The Commerce Lab

Devin Killpack is a biologist turned entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of Gathre. Gathre was born from the desire to create space for families, quality crafted mats and leather goods that prove “that beautiful things can be functional, that less can be more, that the effort to be together is always worth it.”   When Devin Killpack and his wife began Gathre five years ago the operations took place in his parents' garage. Their ability to create a solid brand that focuses intently on aesthetics and leverage product placement and collaboration has catapulted them to the mid-7-figure range.    Today you'll learn how Gathre scaled their business to 7 figures without advertising, their use of Clayton Christensen's “Jobs to be Done” theory to better understand customers and products, and how they have utilized Instagram as their biggest lever.    "Gathre didn't just create this brand, it was co-created with our customers." - Devin Killpack   Some topics that were discussed include:   How Gathre scaled to 7-figures without paid advertising How it took 2 years for Gathre to reach their first 7-figure year, how partnering with a big influencer was their key growth lever, and combining “paid influencer promotion” with co-branded product. Why Gathre views themselves as an "Instagram first" business Gathre's “product development” process and why they attribute their success to it Clayton Christensen's "Jobs To Be Done" theory and how it helps Gathre understand their customers and products.  Using this framework to determine what content to create that will resonate with their audience. How they leverage User Generated Content to scale their social following and drive sales. Gathre's "framework" for deciding what to post, how many to post, and the goal they want each piece of creative to achieve Gathre's team building philosophy and how they make hiring decisions.   Contact Devin Killpack:   Contact Devin on LinkedIn   References & links mentioned:   Gathre's Instagram  Gathre's Website  Gathre Article Feature   Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast:   Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you!

Kharma Vella is the Brand Product Director at Poler. Kharma was an original co-founder of the brand, and the creative mastermind behind some of Poler's most notable products. He was ousted from the company by his partner, but rejoined in October of last year - post brand bankruptcy - as Poler prepared to relaunch under new ownership. Originally founded in 2010, Poler is an outdoor brand that aims to fill the void between action sports and outdoor wear; they have been described as a lovechild of Volcom and Patagonia. Poler grew rapidly to high 7-figure revenues in 2016, then took a nosedive before filing for Bankruptcy in 2019. Now they are back. This is their story and the lessons they've learned. Kharma is passing them along in hopes that other brands avoid making the same mistakes. Today you'll learn what Poler did wrong. What happened at the peak of their growth in 2015-2016 (changes in leadership, operation, and marketing) that set them on the downward spiral towards bankruptcy? Most importantly, you'll learn what they're doing differently today to scale back up.   “It's a warning story around trying to run a wholesale business along with a direct consumer online business and the importance of operations, logistics, and maintaining wholesale relationships.” - Kharma Vella   Some topics that were discussed include: What is Poler? How do they position themselves? Why their initial success was lucky - and how they leveraged Instagram to scale. The source of the majority of sales (retailers/wholesale business) How they built brand equity with Instagram, then used that branding to get into retail stores - their main sales channel. The downfall of Poler - why wholesale demand declined (and why retailers stopped buying) How operations/logistics issues killed the wholesale business, and the decline of sales that followed. Moving Forward: How Poler is recovering after bankruptcy with their focus on product, sustainability and rebuilding the wholesale business ------   Subscribe to The Commerce Lab premium newsletter: We recently launched our *NEW* weekly premium newsletter, The Commerce Lab: https://bluestout.com/thecommercelab The newsletter is an extension of this podcast that deconstructs the operations and strategies that have worked for today's top brands (that have grown to where you want to be), into actionable guides you and your team can implement. Our goal with the newsletter: help brand operators, like you, stay ahead of the curve. (NOTE: We will eventually turn this into a paid newsletter, but early subscribers will get grandfathered in for free. Sign up here: https://bluestout.com/thecommercelab)

Joe Crosby manages the content and media team at REI, the nation's largest outdoor retailer.  Founded in 1938, Lloyd and Mary Anderson started the company in the Seattle area and along with other locals formed a co-op of about 23 people who came together to crowdsource and share the procurement of outdoor equipment,  and they have maintained this co-op to the present day. As a third-party retailer, REI sells a lot of other brands' products, and they are thriving even during a time when we see many third-party retailers struggling.  A big part of this is due to their superior content marketing. In this episode, we talked with Joe to break down the framework he uses when developing content, REI's metrics for success and what he would do if put in charge of a content strategy for a $5-10M brand.   “We're trying to build an audience of advocates for the outdoors first and foremost” - Joe Crosby   Some topics that were discussed include: The exact framework REI uses to choose the right content to produce Focusing on content that specifically builds "values-based" alignment with customers Tacking the success of campaigns using a hybrid of traditional "Media" metrics like views and impressions AND retail metrics like ad performance and ROAS How to build a content machine for a $5-$10M brand   Subscribe to The Commerce Lab premium newsletter: We recently launched our *NEW* weekly premium newsletter, The Commerce Lab. The newsletter is an extension of this podcast that deconstructs the operations and strategies that have worked for today's top brands (that have grown to where you want to be), into actionable guides you and your team can implement. Our goal with the newsletter: help brand operators, like you, stay ahead of the curve. (NOTE: We will eventually turn this into a paid newsletter, but early subscribers will get grandfathered in for free. Sign up here: https://bluestout.com/thecommercelab.)

