Dan Major is a Fractional CFO for DTC fashion, footwear, and beauty brands. Focused on scaling profitability by unlocking margin and freeing up cash for ads and stock.

In this WWYD episode, Dan walks through what he would do if he became the first serious CFO at a fast-growing DTC brand. He shares practical advice on fixing reporting, improving unit economics, finding hidden margin, and unlocking cash from inventory so brands can grow faster without losing control of profitability.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• The first thing a new CFO checks in a fast-growing DTC brand 👀
• Why your Shopify dashboard might be lying about profit
• The 3 margin numbers every eCommerce founder must understand 💸
• How one brand found 8 extra margin points without selling more
• When to reinvest profit into ads instead of taking it off the table 📈
• The hidden inventory mistake that could be trapping six figures of cash in your warehouse 📦

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[05:17] Understanding Sales and Margins Discrepancies

[07:56] Managing finances in eCommerce

[13:03] Understanding Contribution Margin Basics

[16:57] Analyzing industry benchmarks and margins

[18:28] Analyzing Profit and Loss Statements

[22:46] Managing stock levels and cash flow

[24:28] Listen to Dan’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/609

James Cowdale is the co-owner and marketing director at &Sons, a fashion BCorp brand selling vintage style clothing, primarily menswear. Founded in 2016 they now sell via their Shopify site, 2 stores in the UK, and wholesale, doing 8 figures in sale a year.

In this episode, James shares how &Sons has grown from an £80 Shopify store into an 8-figure brand by putting community at the heart of the business. He also reveals how the team navigated US tariffs, expanded into new markets, achieved B Corp certification, and why investing in people has been their biggest competitive advantage.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• 👥 How &Sons built an 8-figure brand by creating a thriving customer community
• 🌎 The smart strategy that helped them replace lost US sales with new international growth
• 🛍️ Why customer retreats can deliver a bigger ROI than another ad campaign
• 💬 The simple mindset shift that turns customers into passionate brand advocates
• 🌱 What it really took for &Sons to become a certified B Corp
• 🎉 How to turn a major business milestone into a powerful marketing opportunity

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[04:37] Choosing Shopify for Online Sales

[09:14] Launching Australian Market Website

[12:49] Building a Community for Men

[16:47] Hosting events for marketing

[19:39] Achieving BCorp Certification

[22:31] Reflecting on 10 years in business

[24:15] Listen to James’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/608

Jonatan Ehn is the Chief Commercial Officer at Asket, a fashion brand that doesn’t think of itself as a fashion brand. With the goal to liberate daily life from clutter and excess. Their men’s and womenswear rangers are sold via their Centra website, and stores in Stockholm & London, that also offer repairs and alterations. Founded in 2015, last year they did £15 million in sales.

In this episode, Jonatan shares how Asket has built a growing eCommerce business by staying true to its mission. He discusses balancing purpose with profit, navigating a major rebrand, and the performance marketing lessons every online retailer can learn from.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• 🚀 How Asket grew a £15M brand while encouraging customers to buy less
• 🎯 The biggest lesson from launching a rebrand, new website, and new store all at once
• 📉 Why your Meta ads can suddenly stop working—and how to turn them around
• 🧪 The one-change-at-a-time testing strategy that rebuilt Asket's marketing performance
• 🌱 How to balance purpose and profit without sacrificing business growth
• 💡 The brand discovery tactics helping Asket win customers in the UK, US, and beyond

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[05:36] Independent Swedish clothing brand model

[08:15] Balancing business goals and ethics

[12:37] Rebranding and closing perception gap

[15:31] Updating brand visuals and identity

[18:22] Identifying marketing strategy issues

[22:38] Focusing on brand discovery strategy

[25:19] Listen to Jonatan’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/607

Jennifer Bailey is the CEO Founder at Calla Shoes, sellers of women's shoes for bunions, wide feet and problem feet. Founded in 2016 they now sell via their Shopify store and are on track for £2million in sales this year.

In this episode, Jennifer reveals how Calla Shoes grew from a personal frustration into a £2 million global eCommerce brand. Discover the customer-first mindset, SEO strategy, and partnership approach that helped the business scale to customers in 92 countries while staying laser-focused on solving a real problem.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• 👠 How Calla Shoes grew into a £2M brand by solving one overlooked customer problem
• 🔍 Why SEO still drives most of their traffic after nearly 10 years in business
• 📞 The surprising customer research method Jennifer swears by (and it's not AI)
• 🌍 How a niche footwear brand expanded to 92 countries worldwide
• 🤝 The partnership strategy that's turning podiatrists into powerful referral partners
• 💡 How customer feedback directly shaped some of Calla Shoes' best-selling products

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[06:15] Embracing constant learning in eCommerce

[07:49] Global marketing on a budget

[10:09] Searching for wedding shoes with bunions

[13:15] Embracing unique needs in footwear

[16:43] Listening to customer feedback

[20:50] Collaborations with podiatrists and influencers

[23:02] Listen to Jennifer’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/606

Andy Ostcliffe is the Chief at Chiefly, where they’re experts on the Charity Retail Sector and pre-loved sales across product categories. Previously Andy co-created and led two of the world’s largest charity online retailers – Oxfam and British Heart Foundation.

