Commerce Chefs

Roo & You is all about having fun and building a community of parents.In this week's episode, Tom and Kyle chat with Rozin, Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Roo & You, about how their family-owned businesses built their customer base through community and personalized customer service. Their unique marketing strategy has allowed them to create a loyal base of customers who are truly invested in their community-centric brand. He also shares the benefits and challenges that came with working with family and what he learned from the experience. TLDR; it turns out that family businesses can get along just fine together!You can learn more about our guest here:https://ca.linkedin.com › rozin-abbas-44484945

Shoppinggives, is a social impact eCommerce platform that aligns your customer'spurchases with their values. Here to chat with Tom and Kyle is Ben Astin, Directorof Partnerships at ShoppingGives where he dives into doing good in the retailspace through strategic partnerships and new business opportunities with retailersthat are revolutionizing the future of commerce. Having a customer-centric socialimpact platform can grow your business by connecting your customers to thethings they value most.

No two customers are the same. Joined in this episode is Gina Yuter who is the Partnerships Manager at Syte hailing all the way from Tel Aviv. Syte is powered by AI and brings visual discovery to your shopping experience. Gina talks about the importance of personalizing every customer's experience based on what they look at on an everyday basis, of course without being intrusive. Learn more about our guest:https://il.linkedin.com/in/gina-kann-yuter

How will NFTs affect the future and the eCommerce space?Co-founder and COO of Novel, Anna Merzi, joins Tom and Kyle for episode 8 where she speaks on the Web3 space and how Novel is making it easily accessible and digestible for everyone. The world of Cryptocurrency is still esoteric and can be intimidating as we see these terms all over our social feeds on a daily basis but don’t know exactly where to begin. Anna breaks down what these are and how they can benefit your business and customers IRL while also being sustainable. https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamerzi

In episode 7, Tom & Kyle discuss the process of becoming Climate Neutral Certified as well as submitting pb+j to becoming a Bcorp certified agency. No one better to have other than Dubinia, the Project Manager and Sustainability Strategist at pb+j. Dubinia shares her morning routine and her secrets to becoming a more sustainable business and so much more. Learn more about our guest:Dubinia, Project Manager and Sustainably Business Strategist at pb+j

How a self-run pandemic start-up leaned into ritual, community, and holistic self-care to grow.Attention new DTC founders! In the fast-paced world of eCommerce, time is of the essence. But what is the essence of time? Kyle and Tom talk with skincare and retail veteran, Rene Jaidi Harding, Founder of Skin Amity, to explore the idea of slowing things down at the start-up stage. Rene and the guys touch on product-market fit, hand-crafted education around products, and leaving space to allow each micro-interaction with customers to serve a larger purpose.Learn more about our guest:Rene Jaidi Harding, Founder of Skin Amity:  www.SkinAmity.com

Mobile shopping, owned marketing, and what’s next for eComm in a handheld world.What do branded M&M’s, quiz apps, and phone addiction have in common? Not much, but Episode 5 sees Tom and Kyle riff with the co-founder of Tapcart on these issues—and more importantly on the shifts in mobile shopping across the world, how experience and convenience win with shoppers, and where consumers on the go are heeded so DTC brands can be poised to win big. They double ‘tap’ on some big topics that fit right in the plam of your hand. Learn more about our guest:Sina Mobasser, Co-Founder of Tapcart:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mobass/

BCorp and how the rise of mindful brands makes commerce better for all.Murder mysteries for breakfast then saving the world at 9am, Michelle Reid shares her morning routine before hopping into the office at BCorp. In the 4th episode, Tom and Kyle explore the benefits of BCorp in the commerce space, how they are helping to set the bar for accountability and meaningful change, and the practical steps towards impact and doing good for all. Rising tides raise all ships and cooperation with competition—“coopetition”—is the wave of the future. Learn more about our guest:Michelle Reid, Community Engagement and Activation Lead for BCorp (US/Can)  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-reid111/

Getting the scoop on leveraging joy, online, and in-store for customer benefit and real change. Rise and Shine! Episode 3 takes a big bite out of breakfast—the most important meal of the day. The guys enjoy a delicious chat with serial (cereal?) DTC leader, Flapjack-of-all-trades and Founder of Flourish Pancakes, Andrew Maida. They get the scoop on how joy and personality in brand can do so much good, the fluffy future of omnichannel success in the better-for-you food space, and how customer shopping habits might be tougher to flip than you might think. Good things take time in business, but this conversation—and Andrew’s pancakes—is ready to go goodness.Learn more about our guest: Andrew Maida, Founder of Flourish Pancakes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-m-13b098a3/

How customer-centred design can be a recipe for your most poignant customer insights. Episode 2 features an in-depth and delicious chat with Bianca DiPietro, Design & Creative Lead at Hello Fresh. Like millions of people, you might enjoy these meal kits on the weekly, but what you might not know is how Hello Fresh leverages design thinking and customer testing to push their market hold open. The guys explore scaling, sustainability, challenging the status quo when it comes to supply chain, and disrupting entrenched markets through deep customer insights.  Kyle and Tom also uncover some of Bianca’s secret ingredients for turning growing customer expectations into customer delight. Learn more about our guests: Bianca DiPietro, Design & Creative Lead at Hello Fresh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bianca-dipietro-rgd-52597133

