The DTC Insider

Ruthie Sterrett is an experienced Retail Marketing Professional with a demonstrated history of working with amazing brands. Skilled in Marketing, Merchandising, Customer Service, Coaching, Sales, and Retail. Detail-oriented with a passion for strategic planning and solution finding! Bachelor of Science (BS) focused on Selling and Sales Management from Purdue University.

Aaron Bennett, has 20-plus years of experience in digital marketing, was selected as a CMS Wire Impact Award Judge, and has grown both small and enterprise-level businesses.

Jason Rulo has owned a personal training company since 1999, but 6 years ago he had an idea for a new product so he decided to branch out and invent the Neptune. Jason is a competitive obstacle racer and has been for the past 10 years or so. It was during one such event that his idea for a waterproof human thermoregulation system was born. From there he started Neptune Performance Products LLC, an E Commerce company to promote and sell the Neptune.

In this episode…

Jason Rulo has been a competitive obstacle course racer since 2010 including everything from 5k to Ultra distance races. He has had the opportunity to represent the US four times at the Obstacle Racing World Championships; placing 15th in his age group in 2021. In addition, he has participated in every World's Toughest Mudder since 2012. It was during this event in 2015 that the idea for The Neptune was born, and making its debut at the 2016 event! Since then, this fantastic innovation of a patented waterproof, long-lasting human thermoregulation system has been tested time and again proving its durability.

In this episode of The Fit Growth Machine Podcast, Brian Roisentul interviews Jason Rulo, the President of Neptune Performance Products, about how he came up with his idea for a waterproof human thermoregulation system and how he was able to make it a reality.

Nathan Bair is an eCommerce Specialist at Trophy House Brands. He is a customer-centric, highly collaborative, and resourceful customer experience, e-commerce, and marketing professional. Nathan is also the author of The DARP Method: Get Started, Keep Going. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Grand Valley State University.

In this episode...

What does it take to present a great pitch? What do business owners need to know to win over investors? And what common mistakes should they avoid?

According to Nathan Bair, the first thing to do is identify the source of funds. If you target angel investors or Kickstarter, understand what they look for before investing in startups. You also need to have good systems and processes in place to ensure that everyone in your company is involved.

In this episode of The Fit Growth Machine Podcast, Brian Roisentul hosts Nathan Bair, an eCommerce Specialist at Trophy House Brands, to discuss tips and strategies for presenting a great pitch. They talk about common mistakes entrepreneurs make when presenting a pitch, what Nathan learned from making a five-minute pitch, and the importance of having systems and processes.

David "Teddy" Owen is the Founder and CEO of AIsoft, a Shopify development agency that provides design and development services to help small businesses grow on the platform. He started his first business in college before he ventured into finance and later went back to entrepreneurship. Teddy graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in computer science.

In this episode…

Shopify is a great e-commerce platform. It is affordable and provides an easy platform for new sellers to get started on their entrepreneurship journey.

Teddy Owen and his team at Alsoft help Shopify store owners build high-converting stores by providing both design and development services. They believe in working as a team and leveraging different tools and apps to increase conversions. They help clients optimize their stores to boost revenue and grow their businesses.

In this episode of The Fit Growth Machine Podcast, Brian Roisentul interviews Teddy Owen, the Founder and CEO of AIsoft, about their strategies for building high-converting Shopify stores. Teddy explains why Shopify is a great e-commerce platform, the common mistakes people make when building their Shopify stores, and the best Shopify apps for e-commerce sellers.

Liz Downing is the Senior Manager of Partnerships and Events at Teikametrics, an AI-powered platform that helps thousands of sellers and brand owners grow their businesses on Amazon and Walmart through a combination of data, AI, and marketplace expertise. She started her e-commerce journey at eComEngine where she was the Industry Liaison, interacting with clients and thought leaders in the e-commerce space. Liz joined Teikametrics in 2020.

In this episode...

Are you concerned that your advertising is not working? Are you looking for the right levers to pull to improve advertising and boost your e-commerce listing?

In order to be successful on different channels like Amazon and Walmart, you have to understand how advertising impacts your listings. You also have to leverage data science and AI to learn more about your competitors and make the right decisions to drive traffic and sales. This will help you differentiate your brand and get your products in front of more shoppers.

