Threading The Needle

On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard embark on part 1 of a 5-part series on CTC’s new growth methodology: the Prophit System. They kick the series off by discussing the crucial beginning of the journey: defining a business objective that will lead to the outcome that you want. ⁠Show Notes: Want access to our new bonus episodes? Join ADmission today: ⁠youradmission.co Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: ⁠http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

On this episode of the podcast, Taylor is joined by Connor Rolain, Head of Growth at Hexclad, and Connor MacDonald, CMO at Ridge.com, to talk their BFCM strategy — from pacing your sale strategy to the tradeoff between offer simplicity and inventory constraints. ⁠Show Notes: Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: ⁠http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

The past few episodes of the Ecommerce Playbook focused on the profitability struggles that will define 2024. But this week, Taylor and Richard demonstrate how you reach profitability: a clear forecast that sets daily expectations across dozens of key metrics. ⁠Show Notes: Get V2 of the Ecommerce Diagnostic Toolkit before the price goes up here: https://bit.ly/46WU14Q Want us to put this system in place for you? We’d love to talk. Just get in touch with us at https://commonthreadco.com/pages/ecommerce-strategy to get started. The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

New customer revenue is plummeting as brands run earlier, more frequent discounts, and returning customer revenue may not be far behind. Looking at the state of ecommerce this month, CTC Director of Growth Strategy Luke Austin sits down with Richard to discuss why he’s worried about Q4 2023, and the one thing that clearly distinguishes winning brands from the field as we move into 2024. ⁠Show Notes: Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: ⁠http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc Purchase the full BFCM Offer Database here: https://commonthreadco.com/products/black-friday-offer-database The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

The feeling among ecommerce brand leaders right now is pretty uniform: September was a bad month. And we have the data to substantiate that feeling. In this episode, Taylor and Richard dive into this week’s DTC Index newsletter and break down why last month’s “sponge squeeze” could have a major impact on performance moving forward. ⁠Show Notes: Sign up for the DTC Index here to get up-to-date information on key ecommerce trends: https://commonthreadco.com/products/dtc-index Purchase the full BFCM Offer Database here: https://commonthreadco.com/products/black-friday-offer-database The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

On this episode, Taylor and Richard dive into the 2023 BFCM Offer Database, a massive spreadsheet that documents Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers from 700+ ecommerce brands.  Discussion includes why you definitely should run an offer on Black Friday, a surprising truth about Buy One, Get One offers, and the role of novelty in “breaking the noise” on the biggest weekend of the year. ⁠Show Notes: Purchase the full BFCM Offer Database here: https://commonthreadco.com/products/black-friday-offer-database If you’re a $10M - $100M ecommerce brand with a Growth Quotient (GQ) of 130 or greater, we’ll cover $25k of ad spend when you become a CTC client. Apply here: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contact-holiday-ad-spend The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

On this episode, Taylor and Richard break down the most important trends in ecommerce, and discuss what the future holds for margin innovation, AI, and the connection between marketing and finance. ⁠Show Notes: For a limited time, join our membership program, ADmission, plus get access to all of our flagship ecommerce products for no additional cost. Get started at Stamps.com today for a four-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale! If you’re a $10M - $100M ecommerce brand with a Growth Quotient (GQ) of 130 or greater, we’ll cover $25k of ad spend when you become a CTC client. Apply here: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contact-holiday-ad-spend The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

On this episode, CTC’s Director of Creative Strategy & Performance Aileen McKenna joins Taylor & Richard to discuss the urgency of building great evergreen ad creative in September and October, how to systemically brainstorm new ad ideas, and the right place to expend effort and resources when Black Friday comes. ⁠Show Notes: If you’re a $10M - $100M ecommerce brand with a Growth Quotient (GQ) of 130 or greater, we’ll cover $25k of ad spend when you become a CTC client. Apply here: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contact-holiday-ad-spend The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm

On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard talk to Common Thread Collective COO Orchid Bertelsen about breaking through the pre-Holiday doldrums, how to build a revenue peak that works for your brand unique needs, and why even us aging millennials should be on TikTok. Show Notes: Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: ⁠http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc If you’re a $10M - $100M ecommerce brand with a Growth Quotient (GQ) of 130 or greater, we’ll cover $25k of ad spend when you become a CTC client. Apply here: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contact-holiday-ad-spend The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm

On this episode of the podcast, Taylor is joined by his brother, QALO co-founder KC Holiday, and producer Cory Hamilton, the OG CTC employee, to reflect on the early days of CTC, how ecommerce has changed over the years, and how to grow an ecommerce business from the ground up.  ⁠Show Notes: Go to ShipStation.com/thread today and sign up for your FREE 60-day extended trial.  The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm

