eComFuel Podcast

I had the opportunity to sit down with Paul DeJoe, Co-Founder and COO of MUD:WTR, a coffee alternative that came to be in an almost unintentional way. He's a really interesting, fun, and smart guy and we talked about a lot, including podcasting, content creation, and how MUD:WTR is trying to convince people to give up their morning coffee—which is certainly no small feat. Tune in to hear the incre...

The real magic of the eCommerceFuel community happens when we get together in person, and we had the opportunity to do that late last month in Los Angeles. If you missed it, you're in luck because today I'm flying solo and giving you the big takeaways and a recap of what I learned during the incredibly cool L.A. Regional Event. Listen in as I share some of the biggest lessons I learned during the...

You can't build anything interesting without some level of sacrifice, but if you're an entrepreneur that is years into the hustle and you still can't seem to get freedom from your business regularly, there's a problem. Dale Majors, founder of VentureAnyway.com, joins me today to talk about something that so many of us struggle with: our businesses becoming all-consuming while our personal and fami...

Cost of goods sold: love it or hate it, it's a big deal in the eCommerce world. To wrap up our three-part series on accounting and finances, we're diving into all things COGS: the value of it, the implications it can have on your business, and how to figure it out without losing your mind. Joining me today are Jamie McDonald, CEO of A2X Accounting, Scott Scharf of CatchingClouds.net and previous e...

Today I am joined by Tyler Jefcoat, the CEO of Seller Accountant, an accounting firm that specializes in accounting and bookkeeping for online sellers. Tyler has a ton of experience in the eCommerce field, and today we're diving deep into due diligence and how you can get your business ready for sale from a financial and accountant standpoint. Take a listen as Tyler walks us through some of the th...

I'm flying solo and kicking off the first of a series of episodes talking all about everyone's favorite topics: finances, accounting, and bookkeeping in the eCommerce world. If you're anything like me, you'll love this episode as we geek out about numbers—and if the word "bookkeeping" makes you want to cry, I promise this episode will leave you with some tangible tips and insights into how to make...

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably noticed that it's been a rough year for eCommerce. After the debacle that was the Apple and Facebook divorce, you are definitely not alone if you found the ax being taken to your ad account ROI. Joining me today are Austin Harrison and Grant Margerum, founders of Northbeam.io, the new standard for eCommerce intelligence and attribution. Liste...

Spencer Jan is the co-founder of Solo Stove, along with his brother, Jeff, and they have a phenomenal story of bootstrapping their way to a $2-billion valuation in only 8 years. Within the last 24 months alone, they've had two private equity deals and three major 8-figure acquisitions! Spencer joins me today to talk all about that and so much more. Listen in as he shares Solo Stove's journey from...

Ramon van Meer is the owner of AlphaPaw.com, an entrepreneur, and a self-described bootstrap founder of numerous businesses. He has a really cool story of immigrating from the Netherlands 12 years ago and pivoting to the internet marketing space, where he has self-financed his ventures and built some really amazing communities.  We dive into so much in this episode, including how Ramon has been so...

As entrepreneurs, we often have busy and packed lives—and as a result, friendships often get pushed to the side. Cultivating friendships is something that I think is really important, especially as we go into the new year and start to think about how we're going to invest our time in 2022. That's why I'm bringing back one of my favorite episodes all about friendships and entrepreneurship, where I...

One of my favorite episodes from the past year is one I did with my accountant, Mario Lucibello, and I'm excited to share it with you again as we head into the ever-so-fun tax season. Now, I know what you're probably thinking: accounting doesn't sound very festive. But what if I told you that Mario has some tips for how to give yourself a last-minute bonus before we get to the end of the year? Not...

Josh Cauley is the owner of ShipHaven.com and a long-time ECF member who I just recently had the opportunity to meet in person. Josh currently resides in Puerto Rico, and he joins me today to talk about how living there benefits him financially, how he has built a true adventure business, and how he utilizes headhunters to help him grow and scale. Listen in as we talk about the difference between...

