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Hemadri Negi is VP of Growth Marketing at Myprotein, the global sports nutrition brand owned by THG. In this episode, Hemadri shares how Myprotein uses P&L thinking to guide its marketing decisions, so every campaign, channel, and budget call is tied back to profitability rather than top-line metrics alone.

Juan Cruz is the Head of Ecommerce at Mars Men, a 9 Figure DTC men's brand. In this episode, Juan breaks down the landing page and offer testing strategy behind Mars Men's growth. He shares how they prioritize what to test, the offer structures that have moved the needle most, and plenty of actionable tips for DTC execs, brand owners, and marketers looking to get more out of their paid traffic.

Johnny Hickey is the CMO of Perfect White Tee, an eight-figure DTC apparel brand, and a retired NYC firefighter. In this episode, we talk about how to better listen to your customers to improve your ads, your email, and your entire acquisition strategy. Johnny shares exactly how they do it at Perfect White Tee, and his top advice for brands that want to stop guessing what customers want. You don't want to miss this one.

Mason Bertrand is the Director of Social Commerce at Ridge, the nine-figure DTC brand behind the iconic Ridge Wallet. In this episode, we talk about how ecommerce brands can use TikTok Shop and social commerce to acquire new customers and scale profitably. Mason shares exactly how they're doing it at Ridge, plus his top advice for brands just getting started on the platform. You don't want to miss this one.

Latif Hamilton is the Founder and CEO of SpiritHoods, a leading fashion brand known for its festival-inspired faux fur products. Under his leadership, SpiritHoods has generated over $50 million in revenue and achieved top-three search rankings across major product categories by strategically aligning product development with SEO. A creative entrepreneur at heart and fractional CMO, Latif specializes in bridging operations and design to drive exponential growth. He is also the Founder of The Growth Operative, a consultancy focused on brand growth and business development. In this episode… Many ecommerce brands rely heavily on intuition and creativity when deciding what products to launch. While this approach can work, it often overlooks a valuable source of insight — how customers are actually searching online. Could aligning product decisions with search behavior lead to more consistent growth? Latif Hamilton's answer comes from his experience as a creative entrepreneur and fractional CMO, where he connects product development with marketing strategy. He explains that instead of guessing what customers want, brands should use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords — and then design products specifically to match that demand. He emphasizes focusing on depth within a single category to build authority, aligning product naming with actual search behavior, and prioritizing long-tail keywords to capture niche opportunities. Latif also cautions against overreliance on agencies, encouraging founders to develop a working understanding of SEO so they can guide strategy effectively. Ultimately, growth comes from intentionally combining creative direction with validated demand signals. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle talks with Latif Hamilton, Founder and CEO of SpiritHoods and Founder of The Growth Operative, to discuss SEO-driven product development. Latif discusses strategies for aligning product design with search behavior, how to build authority by dominating a niche, and avoiding common SEO mistakes like agency overreliance.

Heather Roach is the Director of Marketing at Original Footwear Company, a leading manufacturer of tactical footwear for military personnel, first responders, and outdoor enthusiasts. In her role, Heather has worked to evolve the company's approach to SMS from a basic, automated setup to a more hands-on, test-driven strategy centered on personalization and audience segmentation. Her approach emphasizes balancing promotional messaging with meaningful, human communication to strengthen customer relationships and drive performance. In this episode… SMS marketing has often been treated as an afterthought, with many brands plugging in basic flows and hoping for the best. But what happens when a company decides to truly invest in SMS as a core growth channel, making it a personalized, hands-on tool for customer engagement? Could a more thoughtful approach to SMS be the key to unlocking exponential returns for ecommerce businesses? Heather Roach, an ecommerce growth strategist, explains that success with SMS entails intentional, hands-on optimization. Heather emphasizes A/B testing messaging tone, timing, and format to understand what resonates. She highlights the importance of building diverse flows, including abandoned carts, product recommendations, and review requests, while balancing promotional texts with meaningful, human communication. By segmenting audiences, personalizing outreach, and actively managing responses (instead of relying solely on automation), brands can increase ROI, loyalty, and long-term engagement. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle interviews Heather Roach, Director of Marketing at Original Footwear Company, about leveraging SMS for ecommerce growth. Heather unpacks segmentation strategies, balancing promotions with brand voice, and optimizing automated flows for higher conversions.