Andy joins Chloe for a What Would You Do? episode, exploring what today's Head of eCommerce should do if their fashion brand wants to enter the growing pre-loved market. Together, they unpack the operational, commercial, and regulatory challenges, and discuss how brands can build a strategy that works for both customers and the business.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• Why launching a pre-loved store is much harder than it looks 👀
• The surprising reason Marks & Spencer chose eBay over building its own resale platform
• How AI could make fashion resale dramatically more profitable 🤖
• The regulations coming for fashion brands—and why you should prepare now
• What really happens to clothes after you donate them (it's not what most people think)
• Why live shopping is becoming one of the hottest opportunities in eCommerce 📱

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[04:38] Retailers and preloved fashion trends

[06:28] Challenges in retail logistics

[09:35] Economic challenges for PLC retailers

[13:03] Impact of Secondhand Sales

[16:55] UK charity shops and new regulations

[21:16] Impact of Online Resale on Charities

[23:29] Ghana's role in pre-loved fashion

[29:29] Pricing and stock rotation strategies

[31:00] Retail strategy for preloved fashion

[35:31] Listen to Andy’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/605

Holly Daniels is the Head of eCommerce at CULT MIA & a Drapers 30 Under 30 Alumni. CULT MIA is an independent luxury fashion marketplace, showcasing new designers and unique collections, many of which are exclusive on their Shopify website. Founded in 2019 they won Draper's Best Independent Retailer in 2022 AND 2023 and last year were named in the UK Fast Growth Index – not surprising since in the last couple of years they’ve scaled sales 5 times.

In this episode, Holly lifts the lid on how CULT MIA scaled 5X while navigating global logistics, international expansion, and the unique challenges of running a luxury fashion marketplace. Expect practical insights on data-driven growth, entering new markets, creating exceptional customer experiences, and using AI where it delivers real business impact.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• 🌍 How CULT MIA uncovered a hidden Middle East growth opportunity through customer data
• 📈 The surprising strategy that helped the luxury marketplace scale sales 5X
• 🚚 What most brands get wrong about international expansion and cross-border logistics
• 🎯 Why launching in the right season can matter more than your ad creative
• 🤖 Practical AI use cases that save hours and improve eCommerce operations
• 💡 Holly Daniels' framework for testing new markets without risking your entire budget

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[04:22] CULT MIA’s global market reach

[08:50] CULT MIA’s brand values and products

[12:10] Managing international shipping logistics

[13:29] Cross-border operations and sustainability

[18:01] Understanding Regional Customer Behavior

[20:06] Building trust with new markets

[23:07] Using AI for administrative tasks

[25:15] Listen to Holly’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/604

Ankit Jadav is the Global Head of Digital Operations at Portmeirion Group, home to six unique homeware and fragrance brands with a combined 750 years of trading… including Spode, Portmeirion, Royal Worcester, Nambe, Pimpernel and Wax Lyrical. Turnover is now £110,000,000 of which 10% is DTC.

In this episode, Ankit shares how his team manages five DTC brands with just eight people, why they recently consolidated their tech stack, and what he looks for when evaluating new technology. It's a masterclass in building an eCommerce operation that is efficient, scalable, and focused on delivering real ROI.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• 🚀 How one team manages 5 DTC brands with just 8 people
• 🛠️ The surprising reason the "best" eCommerce tool can hurt your results
• 📈 Why consolidating your tech stack could unlock faster growth
• 💰 How to evaluate new software without wasting budget on shiny objects
• 🎯 The next big tech investment Ankit believes every retailer should consider
• 🤖 Where AI is actually delivering value in eCommerce (and where it's mostly hype)

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[09:36] Implementing and Scaling eCommerce Projects

[12:02] Understanding code for collaboration

[16:01] Evaluating tech stack consolidation

[21:04] Implementing a Customer Data Platform

[22:35] Exploring AI for internal use

[26:08] Listen to Ankit’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/603

Douglas Holm is the Head of Online at Myrqvist, sellers and designers of quality, classic men’s shoes. Founded in 2016 they now sell online via their Shopify store and 4 stores in Sweden, Norway, New York and London, and a select group of partner stores. Turnover is now at €10 million a year.

In this episode, Douglas reveals how Myrqvist has built a lean, high-performing eCommerce operation that punches well above its weight. From AI-driven automation and product data optimisation to international growth and in-house marketing, he shares practical insights for any brand looking to scale smarter.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• 🚀 How Myrqvist built a €10M brand with just 8 people at head office
• 🤖 The AI automations saving hours every week across customer service and operations
• 📈 Why improving product data is boosting SEO, AI search, and customer experience at the same time
• 🔍 How Myrqvist is already winning traffic from ChatGPT and other AI search tools
• 💡 The simple framework Douglas uses to decide what to automate next
• 🎯 Why keeping Meta ads in-house gives Myrqvist a major competitive advantage

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[06:13] Offering premium-quality shoes affordably

[09:37] Leveraging AI to optimize operations

[11:36] Improving AI for site search

[14:38] Competing with heritage shoe brands

[18:41] Exploring AI for product design

[22:32] Benefits of in-house content production

[24:07] Listen to Douglas’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/602