Honest Ecommerce

Dan Abel Jr. is the Chief Chocolate Officer of two beloved St. Louis-based companies: Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company and Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier. Dan occasionally goes by another nickname: “Willy Wonka of the Midwest.” 

But no matter what you call him, he’ll never forget his roots. Dan is a 2nd Generation Chocolatier & son of the founder of Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company. Along with his two siblings, Dan oversees the operations of both Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company and Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier. Manufacturing, distribution, national sales channel and product development are the key areas to Dan’s focus. 

Currently the Abel family is expanding its manufacturing facility, adding a bar and a café – and Dan is very instrumental in the construction management and development of both concepts while continuing to push growth. Dan is married with three children –enjoys playing golf, gardening with his young children and spending time with his family. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:32] Sponsor: Taboola
• [01:48] Growing ventures through deep personal ties
• [03:01] Finding purpose through early hands-on work
• [04:29] Optimizing small resources for maximum impact
• [05:53] Building presence through hands-on outreach
• [07:56] Leveraging sampling to win customer trust
• [09:00] Sponsor: Next Insurance
• [10:12] Creating impact with hands-on marketing
• [15:18] Callouts
• [15:28] Attending trade shows to drive direct sales
• [16:35] Sponsor: Electric Eye
• [17:44] Sponsor: Freight Fright
• [19:44] Acquiring companies to accelerate growth
• [26:11] Delivering customer value despite COVID pressure
• [30:25] Creating connection through thoughtful service
• [31:41] Reinvesting in technology to enhance experience
• [34:34] Experimenting with old and new strategies 
• [35:25] Solving problems through direct involvement

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Handcrafted Artisan Chocolates chocolatechocolate.com/
• Handcrafted Chocolatier  bissingers.com/
• Follow Dan Abel Jr. linkedin.com/in/dan-abel-jr-15541765
• Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.com/honest/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Turn your domestic business into an international business freightright.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!

Christine Monaghan is a builder of growth engines and a weaver of stories, helping brands scale from startup chaos to sustainable success. She blends storytelling with systems, tech with brand, and strategy with hands-on execution to deliver results that last. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:33] Sponsor: Taboola 
• [01:49] Building brands through storytelling
• [04:34] Tracing the roots of storytelling
• [06:23] Sponsor: Next Insurance
• [07:36] Evaluating early-stage customer signals
• [10:09] Testing assumptions about customers
• [12:22] Callouts
• [12:32] Surveying customers to validate assumptions
• [14:55] Leveraging insights to improve messaging
• [18:15] Testing media to find what converts
• [21:28] Sponsor: Electric Eye
• [22:33] Sponsor: Freight Right
• [24:36] Connecting blogs to nurture discovery
• [27:15] Targeting platforms where customers exist
• [28:58] Optimizing ads for long-term growth
• [34:48] Understanding top-of-funnel users 

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• The modern way to drink milk almondcow.co/
• Follow Christine Monaghan linkedin.com/in/christine-monaghan
• Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.com/honest/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Turn your domestic business into an international business freightright.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!

Michelle Songy is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder of Press Hook, a platform that helps brands get media coverage through a hybrid model of earned, affiliate, and paid press opportunities. Prior to Press Hook, Michelle founded and sold Cake Technologies to American Express. 

She’s passionate about making PR more accessible and transparent for small businesses, especially mission-driven consumer brands. Press Hook is used by 1,000+ companies— from early-stage startups to category leaders— to connect directly with journalists, newsletters, and podcasts that drive real product discovery. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:56] Realizing the need to master your own PR
• [02:36] Understanding why generic pitching fails
• [05:21] Boosting discovery via trusted publishers
• [08:06] Navigating earned, paid, and affiliate media
• [11:26] Callouts
• [11:40] Standing out with visuals and clarity
• [15:26] Adapting strategies to decentralized media
• [18:58] Enhancing discoverability in crowded markets
• [20:57] Building systems before scaling PR

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• AI-driven media relations and PR pantform presshook.com/
• Follow Michelle Songy linkedin.com/in/michellesongy

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!

Elina Panteleyeva is the founder of Dood Woof, a 7-figure brand built specifically for Doodle dog breeds. After getting laid off, she bootstrapped her business from $0 to 7 figures in 15 months with no prior Ecommerce experience, no team and no outside investors. outside funding. 

