] Food-related businesses are fun and unique
• [30:17] Figure out product-market fit first
• [30:56] The most surprising part of consultancy
• [32:00] How to determine your financial health
• [33:07] Where to find Sarah

Resources:

• Build a profitable food business of your dreams on your terms sarahdelevan.com
• Join the Profitable Food Business Community profitablefoodbusinesscommunity.mn.co/feed
• Connect with Sarah @sarah.delevan.consulting
• Listen to The Good Food CFO Podcast podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-food-cfo-podcast/id1544877345
• 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!

Hilary Quartner is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Hilma. 

Hilary built her career in the consumer products and retail industry, most recently as Head of Strategy & Finance at Jetblack, a Walmart-incubated startup, with prior experience at The Wonderful Company and Credit Suisse Investment Banking. 

At Hilma, she is focused on building the direct-to-consumer and Ecommerce channels, as well as leading growth marketing and financing. 

Hilary holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and BA from Columbia University. She lives and works in New York. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:52] What led to the founding of Hilma
• [05:09] Determining if “natural” is worthing investing in
• [07:50] From idea to having an Ecom store
• [09:16] What makes Hilma different
• [11:37] Hilma’s go-to-market strategy
• [14:06] The ease-of-use of the Shopify ecosystem
• [15:12] It’s easier and more preferable to just start now
• [15:38] Mistakes Hilary wants you to avoid
• [15:47] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [16:07] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [16:52] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [18:18] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [18:50] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [19:38] The first step is the hardest
• [21:32] Picking which channels to focus
• [24:18] Omnichannel benefits both retail and Ecom sides
• [25:17] Why Hilma chose to also go with Amazon
• [27:27] Can Hilma now invest back into its business?

Resources:

• Get natural remedies backed by science hilma.co  - Use code HONEST10 to get 10% off your first purchase
• Connect with Hilary linkedin.com/in/hilary-quartner-04a64127
• 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!

Brendan Hughes has been “doing” eCommerce and digital marketing since 1997. For much of his career he was responsible for implementing digital marketing strategies in large consumer organizations in Europe. 

After spending some leading digital transformation in a large news media publisher and as a board member of IAB, Brendan realised how intransparent the entire ad industry had become. 

He wrote extensively on the topic and has recently published his first book providing practical advice to eCommerce store owners on how to get better returns when advertising across the big walled gardens that dominate the industry. 

Brendan now leads the team at Optily, an innovative solution to cross-platform ad optimization. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:18] Coding in the 90’s
• [02:47] From building websites to Ecommerce
• [06:25] Analyzing the marketing funnel
• [08:52] Cognitive biases that affect marketing
• [10:15] Quantifying the success of your process
• [11:19] Fine tuning the top of funnel
• [12:09] Success in short form video
• [14:04] The research and evaluation mode
• [15:29] Tackling the lower end of the funnel
• [17:39] Funnel inefficiencies and plateauing
• [19:01] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [19:32] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [20:05] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [21:32] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.io/honest
• [22:04] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [22:52] Shortening the funnel through data
• [25:27] Why you should still consider retargeting
• [27:14] Acquisition vs retention marketing
• [29:36] Setting the ROAS expectation
• [34:13] Goals, data, and experience matters
• [36:23] Short-term vs Long-term
• [38:18] Acquisition costs are based on the channel
• [40:08] Best fit customers for Optily
• [43:39] Optily does not replace SMEs or contractors 
• [46:46] Optily specials offers for listeners

Resources:

• Try Optily for 14 days optily.com/request-a-demo/ and also get 15% discount on your first year
• Have a “no-strings attached” free 1 hour ad strategy consultation calendly.com/brendan-optily/ad-strategy-consultation
• Connect with Brendan linkedin.com/in/brendanhughes
• 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!

Thomas Lotrecchiano is the co-founder of Omigo, modern bidets that get you perfectly clean. 

On this podcast we talk about Thomas being a business partner with his dad, the difficulty of paid acquisition, Omigo advertising on cable TV, and so much more!

To learn more, visit: http://honestecommerce.co

Resources:

• Instantly turn your toilet into a modern bidet myomigo.com
• Connect with Thomas linkedin.com/in/thomas-lotrecchiano-44978675
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.com/honest

Marc Bacher is the Founder and CEO of Stuga, a collection of modern floors from the world’s happiest forests, thoughtfully designed by Scandinavians to transform your home.

On this podcast, we talk about how to be competitive against established stores in your industry, building trust to get customers, combining brick-and-mortar and Ecom principles, and so much more!

To learn more, visit: http://honestecommerce.co

Resources:

• Scandinavian hardwood floors made easy stugastudio.com/
• Connect with Marc linkedin.com/in/marc-bacher-1563215
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.com/honest

Jay Myers is the co-founder of Bold Commerce, been in Ecommerce since 1998 and has grown Bold to almost 500 staff and power over 100,000 Ecommerce brands. 

To learn more, visit: http://honestecommerce.co

Resources:

• Increase the value of your business. Try Bold Subscriptions FREE for 60 days! boldcommerce.com/solutions/recurring-billing-software
• Connect with Jay linkedin.com/in/jasonnmyers
• Checkout more Bold apps for your online store boldcommerce.com
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Get a started with a free account at klaviyo.com/honest

Eugene is the co-founder and CEO of FactoryPure, an online retailer specializing in generators, pressure washers, and more.

On this podcast, we talk about why organic marketing isn’t for everyone, the Google algorithm getting smarter, finding success in reaching out to schools and so much more!

To learn more, visit: http://honestecommerce.co

Resources:

• Buy generators, pressure washers, and more at FactoryPure factorypure.com
• Connect with Eugene linkedin.com/in/eugene-ravitsky-44747220
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Get a started with a free account at klaviyo.com/honest