Being an entrepreneur comes with inherent senses of curiosity, ambition, and drive. It requires being open to trying new things and sometimes even leaping into new opportunities before knowing what to do—which doesn’t always produce good results.
Luckily, there are a lot of ecommerce veterans out there who are more than happy to share their hard-earned knowledge with promising newcomers to the craft. For many, the optimal way to digest this information is by tuning into ecommerce podcasts.
Today, some of the best ecommerce podcasts cover subjects such as digital marketing, inventory management, supply chain management, product shipping, the best ecommerce platforms, customer service, website quality, and product returns.
3 Ecommerce Podcasts For Getting Started
In no particular order, here are the top three ecommerce podcasts for newcomers who want to learn practical strategies and actionable tips on running an online store:
Mixergy
Mixergy is a no-nonsense learning hub for promising entrepreneurs who want to make it big in the ecommerce world. It features guests from a wide range of professional backgrounds, including serial entrepreneur Ryan Deiss, InDinero co-founder Jessica Mah, and famous author and marketer Seth Godin.
- Host: Andrew Warner
- Years active: 2004 – present
- Favorite topics: Experience-based learning, dealing with failures, business psychology, battling burnout, online sales, email marketing
Mixergy is founded, hosted, and run by Andrew Warner, a serial entrepreneur whose work ethic may only be matched by his affinity for practical knowledge. After spending his 20s building (and later selling) an online-based, seven-figure business with his brother, Warner decided to put aside most of his belongings and shift his focus to cycling, reading books, and traveling. He then founded Mixergy in 2004.
With over 2,265 episodes to date, Mixergy is a great place to learn about best practices from people with real-life experience and successful enterprises under their belts. By including a few duds as well, the podcast is also full of information on what not to do, as most of the guests have experienced more hardships and setbacks than the average person.
Keep in mind that, at 20 years old, this is the most experienced podcast on our list. As such, there is a wealth of knowledge in the Mixergy archive, cementing its place as one of the best ecommerce podcasts to look into today.
My Wife Quit Her Job
My Wife Quit Her Job is a popular ecommerce podcast on how to bootstrap your personal business without sacrificing the things that really matter. Notable guests include Instagram influencer Chalene Johnson, digital marketing expert Dr. Robert Cialdini, and perhaps most coincidentally, Andrew Warner of Mixergy.
- Host: Steve Chou
- Years active: 2007 – present
- Favorite topics: Bootstrapping, digital advertising, Facebook marketing, influencer marketing, business habits, online courses
My Wife Quit Her Job is mostly focused on interviewing guests who quit their daily jobs to start lucrative online businesses. The show is hosted by Steve Chou, a Stanford alum with a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a passion for all shapes and sizes of digital entrepreneurship. In addition to hosting a world-renowned ecommerce and marketing podcast, Chou also runs a seven-figure ecommerce linen store with his wife.
On the podcast, Chou’s interviews look to uncover all the details that can lead to a successful enterprise, and he doesn’t shy away from posing challenging questions to his guests. Recent subjects include how to prototype and manufacture textiles in the USA, discussing Sundar Pichai’s updates on the future of the web, and chatting with Eugenia Chen about selling adorable costumes for dogs.
For anyone looking to get started with an online store, My Wife Quit Her Job offers authentic advice to learn about ecommerce from proven experts in the field.
Tropical MBA
Tropical MBA is an unconventional business podcast that teaches listeners how to gain financial freedom and escape the inconveniences of a typical 9-5 job. Interviewees include AppSumo CEO Noah Kagan, small business author Mike Michalowicz, and Career Nerds founder Tom Kent.
- Hosts: Dan Andrews and Ian Shoen
- Years active: 2009 – present
- Favorite topics: Small business ownership, location-independent lifestyle, startups, growth and sustainability, partnerships, profitability, finance and accounting
As hosts, Andrews and Shoen act as mentors and digital business partners to any listener who is willing to follow their journey to attain true financial independence. They share advice from business owners who run their ecommerce endeavors on the go, unburdened by the norms that come with running a traditional business.
By listening to Tropical MBA, beginners can learn about implementing the right operating system (OS) for small and medium-sized businesses, the power of bootstrapped ideas, and the three phases of becoming a leader. For example, in a conversation with Editor Ninja founder John Doherty, the guys talk about the inevitable decline of full-service agencies and a major market shift towards specialization in productized B2B services.
You can find Tropical MBA on all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
5 Ecommerce Podcasts For Scaling Past $1 Million
One of the major roadblocks facing new business owners is the lack of actionable advice for scaling their businesses beyond the elusive $1M threshold. That said, we’ve uncovered five ecommerce podcasts from people who have successfully walked the walk and decided to share how they got there.
Ecommerce Fuel
Ecommerce Fuel is an original take on a decades-old formula that aims to give healthy businesses a leg up on the competition by setting them up for long-term success. It includes appearances by private medicine practitioner Chris Kresser, Epic Gardening founder and CEO Kevin Espiritu, and content marketing expert Tracey Wallace.
- Host: Andrew Youderian
- Years active: 2013 – present
- Favorite topics: Professional branding, search engine optimization (SEO), digital marketing, Amazon advertising, mergers and acquisitions, dropshipping, health tips for busy entrepreneurs
The podcast itself explores different strategies and tips about the ecommerce world and how smart moves can help you succeed in increasingly saturated industries. It’s hosted by author and entrepreneur Andrew Youderian, who gathers some of the smartest minds in ecommerce to share their experiences. Ecommerce Fuel also features some of the wackiest ecommerce anecdotes that often serve as a reminder that even the most experienced entrepreneurs can make costly mistakes that could’ve been avoided with better planning.
