In this episode, Scott and Nathan break down why profitable eCommerce brands still run out of cash. The conversation focuses on the gap between what looks good on a P&L and what actually keeps a business alive.

They unpack why brands can be profitable on paper and still go broke, especially in inventory heavy categories like fashion.

Key topics covered:

• Cash flow vs profit and why they are not the same thing

• How inventory can quietly kill otherwise healthy businesses

• Why cutting ad spend is often the worst move during cash stress

• When it makes sense to intentionally lower efficiency to save the business

• How agencies and CFOs often talk past each other

• The role of inventory visibility in paid media decision making

• Why growth is usually limited by cash conversion cycles, not marketing skill

Nathan walks through real scenarios where brands needed to trade short term efficiency for long term survival, and how media strategy should change when cash is the real constraint.

The episode also covers how conservative brands should think about scaling more aggressively without blowing up their balance sheet, and why transparency between founders, agencies, and finance teams matters more than ever.

Get the latest updates, best practices, and PROVEN eCommerce strategies every day. Subscribe here: ‪@bluesensedigital‬

Blue Sense is a global eCommerce consulting firm that partners with founders & operators to tackle their biggest growth challenges.

Our YouTube channel is dedicated to sharing our most effective marketing strategies to help you achieve your business goals.

If you’re an 8 or 9 figure retailer looking for deeper creative insight or performance insight grounded in real finance reach out today.

⬇️️ You can find us here ⬇️️:

Website: https://www.bluesensedigital.com.au/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/bluesensedigital/

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/blue-sense-digital/

In this episode, Scott, Nathan, Gaby, and Ibra dive deep into how to build a smarter marketing calendar for 2026. We tackle why so many brands default to discounting—and how to break that habit with better planning and more creative inputs.

Highlights from the conversation:

• Why early calendars failed: too many sales, no commercial KPIs

• Offers aren’t just discounts—they’re friction reducers

• Creative quality often drives the need for discounts

• How to map financial targets to calendar moments

• The ideal number of revenue peaks (hint: it’s not one)

• How to find underutilised moments and category white space

• Why brand birthdays, bundles, and overstock clearances can outperform

We also explore how to layer brand, seasonal, and cultural events into your planning without relying solely on paid media. If you’re relying on Q4 to hit your numbers, this one’s for you.

Get the latest updates, best practices, and PROVEN eCommerce strategies every day. Subscribe here: ‪@bluesensedigital‬

Blue Sense is a global eCommerce consulting firm that partners with founders & operators to tackle their biggest growth challenges.

Our YouTube channel is dedicated to sharing our most effective marketing strategies to help you achieve your business goals.

If you’re an 8 or 9 figure retailer looking for deeper creative insight or performance insight grounded in real finance reach out today.

⬇️️ You can find us here ⬇️️:

Website: https://www.bluesensedigital.com.au/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/bluesensedigital/

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/blue-sense-digital/

#googleads #facebookads #digitalmarketing #ecommercetips #shopify

Scott and Nathan sit down with Angus from MKTG to make clear predictions for eCommerce in 2026.

Key themes discussed:
• Why organic content will be more important than paid in 2026
• The real role of influencers versus in house creators
• Why AI lowers the floor but does not raise the ceiling
• What happens to agencies as media buying gets commoditised
• When in house teams make sense and when they do not
• Why finance led marketing is still rare and still a moat
• Which brands will win and which will struggle next year
• Why retail, community, and real world experiences are coming back

We also dig into hiring mistakes, ego driven decisions, why most founders struggle to recruit great talent, and how the best brands blend agencies, in house teams, and external perspective rather than picking sides.

If you're scaling a 7, 8, or 9 figure brand and thinking about where to focus in 2026, this episode lays out the reality without the hype.

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Get the latest updates, best practices, and PROVEN eCommerce strategies every day. Subscribe here: ‪@bluesensedigital‬

⸻

Blue Sense is a global eCommerce consulting firm that partners with founders & operators to tackle their biggest growth challenges.

Our YouTube channel is dedicated to sharing our most effective marketing strategies to help you achieve your business goals.

⸻

If you’re an 8 or 9 figure retailer looking for deeper creative insight or performance insight grounded in real finance reach out today.

⬇️️ You can find us here ⬇️️:
Website: https://www.bluesensedigital.com.au/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bluesensedigital/
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/blue-sense-digital/

Find Angus here:
Website: https://www.mktgemails.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anguscowan/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/mktg-emails/

#googleads #facebookads #digitalmarketing #ecommercetips #shopify