Elina scaled fast by focusing on niche product-market fit, building a raving fan base, and using scrappy organic marketing to drive Amazon and TikTok Shop growth. Now, she helps other founders grow and scale their eCommerce brands profitably by building a brand that serves a specific group of people. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:34] Sponsor: Taboola
• [01:44] Building products around customer pain points
• [02:53] Identifying problems through community research
• [05:19] Sponsor: Next Insurance
• [06:32] Balancing product creation with marketing
• [06:48] Building trust through storytelling
• [09:15] Collecting feedback to shape products
• [10:50] Creating scarcity to drive excitement
• [12:38] Identifying niches with specific pain points
• [13:47] Sponsor: Electric Eye
• [14:56] Sponsor: Freight Right
• [16:56] Collecting reviews to build credibility
• [18:37] Training mindset to handle uncertainty
• [21:59] Discovering entrepreneurial instincts early
• [22:29] Focusing on one channel before diversifying  
• [25:34] Leveraging micro-influencers for growth

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Creating Healthy Happy Lives for Doodles doodwoof.com/
• Follow Elina Panteleyeva instagram.com/doodwoofco/?hl=en
• Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.com/honest/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Turn your domestic business into an international business freightright.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!

Jennifer is the Director of DTC, Martech, and Digital Compliance at OLLY, a Unilever-owned vitamin/supplement brand, and a seasoned eCommerce veteran based in the Bay Area. She specializes in building digital marketing programs, profitable eCommerce stores, and seamless customer experiences. 

Her expertise includes advanced Martech ecosystems, customer data platforms (CDPs), marketing automation, and ensuring compliance with global privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Jennifer’s skills span web development, UX/UI design, inventory management, logistics, and omni-channel retailing. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:39] Sponsor: Taboola
• [01:58] Solving customer needs with simplicity
• [04:05] Sponsor: Next Insurance
• [05:19] Leveraging cross-brand learnings for growth
• [08:37] Using D2C as a customer learning engine
• [12:00] Callouts
• [12:11] Evaluating tools that streamline operations
• [13:37] Reviving traditional marketing with modern tech
• [16:52] Sponsor: Electric Eye & Freight Fright
• [20:01] Testing unconventional marketing strategies
• [21:19] Balancing responsibility with limited control
• [24:58] Focusing on product value over flashy design

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Olly Vitamins and Supplements olly.com/
• Follow Jennifer Peters linkedin.com/in/jennifer-peters-3bbb6220
• Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.com/honest/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Turn your domestic business into an international business freightright.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!

Scott Desgrosseilliers is the founder and CEO of Wicked Reports, a leading first-party marketing attribution platform for high-growth eCommerce brands. With over a decade of experience analyzing billions in ad spend, Scott helps marketers cut through the noise to find what’s really driving ROI. 

He’s the creator of the 5 Forces System, a proven framework that turns messy marketing data into clear, confident decisions. Before Wicked Reports, Scott led and consulted on database and process management applications at Motorola, Quest Diagnostics, Breck Shampoo, Ovaltine, the Hong Kong 911 department, and Apartments.com. 

When not leading Wicked Reports, Scott can be found in Marblehead Massachusetts playing pickleball, meditating, or on the boat with the family. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [02:37] Questioning attribution in marketing
• [06:44] The truth about “more is better” marketing 
• [07:36] Choosing channels for first campaigns
• [09:34] Starting funnels with small spend
• [11:16] Debunking marketing ROI lies
• [14:24] Navigating attribution for customer journeys
• [16:51] Distinguishing case studies from reality
• [19:07] Exploring the Five Forces framework
• [27:24] Seeing emotional spending on paid ads
• [27:50] Recording client interaction for accountability 
• [28:53] Highlighting effective AI campaign analysis 
• [31:21] Streamlining insights for effective decisions

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Multitouch marketing attribution software www.wickedreports.com/
• Follow Scott Desgrosseilliers www.linkedin.com/in/scottd71/

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!

Chad Dime, Co-Founder of DIFF Charitable Eyewear was raised in Los Angeles California. He was born into the eyewear industry thanks to his father who owned and operated an eyewear business for over 40 years. His dad passed down the knowledge of product design, import, manufacturing and wholesale to him throughout his entire life. 

On the manufacturing side, he was traveling to China by the time he was 15 years old to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to work with partners overseas. In wholesale he was attending major markets as a teenager to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to sell to major retailers both nationally and internationally. 

He was fortunate enough to know at that very young that he would be following in his family's footsteps. While attending college at San Diego State University he was the President of the nationally ranked SDSU Surf Team. His role there allowed him to work with many notable brands like Red Bull, Rip Curl and TOMS as he obtained sponsorship from each of these businesses. 

After years of building campus rep programs with these brands he learned the importance of both social media marketing along with social enterprise. The partnership with TOMS shoes was his motivation to build a business that gave back, and it became his dream to start a sunglasses brand that could help change the world. After graduating from SDSU he met his business partners. 