Kyle Widrick is the Founder and CEO of WIN Brands Group (WBG). WBG is a leading operator of a portfolio of direct-to-consumer brands focused on leveraging best in class technology partners to scale the most innovative customer-first brands in the world.   WBG partners with companies that have created amazing products currently in the marketplace, acquires the majority of the business and provides them with an extensive top-level shared service team who run the business from a portfolio approach. Within the next 3-5 years Kyle and WBG plan to have a couple dozen brands operating within their DTC holding company.      Today, you'll learn about WBG's strategic advantage in the DTC market, how they structure their partnership with brands, and about the future of DTC commerce.   “I saw all these businesses that really should have taken off like rocket ships, but didn't have a key resource internally and that held them back in a very dramatic way.” - Kyle Widrick    Some topics that were discussed include:   Does the future of DTC (direct to consumer eCommerce) look like holding companies?  What WBG looks for when buying a brand  WBG's business model- operating with a Matrix Structure The First 12-18 months after acquisition How WBG has a strategic advantage  How WBG structures the deal with DTC brands they buy The valuation of a DTC Brand The future of DTC commerce Why Kyle doesn't avoid Amazon Contact Kyle Widrick:   WBG's Website Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn  References & links mentioned:   WBG in Forbes

Jordan Gal is the Co-founder and CEO of Carthook, a company offering customizable checkout processes for some of the most groundbreaking eCommerce brands. He and his team are partnering with clients to implement one of the most overlooked strategies in eCom, the post purchase upsell. Carthook clients have seen as much as 42% of past 30 day total revenue be driven by post purchase upsells.   In this episode, you'll learn how to implement product upsells to increase revenue and how you can use product funnels to customize the buying experience for your customers to increase conversion rate.    “This allows you to make an upsell without adding any friction to the buying process that can drive up your average order value.” - Jordan Gal   Some topics that were discussed include:   How to use a "one click upsell" after the checkout to upsell your customer without adding friction to the buying process Leveraging consumer psychology to increase hit rate of an upsell Using "product funnels" to sell more with a better customer journey   Contact Jordan Gal:   Connect with Jordan on Twitter Learn more about CartHook  Carthook on Facebook    References & links mentioned:   Jordan Co-hosts The Bootstrapped Web, a podcast centered on the highs and lows encountered while bootstrapping an online business.    Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast:   Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you!  

Dan Nicholson, founder of Nth Degree CPAs, is passionate about working with business owners to create financial security. He and his team work to expand financial capabilities and increase the profits of their clients at all points throughout the year.     Dan graduated Summa Cum Laude with emphasis in both Accounting and E-Commerce Information Systems from Seattle University. He served as a member of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and has worked in finance and accounting roles at Clark Nuber, UPS, WaMu, as well as Deloitte and Touche's Audit and Enterprise Risk Services.    If you hate thinking about taxes and accounting in your business, you aren't alone. But what if a few simple tweaks could leave you with six-figures in tax savings? This week, Dan is sharing a whole list of ways that you might be leaving a ton of your cash on the table.    Regarding small business C corporations: "say you sell your eCommerce business after five years for $10MM and it was a C Corp that entire time, you wouldn't pay any capital gains tax on that transaction, which would save you somewhere around $2.3MM."    -Dan Nicholson    Some topics that were discussed include:   Important tax code changes that ecommerce owners need to know.  Specific strategies to help ecommerce business owners save money on taxes. All about the WayFair ruling, and how it has made it easier to trigger “nexus.”  How few transactions it actually takes to trigger nexus.  How classifying inventory has drastically changed under the new tax code. You may be eligible for an R&D Tax Credit Leveraging your Entity Structure to eliminate the need to pay Capital Gains Tax.  Reasonable Compensation Study - how this alone could save you $20-50K each year.  Augusta Loophole - How to write off your board meetings.  Administrative Home Office - Making your mileage count.  Solo 401k - Take advantage of the opportunity to setback an additional $37K.    Contact Dan Nicholson:   Nth Degree CPAs Dan's LinkedIn  Nth Degree Facebook Page References & links mentioned:   Connect with Dan for Q&A in his weekly Office Hours    Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast:   Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you!  

Patrick Coddou is a master innovator and entrepreneur. After spending years hunting down the “perfect razor” - one that would give a close, comfortable shave without irritating his skin - Patrick gave up and decided to simply design one himself. What began as a personal vendetta against poor quality razors has evolved into Supply, a dynamic company that provides men with premium shaving and grooming products.    Since Patrick founded Supply in 2015, he and his small team have seen spectacular growth, and continue to pursue their ultimate goal of being a one-stop-shop for men's products. Supply appeared on Shark Tank in 2019, and recently achieved their first $1MM month.    Today, you'll learn how to establish a flywheel in your business to create cumulative growth, the pros and cons of the Shopify Fulfillment network, why Supply removed all of their products from Amazon,  and how they still managed to hit $1MM MONTH in revenue.    “Take pride in your product. People believe in people. Put your name and face on what you're doing as much as you can… you will see the dividends.” - Patrick Caddou   Some topics that were discussed include:   The origin story of Supply. How Patrick used a personal dilemma to create a seven-figure business.  Kickstarter and investment funds - How Patrick and his wife got the business up and running.  Revenue Milestones - The most effective levers that Patrick and his utilized to hit seven figures, first annually, and then in their first $1MM month.  How to build a Flywheel to create a scalable, sustainable, and profitable business  Effective branding - Why you SHOULD attach your name to your brand from the inception of your business  Developing a business model that ensures a high lifetime value per customer.  Scaling and Marketing - there is no silver bullet, but there are a few things that you might be missing that could move your business forward The Pros and Cons of the Shopify Fulfillment Network, and why Supply removed ALL of their products from Amazon Some encouragement from Patrick - why you should keep grinding away at your business, even if you aren't seeing the results you want… yet  Patrick's vision for 2020 - How Supply will continue to develop their brand, scale, and hit high revenue goals   Contact Patrick Coddou:   Patrick's Website   Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast:   Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you!  

