The Quest for E-Commerce Success: Recent Episodes
Fall Line Digital
Becca Babicz, founder of Fall Line Digital will share insights and lessons learned while building her growth marketing agency. On the show, we’ll be interviewing founders and marketing leaders from emerging e-commerce brands. With these interviews plus some of Rebecca's own insights - she covers everything you need to know about how to leverage digital advertising to create a successful e-commerce business. In today's fast-paced world with never ending technology advancements, the Quest For E-Comm Success is a thrilling ride. You can't afford to miss this show if you're looking to build a new brand or transform your existing business into an e-commerce powerhouse.
Sarah Polansky was a design-thinking researcher & business strategist for over 10+ years before turning her interest towards entrepreneurship and becoming the Founder of the Health & Wellness Organisation Prismatic Plants.
Sarah now focuses on helping people heal from chronic stress and illness by educating them about the powers of plant-based medicine and encouraging their own advocacy in managing their health.
Sarah has been at the forefront of the movement to destigmatize cannabis use and make it a mainstay of the U.S. market, especially in the women’s health sector, and working in the cannabis industry has meant she has had to overcome extreme business-building hurdles due to antiquated regulations (or lack thereof).
Sarah has created the vision, strategy, and execution for all customer touchpoints (website, product, packaging, social, email), led product development, oversaw custom manufacturing, created 3rd party testing protocols, constructed a sustainable supply chain with small farmers using regenerative agriculture, managed resources, finances and determined the best growth strategy. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- Using market research and design strategy to find new popular products.
- The challenges of marketing a cannabis brand with the current regulations.
- The benefits cannabis has over pharmaceutical drugs.
- The need for increased education around plant medicines.
- How providing education around a substance can help your brand marketing.
- Ways to acquire customers as a CBD brand with the red tape around the industry.
- How to build a relationship with your customers.
Resources:
- Prismatic Plants
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Sarah Polansky:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Quotables
- 10:55 - “What I learn every day from my customers and from people that are interested in becoming a customer is that there is still so much uncertainty around what cannabis is, what CBD is, what it does, and I’ve really found that education has to be the backbone of our company.”
- 12:42 - “Even healing in a pharmaceutical setting there’s a lot of work being done where they're showing that this plant has amazing capabilities for healing things that we didn't think was possible.”
- 17:15 - “How do you carve out that white space for yourself because as everyone knows the cannabis industry and the hemp industry specifically is just so incredibly crowded and so I think it’s our formulations and our brand experience that we try to use to set us apart.”
- 33:51 - “Even when all else fails in terms of where you go next there’s always another door and it just takes a little bit of time and research to think about what is that way to keep growing the company, so I would encourage people to not just rely heavily on only ads but think about what are the other types of things in and around my brand that I can build my brand up to offer a bit more stability around the growth.”
Sarah Kallile is the founder of Lunnie, a consumer brand redefining postpartum with its patent-pending, leak proof nursing bra.
She is also a busy mom to three girls under the age of 4 and found a problem she knew could be fixed.
After spending her career at early-stage tech startups, Sarah was inspired by her postpartum experience to found Lunnie. She built Lunnie as a community-led brand of moms, known as the Lunnie Hive, whose insights fueled Lunnie’s product development and marketing.
Lunnie’s nursing bra launched in March 2021 and sold out almost immediately, so she quickly restocked and got the product back up and available. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- How Sarah went from the idea for Lunnie to bringing it to market.
- How to test the concept of a product.
- What happens at pitch competitions.
- Being successful at pitch competitions.
- What winning a grant enables you to do.
- The process of gaining a patent.
- How to continually find new customers.
Resources:
- Lunnie
- Female Founder Collective
- SPANX
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Sarah Kallile:
- TikTok
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Ari Krzyzek is the CEO and Head of Strategy at Chykalophia (read: see-ka-lo-fia), where she helps FemTech, DTC, and women-led brands transform their website into a platform that unlocks business opportunities.
Ari serves as a branding, UX consultant, and professional peer in support of fellow female entrepreneurs through the #1 ranked private business incubator in the world, 1871 Chicago and Chicago’s global healthcare startup incubator, MATTER, and is the co-host of Halo Femtech Podcast, a podcast that honors disruptive innovators and change-makers advancing women’s health.
Ari also helps women in tech and design break into the industry and succeeds by mentoring them for personal branding, career advancement, and entrepreneurship through Interaction Design Foundation and ADP list. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- Platforms you can use instead of Shopify.
- How to know which platform is right for your product.
- What to consider when launching a brand.
- How to come up with the idea for your logo.
- The power of color psychology.
- Common mistakes e-commerce brands make.
- How you should set up your homepage.
- How to optimize conversion rates on your product page.
- Why you should design for desktop before your design for mobile.
- What e-commerce will look like in ten years and the future of web3.
