Have you ever been told to fall in line by your boss because you didn't line up with their expectations of you? Many of us are familiar with not showing up as our true selves at work and Carol Shih, Chief Everything Officer of Qode Space, along with our host, are no stranger to this phenomenon. Too funny? Not what people expect from a woman? Buckle up because the world is a tough place.

Agency life is no different. And those tough experiences are what mold and shape us to actually be even more impactful in our communities. When it comes down to it, we're all humans and when we start to operate our businesses like our employees and customers are robots, we lose. Carol tells us about her experiences as a web development agency owner, what finding a good partners takes, and how she fully leans into authenticity to build trust with clients, which leads to longer relationships and better quality of work. We're here, we're going deep, and want you to join us on the journey.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/thelongergame

Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thelongergame

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thelongergame

Our Guest's Name is Carol Shih. Carol is a third-culture kid who grew up in Taiwan, was raised in Australia, and moved to Los Angeles for university when she turned 19. She has been in the eCommerce industry for over a decade; an expert in fashion, beauty, and CPG eCommerce life cycle. Carol started Qode Space, one of the few female & minority-owned tech agency in the United States; with the mission to put quality first in eCom web development, and focus in community, transparency, and being purposeful.

You can find her at...

Website: http://qodespace.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shihcarol/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karolz/

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/immichaelmaher

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create a strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Website: https://thinkcartology.com

Find Cartology on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/cartology

Find Cartology on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thinkcartology

Find Cartology on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thinkcartology

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current, and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Website: https://podcastify.me

Find Podcastify Me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podcastify-me/

Find Podcastify Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastify.me/

Find Podcastify Me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf2biqOTN2UbZ5aaM4Sx6NQ

RoAS is a powerful metric: until it's not. When App Tracking Transparency got rolled out with the updates to iOS 14, RoAS suddenly dropped. Advertisers couldn't see to whom their sales were attributed. As the dust settled from the shakeout, new ways to measure ad effectiveness emerged. Enter MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio). Also known as blended RoAS, MER has become the new gold standard in assessing the performance of ads. Nikki Lindgren, Founder and Managing Partner of Pennock, is leading the charge of helping brands better understand the correlation between spend and total sales. Focusing on female-led beauty brands, Nikki has pushed for greater creative diversity, trying to cut through the noise of our current status of information overload. Grab a seat and listen in to find out what keeps brands from succeeding and how to frame the future of advertising. It could just be that easy.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/thelongergame

Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thelongergame

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thelongergame

Our guest is Nikki Lindgren. Nikki, founder and managing partner of Pennock, is a leader in scaling DTC businesses through paid ads with a focus on helping female-led beauty brands. With expertise in digital media management exceeding $100 million, Nikki and her team leverage strategic advantages for impressive MER and ROAS.

You can find her at...

Website: http://pennock.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkilindgren/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/we_are_pennock/

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/immichaelmaher

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create a strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Website: https://thinkcartology.com

Find Cartology on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/cartology

Find Cartology on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thinkcartology

Find Cartology on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thinkcartology

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Website: https://podcastify.me

Find Podcastify Me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podcastify-me/

Find Podcastify Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastify.me/

Find Podcastify Me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf2biqOTN2UbZ5aaM4Sx6NQ

The signals on Amazon are everywhere. But what do we do with them? Advertising on Amazon is all about honing in on customer behavior and then taking advantage of every opportunity you have to increase sales in the short term and profitability in the long run. Neha Bhuchar, CEO & Co-Founder of atom11, a retail-aware advertising platform for brands and agencies on Amazon, schools us on how to actually address the real problems of your customer and take action. One of the biggest issues: customers don't always know what they want or what they need. In order to find out you have to ask the right questions and then... Shut up! Listening is your new superpower. Neha shows us how to listen to our customers in order to get to the root cause of problems so you can make impactful change. You don't fix problems on Amazon or in business. You fix root causes. It's time to shut up and listen to this next episode.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/thelongergame

Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thelongergame

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thelongergame

Our guest's name is Neha Bhuchar. Neha is the founder of Retail aware advertising software, atom11. A long-term Amazonian, well! not just any Amazonian - Neha was a founding team at Amazon Ads. She has led sales, product, and account management functions at Amazon Advertising. She has helped over 300 brands and agencies create better ad strategies to ultimately increase sales.

You can find her at...