Erik Christiansen is the CEO and co-founder of Justuno, a conversion optimization platform. Erik's marketing journey began in the online retail space. In 2010, he and co-founder Travis Logan launched Justuno, and they've been helping today's digital marketers and ecommerce businesses convert more visitors ever since. Business owners now exist in a world where customer acquisition costs are skyrocketing and brands are having to get creative around driving more value from their customers. In the past, pop-ups and other conversion strategies were basic and intrusive. Fast forward to today's pop-ups, which are smarter and give you the ability to dynamically segment how they appear and what they compel your customers to do. Justuno takes customer data profiles and ingests a customer's purchase history, buying behavior, and other metrics into a database you can use to increase the average order value when they purchase. This is the foundation for presenting additional products and offers that are highly relevant and more profitable for your business. “When it directly affects your sales and AOV, there's more incentive to test.” -  Erik Christiansen, Justuno (18:50-18:57) Here are just some of the topics we discuss:  How retailers and brands are increasing their AOV (average order value)  Strategies for recommending better products to customers when they add something to their cart Using data from existing customers to make recommendations of products that are more likely to be purchased How businesses are focusing inward to increase conversions and orders in the face of increasing marketing costs The biggest cause of cart abandonment and how to communicate in ways that eliminate this common obstacle  Creating low-friction offers when upselling or cross-selling Solving marketing problems through A/B testing  Automation and testing keep you from making assumptions and guesses about what increases sales and AOV Upselling and cross-selling—once considered high-risk—is now a requirement.  Connect with Erik Christiansen: LinkedIn Resources mentioned: Justuno Website How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Did you know you can rev up your marketing by using SMS and Facebook Messenger to increase the value of list members by as much as 30%? You can layer automated SMS text and Facebook messages into the communications you're already having with your customers.  Ben Parr, founder and president of Octane AI, sits down with us to talk about the baseline-level strategy you need to put in place if you're a brand that hasn't implemented SMS or Facebook Messenger marketing. Learn automations and sequences you can add to your marketing playbook to get real results.  Ben is a former co-editor of Mashable and wrote a bestselling book called Captivology: The Science of Capturing People's Attention, which dives into why we pay attention to certain people and products and how to use that science to captivate others.  Octane AI is a conversational marketing platform for eCommerce that powers Facebook Messenger, SMS, and conversational ads all under one roof. You can run all your conversational campaigns from the Octane AI unified dashboard.  “A lot of people are scared to use SMS and Facebook Messenger marketing. The truth is your customers prefer you do it that way. That's how they live and communicate.” - Ben Parr (16:26-16:50) Some of the topics discussed include:    The essential “flows” you need to set up for SMS and Facebook Messenger marketing The strategies Ben has seen work that you probably haven't seen or tried yet Setting up your baseline before diving into SMS and Facebook Messenger marketing Why you need to send fewer messages on SMS than you do with email Why you have to think of SMS, email, and Facebook Messenger as one unified flow Triggering conditional splits based on actions users take The first three key flows you need to focus on Setting the right expecting when using SMS and Facebook Messenger marketing  Giving  your audience a choice in how they want to connect with you Integrations you need to test with your SMS and Facebook Messenger marketing strategies Every touchpoint you add can increase the revenue per subscriber by 20% to 30% Contact Ben Parr: Ben Parr on LinkedIn References & links mentioned: Octane AI Website Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast: Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you! How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Fred Perrotta of Tortuga Backpacks takes a contrarian view when it comes to scaling a successful brand. But his approach has allowed him and his team scale Tortuga Backpacks into a multiple-seven-figure business through bootstrapping alone. They haven't raised any outside venture capital, and they've managed to build a fully remote team from day one.  Designing and manufacturing products require capital. This is the biggest constraint for bootstrapped businesses. You have to figure out how you can afford to scale as the demand for your products increase.  We talk to Fred about how he co-founded the business, how they've scaled it, and how they've overcome capital constraints resulting from not raising any outside funding. We also explore the tactics Tortuga Backpacks has used for managing inventory issues, covering employee salaries, and marketing their brand.  If you're looking to take a bootstrapping approach to growing your business, you'll learn how Fred and his team have been able to scale Tortuga Backpacks into a multimillion-dollar brand.  “You have to focus on what's actually working for you, what's possible, and what you can afford. That's a muscle you have to develop.” - Fred Perrotta, Tortuga Backpacks (15:06-15:15) Some topics that were discussed include: The “levers” that Tortuga Backpacks used to hit their first seven figures in revenue How to learn from the feedback you get from customers so you know what will work How profitable (and for how long) you have to be to get conventional funding  Accidental scarcity can create a bigger demand for your products.  Getting your audience to buy up your inventory can be as easy as just sending out an email.  How much revenue does it take to fund your inventory and production runs while keeping your products in stock at all times? Where you need to allocate your profits when growing a bootstrapped business What percentage of your marketing needs to go to performance marketing  Magazines have become online publishers that rely heavily on affiliate revenue. Tortuga Backpacks' philosophy on remove versus non-remote teams Navigating the drawbacks and limitations of remote teams Contact Fred Perrotta: Fred Perrotta on Twitter Fred Perrotta's Website References & links mentioned: Tortuga Backpacks Website Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast: Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you! How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Kristen LaFrance breaks down the three tactics you need to implement to reduce churn rate in your subscription business. Kristen oversees all things community and growth at ChurnBuster, focusing on creating meaning customer relationships and helping subscription businesses humanize their brands, build stronger communities, and maximize revenue.  Kristen and the ChurnBuster team have worked with top companies like Butcher Box, LOLA, and MeUndies to improve their monthly recurring revenue (MRR), build deeper connections with their customers.  There are plenty of different types of subscription businesses out there, including physical products and e-commerce businesses. Churn rate is the rate at which subscribers leave your program, and it's the number one enemy of subscription businesses.  We discuss the top three tactics and strategies you can use to reduce the churn rate in your business so you can extend the lifetime value of every customer who enters your subscription program. “Subscription businesses are a marriage between a customer and a company. You can't just marry someone, show up once a month, and think that's going to work. You have to do a lot more work than that” - Kristen LaFrance (6:58-07:16)   Some topics that were discussed include: Addressing voluntary and involuntary churn A subscription business is a marriage between you and your customers. The importance of setting expectations right from the start Creating a larger mission for your subscribers How to get your customers to engage with (and stay excited about) your brand over time Why you absolutely have to over-deliver in the first three months of a subscription Recovering failed payments: The low-hanging fruit most subscription businesses ignore Learning to shut up about your products Using surprise and joy to give customers more than they paid for    Contact Kristen LaFrance: Kristen LaFrance on Twitter   References & links mentioned: ChurnBuster Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast: Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you!   How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Will Critcher is in charge of direct marketing for Death Wish Coffee, a brand that touts itself as the strongest coffee in the world. Will handles everything from email marketing to Amazon to performance marketing spend. He's tasked with the day-to-day operations that come with working within a team scaling an eight-figure brand.  We sit down to talk to Will about the strategies he uses to allocate a marketing budget so you can figure out where to put your money to grow your brand. We talk about allocating for creating content and building brand equity versus simply dumping money into performance advertising.  Coffee is the second most-consumed nonalcoholic beverage in the world after water. So it's an incredibly competitive space. Will Critcher deep-dives into how the Death Wish Coffee team thinks strategically about the ways they communicate to each segment of their market—from baby boomers to millennials and everyone in between. You can learn the framework they use to communicate their brand and products so that you can apply it to the way you speak to your specific audience.  “If you think, ‘These are the rules that we have to follow and these are the words that we have to say', then you're begging to put yourself out of business.” - Will Critcher (50:08-50:18) Some topics that were discussed include: Communicating your message with different voices and purposes How to handle audience segmentation, email cadence, and outreach strategy.  Strategies for allocating allocate your marketing budget scale  Striking a balance between doubling down on what works while also trying new things that the competition hasn't tried yet Using email marketing to generate brand loyalty How to speak to your audience about the things they actually care about and align with your brand.  Marketing to multiple age groups and knowing how to speak to each one Finding markets to penetrate that aren't currently buying from you  What's working better or working differently...and what new channels you should be exploring Contact Will Critcher: Will Critcher on LinkedIn References & links mentioned: DeathWishCoffee.com Fueled by Death podcast Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast: Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you! How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Reza Khadjavi is the CEO of Shoelace, a retargeting platform that helps businesses identify overlooked opportunities for increasing conversions and optimizing their retargeting ads and customer journeys. The Shoelace platform lets you mirror successful email advertising campaigns as ads. This is just one example of the many ways that you can layer different elements of your business, including  reviews and loyalty programs, to make retargeting ads more effective and profitable.  Resa calls this “customer journey retargeting”, and it's an elevated way of running retargeting ads. It's something you need to understand because in an environment where customer acquisition costs continue to rise, your ability to generate revenue from your audience through retargeting is more important than ever before.  “The companies that do retention the best are the ones who have phenomenal brand equity.” -  Reza Khadjavi (10:41-10:45) Some topics discussed include: How to communicate with your customer at every stage of their journey with your business  How you can tell the story about your brand using retargeting ads What most retailers are doing wrong when they set up their retargeting Retention is the new growth, but how do you get retention?  The only way marketers can solve the problem of annoying retargeting How to continue telling your brand story once a customer buys Why pure content or educational emails actually convert better than offers The two phases in which customers make their purchasing decisions  Contact Reza Khadjavi LinkedIn References & links mentioned: Shoelace Website Subscribe & Review The Commerce Lab Podcast: Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of The Commerce Lab Podcast! If the information shared in these weekly conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you! How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

