Ecommerce Conversations

The rise of Amazon has prompted some observers to suggest independent ecommerce merchants are threatened. Rick Wilson, CEO of Miva, the ecommerce platform, disagrees. He says independent ecommerce is thriving. His new book "Dragon Proof Ecommerce," offers a roadmap for continued growth.

Anyone who has purchased used books on Amazon likely encountered Thrift Books. It launched in 2003 as a pure-play Amazon seller. It's now the largest used-book seller in the world. Its CEO, Mike Ward, has been with the company since inception. We recently spoke with him about the company, the industry, and the logistics of selling tens of millions of books every year.

This is the final episode in my "Building an Ecommerce Business" series.  I've hosted 18 amazing guests who have provided much insight into launching, growing, and selling an ecommerce business. There is no right way to do that. You'll likely find success, however, if you focus on three primary functions: vision, execution, and cash flow.

Launching and then growing an ecommerce business can be both exciting and stressful. Many entrepreneurs hope to someday sell their companies. For this installment in my series on building an ecommerce business, I spoke with Michael Jackness. He is the owner of Terran, a multi-brand ecommerce company. Jackness has sold several ecommerce sites. In this conversation, we discussed the latest sale, and...

An engaged, passionate community around an ecommerce business can drive referrals, loyalty, and repeat sales. But developing and growing that community is not always easy. For this episode in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up, I spoke with Andrew Youderian. He's the founder of eCommerceFuel, a popular, private community of ecommerce merchants who communicate via a...

Selling manufactured goods directly to consumers, with no retail middlemen, has exploded on the internet. An entrepreneur with an idea for an original product can design it, find a manufacturer for it, and sell it online. I'm the founder of Beardbrand, an ecommerce business in Austin, Texas that focuses on beard care and men's grooming. This is episode 16 in my series on building an ecom...

Content marketing for ecommerce businesses is much more than a sales pitch.  Done well, it connects with prospective customers and tells the story of a brand. In this episode 15 of my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up, I spoke with Andrew Snavely, the founder of Primer, an online magazine, and Ryan Hunter Masters, the founder of Show Her Off, and a dance instruction site.

A successful campaign on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform, can help validate a business and a product. Catherine Lavery, the founder of BestSelf, a producer of productivity journals and tools, used Kickstarter in 2015 to launch the company. She describes the process to host Eric Bandholz, the founder of Beardbrand.

Launching an ecommerce business takes perseverance, passion, and, typically, money. Raising that money can be time-consuming and frustrating. For this interview, I spoke with Joshua Bingaman and Brad Day. Bingaman is the founder of creative director of Helm Boots, an Austin, Texas-based manufacturer and seller of hand-crafted leather boots. Day is the company's president.  We discussed the pr...

Shakil Prasla is co-founder of Pro Click Ventures, a holding company that owns and operates 12 ecommerce businesses. He speaks with host Eric Bandholz, founder of Beardbrand, on his process for evaluating, acquiring, and managing multiple firms.

A fundamental decision for many ecommerce entrepreneurs is whether to sell on Amazon. The potential is high but the competition is increasing tough. For this installment 11 in my series on building an ecommerce business, I spoke with Mike Tecku, co-founder of Sky Solutions, which manufactures and sells Sky Mats, a floormat, in high volume on Amazon's marketplace.

Selling apparel online is notoriously competitive. The margins are thin, typically. Inventory management can be complicated with hundreds of SKUs for size and color and styles. This is episode 10 in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up. For this installment, I spoke with Mike Schwarz, founder of RibbedTee, a Los Angeles-based manufacturer and retailer of men's unders...

Many ecommerce businesses spend large amounts of money generating video content that few consumers watch. But with the right mindset and strategy, viewers will engage with your videos. YouTube could become a successful channel for your business. This is episode nine in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up.

Startups and seasoned merchants alike can run into hiccups with managing customer service. Is it better to do it in-house or to outsource? Should you hire someone from the start? Cody McLain is CEO of SupportNinja, a customer service provider. He addresses the realities of operating a company in the Philippines, tips for business owners looking to expand customer service functions, and more.

A merchant who sells physical products has to figure out how to efficiently get those items into the hands of customers. It can become complicated as the business scales and receives international orders. This is episode seven in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up.

Without the right people, a new ecommerce business would almost certainly fail. Refining the hiring process can help find the perfect candidate. For this interview, we spoke with Ayman Al-Abdullah, president of AppSumo, a daily deals site for digital goods, about his hiring process and how it has evolved.

Knowing where to advertise can be daunting to new and experienced ecommerce entrepreneurs alike. There are many options, and it's often unclear which will fit your business. Digital marketing agencies can provide some answers. For this interview, I visited with Alex Hart, founder of Good Joo Joo, an Austin, Texas-based digital marketing agency.

Good copy sells. Generic imagery and descriptions might cause shoppers to move on without giving your product a second thought. Spicing up your copy, whether it be emails, social media, or product descriptions will give your online store a personality to stand above competitors. In this fourth installment in my series of conversations about building an ecommerce business, I'm visiting with Ne...

The early days of an ecommerce business are among the most important. Growing a business from infancy is complicated and unforgiving. There are many factors to consider, including platforms, inventory, social media, and more. This is the third installment in my series of conversations about building an ecommerce business. The previous installments were "Part 1: Choosing Partners" and &qu...

Selecting an ecommerce platform is among the most critical decisions of a new entrepreneur. There are hundreds of choices. This is the second installment in my series on launching, growing, and selling an ecommerce business. For this installment on selecting an ecommerce platform, I spoke with Carson McComas. He is the founder and CEO of Fuel Made, a Spokane, Wash.-based ecommerce agency.

This is the first episode of an extended series on launching, growing, and selling an ecommerce business.  The topic of this initial episode is choosing business partners.  My two partners at Beardbrand are supportive and knowledgeable. Our relationship has been critical to the company's growth. I asked one of them, Lindsey Reinders, to offer suggestions and tips for selecting partners.

Rand Fishkin founded Moz in 2001 as a blog, calling it at the time SEOmoz. It became an industry beacon, helping thousands of companies dissect and improve their search engine optimization efforts. He left Moz earlier this year. His new book, "Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World," is a transparent view of running that company and the lessons learned alon...

Selling across international borders can provide helpful revenue to many merchants. But the complexity of laws, transit times, and delivery cost can be daunting. Eugene Laney is an authority on international shipping. He's the head of international government affairs with DHL, the worldwide logistics firm.

Amazon has made significant investments in its own private label brands, in areas such as diapers, dog food, and paper towels. The company's private label strategy could be indicative of a burgeoning trend in retail, one that mid-market ecommerce companies could try. To help us understand, we recently spoke with Ojastro Todd, marketing analyst at One Click Retail, an ecommerce data measuremen...

The recent South Dakota v. Wayfair decision by the U.S. Supreme Court changed online sales tax. To discuss the details of the decision, and its impact on ecommerce merchants, there's no better observer than Shane Ratigan. He is senior manager, state and local tax for Clark Nuber, and a longtime nationwide authority on online sales tax matters.