Tea with Rich. Getting Real.

This is our final cast of the year, with just Rich and I hanging out and shooting the sh!t on a bevy or topics like why he shaved his beard, ideas for our next few guests, the lack of competition in the commerce platform space, and things we continue to see and mentor for, that we wish we didn’t. For those that might not know us… the proper intro would be… In this engaging conversation, Thomas Obr...

Well well. If this isn't an epic episode of Tea with Rich, featuring Dave Barr of CQL... this is the literal OG's of Commerce Agencies episode on all things old, new, and all of a sudden being the old guys. In this engaging chat, Thomas Obrey, Rich Lyons, and Dave Barr start with an epic shooting the sh!t session, and then move into a real discussion on the evolving landscape of e-commerce...

In this engaging conversation, Thomas Obrey, Michael Janiak, and Rich Lyons discuss their experiences in the e-commerce and design industry, touching on collaboration, competition, and the evolution of design practices. They share insights on starting an agency, the impact of AI on design, and the importance of relationships in navigating challenges. The discussion highlights the changing landscap...

Back from our Summer break, Rich hand I invite a close personal friend, Scott Stephens, to the Podcast. While currently an executive at Rate.com , his career spans a stint at the first SPAM agency (90’s), and as the former COO of Playboy (2000’s), leading their first foray into digital transformation. In this conversation, we are completely unprofessional for most of the episode, with fits of seri...

In this engaging conversation, Marko Bon shares his journey from the early days of e-commerce as a brand-side creative leader through to his transition to a leadership role in the agency world. He discusses the impact of fatherhood on his personal growth, the importance of information architecture in design, and the challenges of transitioning from brand side to agency life.  The discussion also d...

In this week’s episode of Tea with Rich, we are joined by Kim Georgeton, the CEO of Cloudality, where she shares her extensive career journey from her early days at Amazon to her leadership role at Cloudality.  A few fun facts here on Kim, I think… (a) Kim was Amazon employee number 270-something, ish. Shhhh. I’m writing from memory. The facts are within the cast. (b) Kim was brought in to Amazon...

On this weeks episode of Tea with Rich we welcome Ethan Zohn to the Podcast. Ethan is the winner of Survivor Africa, founder of Grassroots Soccer, a 2-time Cancer survivor, and motivational speaker.  We cover his personal and professional journey, including how we met, his role in public speaking, overcoming adversity, and key moments that forever changed his life.  We of course share insights fro...

On this weeks drop of Tea with Rich we welcome Erik Huberman of Hawke Media to the Podcast, where we cover everything from personal updates to politics, origin stories, and the future of agencies.  Erik and the Hawke team continue to execute on an impressive acquisition strategy, so we delve into the importance of maintaining a positive company culture, his vision for the future of the agency - em...

This weeks episode of Tea with Rich features Brian Walker, whom shares his extensive career in the commerce tech space, discussing current ventures, including his podcast 'Cocktails and Commerce'.  Our dialog delves into the evolution of the commerce industry, the MACH Alliance, and the future trends in commerce and technology, including order orchestration (possibly) about to take center stage, a...

In this weeks episode of Tea with Rich, we chat it up with Emily Heintz, founder of Sechey, a pioneer in the non-alcoholic movement. We discuss the evolution of the non-alcoholic beverage movement, our personal journeys with alcohol, and the importance of wellness. Moving on from there, we explore the challenges and successes of running a business in this emerging market, I learn some new words, a...

This weeks episode hits on part two of our dialog with Erik Dodier, where he continues to reflect on his first 90 days of retirement, and we get into some deep topics related to the intermingling of our personal and professional journeys. This weeks conversations touch upon topics like:  The need for adaptability in business and personal life The significance of focusing on what you love to build...

On this episode Erik Dodier updates us on life 90-days into his retirement from PixelMEDIA/RafterOne, and we explore Erik's transition from a structured work life to a more flexible yet structured personal schedule, where he continues to focus on health, wellness, personal growth and what's next. The trio discusses hobbies, family time, and travel adventures, while also reflecting on the challenge...

In this episode we welcome Harvey to the pulpit, where we discuss the evolution of the e-commerce landscape, particularly focusing on some deep Demandware history and stories, and the emergence of (and move to support) Shopify in the Enterprise space. With a combined 60+ years of eCommerce experience between the three of us, there's no shortage of stories. We reflect on our experiences in the indu...