Thanks to the pandemic, the last two years have seen incredible growth and change for the eCommerce space. Some of which we predicted, and some things seem to have come completely out of nowhere. As we near the end of the year, it's always fun to look back at the predictions we made, as well as what we believe we can expect to see in the coming year. To help us reflect on these predictions is Bill...

I'm excited to have my good friend and returning guest Mr. Eric Bandholz joining me on the show today. Eric is the man behind Beardbrand.com, an eCommerce store that is dedicated to building a community of like-minded beardsmen. We caught up to talk about so many things, including his new project, the reason behind it, why he is choosing to stay away from Facebook and Google tracking, and what he...

Darnell Jackson is the Chief Operations Officer at VIPHaircare.com , a 100% black-owned luxury beauty brand that focuses on the growth and maintenance of strong, healthy hair. Darnell has a really interesting story, having grown up without access to a lot of resources and overcoming all of that to build a successful beauty brand with his wife. Listen in as Darnell shares his journey as a young ent...

Sean Frank is the COO at Ridge Wallets, an everyday essentials brand that started on Kickstarter in 2013 and blew well past its goals in the first and second campaigns. Since then, they have bootstrapped their way to $100 million in sales without any investors or credit (until recently!). In this episode, we're diving into how Ridge Wallets grew to the size they are today in an industry that is no...

A lot has changed over the last year when it comes to online marketing, with increased competition, changing dynamics, and major platform changes. If you feel like your head is spinning, you are definitely not alone. Steve Chou joins me today to dive into the current state of eCommerce, including what we're ignoring and where we're really doubling down in our marketing efforts. Listen in as we tal...

Usually when I invite a guest on the show, it's to learn all the trade secrets of what they do really well, but today's guest joins me because he's an incredible human being that also happens to be really good at running an eCommerce store. Meet Josh Willard, the founder of Josh's Frogs, an 8-figure business and the largest producer of captive-bred poison dart frogs in the United States—and possib...

I could probably count on one hand the number of people who have landed on the website through a cold pitch email, but today's guest is one of those people. Jason Lee is the founder of TheFBAFlipper.com, and he joins me today to talk about the ins and outs of the Chinese FBA market. Listen in as we dive into what the FBA market is like in China, who is typically building FBA businesses, and how th...

Have you asked yourself lately what the heck is going on with hiring? It's a great time to be an employee, but a rough time to be an employer, and unless you're a business of one, you have likely experienced the pain of finding the right people to join your team over the last year. In this episode, I'm joined by three wonderful ECF community members, Andy Hayes of PlumDeluxe.com, Meredith Erin fro...

How many of you have considered buying a business, swooping in to fix all the problems, and making a boatload of money from the experience? Sounds great, right? The fantasy is rarely the reality though when it comes to buying a business, and today Mike Jackness of EcomCrew joins me to talk about his transition into buying a business and managing it post-acquisition. Listen in as we dive into what...

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 18 months, you are probably aware that container prices are stupidly high right now. Our ECF importing expert, David Bryant of eComCrew, joins me today to discuss what has caused these ridiculously high prices and what you can do to mitigate the pain. Take a listen and get insight into how we got to where we are when it comes to global shipping,...

It's been a rough year for many of us. Shipping rates have gone through the roof, supplier prices are increasing, and margins are getting tighter. My good friend and regular guest Bill D'Alessandro joins me today to discuss one piece of the profitability puzzle: the sad world of supplier price increases. We're diving into what's been going on in the world with supplier price increases, if the leve...

The real magic of the ECF community is when you get together in person. It's where stories are born, memories are made, and friendships are created. For the last 2 years, we have wanted to bring someone into the team who could focus on the magic of bringing people together, and I'm happy to announce that Audrey Smith, event planner extraordinaire, has joined the ECF team to up-level our post-pande...

Corey Nicholson is the 20-year-old co-founder of Peachy Shapewear, a line of women's shapewear that leveraged the power of TikTok to scale to 7 figures. Today we're diving into the details behind their success, as well as Corey's own personal journey from McDonald's to eCommerce. Listen in as he shares how Peachy Shapewear has leveraged TikTok influencers to scale, his recommendations for partneri...