Whether you’re an established business owner or an up-and-coming founder looking for success, Ecommerce Fuel offers valuable nuggets of wisdom for every stage of the ecommerce journey.
Future Commerce
Future Commerce is an all-encompassing business podcast that covers a wide array of themes—from improving conversions and writing optimized copy to the philosophy of capitalism and its impact on ecommerce, direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, and retail in general.
Thus far, the show has had notable guests such as Curology’s chief marketing and innovation officer Steve Siegel, FACEGYM’s CMO Alexa Lombardo, and ZINE founder Matt Klein.
- Hosts: Phillip Jackson and Brian Lange
- Years active: 2016 – present
- Favorite topics: Spatial commerce, content marketing, macroeconomic trends, artificial intelligence, business innovation, DTC, ecommerce, retail
In a nutshell, the Future Commerce show itself helps founders and existing business owners find some sense in the constantly shifting landscape of modern ecommerce trends. It’s spearheaded by co-founders Phillip Jackson and Brian Lange, who also serve as acting company CEO and CRO respectively.
For those tuning in, you can expect to find a deep dive into how shoppers purchase items and the driving forces behind their interactions with online stores. You’ll also hear about how to manage supply chain networks without major disruptions, what it means to partner with different vendors to resell their stock, and how to scale an ecommerce business past $1M.
Interested ecommerce owners can listen to Future Commerce on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and its native website. Episodes range from insightful and poignant to quirky and downright funny—but either way, they are always full of first-hand insight from the front lines of ecommerce sales.
Ecommerce Conversations
Ecommerce Conversations is an inspiring podcast that looks at everything that goes on behind the scenes of running a successful ecommerce business, including growth, scalability, sustainability, and marketing tactics. Listeners will hear from noteworthy faces in the industry such as OverstockArt founder David Sasson, ecommerce copywriter and Orzy founder Chris Orzechowski, and Fermàt Commerce CMO Rabah Rahil.
- Host: Eric Bandholz
- Years active: 2008 – present
- Favorite topics: Business copywriting, customer acquisition, equity investing, email advertising, SMS marketing, business storytelling, B2C sales, outsourcing, planned contingencies
The Ecommerce Conversations podcast is structured in a simple yet effective way. Eric Bandholz, a charismatic beard-care company founder and acting CEO, hosts honest conversations with other business owners, entrepreneurs, and executives about the current state of affairs in ecommerce. It aims to show people how to leverage the tools and opportunities at their disposal to come out on top.
The guests on this show rarely sugarcoat the challenges they had to overcome and tend to be willing to debate with alternative opinions offered by Bandholz. Episodes have themes that revolve around topics like how to launch a business effectively, on-site conversions, website traffic, how to alleviate mistakes, and social media marketing.
Ecommerce Conversations is also available in a condensed transcript form as well.
The $100 MBA Show
The $100 MBA Show is a long-running, easily digestible podcast that features practical business lessons from WebinarNinja co-founder and industry leader Omar Zenhom. Occasional guest teachers include real estate expert Dave Meyer, bestselling author Allan Dibb, and Teachable founder Ankur Nagpal.
- Host: Omar Zenhom
- Years active: 2014 – present
- Favorite topics: Customer retention, inventory management, content creation, business growth and retention, upselling during checkout, client acquisition, charity efforts
Zenhom’s award-winning podcast typically offers short, 20 to 30-minute episodes on subjects like startups, customer support, and the general concept of building wealth—with the occasional guest teacher chiming in to offer their unique insight on the show’s topic of the day. In some ways, you can think of The $100 MBA Show as reliable business training in audio form, free of charge.
The $100 MBA Show is perfect for business enthusiasts who constantly find themselves on the go, as most of its episodes can be consumed in a couple of short bursts over the course of an hour. If you’re traveling or commuting a lot, you may find this format more manageable to follow than some of the ecommerce podcasts with hour-long episodes.
You can catch The $100 MBA Show on all major podcast streaming platforms, plus its website.
The CPG Guys
The CPG Guys is a product-oriented podcast with a main emphasis on retail, ecommerce, and consumer packaged goods (CPG). Alongside its three hosts, listeners will hear from proven industry vets such as MiO Marketplace CEO Sean Halter, Eagle Foods brand expert Cindy Blum, and iOPEX chief digital officer Nagarajan ‘Naga’ Chakravarthy.
- Hosts: Sri Rajagopalan, Peter V.S. Bond, and Bryan Gildenberg
- Years active: 2020 – present
- Favorite topics: Brick-and-mortar commerce, omnichannel sales, and support, trade spend management, product marketing, customer experience, manufacturing logistics, business thought leadership
The CPG Guys is a lighthearted, open-minded, and informative podcast that showcases how popular brands, groups, and individuals interact with customers on all levels and environments—including online, in-store, and everywhere along the spectrum of B2C transactions. Its three hosts try to find novel ways of asking the age-old question, “What makes some businesses succeed where others fail?”
The show features a unique mix of opinions, experiences, and views from highly diverse guests, ultimately breaking most stereotypes about how an ecommerce podcast should sound and feel. For marketers, CPG executives, and ecommerce business founders, listening to The CPG Guys can unlock many creative ideas that can lead to online success.
Recap
There are a lot of business and ecommerce podcasts that don’t quite scratch the itch when it comes to giving practical advice about growing a business past $1M. Some are too lengthy, some are too fluffy, and others simply lack the expertise to show how it’s done.
With any luck, the podcasts on this list will help you cut through the proverbial noise and find your own ecommerce success sooner rather than later.
If you want to check out resources for getting an ecommerce store started, visit our detailed Shopify and BigCommerce reviews.
