The right tools don’t change the fundamentals of running your business — they allow you to think about your business in a new way. In this episode, Andrew talks with Obvi Founder & CEO Ron Shah about their plans for upcoming growth, and how they plan to finance that growth. “Because we’re bootstrapped, it’s hard to make that fuel last long. When you have opportunities to scale, it actually costs more to do that. When you realize the cost is higher, you need to come up with more solutions to make that happen.”

Show Notes:

- Parker, the ecommerce financial soultion: https://getparker.com/ 
- Follow Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/obviceo 
- Ron's thread on how he built Obvi: https://bit.ly/3LdGVH3 
- Ron's thread on his BFCM plans: https://bit.ly/3QsvtYX 
- Ron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronak06/ 
- Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewjfaris

Financing to Scale with Obvi CEO Ron Shah

Brands that are trying to grow really fast often try the next most tempting “shiny object” to get there. In this episode, Andrew talks about the importance of taking time to align your behaviors to your goals. “Where are you trying to go, how clear can you get on that goal as quickly as possible, and how much can you put your focus toward it?”

Show notes:

Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH

The Antidote to Shiny Object Syndrome

Using your resources as effectively as possible is essential for growing your business at any pace. In this episode, Andrew talks about two ways to manage people well. “It’s not easy to be a great manager — and it’s not in the realm of tactics for growth — but it is an important part of building a great company.” 

Show notes:

- Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewjfaris 
- Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH

How to Manage People to Grow Your Brand

In Andrew’s farewell episode, he passes the torch over to CTC’s Taylor Holiday and Richard Gaffin. Andrew reflects on his time hosting the podcast, and what’s next for the show. “Moving forward, what you can expect from us is a conversation about frameworks, about large-scale thinking, and interesting things happening in the DTC space and what they mean for you.” 

Show Notes:
- Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH  
- Keep listening to Andrew at “The Andrew Faris Podcast,” head to his new website at www.ajfgrowth.com, or follow him on Twitter @andrewjfaris.

Andrew's Quitting The Pod

The latest Consumer Confidence Index paints a bleak picture of the economy at large. How does that affect DTC, ROAS, and forecasting for Q4? “It’s going to take more marketing resources to sell products. The practical output of that is less efficient advertising. You have to do more to get less action.”

Show Notes:
- Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH 
- Taylor’s tweet on CCI vs. MER: https://bit.ly/3fEosaB 
- Taylor’s Black Friday strategy article: https://bit.ly/3RDwspU

The Impact of Consumer Confidence on DTC

What if you could see future results in the now? In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Common Thread’s unique relationship with Retina.ai, an AI platform that allows you to predict the future value of your customers. “You’re getting an instant view into the value of your customer within 96% accuracy.”

Show Notes: 
Learn why Retina.ai is ecommerce’s magic 8-ball: https://bit.ly/3CzXGZ4

Predict Customer Value in Real Time with AI

Choice is sometimes an illusion. In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Facebook’s move toward the Advantage+ model, which shifts away from human decision making and toward artificial intelligence. “They will say Advantage+ is a way to build campaigns with fewer inputs. But the secondary implication is Facebook has a performance problem. In order to solve for that, they’re attempting to reduce the variables and take control of the situation.” 

Show Notes: 

Get a $200 credit with Insense, the creator content & ads platform trusted by 700+ DTC brands: https://bit.ly/3eHyDLt

Facebook’s Move into AI with New Advantage+

2020 transformed the world of ecommerce forever.

For the modern DTC brand, the rewards have never been greater. But the waters have also never been choppier, and the way forward has never been more uncertain.

So how do you navigate this dangerous new reality?

No matter how you do it, you’d better not do it alone.

That’s where the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast comes in — join Common Thread Collective’s Taylor Holiday & Richard Gaffin as they bring you guiding insights from across CTC’s portfolio of growing DTC businesses.

Whether you need a clear view on the macro issues affecting the world of ecommerce, or want to reorient your business around groundbreaking new big-picture strategies, Taylor & Richard are here to help answer the tough questions about what it takes to scale — and sustain — an ecommerce business.

The Ecommerce Playbook

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