In episode 41, we're back after a short break to celebrate a massive five-figure wholesale win—our largest order yet—while keeping it real about the messy operational hurdles behind the scenes. We unpack an automated outbound strategy using Claude, plus a deep dive into building superfans through unscalable "surprise and delight" moments, from sending personal voice notes to hand-drawing mountains on mailers. We round things out with a candid update on navigating Google Ads and exploring YouTube as we look for incremental growth outside of Meta.

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In Episode 40, we dive into new customer data tools like Outer Signal and debate the real value of headless commerce and AI storefronts for smaller brands. We also open up about the current struggles with declining Meta ad performance and explain why focusing on survival and net profit is much more crucial right now than chasing vanity scaling metrics.

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In this episode, We dive into the "Hudson Method" of paying micro-creators for high-volume ad creative and debate whether the strategy is a content unlock or a cash-flow landmine for smaller brands.

We also unpack the hard truths about enforcing wholesale minimums and why siloing your audience into dead Facebook groups is a community-building trap.

Tune in to find out why rolling up your sleeves to do unscalable, in-real-life things might be the ultimate key to staying alive in today’s e-com landscape.

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In Episode 38, we pull back the curtain on setting up a seamless creator portal using Groundwork and the Big Grow X Big app. We share our exact, no-fluff blueprint for managing influencers, detailing how we structure initial forty-dollar flat payouts alongside a ten percent commission on sales. Tune in to hear how creators submit their post URLs for review and how we keep track of outstanding thirty-day payouts without the usual headaches.

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In this episode, we dive into the latest Shopify updates, including the rollout of B2B features and native price testing for non-plus merchants. We also share our personal experiments with using Claude to build custom software for inventory management and cash flow visibility, proving that you don't need a massive team to level up your operations.

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Are you tired of guessing your inventory for seasonal drops or watching your cash flow get tied up in stock? This week, we dive into the highs and lows of our spring collections, and break down how testing strategic bundles and free gifts successfully doubled our ad conversion rates. We also explore how we're using AI like Claude to build custom internal e-com tools, plus share a crucial warning after a random personal Facebook ban locked us completely out of Meta Ads Manager.

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In this episode, we dive into the "hidden underside" of ecommerce: the messy world of returns and reverse logistics. They get real about moving away from "free unlimited returns," the pros and cons of return software like Freight and Redo, and why analyzing return rates at the product level is a game-changer for your bottom line.

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In this episode, we dive deep into our recent obsession with Claude and how we’re moving beyond the standard AI hype to build actual utility for our e-commerce brands. From automating Klaviyo reporting and analyzing P&Ls to managing local Shopify theme files, we share how we’re using these new tools to act as a "co-founder on steroids" while navigating the thin line between genuine efficiency and productive procrastination.

📢 Enjoyed the episode?
Thanks for listening! Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and share it with fellow ecom founders! Your support helps us keep it real.

💬 Join the Conversation:

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• David on X: @austriker27

📩 Got feedback or topic ideas?
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🌎 Join the Underdog Ecom Community:
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🎧 More from Underdog Ecom:
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Podcast: https://podcast.underdogecom.com