In this episode of The Fit Growth Machine Podcast, Brian Roisentul is joined by Liz Downing, the Senior Manager of Partnerships and Events at Teikametrics, to talk about leveraging AI to boost e-commerce advertising. Liz also discusses the importance of conducting competitor analysis, optimizing e-commerce listings, and optimizing multi-channel sales.

Matt Edmundson is the CEO of Aurion Digital, a company that specializes in helping businesses and owners maximize their online sales and delivery through their e-commerce website. Matt’s businesses have generated over $50 million in worldwide sales and he has coached companies with a combined turnover in excess of $100 million.

In addition to being an eCommerce entrepreneur and coach, Matt is the host of the eCommerce Podcast, where he talks with digital expert entrepreneurs and business leaders from around the world.

In this episode…

In the ever-evolving e-commerce marketplace, what strategies should brands use to grow and scale? What can they do to provide better customer experiences and build brand loyalty? 

Customer service is vital for e-commerce growth. To provide the best services to these customers, brands have to ensure that they hire competent people who are a good fit for the company's culture. They also have to ensure good quality products and set optimum prices in order to grow sales and scale.

Matt Edmundson, the CEO of Aurion Digital, joins Brian Roisentul in this episode of The Fit Growth Machine Podcast to talk about e-commerce growth strategies for customer-centric brands. Matt shares best practices for building a team, growing e-commerce brands on Amazon, and discusses the importance of being customer-centric.

Theresa Finn is the CEO and Co-founder of Hammer Head Swim Caps, a company that invented the world’s only protective swim cap using their patented HIT Honeycomb Impact Technology to minimize accidental head injuries in the pool. Theresa is a business executive with a strong marketing, manufacturing, and sales background which helped prepare her to lead Hammer Head Swim Caps’ business operations. She is also a wife to a swim official for NFHS and USA Swimming, and a mother to an 18-year old competitive swimmer.

In this episode…

What does it take to design and innovate a product? What can brands do to successfully launch and market their products?

Innovation is about coming up with solutions to customers' problems. The first step is to identify a need in the market that requires a solution. The next step is to do research about the market gap, determine if there's an opportunity to create a unique product, and get validation for your idea.

Theresa Finn, the CEO and Co-founder of Hammer Head Swim Caps, joins Brian Roisentul in this episode of The Fit Growth Machine Podcast to talk about the process of innovation — from ideation to product launch. They also discuss how a unique value proposition differentiates a product from competitors, tips for identifying the right target market, and the importance of social proof.

Bobby Reger is the Director of Marketing at Elements Brands, a company that acquires e-commerce brands. He is a growth-oriented marketing leader with more than 10 years of experience across the technology, SaaS, CPG, and DTC industries. Bobby and his team have scaled multiple brands from low seven figures to eight figures in revenue.

In this episode…

What are the fundamentals of building a profitable brand? What do brand owners need to do to prepare for a potential exit?

According to Bobby Reger, brands need a solid foundation. These include having the right systems in place, efficient customer support team, proof of demand, and good margins. You also need an engaged audience, which can be built through a blog or a support community.

In this episode of The Fit Growth Machine Podcast, Brian Roisentul interviews Bobby Reger, the Director of Marketing at Elements Brands, about the fundamentals of building a saleable e-commerce brand. They discuss the systems and marketing channels brands can use to scale and prepare for an exit, the challenges of building an e-commerce team, and recent changes in customer acquisition and retention costs. Stay tuned.

Zac Litwack is a Partner at Savage Ventures, a venture operator that has created more than $450 million in enterprise value and is on the path to $1 billion. Zac studied music production at Middle Tennessee State University and started a music production company while in school which he, later on, sold to his business partners. Savage Ventures invests in, acquires, and operates high-growth digital-first businesses focusing on digital media, affiliate marketing, D2C healthcare, and e-commerce.

In this episode…

What can you do to grow and scale your business to six figures in preparation for a future sale? What can you do to increase your company's value?

If you plan to sell and exit your e-commerce brand at a later date, there are some key things you need to know. To start with, you need to build the right infrastructure for running your business operations. This includes accounting, HR, and marketing. You also have to ensure product-market fit and build an engaged audience.

In this episode of The Fit Growth Machine Podcast, Brian Roisentul interviews Zac Litwack, a Partner at Savage Ventures, about how to prepare an e-commerce brand for venture capital funding. They also discuss strategies for scaling a business to six figures, the types of companies Zac works with, and best practices for building an affiliate program.