“People are smart, and they're catching on to what's happening and what's authentic and what's not.” Steven Ford (34:53-35:03) In this age of high customer-acquisition costs, you can't just rely on paid marketing to grow. That's why brands are finding other channels and new ways to scale.  Steven Ford and the Sand Cloud team have focused on community-building, which made it possible for them to hit their first million dollars in revenue without spending a single dollar on paid marketing.  Everything they did to reach that first million was focused exclusively on building a community through a brand ambassador program.  Discovering What Works for Creating a Seven-Figure Business Sand Cloud achieved early success by growing through social media. They focused on building a community of ambassadors on Instagram.  The Sand Cloud team would reach out directly to Instagram users to find ambassadors. They messaged thousands of people every single week to invite them to join their community,  These users became a part of building the brand by choosing the designs and products they liked. They enjoyed exclusive discounts and were compelled to talk about Sand Cloud to their families and friends.  As a result, half of the initial sales came from ambassadors who purchased their products while the other half came from the content those users shared.  “If you can build an engaged community around a brand, that's really the Holy grail.” - Allen Burt (16:23-16:28) Building a community around their brand gave Sand Cloud an large pool for testing and sourcing product ideas. They could run polls and determine if something was actually going to work before launching a product.  Taking Sand Cloud to Shark Tank The Sand Cloud team set their sights on getting on the popular television show Shark Tank early on. They applied each year, getting turned down every time because they just weren't ready.  Thankfully, the team knew someone who had been on the show and knew what the ins and outs of getting through the vetting process.  The Sand Cloud team eventually made it to the show and negotiated a partnership with resident shark Robert Herjavec. This gave the company an invaluable resource for continuing to grow their brand and reach more customers.  As customer acquisition costs have gone up for today's businesses, it's more important to have a robust brand story.  Growing the Sand Cloud Community Through Offline Events  Sand Cloud started setting up live events like beach clean-ups and programs that supported animal rescues and releases. This aligned the company even more with their customers and followers while expanding their reach to others who could join their community.  You can take that same model and create live events and meetups that build community and create conversations where people talk about your brand and share it with others.  Sand Cloud has invested in creating a story around what makes their brand special. They're investing in content, such as entertaining videos that tell their story.  “Something that's engaging , funny, and captures someone's attention and tells your story...that's been the framework of what we've seen work really well.” - Steven Ford (31:09-31:23) The team has had multiple viral videos that have generated millions of views. Investing in content has been one of the big successes Sand Cloud has had.  Sand Cloud is now focusing on building strategic partnerships and growing wholesale and retail sales. They're increasing the number of touch points for reaching new customers.  But they haven't forgotten the importance of community. They're building their relationships with influencers who deeply care about marine life and sustainability. They're targeting people who live the beach lifestyle.  Today's businesses have to make sure that the audience and influencers they're connecting with are congruent with their brand story.  Building a community around your brand can grow your business and help you reach the seven-figure mark. You can get the traction you need without spending on paid ads that are getting more expensive every day. A community of people who are aligned with your brand message can give you the feedback you need to create and launch successful products while making an even bigger impact on the people you serve.  How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