Website: http://www.atom11.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehabhuchar/

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/immichaelmaher

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Website: https://thinkcartology.com

Find Cartology on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/cartology

Find Cartology on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thinkcartology

Find Cartology on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thinkcartology

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Website: https://podcastify.me

Find Podcastify Me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podcastify-me/

Find Podcastify Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastify.me/

Find Podcastify Me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf2biqOTN2UbZ5aaM4Sx6NQ

Is it possible to do good AND make money? Can you actually have a positive impact while growing a business? My guest on today's episode, Keith Hartnett, CEO of Better World Goods, thinks so. And we tend to agree. Keith's experience in selling on marketplaces and running an agency has shown him that making change requires you to be involved. You can't win in ecommerce or life if you don't play the game. We also dive into the realities and facades of agency life. In a social media world where everything gets divisive really quickly and we focus on the positives only, the reality of agency life is it's difficult. Not everything is a W and you will inevitably come up against problems. Intentionally hiding the difficulties shouldn't be the norm. Being willing to be authentic will go a long way and can actually provide you with credibility. Want to know more about how to run an agency with integrity? Listen to Keith's story.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Our guest's name is Keith Hartnett. He helps small, sustainable & social impact businesses on Amazon.

You can find him at...

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Website: https://podcastify.me

Amazon hasn't always been "Amazon." Nobody could have fully imagined the way it would take over the ecommerce ecosystem but here we are 20-something years later and Amazon is straight dominating. Many people in the current ecosystem started small, Host included, making people who say Amazon killed small businesses dead wrong. My guest today on The Longer Game, Ryan Burgess, Head of Growth at the ad optimization and analytics platform Intentwise, did just that. Not old enough to get a "real" job, he started buying products wholesale and selling them on eBay. Then came Amazon. 10 years later here he is leading companies to success on Amazon along with other ecommerce platforms, helping them track and take action on customer intent signals. Join us as we geek out on all things Amazon and discover our similarities live on camera.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Our guest is Ryan Burgess. Ryan has over 10 years of Amazon Ads experience. He worked as a senior executive at several Amazon Agencies and Brands before joining Intentwise as Head of Growth.

You can find him at...

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Brick & mortar retailers are evolving and Tom Burgess, President of the Fintech company Snipp Interactive, came on The Longer Game to dive into the current state of retail evolution. For the longest time, Retailers had data from loyalty programs and didn't know how to leverage it, other than tracking purchase habits. They were actually scared of it. When they figured out how to wield this power, they created a behemoth; enter Retail Media Networks. Leveraging their own ecosystems, Retailers started advertising to their consumers directly and brought brands along with them, somewhat to the brand's dismay. While it helps by actually getting visibility and revenue, they bemoaned because spending feels like a "tax." While RMNs have seen success, they're starting to hit audience caps, requiring more ad inventory. Want to find out where this is going? Take a listen.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Our guest's name is Tom Burgess. You can find him at...

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Selling products online is easy. Or it used to be. But selling is just the start. You then have to build emotional connection with the consumer to get them to come back and buy your product again. Otherwise, you're caught in what our guest on this episode of The Longer Game, Ben Leonard, Founder of Ecom Brokers, calls the Fish Bowl Hamster Wheel cycle. Famsters, a cross between a fish and a hamster. While they may be imaginary, they are exactly what business owners become when they don't think brand and are just reaching for their next sale. It's a never ending cycle that lacks sustainability and ultimately leaves the business owner wanting more whenever they go to sell their business, which is exactly what Ben helps ecommerce brands do.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Our guest Guest Name is Ben Leonard. He is the classic millennial entrepreneur. He built a business on a laptop, in a cupboard, in his spare time. The difference? Ben grew an international 7-figure business and successfully exited after 3 years; the business holy grail.

He has been featured in various press, including Forbes. Ben is a sought-after ecommerce consultant, author and international speaker. Meanwhile, his brands are used by international athletes, A-list Hollywood film stars and featured in multiple national press publications.

He wrote the acclaimed book - Quit Stalling and Build Your Brand (www.quitstallingbook.com)

Now he is doing it all over again with new brands, and helping others to do the same with his ecommerce consultancy (www.benleonard.pro) and ecommerce brokerage (www.ecombrokers.co.uk). Ben is the antidote to gurus.

You can find him at...

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/immichaelmaher

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it.

Want to find out more?

