The Profit Forecast: The eComm CEO's Podcast

Andrew Gluck is the founder of IrrvrntVC, a firm that invests in early-stage companies. With a background in economics and psychology, he transitioned from working in marketing to becoming an angel investor and advisor, eventually starting his own firm and raising a $10 million fund. In this podcast, Gluck discusses the challenge of creating brands with generational opportunities and their path to profitability. He suggests it's possible to control a brand's destiny with little funding by setting realistic LTV numbers and payback periods. One key advice he gives to founders is to understand how much of the market big brands in your space have been able to capture and how they've done so. Listen to the rest of the conversation with Andrew Gluck.

In this podcast, Ben Tregoe interviews Nick Allen, the founder and CEO of Geologie, a personalized skincare company that started out just for men but has expanded to all genders and even added hair and body care lines. Nick talks about his background experiences in investment banking, equity research, and his entrepreneurial start in the ride-sharing business. He also walks though Geologie’s journey as a company, why they chose a subscription model, and how they’ve evolved their marketing efforts. Tune in as Nick shares the importance of product-market-founder-fit - where an entrepreneur needs to have a good idea, a market worth pursuing, and be the right person to execute the plan - and how fellow DTC founders can thrive in today’s environment.

On this episode we welcome Dave Wardell, brand president of Chubbies Shorts, an apparel and fashion brand that has seen huge success in the DTC space over the past few years. Wardell talks about his experience building up his career, continuously reinventing and reevaluating the work he did and the kinds of companies he worked with. He also talks about the Chubbies employee team and how their unique priorities and work helped them rise to success and get acquired by Solo brands.

Ben Zises, angel investor and founding general partner at SuperAngel.Fund comes on the podcast to talk about his journey and the experiences that made him fall in love with investing. After many trips around the “founder flywheel” himself, Ben developed a passion for championing other founders to accomplish their goals, mission and vision. Now with over 100 total portfolio companies and almost a decade of experience, Ben Zises shares his story and expert advice for both founders and investors. Dive into this episode with Ben Zises and hear his unique take on the VC world as an investor with unrivaled founder empathy.

From private investigator to analyst, Dylan Carden tells us about his experience as what he refers to as a “life-long researcher”, and how his career led to where he is now, working as an equity analyst at William Blair. Carden describes the unique work of a sell-side analyst and the business model behind what they do for different brands and companies. Listen in as he walks through the strategies that individual companies like Aritzia, Abercrombie, and Nike used to increase their growth and continue to build their brand.

Nina McKinney is the Chief Strategy Operator of Oats Overnight, a convenient and nutritious breakfast solution that comes in a wide variety of flavors and ‘types’ to fit the lifestyle of everyone. On this episode, Nina discusses the unique attributions that caused her to fall in love with the Oats Overnight brand and talks about customer bases and the importance of customer feedback. Listen in as she shares insights into the journey of transforming Oats from a good brand to a great brand.

Rachel Liaw, co-founder of Fuse Inventor talks about how her career as a software developer turned into working in supply chain management, which resulted in her starting Fuse Inventory. Fuse Inventory was founded as a solution to the several everyday problems that companies face regarding inventory management, helping companies not only keep track of their inventory but make the smart decisions regarding inventory in order to optimize their business’ success. Listen in as she shares insights into using inventory management as a key ingredient in the recipe for success.

Starting as an investor at MudWtr and now investing in over 20 startups, Paul DeJoe talks about how a collegiate career planned around ice hockey developed into a love for investing in companies he believes in. He tells the story behind his contribution to MudWtr, the specific aspects that made the company so successful, what to look for when seeking an investor, and his passion for helping founders tackle their psychological baggage.

Anthony Choe is a legend in brand investing with 30 years of experience starting at Brentwood Associates and then as founder of Provenance. Anthony talks about the factors and changes in consumer-behavior that sparked his idea for Provenance, the different qualities that Provenance looks to invest in, the importance of a company’s ‘tribe’, or core customers, and tips for success.

Valentin Radu is the founder of Omniconvert, which helps eCommerce companies grow their customers through data analytics. Radu talks about the customer acquisition problems faced by companies that inspired him to start Omniconvert, explains what makes Omniconvert stand out from other data-analytic software, and gives insights to founders and CEO’s interested in Customer Value Optimization (CVO) and growing the quality and loyalty of their customer base.

Krista Moatz, former co-founder of PopSugar and current managing partner at Sugar Capital talks about her jump from a female-focused media brand to venture capital. Moatz tells us about the different aspects she deems to be most important in leading a business, how to convert customers with interest into customers who pay for your product, reasons for company success and failure, and more vital information for running a company. She also talks about the current state of the economy and why Moatz believes that a penny-pinching present may lead to the creation of some of the most successful companies ever.

