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Ricky Hayes : He Built an $80M AI Brand Solving Shopify Problems
In this episode of E-coffee with Experts, our host Ranmay chats with Ricky Hayes, CEO of Debutify, to share how he went from launching Shopify stores to building a full-blown AI SaaS platform for ecommerce.
He talks about the messy side of startup life: bad hires, buggy code, and lessons you only learn the hard way. You’ll hear how a simple theme turned into a powerful tool that helps ecommerce brands automate everything, from SEO to marketing with AI.
Ricky also breaks down where AI is heading, why agents are the future, and how founders can use them to run leaner, faster teams. If you’re building in tech or SEO, this one’s packed with real talk and zero fluff.
And for early-stage founders? He gets honest: failure isn’t optional, it’s the path.
Get access to 250k+ link connections and build your website authority with us: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - 01:53: Introduction
01:53 - 02:03: How Halo 3 sparked his obsession with tech
02:03 - 02:58: Getting into ecom, YouTube, and online business
02:58 - 03:48: The pain of building Shopify stores
03:48 - 04:40: The idea behind Debutify and how it started
04:40 - 05:27: Why software gave him more freedom than ecom
05:27 - 06:10: The early struggles of building a SaaS company
06:10 - 07:12: Biggest hiring mistake he made (and what it cost)
07:12 - 08:00: Why culture fit matters more than just skill
08:00 - 08:42: How the team grew to 40+ people
08:42 - 09:30: AI's explosive growth and what it means for business
09:30 - 10:20: AI agents: the next big thing in automation
10:20 - 11:25: What to expect in AI by 2026
11:25 - 12:05: Why most SaaS tools will self-manage soon
12:05 - 13:10: Building a better reviews app for ecom brands
13:10 - 13:48: Why trust + reviews = higher conversions
13:48 - 14:30: Advice for young founders and first-time entrepreneurs
14:30 - 15:20: Why failure is necessary and powerful
15:20 - 16:10: Real talk: mental health, burnout, and staying persistent
16:10 - 16:32: Final thoughts and Ricky’s biggest lesson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickyhayes
debutify.com
Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digiwebsol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global/
LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions.]
View all episodes
By Digital Web SolutionsIn this episode of E-coffee with Experts, our host Ranmay chats with Ricky Hayes, CEO of Debutify, to share how he went from launching Shopify stores to building a full-blown AI SaaS platform for ecommerce.
He talks about the messy side of startup life: bad hires, buggy code, and lessons you only learn the hard way. You’ll hear how a simple theme turned into a powerful tool that helps ecommerce brands automate everything, from SEO to marketing with AI.
Ricky also breaks down where AI is heading, why agents are the future, and how founders can use them to run leaner, faster teams. If you’re building in tech or SEO, this one’s packed with real talk and zero fluff.
And for early-stage founders? He gets honest: failure isn’t optional, it’s the path.
Get access to 250k+ link connections and build your website authority with us: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - 01:53: Introduction
01:53 - 02:03: How Halo 3 sparked his obsession with tech
02:03 - 02:58: Getting into ecom, YouTube, and online business
02:58 - 03:48: The pain of building Shopify stores
03:48 - 04:40: The idea behind Debutify and how it started
04:40 - 05:27: Why software gave him more freedom than ecom
05:27 - 06:10: The early struggles of building a SaaS company
06:10 - 07:12: Biggest hiring mistake he made (and what it cost)
07:12 - 08:00: Why culture fit matters more than just skill
08:00 - 08:42: How the team grew to 40+ people
08:42 - 09:30: AI's explosive growth and what it means for business
09:30 - 10:20: AI agents: the next big thing in automation
10:20 - 11:25: What to expect in AI by 2026
11:25 - 12:05: Why most SaaS tools will self-manage soon
12:05 - 13:10: Building a better reviews app for ecom brands
13:10 - 13:48: Why trust + reviews = higher conversions
13:48 - 14:30: Advice for young founders and first-time entrepreneurs
14:30 - 15:20: Why failure is necessary and powerful
15:20 - 16:10: Real talk: mental health, burnout, and staying persistent
16:10 - 16:32: Final thoughts and Ricky’s biggest lesson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickyhayes
debutify.com
Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digiwebsol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global/
LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions.]