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Agencies often get business wrong. Why? Because they focus on growth at all costs and push their employees and team members beyond their limits, which leads to them eventually burning out and clients becoming dissatisfied. George Reid, the Founder of the Amazon Ad's Agency Georges Blog, has decided to go a different route. The world of advertising on Amazon has continued to grow in complexity. While George keeps pace with those new levers being added, he has decided to grow by focusing on developing and caring for a strong team that leads to better client success. When most agencies double down on fast growth, which often isn't sustainable, George is okay to grow slowly and do it well. Meet the most laid back of self-proclaimed coffee snobs who also has a slight taste for pain in running ultramarathons.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Our guest Guest Name is George Reid. George runs an Amazon agency with a side of design resource curation. He occasionally travels long distances and only takes coffee as long as it's black.

You can find him at...

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Website: https://podcastify.me

Trouble finding good talent? Welcome to the club. The whole freelancer concept is incredibly powerful in it's flexibility and potential but finding the right person who can actually do what they say they can is no easy feat. The amount of markup on those freelancer's fees can also mean that brands end up being misled on the level of knowledge of said freelancer. Needless to say, there is room for improvement. Jai Dolwani, CEO of The Starters, a curated freelancer marketplace with vetted ecommerce talent, knows the pain of this process and is out to right the wrongs he experienced as the CMO at Winc, the well known internet based wine club. Pour some wine, swirl your glass, and open up your pallete to new ways to solve problems in the world of ecommerce.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Our guest Guest Name is Jai Dolwani. Jai is currently the Founder & CEO of The Starters and is focused on helping e-commerce businesses find top-tier freelance talent.

Previously, Jai was the Chief Marketing Officer at Winc and ran Winc's direct-to-consumer P&L in addition to owning the omnichannel growth of Winc's brands, like Summer Water - one of the fastest growing rose brands in the country.

You can find him at...

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me.

Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

By now it should be clear that running a brand is not an easy task. And brands sometimes make it harder on themselves. They think short term. What is my RoAS? Can I get away with basic creative? The problem is those short term fixes prevent them from seeing the long term growth they really desire. Agencies can help but when they can't deliver on the promises they make in the sales process, it makes it even harder for those brands to really win. Co-Founder and CMO of Webtopia, Jessie Healy, joins us on this episode of The Longer Game to share her insights from the brand side that led to her moving agency side, creating the "anti-agency." Does this strike your curiosity? Press play and let's begin.

The Longer Game is a podcast focused on leaning into the trends and advancements in retail so brands see a clearer path to success across ALL channels. We’re looking at retail in a whole new way, looking to better understand the future of retail. It’s Retail Reimagined. Sharing hope about the future. No one channel can a business sustain. Go omni-channel.

Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to our channel and make sure to click or tap the bell so you get notified whenever new episodes drop.

Want to learn more about The Longer Game? Head over to https://thelongergame.com to read show notes, watch more episodes, or contact us.

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/thelongergame

Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thelongergame

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thelongergame

Our guest Guest Name is Jessie Healy. The $20 million she has spent on digital advertising in her career has helped her crack the code to creating profitable ads that convert.

After years of running multi-million pound digital campaigns for the likes of Etsy, Future Publishing and Trinity Mirror, she got fed up with the status quo and set out to create her own ‘anti-agency’: Webtopia, which she has since scaled to a team of 30.

She loves sharing my knowledge, actionable insights and strategies with audiences via events and podcasts.

You can find her at...

Website: www.webtopia.co

Find them on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecommercecoach/

Find them on Instagram: @wearewebtopia

Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessiejessie/

Michael Maher, the host, would love to connect with you. Reach out to him at…

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/immichaelmaher

This podcast is sponsored by Cartology and Podcastify Me. Cartology is a customized done-for-you service agency that helps brands accelerate growth and get profitable on the Amazon marketplace. They work directly with brands to create strategy and then go right out and execute it. Want to find out more?

Website: https://thinkcartology.com

Find Cartology on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/cartology

Find Cartology on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thinkcartology

Find Cartology on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thinkcartology

Podcastify Me is designed to help coaches of all kinds enter the podcasting space with minimal lift for them. And, inviting past, current and future clients to your show as part of your marketing and sales process sets you apart from your competition, in a time where podcasting is really gaining popularity.

Website: https://podcastify.me

Find Podcastify Me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podcastify-me/

Find Podcastify Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastify.me/

Find Podcastify Me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf2biqOTN2UbZ5aaM4Sx6NQ