The theme of our 2023 Holiday strategy: Your Black Friday/Cyber Monday outcome depends on the foundation you set in August.  In this episode, Taylor and Richard break down the decisions you need to make right now to set yourself up for holiday success, from inventory planning to creative volume to revenue forecasting. ⁠Show Notes: If you’re a 130+ GQ brand between $10-$100M, we’re so confident that we can win for you that we’re willing to give you a free month. Just click here to start the application process.  The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.co

Q4 success starts in Q3. And the most successful brands on Black Friday have one thing in common: They plan their entire marketing effort around four distinct revenue “mini-peaks” within the holiday season. On this episode, Richard talks with CTC Director of Growth Strategy Luke Austin and Senior Ecommerce Data Analyst Steve Rekuc, breaking down our comprehensive four-part plan to tackle BFCM for our clients in 2023.  ⁠Show Notes: The Edge Summit, hosted by Bloomreach, is a one-of-a-kind collective conversation on the future of marketing and AI. Learn more at theedgesummit.com. If you’re a 130+ GQ brand between $10-$100M, we’re so confident that we can win for you that we’re willing to give you a free month. Just click here to start the application process. The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm

Leadership is a combination of two major skills: Knowing when the organization is heading in the wrong direction, and knowing which direction to go instead. On this episode, Taylor reflects on a recent 180 we’ve made as a business and why he thinks it’s the right time to make that change. Then, Taylor and Richard discuss the incredible power of saying “no” and how it forms the basis of strategic decision making. ⁠Show Notes: If you’re a 130+ GQ brand between $10-$100M, we’re so confident that we can win for you that we’re willing to give you a free month. Just click here to start the application process. The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm

For ecommerce entrepreneurs and agency owners alike, creative continues to be the most important variable — and the trickiest to operationalize. On this episode, Taylor and Richard talk about a recent breakthrough at CTC: A new framework, courtesy of CTC Director of Creative Strategy Aileen McKenna, that reliably generates good creative ideas — quickly.  ⁠Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: ⁠http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc

What makes a great brand? What businesses are most likely to grow quickly? Why not ask the leader of the brand with the highest Growth Quotient score we’ve ever seen? In this episode, Taylor and Richard chat with Heart & Soil CEO Dean Brennan about the brand strategy that’s led to massive first-order profitability, dirt-cheap CAC, and 200%+ 1-year LTV growth.  ⁠Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm If you’re a 130+ GQ brand between $10-$100M, we’re so confident that we can win for you that we’re willing to give you a free month

Once you have your ecommerce tactics down and you’re successfully turning a profit, you’re confronted with a deceptively complicated question: what do I do with all this money? In this episode, Taylor talks to Dave Rekuc, president of Bambu Earth, and Mike Beckham, co-founder and CEO of Simple Modern, about the smart way to put money back into your business. ⁠ Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm

In many ways, $1M to $20M is the most exciting growth stage for any ecommerce business — you know you have a business that works, but you’re small enough that you have the freedom to innovate without being held back by bureaucracy. On this episode, Richard talks with ecommerce growth expert (and former Ecommerce Playbook host!) Andrew Faris about the keys to success for brands at this crucial growth stage. ⁠Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm Want an easier way to source UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: ⁠http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc Get in touch with Andrew at ⁠ajfgrowth.com⁠, and check out his podcast ⁠here⁠.

Over the past several weeks, CTC Growth Strategist Luke Austin’s been conducting an experiment across a number of our clients to answer a simple question: are third-party attribution tools like Rockerbox and Triple Whale actually more accurate than native platforms like Facebook and Google?   On this episode, Taylor and Richard talk with Luke about the results of the experiment, why CTC is skeptical about third party attribution tools, and the steps you should take to test your own attribution tools. ⁠Show Notes: The ADmission All-Access Sale is on until the end of the month — go to commonthreadco.com/allaccess to get all of our products free with an ADmission membership. The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm

Every brand has a mission statement. Every brand should have a clear business philosophy. But how do you take those ideas and create a framework for your people to actually put them into action? On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard discuss how CTC is taking our core philosophies and turning them into repeatable behaviors across the entire agency. ⁠Show Notes: The ADmission All-Access Sale is on until the end of the month — go to commonthreadco.com/allaccess to get all of our products free with an ADmission membership. The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm

On this episode, Taylor talks to CTC’s Senior Ecommerce Data Analyst Steve Rekuc and Kno Commerce CEO Jeremiah Prummer about the launch of the Direct-to-Consumer Confidence Index (DTCCI) — a real-time view of the macroeconomic sentiment of your customers.  Learn about the origins of the DTCCI and how to use it to help grow your ecommerce business. ⁠Show Notes: Want Custom Insights On Your Customers? Sign up for the Direct to Consumer Confidence Index - DTCCI.co The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm Early bird pricing is still available on the Ecommerce Diagnostic Toolkit for podcast listeners only — just use code POD197 at https://bit.ly/3VstFmI to get the lower price.