Ben Tregoe sits down with Jack Dreifuss, founder of Impatient Ventures and accomplished entrepreneur. Dreifuss tells listeners about his journey from a curious college graduate to becoming the founder of successful companies and investing in several more. They talk about the different obstacles that every aspiring entrepreneur and investor comes across, and Dreifuss gives the tips and tricks that he learned through both his successes and failures.

Matt Johnson is the Founder of TheFeed.com, where they allow athletes to hand-pick their nutrition packages. To do this, they have built an in-house fulfillment process, cutting out pick-fees charged by third parties. Along the way, Matt cultivated a loyal following around his brand, providing customers with insights from professional athletes. Any founders looking to stay true to their brand authenticity and learn to problem-solve on the fly should check out this episode!

Stefan Haney is the CTO at Foundry, where they work to buy and optimize quality brands. With almost 16 years of experience working at Amazon, Stefan's insights reflect his expertise in eCommerce operations. Founders looking to lead omnichannel businesses, improve supply chains, and maximize their use of Amazon should check out this episode.

Rick Watson, CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, joins Ben to explore Rick’s extensive experience in eCommerce. Listen to their breakdown of the biggest challenges that eCommerce companies are dealing with today. All founders looking for tips on reaching profitability, improving customer experience, and more won't want to miss this episode.

Justin Seidenfeld is the CEO at Doris Dev, a product development and design company with a deep understanding of international supply chains. Jason and the Doris Dev team are experts in the DTC industry, with most of their clients being digitally-native brands. In this episode, Ben and Justin break down the intricacies behind bringing products to market and dive into Justin's experiences working in full-suite production. Check it out!

The Profit Forecast: The eComm CEO's Podcast Episode #8: Kelcey Lehrich, CEO at 365 Holdings Kelcey Lehrich is the CEO and CoFounder at 365 Holdings, a vertically integrated holdings firm focusing on DTC brands. Their strategy revolves around becoming a long-term home for "Micro Brands" and providing these brands with shared services. In this episode, Ben and Kelcey discuss what holdings firms look for when considering your business. If you're a founder thinking about selling your business down the road, check out this episode to learn valuable insights and perspectives on the process.

Mike Luebbers is the Chief Credit Officer at Novel Capital. After discussing more traditional, highly underwritten loan types in the first episode, Ben and Mike explore Fintech loans and various debt products. These debt structures are a good fit for many early-stage businesses, often making them appealing to eCommerce founders. Understand all of your options (and how to actually secure them) by watching this episode!

Mike Luebbers is the Chief Credit Officer at Novel Capital. Novel's FinTech funding platform provides new options without the traditional barriers many B2B companies face today. Ben and Mike discuss the actions you should take to close your deal and maintain a great relationship with your lender. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking capital. Check it out!

The Profit Forecast: The eComm CEO's Podcast Episode #5: Bryan Karas Bryan Karas is the CEO at Playbook Media, a performance marketing agency specializing in growth strategy and creative buying. Ben and Bryan discuss Bryan's extensive experience in digital marketing and the path leading him to Playbook. Check out their conversation to learn more about scaling your eCommerce brand, emerging marketing channels you can't miss out on, how to think about goal KPIs, and more!

The Profit Forecast: The eComm CEO's Podcast Episode #4: Mike Duda Mike Duda is a Managing Partner at Bullish with 20 years of experience in Marketing. Bullish is an early-stage investor in many of today's top DTC Brands. Listen to Mike and Ben as they discuss the inner workings of branding and how to set your company up for success down the road.

Ben Tregoe has an in-depth conversation with James Cartales, a Managing Director at Cascadia Capital. If you're a DTC owner who is interested in selling your business, you can't miss these valuable insights on how to maximize your brand's valuation. The Profit Forecast: The eComm CEO's Podcast Episode #1: James Cartales

Ben Tregoe interviews David Morneau of InBeat Agency, a marketing service providing searchable access to micro-influencers. Their software platforms offer your DTC brand new marketing channels to explore so that you can target different demographics with ease. Check it out if you want to take your marketing game to the next level and alleviate your CACs! The Profit Forecast: The eComm CEO's Podcast Episode #2: David Morneau Bainbridge Growth InBeat Agency

Ben Tregoe sits down with Lyndsey Bunting, CEO of Blue Onion Labs. They explore Lyndsey's in-depth understanding of DTC financial organizations, where cash is dispersed across various accounts, and how this experience gave her the motivation and know-how to create Blue Onion Labs. The Profit Forecast: The eComm CEO's Podcast Episode #3: Lyndsey Bunting