Resources:
- Chykalophia
- Shopify
- WordPress
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Colour Psychology
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Ari Krzyzek:
- Website
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Sue Bortone is the Founder and CEO of Snuggy Buddy and is the Founder and Recruitment Consultant of the Noble Talent Group.
Sue has a passion for helping others succeed and grow and bringing others' visions to life. She is a Harvard Business School Certified Leader and is Certified in Management and Change Management. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- How Sue developed a product that helps babies and toddlers sleep better
- The learning curve in product development and manufacturing.
- How long it takes to get a patent and how to do it.
- Getting your product out to customers beyond your direct network
- Connecting with experts to build an affiliate network.
- Leverage bigger brand’s newsletter to reach your target audience
Resources:
- Snuggy Buddy
- Thoughts To Paper
- Noble Talent Group
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Sue Bortone:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Deacon started his first digital marketing agency in 2015, and after two years of rapid growth, it was acquired by a larger agency. Deacon took over as COO overseeing day-to-day operations, management, and growth of the team. In 2018 the agency was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America.
The agency was also recognized by Facebook as one of their Premier level agency partners, and Deacon was twice invited to speak to the Facebook management teams about leading and growing a successful agency business.
These opportunities allowed Deacon to get behind the scenes of hundreds of businesses and see where they excelled and where they got stuck. Deacon left the agency world in 2021 to help guide Founders & CEOs through their growing pains so they could unlock the true power of their business (and enjoy it). Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- Why some brands are more successful than others.
- What prevents brands from scaling.
- What e-commerce brands should seek out from agencies.
- How to better equip your brand partners.
- Steps e-commerce founders can take to free up their time.
- How to stay relative in the e-commerce world.
- The dynamics teams need to be successful.
Resources:
- Sharp Business Growth
- The Sharp Business Growth Podcast
- Building Brand Presence and Directing Traffic to Your Website with Body Glove’s Chad LaBass
- You Can't Know It All
- Traction
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Deacon Bradley:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Brad spent 16 years with Adidas before diving into the start-up turn-around world, and loves helping founders and other small business owners navigate the challenges we all share.
Based in Portland, Oregon Brad is currently introducing the world to HELM Boots as their CEO & President. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- How being a CEO changes as your company grows.
- How Brad transformed his business to become scaleable and more profitable.
- The need for specialists and how to find them.
- How much you should spend to acquire new customers.
- How to build a website that converts customers.
- Ways to maintain quality in your products.
- How to build trust with your consumers around your product.
- The cost of processing returns.
- Loyalty programs for returning customers.
- The future of the direct-to-consumer space.
Resources:
- HELM Boots
- Yotpo
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Brad Day:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Candice Collison has spent her career at the intersection of technology, commerce, and social responsibility. She is an experienced sales and marketing consultant drawing on 16 years of consumer and B2B marketing expertise. She spent 6 years at Facebook in Sales and Marketing, has worked for Google, and helped launch eCommerce and digital marketing efforts for The North Face. While at Facebook, Candice led Retail Marketing efforts helping retailers navigate new consumer behaviors through industry thought leadership, industry event activations, and sales enablement programs.
Candice has a deep passion for social enterprise; in 2015 she founded a sustainable eCommerce and Retail business Mod + Ethico. She is now launching her second sustainable clothing venture Of an Origin, a sustainable DTC line of feeding-friendly collection for motherhood that launched in early 2021. Candice has three young daughters, Adalynn, Ellery, and Lilah, serves as a coach and advisor to purpose-driven startups and small businesses and holds a BA from The University of Virginia, and an MBA from Kellogg. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- The power of digital e-commerce.
- The importance of finding the purpose of your business.
- How to build out your target audience.
- How Candice kept an accessible price point while maintaining quality.
- How much it costs to get converts.
- How to become a part of an online community.
- How to get user-generated content for your brand.
- The challenges of building a brand.
- Different equity opportunities and fundraising solutions for companies.
Resources:
- Of an Origin
- Mod + Ethico
- The Marketing Academy
- Factory45
- Refersion
- Wefunder
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Candice Collison:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Lauren George is a serial entrepreneur that fell in love with movement way back in elementary school. Her passion is helping other fitness professionals improve their teaching skills and grow their fitness businesses so they can live their dream life.
Over the last 10 years, Lauren has built several businesses including PulsePoint Barre, Clemson Fitness Company, Pumped Up Strength, The Fit Biz Club, LG Fitness Studio, and Lauren George Fitness Education. The common thread in all of these businesses is that they are founded in creating community. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- The value of building a community around your brand before you launch.
- How to produce content that builds a community.
- How to optimize your Instagram page to retain your connections.
- The value of being authentic when building your tribe.
- How to be successful with affiliate marketing.
- The rise of micro and nano influencers.
