Kaleigh Moore is a 12-year freelance writer and editor. She has contributed to Shopify, Forbes, Vogue, Adweek, and various B2B providers, among others. She's now grappling with the promise and limits of AI. She calls AI a “fire hose of information” that greatly increases efficiency. She also cautions on what it cannot do, such as…
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Occasionally on the podcast host Eric Bandholz departs from interviewing guests to share his own experiences running Beardbrand, the D2C company he founded in 2012. In this episode, he addresses his favorite ecommerce tools in 2026, 18 platforms and apps essential to his business — from foundational site infrastructure to solutions for marketing, operations, creative,…
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Chris Hall is an ecommerce entrepreneur turned media operator. His new “Ecomm Cowboy” show broadcasts live Monday through Friday on X and YouTube. The mission, he says, is twofold: deliver daily news to sellers and offer companionship to those working alone. Chris first appeared on the podcast in 2023 as the marketing head of a…
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Please enjoy this repeat of a popular episode first aired in September 2024. David Heinemeier Hansson is the creator of the Ruby on Rails software framework, the co-founder of Basecamp, a member of Shopify's board of directors, an investor in multiple tech startups, a racecar driver, and a family man with children. He's a modern-day…
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Phillip Jackson's media company, Future Commerce, focuses on trends and developments in business. The company surveyed U.S. shoppers during the 2025 holiday season. He says one insight stood out: when AI recommends a product, 77% of respondents leave the platform to buy on the brand's site. Phillip first appeared on the podcast in early 2024….
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Frank Kosarek is the co-founder of BizPort, a mergers-and-acquisitions marketplace launched in November 2025. Before that, he was head of acquisitions for a large ecommerce aggregator. He says buyers of ecommerce businesses today focus on discretionary earnings, not revenue, and seek recurring sales, such as subscriptions. He addresses those items, the state of ecommerce M&A,…
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Chris Harrison says it all started with a single pot on a stove. He and two high school buddies launched Liber & Co., a manufacturer of premium cocktail syrups, with that tiny test batch in 2011 in Austin, Texas. Fast forward to 2026, and batches are now in 1,500-gallon tanks and sold worldwide to restaurants,…
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In his previous appearance on the podcast, in November 2022, Jai Dolwani was the CMO of a wine subscription company that would shortly declare bankruptcy. It was his third struggling startup, he says, prompting “serious self-reflection.” He pivoted to entrepreneurship and launched The Starters, a marketplace for fractional ecommerce talent, in late 2023. The company…
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Please enjoy this repeat of a popular episode first aired in January 24, 2025. According to Will Nitze, founder and CEO of IQBAR, success in a competitive market requires finding its uncompetitive niches. He did that with his flagship protein bar, which is plant-based, low-sugar, and plainly labeled. That was seven years ago when he…
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In this episode, host Eric Bandholz reflects on his business and life at year-end. He reviews what worked for Beardbrand in 2025, what didn't, what was painful, and what made it all worth it. It's a reminder, he says, to take stock of our own priorities — how we allocate time, energy, attention — and…
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