The exciting world of Conversion Rate Optimization and the secrets to making it work for you! We are back! In our Season 2 opener, Kyle and Tom dive into the world of CRO: Conversion Rate Optimization. The bad jokes and light-heartedness continue as they bring in CRO veteran, Joris Bryon (Founder of Dexter Agency), to vamp alongside them. Conversion rate optimization is so much more than just driving conversions on a site and we explore some insights on the topic as well as some immaculate tips based on his years of experience. Kyle and Tom also touch on thoughts surrounding CRO ‘Best Practices’, why you should approach them with caution, the dangers of assumptions in eComm, and the importance of A/B testing. Learn more about our guest: Joris Bryon, Founder of Dexter Agency: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorisbryon

A little holiday gift for our most wonderful listeners, at the most wonderful time of the year! Recently Tom and Kyle sat down with Dave Hale on the Journey Map podcast to chat about our career journeys, building great partnerships, and why we shut down pb+j for an entire month. We thought we'd share this fireside chat with you and hope you'll pull up a chair, and a bucket of eggnog, to dive into some end of year nuggets! Journey Map is hosted by Dave Hale and produced by Craft & Crew. Learn more and get all the episodes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/journey-map/id1148073440As always, if you're interested in what Tom, Kyle and the Jam Fam are up to at pb+j, look for @addpbj on LinkedIn or Instagram or visit https://addpbj.com/

It’s come time for Kyle and Tom to say goodbye to Commerce Chefs (for now). With their schedules packed to the brim and sights set on lofty horizons, our beloved hosts have decided to hit pause on season two of the podcast to focus their efforts on doing what they do best—making believers out of bystanders for eComm brands worth believing in. But don’t despair—Kyle and Tom will be back soon enough with even more antics, bad Dad jokes, and thought-provoking interviews. Stay tuned!Learn more about pb+j here: https://addpbj.com/ 

The word disruption gets thrown around in the commerce world more than a ‘hot-potato’ at a pre-school; but what does it actually mean? In the last episode of the Commerce Chefs summer series, Kyle and Tom sit down with Geoff Cottrill in a fascinating unaired conversation. This titan of marketing and former SVP at Converse and Starbucks breaks down disruption and discusses the unlocked benefits it holds for your brand. They discuss what the future of branding really looks like, how new marketing leadership can either enhance or diminish your brand value, and the utmost importance of creating long-lasting relationships with your customers. Learn more about Geoff Cottrill here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreycottrill/ 

After taking Sugarlash Pro from her living room to a global e-commerce giant, it’s safe to say Courtney Buhler knows a thing or two about scaling a rave-worthy business. In today’s episode, Courtney offers her pro tips on putting your customers first, finding your leadership style (and yourself in the process), and nailing down your market niche. Learn more about Courtney Buhler here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-buhler/ 

“Why” can often feel like the word less traveled in marketing. Yet, it’s one of the most revealing questions to ask. Brent Baldwin, Founder of NYOO Agency, lives by the word “why,” curious to uncover the intent behind campaigns, messaging, and data-driven tactics. In this episode, Tom and Kyle chat with Brent to discuss his “why” philosophy, the reason leadership resiliency is often tied to “ego,” and strategies for brands to differentiate themselves in the market.

Heart-centered leadership is all about creating a business with your purpose and values at the helm, without losing sight of the big picture vision you’re striving to achieve. In today’s episode, Kyle and Tom sit down with Amy Hall, Founder of Goldilocks Goods, to chat about her approach to creating her company—heart first. The three discuss how heart-centered leadership impacts every area of her business and the need to set boundaries as founders, even when we don’t want to.

Shifting your entire business model in the midst of a global pandemic may seem like a daunting task. But, as Marina Parejo can attest, it can also be equally rewarding. Listen to Kyle and Tom’s unaired interview with Marina, the former Head of E-Commerce at O2 Industries, as she candidly discusses their pivot from B2B to DTC as COVID-19 broke out, resulting in a whopping 24,000% growth. The three chat about how DTC founders can cut the jargon and optimize their marketing strategies to get tangible results and how Marina approached everything from positioning to retention.

Aaron Powell, the Founder and CEO of Bunch Bikes, has mastered the magic formula for converting strong community bonds into customers. In our first episode of the Commerce Chefs summer series, listen to Kyle and Tom’s full, unaired interview with Aaron as he shares his secrets on creating community referrals, building a six-star customer service system, and even his experience behind the scenes of Shark Tank. 

The founder’s journey can be messy, chaotic, and heartbreaking at times. Despite the stories of overnight successes we’re often fed in the media, starting and scaling a business is rarely a linear path forward. In part two of Commerce Chefs’ Founders Keepers series, Tom and Kyle share previously unreleased nuggets of wisdom from past founder guests all about the long and winding road to entrepreneurial success. They discuss the benefits of delusion in the business world, how a compelling narrative can keep a sense of purpose at the forefront, and why balance is so key for founders. The episode features raw and real clips from five founders who have seen massive success with their businesses. Sharing candid views on passion, purpose and finding joy along the way, the founders dig deep on what makes them tick and the big “why” that underscores it all.