Jessica Kalichman is the Marketing Director at ASTR the Label, a Los Angeles–based fashion brand known for its contemporary, trend-driven designs. She brings over 12 years of experience in brand development and digital marketing, having previously driven high-impact campaigns in the toy and entertainment industries. Known for blending pop culture insights with data-driven marketing, Jessica has led the creation of over 160 commercials and digital campaigns, helping brands achieve global visibility through innovative storytelling and strategic partnerships. In this episode… Your biggest growth strategy may not be ads, but partnerships you're underutilizing. Many ecommerce brands invest heavily in paid media while overlooking the compounding power of affiliates, creators, and strategic visibility. How can brands actually turn affiliates into a scalable, revenue-driving engine instead of a flailing side tactic? Marketing leader Jessica Kalichman draws from her extensive expertise in performance marketing and influencer strategy. She explains that successful affiliate programs are built across three key pillars: traditional platforms, media-driven affiliate PR, and performance-based creators — with the latter offering the most growth potential. By shifting from vanity metrics toward trackable affiliate links, brands can clearly see which creators drive the most revenue. Jessica also highlights the importance of aligning product selection with the right creators, planning gifting inventory, and leveraging emerging channels like AI-driven search visibility to stay competitive. Ultimately, it's about building a measurable, diversified system that prioritizes conversion without the guesswork. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle talks with Jessica Kalichman, Marketing Director at ASTR the Label, to discuss affiliate-driven growth strategies. Jessica discusses structuring affiliate channels, leveraging influencers for measurable conversions, and using AI search visibility to drive revenue.

Luke Schneider is the Founder and CEO of Fire Department Coffee, a veteran-owned coffee company he launched in 2016 in Rockford, Illinois. A US Navy veteran and former firefighter-paramedic, Luke built the brand to combine his passion for high-quality coffee with a mission to support firefighters and first responders. Under his leadership, the company has grown from a small roasting operation into a nationally distributed brand. Luke also founded the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation, which provides aid and resources to sick or injured firefighters and first responders. In this episode… Building a successful brand takes more than a great product — it requires a mission that resonates with both your team and your customers. When a company's purpose goes beyond profits, it can inspire loyalty, strengthen culture, and create a powerful brand identity. But what does it actually look like to build a purpose-driven business that fuels real growth? Luke Schneider's answer begins with clarity of mission. As a former firefighter-paramedic turned entrepreneur, he explains how aligning a company's purpose with a real community need can create deep authenticity and long-term motivation for teams. Rather than treating purpose as a marketing tactic, he emphasizes embedding it into daily operations, from hiring people aligned with the mission to creating content that reflects the community being served. Luke also highlights the importance of consistency: setting clear impact goals, integrating charitable initiatives into the company's budget, and staying intentional about how every initiative ties back to the mission. Ultimately, he explains that a purpose-driven brand works best when it's genuine, deeply rooted in the founder's values, and supported by a team aligned around the same goal. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle sits down with Luke Schneider, Founder and CEO of Fire Department Coffee, to discuss building a purpose-driven ecommerce brand. Luke discusses defining a mission-driven brand, embedding purpose into company culture and hiring, and setting measurable goals for charitable impact while scaling a growing business.

Greg Rollett is the Head of Growth at Grommet, a product discovery platform that helps makers, inventors, and ecommerce brands showcase new and unique products to millions of shoppers. As an Emmy Award-winning producer, Greg has helped Grommet launch over 2,000 products in the past two years to a customer base of more than 2.5 million shoppers. Beyond his role in driving Grommet's growth, he focuses on helping ecommerce brands with actionable strategies, particularly in partnership and affiliate marketing.  In this episode… Affiliate marketing is often treated like a side project by ecommerce brands — an affiliate link in the footer and a hope that sales will magically appear. But while many companies invest heavily in paid ads, they overlook one of the most powerful performance-based growth channels available. Why do so many affiliate and partner programs fail to gain traction? Greg Rollet's answer starts with a mindset shift: treat partnerships like a real marketing channel. As a growth strategist specializing in affiliate and partnership marketing, he explains that many brands make three critical mistakes: lack of focus, weak incentives, and poor support for partners. Brands often offer commissions that are too low to motivate creators and publishers, even though they spend far more acquiring customers through paid ads. Greg also emphasizes equipping affiliates with the tools they need to succeed, such as product samples, creative assets, landing pages, and ready-to-use marketing copy. When brands align incentives and make it easy for partners to promote their products, affiliate programs can become a scalable and high-impact revenue channel. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle talks with Greg Rollett, Head of Growth at Grommet, to discuss the mistakes brands make with affiliate and partner programs. They explore why many affiliate programs fail, how to structure payouts using allowable CPA, and how brands can build strong affiliate relationships through proactive outreach and partnerships.