In this episode of Tea with Rich, we welcome Dylan Runne to share his journey from starting a Business Analyst (ish) at Sapient and Accenture to founding Fenom Digital and eventually selling it to WPP. He discusses the challenges and successes he faced in the commerce industry, his transition into venture capital with Bambu Ventures, and his current role as CEO of Billfold. Dylan also opens up abo...

In this episode of Tea with Rich, we welcome Erik Dodier, my business partner of 3 decades, who is two days from his retirement after 30 years at the helm of PixelMEDIA (aka RafterOne).  This episode is a doozy, as I surprise Rich with our guest, and we get into a number of way way back stories about Erik and I as collaborators, business partners, and learning to trust and work with each other. We...

In this episode we welcome Mallory Rosen, a long-time friend we met through our Strategic Alliance and Partnership collaborations. After a good deal of opening banter, our conversation explores themes of partnerships, self-advocacy, and the balance between work and family life. Mallory discusses her experiences with chronic illness, the importance of mental health, and how her career in partnershi...

In this episode we welcome back Rob Garf, and get into questions from Rob that we each send time pondering. Like, how we view our purpose in life, and how we stay motivated to succeed. We start with the usual - shooting the shit, including Rich’s Iceland trip, Tea getting bored on sabbatical, and Rob discussing his dream to live on the Cape. I open up about having never visited the Cape, despite s...

In this episode of Tea with Rich, we welcome guest Rob Garf, a retail and digital insights legend. This is part one of a two part dialog, and is 100% focus on Rob, his history in commerce, and his current role at Salesforce.  Rob is currently the VP & GM of Retail and Consumer Goods at Salesforce. We begin with the usual shooting the shit, and then move into the more serious topics where Rob s...

In this episode of Tea with Rich, we are joined by Frank De Maria, the Vice President of Digital Engineering and Platforms at Miller Knoll. Frank is a brand-side legend, and one of the most experienced, kind, and bright leaders in the technology and e-commerce field.  We of course being by - you know it - shooting the shit and catching up before Frank shares his story and background in the industr...

In this not-so-short Rich and I catch up on our recent activities, including my evolving golf game. Rich decides to inject a PSA slash commercial break on skincare, where we comically get into our routines, including beard and hair. Us talking about skincare is probably worth the listen, as I butcher a few words and make up some news ones. We then get into a dialog around our recent trips, like Ri...

On this episode we talk with long-time friend Adam Grohs. A man with as much if not more experience in the  eCommerce and Agency lead space than Rich and I. Adam is also the cofounder of agnoStack, which provides seamless, commerce-platform agnostic, customer support for orders across all channels. Today. We get deep, quick, on a number of topics related to commerce and tech, and of course the the...

In this half-episode, Rich and I get real with each other, slow things down a bit, and just shoot the shit. We cover topics like my evolving golf game (in the cold), some of our favorite wins as agency leads, and our favorite movies (we have zero in common). Rich talks about a recent speaking engagement on best practices for selling and the importance of knowing your customer. I reflect on the imp...

On this episode we talk with a long-time friend and collaboration partner Vicky Aisenberg. Rich and I met Vicky nearly 15 years ago (woh), as an new inside sales rep at Demandware. This episode is about balance. At work, as a mom and wife, and as a mentor and sales leader. We also give Vicky a chance to ask Rich and I questions about what we look for when interviewing and hiring, and what we'd...

On this episode we talk with long-time friend Kathryn Murphy, whom we met and collaborated with while she ran Product (imo) for Demandware (aka SFCC). We begin with the usual banter, discussing each of our "first time meeting" stories at the Partner Advisory Board gathering in LA during Shop.org 8 ish years ago, and Kathryn gives us a bit on her journey in the tech industry (she started...

Unscripted and raw, this episodes covers topics that are very personal to Rich, Bishoy and I. We get deep on childhood and retirement/sabbatical fears, overcoming lifelong insecurities, and how celebrating small goals can get you further than you've ever dreamed. A fellow podcaster, Bishoy is also a childhood cancer survivor, author (2x), father and husband, and a celebrated marathon runner. W...