“Abandoned cart reminders can be the most useful and revenue-driving automation you have.” Felix Suellwold (27:11-27:18) Allen Burt The Commerce Lab Notifications have become second-nature in our everyday lives. There are notifications for emails, voice messages, text messages, and the endless applications we use to connect, communicate, and buy. Notifications have been almost exclusive to mobile devices. But more businesses are taking advantage of web push notifications that are delivered through your Internet browser. Felix Suellwold helps businesses integrate web push notifications into their sales processes. Any business can deliver notifications that support the marketing and sales experience for your customers and your business. But the use of web push notifications is relatively new, and many businesses don't understand the use cases available to grow. “Some merchants aren't able to retarget on Google or Facebook. Web push notifications that get your visitors to subscribe overcomes the obstacles facing traditional retargeting strategies.” - Felix Suellwold (11:15-11:37)Used in the wrong ways, web push notifications can cause friction in the sales process and negatively impact your brand experience. But used strategically, they can reduce shopping cart abandonment, offer discounts, and let buyers know when items are back in stock to increase conversion rates. Web push notifications improve your segmentation so you deliver a personalized experience that drives more revenue to your business. The uses/benefits of web push notifications. Web push notifications are more accessible. There's nothing to download, and browser-based reminders are highly visible. Customers receive notifications even if their browser is running in the background. If they log off their browsers, reminders appear when they return. With web push notifications, you drive more sales by reaching customers at the right time, and desktop notifications convert more easily than those delivered to mobile devices. Businesses can use web push notifications for: Welcoming and thanking customers Product discounts Restocking of inventory Abandoned shopping carts Shipping confirmation Notifications that welcome or thank customers can build your credibility and strengthen their trust in you. Product coupons and discounts persuade on-the-fence buyers to buy after they've browsed your products. Timely delivery of those messages targets users when they're primed to buy. “As we make this push towards more personalized brand experiences, triggering one-off communication with customers is what's going to drive sales in the future.” - Allen Burt (44:36-44:55) Reminding customers about their abandoned carts can be one of the most useful and revenue-driving automation strategies you have. Web push notification technologies let you create a series of reminders offering progressively larger incentives to buy. The first notification may be just a reminder. The second could include a coupon offer, and the third might include a discount offer with free shipping. Emails fall through the cracks of cluttered inboxes. Moving this process to the customer's browser may have a greater impact on your bottom line. Notifications that confirm purchases and shipping information give customers peace of mind, making them more likely to buy from you in the future. Other use cases include advanced segmentation based on location, device, purchase history, and other metrics. Web push notifications are part of the growing trend towards more personalized brand experiences. The cost to acquire new customers is soaring. Automating processes that increase client retention gives you a leading edge over your competitors while delivering a memorable experience that keeps your customers coming back for more. How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