- How brands can create meaningful relationships with content creators and influencers.
- How much brands should pay for influencers to post content.
- The benefits of whitelisting influencer content.
Resources:
- Barre Above
- Clemson Fitness Company
- Lauren George Fitness
- The Fit Biz Club
- Pumped Up Strength
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Lauren George:
Connecting with the host:
Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Chase Jackson has worked in E-commerce since 2009 and is the Founder and CEO of The Playmaker Project, where he’s helped over 28,000 athletes from around the world improve their athletic performance.
Chase is known for doing 1200 burpees straight with MS-13 Gang Member (whoever stopped first was going to get stabbed), and being the father of two World-Record holders in the Vertical Jump. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- How to transfer from digital products to physical products.
- How to avoid the overhead associated with testing products.
- The best way to find a high-quality manufacturer.
- How to best use Facebook lead ads.
- What to do if your ad gets rejected.
- Why Facebook and Instagram ad accounts get shut down.
- How to transition away from traditional marketing channels.
- How much to pay ambassadors.
- Ways Gen Z use the internet differently from other generations.
- How to train influencers to be more successful.
Resources:
- The Playmaker Project
- MarketPryce
- Icon Source
- Isaac Joseph
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Chase Jackson:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Chad LaBass is a born-and-raised surfer & marketeer hailing from Newport Beach, California. When he’s not working on all things digital or enjoying time with his two sons surfing, skating, or snowboarding, he is catching waves himself alongside his wife, Carrie.
Inspired by all things water, California Lifeguards and waterman Bill and Bob Meistrell constructed the first functional wetsuit, the “body glove” In 1953.
Today Body Glove continues to thrive by creating inspiring, high-quality adventure-driven products available to consumers worldwide. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- The non-traditional business model of Body Glove.
- The benefits of having a brand presence in retail shops.
- Strategies to get first-party information from customers.
- How to be more targeted and personal with your customers.
- How the IOS update affected remarketing abilities.
- Using content creators and influencers to get your brand seen.
- Effective tech stacking for driving revenue.
- Different Amazon strategies to direct traffic towards your website.
- The addiction of e-commerce marketing.
Resources:
- Body Glove
- Wholescale
- Lexer
- Klaviyo
- Wunderkind
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with Chad LaBass:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
James Dayton is the CEO of Buck Wild Media and an agency video marketer with a proven track record of making amazing video campaigns for brands.
James produces and directs some of the world's most Powerful Conversion Videos that have massively scaled companies and products. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- Video marketing options e-commerce brands have.
- Why video marketing has an advantage in the marketplace.
- The benefits of using long-form media.
- How to use testing to improve your CPA and conversion rate.
- How much ad spend testing costs.
- How to combine different marketing formats to convert cold prospects.
- How to come up with ideas for a successful ad campaign.
Resources:
- Buck Wild Media
- Jamestown Films
- Fall Line Digital
Connecting with James Dayton:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Brandon Snower is a 25-year-old entrepreneur and the founder of New York's next classic, fun & innovative modern menswear brand and club, Le Alfré. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- How Brandon came up with the idea for the brand Le Alfré.
- How to go from having an idea to bringing a product to market.
- Ways Google can help you start a brand.
- How to identify the important differentiators in your market.
- How to get the first sales for your product.
- Ways to build connections with people on LinkedIn.
- How to deal with rejection when starting a brand.
- Ways to quickly grow sales without using capital.
- Engaging content strategies for email marketing.
Resources:
- Le Alfré
- Del Toro Shoes
Connecting with Brandon Snower:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
Carrie Sporer graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with Bachelor's Degrees in both Economics and Communications. Prior to launching SWAIR, she held positions as the VP of Sales and Operations at Edie Parker, Director of Sales at Judith Leiber and launched a sales and operations consultancy, CS Consulting. In addition to a genuine passion for ideating and creating innovative products, Carrie enjoys dance parties with her two sons, running with her "morning crew" before the sun comes up, and stress-baking. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of The Quest for E-Commerce Success:
- How Carrie built the formula for her first product.
- How to take a new product from the idea phase to the production phase.
- The challenges of producing a new product.
- The different hats you need to wear when running an e-commerce business.
- How to get your product’s first online sale
- How to use video marketing and user-generated content to grow your brand.
- How Carrie got Swair to go viral on TikTok.
- The benefits of selling your product on Amazon.
- How customers behave differently when buying from a third-party seller like Amazon.
- What to take into account when pricing a new product.
- How to fail fast, go for it and grow a thriving online business
Resources:
- SWAIR
- Billo
Connecting with Carrie Sporer:
Connecting with the host:
- Rebecca Babicz on LinkedIn
- Fall Line Digital
How and where to connect with Becca.
- Website
- Connect with Becca on LinkedIn
- Email Becca at becca@falllinedigital.com