Together they began selling sunglasses at electronic music festivals across the country. It was here that they realized there was a massive void in the eyewear industry that they knew they could fill. Eager to disrupt the monopolized eyewear industry they founded DIFF with a mission to create affordable designer eyewear that gives back. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:50] Blending value and mission to drive impact
• [04:00] Partnering purpose with product
• [06:09] Leveraging past experiences for team balance
• [08:56] Nurturing partnerships for smarter growth
• [11:44] Stay updated with new episodes
• [11:55] Embedding responsibility into brand DNA
• [14:11] Sponsors
• [19:43] Influencer partnerships for early marketing strategy
• [22:54] Prioritizing finance to avoid early pitfalls
• [24:57] Understanding finances for loss prevention
• [26:06] Highlighting first products for brick and mortar
• [28:42] Following your why to create impact

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1
• Charitable designer sunglasses that give back www.diffeyewear.com/
• Follow Chad Dime www.linkedin.com/in/chad-dime-59550258
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business www.nextinsurance.com/honest/  
• Turn your domestic business into an international business www.freightright.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!

Originally from Wisconsin, Nathan Vazquez studied computer science at Yale University. He       worked for 15 years as an options trader at Citibank until he was eventually tempted by the idea of being his own boss with work that allowed him the flexiblity to spend more time with his family. 

In 2015, he left his job in finance to join his wife’s sticker subscription company, Pipsticks. Within a year, Pipsticks had thousands of subscribers in over 50 countries. As CEO of Pipsticks, Nathan now manages the company’s growing business in the subscription, E-Commerce, wholesale, and licensing markets. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and four kids.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:23] Balancing creativity with business logic
• [05:43] Learning by doing and adapting fast
• [08:21] Growing an organic customer base
• [09:57] Stay updated with new episodes
• [10:06] Finding spending balance for growth
• [12:38] Seizing opportunities during market shifts
• [14:29] Sponsors: Electric Eye, Freight Right, Taboola, Next Insurance
• [20:00] Scaling your brand through audience feedback
• [24:10] Focusing on one thing at a time
• [26:32] Expanding a product to wholesale 
• [28:25] Learning from early B2B mistakes
• [30:07] Measuring break-even for smart spending
• [33:04] Aligning resources with marketing strategy
• [34:29] Targeting break-even timelines strategically

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1
• Cute stickers for kids, crafters, anyone www.pipsticks.com/
• Stickers + stationery that say what you wish you could www.theswearjar.com/
• Follow Nathaniel Vazquez www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-vazquez-5b663222/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Turn your domestic business into an international business www.freightright.com/honest
• Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.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!

Filipe Castro Matos is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Altar.io, where he helps founders go from idea to MVP with clarity and speed. With over a decade of experience across B2C and B2B startups—including an early exit, viral growth experiments, and advising dozens of founders—Filipe specializes in helping teams find their first customers and build Go-to-Market strategies that actually work. 

His work today centers on solving one of the biggest problems in early-stage startups: the gap between building and growing. He's quietly building something new to bridge that gap.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:19] Learning ecommerce by evolving with companies
• [02:50] Avoiding guesswork through real user engagement
• [04:57] Avoiding costly guesses in early channels
• [07:24] Finding people who match your avatar
• [08:23] Returning to basics for direction clarity
• [08:51] Distinguishing buyers from friendly critics
• [11:29] Starting small when validating ideas
• [14:36] Simplifying business ideas through existing tools
• [15:29] Stay updated with new episodes
• [15:40] Capturing insights for go-to-market
• [17:36] Separating problem discovery from solutions
• [19:55] Going where the market is active
• [21:10] Introducing payments only after solutions
• [22:24] Digesting conversations into ICP
• [23:17] Pulling branding assets from real conversations
• [24:56] Testing organically before paid ads
• [27:04] Building a brand as key differentiator

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Digital products for entrepreneurs and business leaders: altar.io/us/
• Follow Filipe Castro Matos linkedin.com/in/filipecastromatos

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!

Jon Pundyk is a Dartmouth MBA, P&G brand manager, and a Booz-Allen strategy consultant. He’s been in Glamorise for 35 years. Glamorise is a size-inclusive lingerie brand that designs bras for curvy women. Founded in New York City in 1921, Glamorise is one of the world's oldest bra manufacturers, and it has been size-inclusive since their inception.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:28] Intro
• [00:53] Learning the fundamentals of consumer marketing
• [02:01] Climbing the ladder one title at a time
• [02:17] Pivoting a century-old business online
• [04:01] Transitioning from wholesale to direct-to-consumer
• [07:33] Balancing wholesale partners with D2C growth
• [10:08] Stay updated with new episodes
• [10:18] Investing ahead for scalable D2C growth
• [13:43] Sponsors: Electric Eye, Freight, Taboola, Next Insurance
• [19:16] Collecting data before knowing how to use it
• [20:25] Leveraging legacy brand recognition online
• [23:05] Relying on product quality to drive loyalty
• [24:08] Driving growth through actionable data insights

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1
• Plus size bras & lingeries for full-figured women glamorise.com/
• Follow Jon Pundyk linkedin.com/in/jrpundyk
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Turn your domestic business into an international business freightright.com/honest
• Performance beyond Search and Social discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Tailored business insurance. Zero hassle. Big savings nextinsurance.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!