“We've seen massive increase in customer acquisition costs. It's one of the biggest issues that brands are facing in 2019.” - Allen Burt (1:56-2:04)   The growing number of marketing channels has made selling more complex and costly for today's businesses. As VP of Growth for Molekule, Gaurav Agarwal has developed strategies that have helped the company achieve 7-figure revenues every month since it launched. By developing a framework for success, Molekule is now able to predictably model the growth of their brand. This keeps customer acquisition costs low while helping them determine the risks involved with every new acquisition channel they use.   Molekule has adapted to the shift occurring in the hardware industry. More businesses are bypassing retailers and distributors and going directly to consumers. As a result, businesses are being forced to create digital-native brands that speak directly to their target markets in strategic ways.   Businesses need to identify the customer acquisition channels that work. Some channels offer a high level of confidence and predictability. These are ideal for achieving a minimum amount of revenue. Other channels offer less predictability, but they can be useful if they offer a higher return on investment (ROI). The key is to use the right mix of channels for more predictable revenue and ROI.   “Not all touch points are equal. Some have to be more brand-heavy, some have to be more sales-heavy.” - Gaurav Agarwal (29:34-29:42)   Finding the Right Customer Acquisition Channels. Industry competitors and peers who are selling similar products at a similar price range can help you figure out what is and isn't working. Once you've identified what channels work, test them to see what the results would look like for your business.   Not every dollar spent on marketing will result in the same return if you fail to adapt to the changing marketplace. In some cases, spending your marketing dollars elsewhere may be the best option when an acquisition channel is no longer producing the same results. Channels can become saturated quickly. So you'll need to find a new audience, create a new message, or leverage a new acquisition channel.   Finding a New Audience. Your audience must be scalable if you want to continue sending the same marketing message to the same audience through the same channel. Otherwise, you'll need to find a new target market. Create fresh content that's relevant to the needs and interests of that audience.   You may need to find new channels that speak to the same audience. This diversifies the way you reach your existing audience while you achieve consistent growth and keep marketing costs low. Ultimately, there are three components you can play with to determine what works: message, audience, and channel.   “When you acquire a customer, you should make enough money back that the acquisition is profitable...and you make enough profit to allow you to acquire another customer.” - Gaurav Agarwal (40:32-40:51)   Building a Growth Team. The Molekule growth team consists of an analytics team, a retention team, and a brand team. The analytics team identifies wasteful spending and prevents overspending to keep marketing campaigns efficient and profitable. The retention team focuses on audience engagement, subscription, and other factors that are critical to long-term growth after a customer has been acquired. The brand team is responsible for the creative related to the company's marketing.   The acquisition of one customer should leave you with enough profit to acquire another customer. This creates a self-financing growth system. Use analytics to accurately measure the results of your efforts. Organic growth comes from building a customer base that loves your product and your brand. Focusing on your customers first will help you achieve real and measurable growth, higher return on your marketing spending, and more profitable and predictable results.   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:54 What is Molekule? - 3:59 How Molekule Has Consistently Achieved 7-Figures Every Month - 6:23 Knowing the Probability of Success for Any Marketing Channel - 11:23 Adjusting Marketing Channels in Response to the Market - 16:51 Molekule's Team Structure - 22:58 How to Eliminate Wasteful Spending - 25:16 Tools for Measuring and Testing Buying Behavior 30:32 Building a Growth Team With Limited Resources - 33:10 The Lifetime Value of Your Customer - 38:30 How to Scale in 2019 - 44:45 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 51:15 How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info Connect with Gaurav on LinkedIn and learn more about Molekule by visiting their website at www.molekule.com.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!  

“Just getting people over that first conversion hump is the hardest part.” - Robbie Hammett, JustUno (21:28-21:33)   Increasing conversion rates and the size of customer orders lays the foundation for lasting growth in your marketplace. There is already a wide range of strategies, tools, and tactics that businesses are using in an attempt to increase their revenue. However, many of these approaches often ruin the user experience (UX) while alienating existing and future customers.   JustUno helps businesses communicate with customers using dynamic and personalized marketing messages that lead to better results. Delivering messages that resonate with your customers and incentivize them to buy dramatically increases your conversions and average order value (AOV).   “Putting systems and tactics into place is going to add up over time. These elements compound into improving conversion rate and AOV.” - Allen Burt (56:00-56:20)   There are a few ways that you can utilize your metrics in a way that will grow conversion rates while still adding value to customers.   Personalized offers. Using the data you have about your customers to create personalized onsite offers is one of the best ways to grow your business. It moves them further along in the customer journey while aligning your offers with their needs. Customer data lets you see things like past behavior, the items they've purchased, and whether or not they have items in their shopping carts. You can leverage what you know about your customers in ways that support your business goals and improve your brand experience.   Customer Incentives. The cost of acquiring a new customer has continued to rise, making it even more important for you to match your site's content to your customer data. Incentives are a powerful way to persuade users to purchase your products or services. Bonus gifts, free or expedited shipping, product bundles, and upselling are just some of the strategies you can test to find out what works for your business.   You may be worried that discounts will degrade the value of your brand. If so, you can utilize incentives that enhance the customer's purchase, without giving away exorbitant amounts of inventory. Bundled packages and other offers increase the number and size of purchases without having to discount your products. This can be a powerful way to boost AOV and convert more prospects into paying customers.   Focus on the UX. User experience is just as important as your ability to move prospects further into your sales funnel. Many businesses rely heavily on pop-ups and other tactics that don't address the unique needs of each easier. They fail to segment their audience only to deliver generic marketing messages that don't convert. Take the time to consider what you can do better at each point along the sales process. How can you increase the average order volume while making sure that customers still enjoy the buying journey?   “UX is just as important as guiding people through the customer journey and converting them.” - Robbie Hammett, JustUno (9:05-9:13)   Dynamic messaging is one of the easiest ways to generate more revenue. Segmenting your ad campaigns, email marketing, and other traffic sources puts the appropriate message in front of users and increases the incentive to buy. Using the right systems and tactics adds up over time, optimizing your business and giving you a higher return on all of your marketing spending.   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:00 Visitor Conversion Software and the User Experience - 7:46 Conversion Tactics That Work - 12:04 How to Prevent Customers From Expecting Discounts - 22:59 Use Dynamic Upselling to Increase Average Order Value - 29:13 Bundling Tactics That Get Customers to Buy More - 38:38 How to Get Better Results from Your Email Click-Throughs 45:55 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 58:31 How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you want to learn more about JustUno, visit www.justuno.com.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