Jay Steinfeld is the Founder and former CEO of Blinds.com, the world's largest online retailer of window coverings, which was acquired by The Home Depot in 2014. Under his leadership, Blinds.com grew from a bootstrapped startup in his home to a billion-dollar enterprise, earning a reputation for innovation in ecommerce and technology-driven growth. Jay is also a Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Lead from the Core: The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity and the Entrepreneur in Residence at Rice University's Graduate School of Business, where he shares business insights.  In this episode… Scaling your ecommerce business doesn't always require more ad spend or tighter funnels — it can come from forming the right strategic partnerships. Rather than battling industry giants for market share, there's an opportunity to grow by leveraging their reach and infrastructure. How can you turn major players into powerful growth engines for your brand? Jay Steinfeld's answer is the Big Brother Little Brother strategy, a partnership model where a smaller company integrates with a larger one to accelerate growth. As a seasoned ecommerce founder and technology-driven operator, he explains how building product-agnostic software creates leverage far beyond a single category. By making integration seamless and delivering unique value that larger companies lacked, he reduced customer acquisition costs and unlocked rapid distribution. He also emphasizes creating "stickiness" through private-label strategies and focusing on asymmetric risk — low downside, massive upside. The key takeaway: identify what only you can offer and make it irresistible for larger partners to say yes. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle chats with Jay Steinfeld, Founder and former CEO of Blinds.com, about the Big Brother Little Brother growth strategy. They delve into the brand's 90-day Sears integration, expanding partnerships to Wayfair and The Home Depot, and the risks of empowering competitors while creating long-term "stickiness."

Chad Massure is the Founder and CEO of Rosy Soil, a company creating peat-free, carbon-negative potting soils designed to nurture both plants and the planet. He grew up gardening with his grandmother, a background that sparked his passion for sustainable horticulture and inspired him to reimagine what soil could be. Before founding Rosy Soil in 2022, he worked in the impact and food space, helping build ventures focused on sustainable food access and social good. Since then, Chad has guided the brand from a small startup to a rapidly scaling company while maintaining a strong commitment to research, innovation, and environmental stewardship. In this episode… The rapid expansion of online and offline channels can create confusion around where to focus, especially when early retail opportunities reshape expectations and timelines. Brands often face challenges balancing product readiness, packaging clarity, and consistent pricing while simultaneously building demand across DTC, Amazon, and brick-and-mortar shelves. How do you maintain momentum while keeping every channel aligned? For Chad Massura, an expert in omnichannel growth, success lies in prioritizing strong packaging fundamentals to ensure performance across retail, Amazon, and DTC. He highlights the importance of launching Amazon earlier to capture high-intent demand, maintaining pricing consistency across partners, and leveraging retail presence to amplify awareness in other channels. Chad also encourages brands to embrace cross-channel customer behavior rather than resist it, noting how shoppers move naturally between retail, Amazon, and DTC. In this episode of the Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle interviews Chad Massura, Founder and CEO of Rosy Soil, about building an omnichannel brand from day one. Chad discusses how early retail adoption shaped his team's go-to-market strategy, the value of packaging optimization, launching at the right time on Amazon, and navigating cross-channel customer behavior.

Nicky Cutler is the B2B Marketing Manager at Goorin Bros., a premium hat and apparel company known for its cult-favorite line of trucker hats featuring embroidered animal patches. A seasoned marketer, Nicky led Goorin's to over $1 million in affiliate revenue in two years by building and scaling Goorin's ambassador and influencer programs. He previously worked across sales and retail leadership at Goorin and also launched his fashion brand earlier in his career. Blending brand building, community storytelling, and retail insight, he's become known for driving culture-first marketing strategies that resonate in the fashion world. In this episode… Many brands try to launch ambassador programs only to discover that discount-driven strategies attract the wrong participants, fail to generate new customers, and create tension among community members. With rising competition for attention and the growing need for authentic social proof, the challenge becomes clear — how do you build an ambassador engine that converts, sustains engagement, and avoids turning into a chaotic or unprofitable program? For Nicky Cutler, a specialist in B2B marketing and community-driven brand building, success lies in leaning into genuine customer enthusiasm rather than follower counts. Nicky shares how he initially tapped into an eager fan base, leveraged referral codes, and later recognized pitfalls such as repeat purchasers misusing discounts and ambassadors competing against one another. He outlines practical strategies for structuring guidelines, limiting code usage, and transitioning toward a reward-based system that motivates creators through exclusive products and achievable milestones. Nicky's approach prioritizes testing multiple program designs and focusing on authentic customers who truly represent the brand. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle interviews Nicky Cutler, B2B Marketing Manager at Goorin Bros., about building a high-converting ambassador program through relatable content. Nicky discusses the power of fan-led recruiting, the risks of discount dependency, and why reward-based content systems uncover authentic creators. He also explores program design, community management, and strategies for long-term scalability.

