I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen Kevin Kelly’s idea of 1,000 True Fans shared with independent musicians over the years, usually framed as a kind of quiet relief, a reminder that you don’t need millions of listeners or viral moments to build a meaningful, sustainable career. And … Read More

Most ecommerce brands are architecturally incapable of retention. Not because they lack a post-purchase email sequence. Not because their loyalty points programme needs work. Not because they haven’t hired a retention specialist yet. But because they were designed, from the ground up, to convert strangers into customers, not customers into … Read More

There’s a quiet delusion running through subscription-first ecommerce brands. “If we can just get them to subscribe on their first order, we’ll lock in the LTV.” And I understand why. The greater the perceived LTV, the greater the value of a customer… the larger pot of cash we can dive … Read More

There’s a common belief in science-based marketing that facts speak for themselves. If you just present the data clearly enough? The evidence comprehensively enough? the specifications precisely enough? people will understand and act. It’s not the case. Not because people are anti-science or incapable of understanding complexity. It’s just that … Read More

Please don’t take offence at this … but… most ecommerce brands tell stories the way toddlers do. Something happened. Then something else happened. Then another thing happened. The end. There’s no tension. No transformation. No reason to care what happens next. Founders then wonder why their “storytelling” feels flat, why … Read More

It’s happening as I write. Someone just landed on your product page. They’re scrolling. Reading your bullet points. Looking at your lifestyle images. Checking the price. And in about 8 seconds, they’re going to make a decision that determines whether you ever see them again. Not whether they buy, whether … Read More

I know this feeling all too well. I was there for many years building and growing my own ecommerce business. It’s what most ecommerce consultants or agencies can’t empathise with. That feeling. It’s 6:47 a.m. It’s Tuesday and you’re already at your desk. You open your laptop with coffee in … Read More

There’s a phrase I’ve been using for years now to position my work: ecommerce growth by design. Not growth by hustle. Not growth by hoping your next campaign lands. Not growth by copying what your competitors are doing on Instagram. Growth by design. And I want to explain what I … Read More