“A lot of other entrepreneurs that are trying to scale a business, think about it from an analytical, numbers standpoint. Taft couldn't do what they do if they didn't approach it from a relational standpoint. ” - Allen   In a culture dominated by the faceless entities of major shoe brands, and shameless customer pursuit through the endorsements of social platform influencers, to say Kory Stevens is a breath of fresh air would be an understatement. Kory is the founder and self-described “Accidental” CEO of Taft. Taft is a luxury men's footwear company that has grown into an 8-figure business in two years, and garnered investments from NBA stars and noteworthy venture capitalists, while regularly releasing two to three new products per month. He has fostered a unique approach to supply chain and manufacturing and maintains an incredible sense of priorities in the midst of success.   “We make sure that we infuse the humanity of it all into our shoes.” - Kory   With many small businesses, the choking point is inventory. Taft's strategy is to undersupply as they grow. Kory has made an intentional effort to build genuine relationships with all of his factories. Because of this, Taft is able to be on the offensive with planning and producing, rather than becoming stagnant with an unchanging selection.   As with most other businesses, Taft was impacted by the rise in customer acquisition costs on social media platforms in 2018. As they continue to grow, they are evolving in their efforts to be efficient, but still continue to build relationships with their social media following. They spent the first few years bootstrapping their business as interested VCs pursued them. Because they were patient, when they were ready to raise more funds, they were able to be selective with who they allowed to partner with their brand.   “Our Instagram account is so critical. It's how we found our factories, it's how we found some of our investors, it's how we stayed connected with tens of thousands of our customers.” - Kory   There are many aspects of Taft's business model that help them to stand out from their competitors. Perhaps the most notable is their focus on the relationship. “We are human first,” Kory explains, always valuing relationships over sales. This mindset can be found in every realm of their business, from employees to customers, and even with their manufacturers.   Taft is a family-forward business. Kory, his wife, and the employees at Taft are intentional with their transparency in the business, and with their customers. As an entrepreneur, Taft dominates the discussions at home, Kory explains. However, when family is still the number one priority, work and home life can be integrated, rather than competing for attention.   Visit Taft's website to learn more about their company, and to see their incredible selection of unique, quality footwear.   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:54 Info about Cory and TAFT - 5:57 Avoiding the Choking Point of Inventory - 11:12 The Nice Guy Principles - 13:56 TAFT and NBA Star Support - 19:34 Business and Social Media Platforms - 25:03 TAFT's Scaling Strategy - 27:56 Rising Customer Acquisition Costs - 30:22 The Accidental CEO: Structuring Work/Life Balance - 33:17 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 42:30   How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

“Innovation is the blood in our veins. It is what drives us every day, so we need to invest in it.”   This week on The Commerce Lab, Allan interviews Michael Markesbery, co-founder and CEO of the innovative Oros Apparel. They discuss how Oros got started, what PR can do for a growing brand, and how to develop a product from scratch.Michael has a very unique story. As a pre-med student at Miami of Ohio, Michael got wind of NASA's Aerogel technology, which is the material they put in space rovers and equipment for insulation in space. As a lover of the outdoors, Michael got tired of having to wear a ton of layers to keep warm and began to research how Aerogel might be utilized to make lighter, more efficient activewear for winter weather. He pitched it to his classmate, Rithvik, and they got to work. Several years, some technology-tweaking, and a $320,000 Kickstarter campaign later, Oros was born.   “You need to be as human as physically possible. Not only does it help your conversion rates, but it's also just the right thing to do.”   As 22-year old students, Michael and Rithvik had to get creative to bring attention to their brand and scale the business on limited resources. To date, both men have appeared in Outside Magazine, Runner's World, and Forbes' 30 under 30.As Allan points out, this is outstanding press for a young brand, and Michael goes into more detail on his PR strategy. Michael notes that PR was a top priority for the company and that PR is not only important, but it can be pretty much free. Michael credits Tim Ferris's “How to Raise $100,000 in 10 days” as an inspiration. This strategy entails finding other similar brands to yours and then tracking down their PR to make a list of outlets (and thereby contributors) who are likely to be interested in what you do. From there, it's about connecting to these people and drawing them to your brand. It's tried and true, and Michael and Rithvik continue to use it year after year. “Oros happens to be aspirational largely in part due of our innovation. And so what that means is that we need to be heavily focused not just on marketing, but on innovation. Fortunately, those two go hand in hand.”   Michael discusses his role as CEO and how he looks at the organization and operations of the company he runs. Oros is unique because of how truly original the product is, and Michael focuses on the innovation of the product, which supports the ethos and the vision of the company. He speaks about the virtues of venture backing given the nature of the company and how it helps in scaling. Michael talks about the dynamic of working with a co-founder, and the importance of each partner working within their strengths. Michael speaks about the culture of the team he works with, and the 20% of decisions made that propel the business forward – particularly the creation of an advisory board full of experienced mentors and the importance of good time management.   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   • The Oros Story – 3:15• The Marketing Process – 6:45• How PR Factors In/PR Strategy - 8:42• Preserving Innovation – 14:25• Venture Funding – 16:50• The 80/20 Decisions – 20:00• Oros Advisory Board - 20:30• Time and Stress Management - 23:50• Wrap-up and Takeaways - 30:00   How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Also, visit www.bluestout.com for more info   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