Cherie Hoeger is the Co-Founder and CEO of Saalt, a woman-owned period care brand known for its sustainable, reusable cups, discs, and leakproof underwear. With expertise in leveraging education-driven customer engagement and innovative sales channels, Cherie has led the company to become the #1 period care brand on TikTok Shop. Before Saalt, she worked as a technical writer for over a decade and launched multiple ecommerce ventures. As a social entrepreneur, she has steered Saalt's mission to donate tens of thousands of cups and underwear globally to fight period poverty.  In this episode… Turning prospects into buyers is a challenge for many ecommerce brands — especially for products that need extra explanation before customers commit. How can brands build trust quickly and address FAQs in real time? Learn how a sustainable period care company engaged both loyal fans and first-time shoppers by employing live events. What strategies, team dynamics, and content secrets contributed to its rapid increase in sales? Cherie Hoeger, an expert in sustainable period care products and live social selling, illustrates how live commerce can cut long buying journeys from months to minutes. Cherie shares how her team at Saalt used TikTok LIVE sessions to answer questions on the spot, educate new audiences, and drive over $100,000 in sales in just 90 days. She delves into the ideal product price point for success, how to find and train team members to host live events, and why pairing hero products into a branded routine increases customer lifetime value. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle interviews Cherie Hoeger, Co-founder and CEO of Saalt, about leveraging TikTok LIVE selling to fuel rapid ecommerce growth. Cherie discusses gathering customer feedback during live sessions, how to combine daily organic content with live events, and strategies for creating complementary products that boost average order value and build long-term brand loyalty.

Michael Houlihan was the Co‑founder, President, and CEO of Barefoot Wine, an iconic brand that he and his partner Bonnie Harvey launched in a laundry room in 1986 with no money and no knowledge of the wine industry, and built one of the top wine brands in the US and in 28 countries. It was eventually acquired by E. & J. Gallo. A renowned writer, speaker, and consultant, Michael co-authored the New York Times best-selling book The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's #1 Wine Brand. He currently divides his time between mentoring entrepreneurs and working on media projects, including Business Audio Theatre. In this episode… Many businesses face the challenge of building awareness without massive advertising budgets. How do you create genuine customer loyalty when traditional advertising channels are out of reach? Learn how one entrepreneur transformed an unknown product into one of America's most beloved brands using unconventional marketing strategies.  Michael Houlihan, marketing innovator, built brand awareness by leveraging what he calls "worthy-cause marketing." Instead of relying on big ad budgets, he donated wine to community fundraisers, giving people a social reason to choose his product over competitors and building loyalty in the process. This targeted approach created advocates, not just customers, as people felt emotionally connected to the brand's support of causes they cared about. Michael explains how this method isn't just a badge of charity for public image, but a strategic way to leverage existing networks and communication channels within communities. He also details how to apply the same principles to ecommerce businesses by aligning with organizations whose members are likely customers, which creates a scalable and loyal fanbase. In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle interviews Michael Houlihan, Co-founder of Barefoot Wine and Business Audio Theater, about how unorthodox marketing can scale a brand. Michael discusses the origins of "worthy-cause marketing," how to scale the approach from startup to enterprise, and why businesses should focus on building advocates rather than customers. He also discusses how to choose nonprofits strategically and lessons learned from scaling and selling his company.

Aaron Zagha is the Chief Marketing Officer at Newton Baby, a company specializing in innovative, science-backed sleep products for babies and families. With a professional background in corporate finance and a data-driven marketing approach, Aaron oversees the brand's marketing strategy, branding, and growth. He previously led international ecommerce operations for Teleflora. Under his leadership, Newton Baby collected over two million pounds of ocean-bound plastic and grew the brand through impactful influencer marketing. In this episode… Influencer marketing is one of the fastest-growing channels for ecommerce brands, but too often it leaves marketers questioning what truly drives results. Should success be measured by likes, reach, or sales? And how can companies ensure their investments in creators generate sustainable growth instead of vanity metrics? According to Aaron Zagha, a seasoned marketing leader with a background in finance and analytics, the answer lies in tracking every possible data point and treating influencer marketing like a performance channel. He highlights the use of unique codes, post-purchase surveys, and custom signups to attribute revenue back to specific creators. This level of tracking ensures brands can identify which partnerships drive actual conversions and which don't. Aaron also stresses the importance of frequency aligned with customer journeys, diversifying influencer portfolios, and vetting for brand safety. These practices not only optimize budgets but also protect credibility and drive long-term results. In this episode of the Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle interviews Aaron Zagha, CMO at Newton, about building measurable and scalable influencer marketing programs. Aaron shares why tracking attribution is critical, how to balance micro and macro creators, and the role of frequency in customer journeys. He also explores agency partnerships, brand safety vetting, and why credibility outshines influencer categories.