“Most brands are doing email wrong, or have not optimized it to drive as much revenue through it as they could be.”   This week on The Commerce Lab, we're talking about how to ramp up your ROI utilizing the power of lifecycle email marketing. A business employing an effective marketing strategy should be seeing around 30% of their monthly revenue directly from email. If your revenue falls below that percentage, you are probably not using email correctly or optimizing it as you should. Listen in to learn more about the proven process our clients have used across a number of different businesses to increase client engagement and ramp up their revenue.   “Lifecycle email marketing is the concept of layering email at each stage of the customer journey to push customers more rapidly through the process, and also layering in these additional nurturing points to get somebody revved up about your brand, in touch with your brand, and ready to buy.”   Our customers' inboxes are flooded each day with emails. However, if you are writing exemplary content, and you have built out your list, you should be seeing a 20-40% open rate on your campaigns. We'll take you through an effective strategy for both automated and manual campaigns, tailoring your flow to your customer-base, and segmenting your email list, to avoid a drop-off in your open rate.   “On average, you need 5-15 touchpoints with your brand to get someone to buy. The more expensive or complex the brand, the more touchpoints are needed.”   At the end of this episode, you'll be equipped with a whole list of takeaways that you can apply to your own email marketing strategy today. Tailor your content to garner the highest possible levels of engagement, learn how to stand out, and take advantage of one of the most valuable marketing tools available to your business.   You can access the full training video in the Commerce Lab Facebook group. Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:59 What is Lifecycle Email Marketing? - 8:45 Implementing Lifecycle Email Marketing Strategy - 14:12 Manual Campaigns - 20:23 How to Utilize Segmentation - 24:17 Takeaways for Your Email List - 33:12 Wrap-up - 38:41 How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

“Getting to that first million is pure hustle” - Allen Burt   This week on The Commerce Lab, we're talking about one of the most important milestones of every business, especially in the ecommerce industry. There are several reasons why it is significant to reach your first million in revenue. First of all, this will show your market fit at scale. It's a revenue level that will allow you to pull profit and capital, and give you the momentum to push towards the next milestone of $5M, $10M, etc. Finally, reaching the milestone of your first million is an integral achievement in the eyes of investors.   In this episode, you'll hear from two leaders in the ecommerce industry who have made it to their first million and beyond. Learn the strategies that they utilized to build a firm business foundation, and how they used that momentum to continue building.   “I like to believe I have a really good understanding of what makes the customer tick when buying a product.” - Dave Heath, Bombas Socks   Nate Checketts is the founder of Rhone Apparel, a performance brand for the modern man. Nate discusses the importance of building relationships as you build your brand and the hustle of the first million. Learn the strategies that Nate and his team implemented in regards to building a team at the right time, and the necessity of becoming more comfortable with self-promotion.   “In the early days, you want people that will work their tails off and feel as committed to the vision as you do.” - Nate Checketts Rhone Apparel   Dave Heath, founder of Bombas Socks, leveraged a brand to meet a humanitarian need. Designed for optimum comfort, Bombas implements a “buy one, give one” strategy, donating pair-for-pair to the homeless population. While Bombas gained notoriety on a season premiere of Shark Tank, Dave discusses the systems that were already in place that led to sustainable growth. Listen to this conversation to learn more about systems, and organic virility, or, the ability for your product to stand on its own. Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:00 Nate Checkett's Journey - 3:25   How to Do Ramp Up Post Million - 9:24 Dave Heath, Bombas Socks - 12:12 Strategies and Process Bombas Used to Get from $0-1M - 13:42 Systems to Prepare for an Influx - 17:27 Shifting Strategy to Account for the Growth - 19:52 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 23:57 How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more information   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

“One of the best things you can do as an entrepreneur is find the people who are already in the place where you want to be. Ask them how they handled their business when they were at your stage.”   Welcome to the Commerce Lab. The goal of this podcast is to curate specific content to help you thrive as an entrepreneur and brand owner. We'll dive deep into the ecommerce economy to analyze the cutting edge strategies of the top brands and industry leaders, through interviews with successful brand owners, personal development strategies, and actionable advice.   As an entrepreneur, it is vital to surround yourself with support. The Commerce Lab will give you an opportunity to implement new tactics, and learn from a group of individuals who are like-minded, and facing similar challenges and triumphs. Listen in, join the conversation, and be a part of our community.   How to get involved Join the community of brand owners and industry influencers in the Facebook group The Commerce Lab or visit thecommercelab.com. Visit www.bluestout.com for more info If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!