In this episode of Abandoned Cart, Laura sits down with Jago, co-founder of Angry Pablo, the sustainable cycling and running apparel brand challenging how performance sports look, feel, and sound.

Jago shares how Angry Pablo was born not from a market gap analysis but from lived experience as athletes who felt modern performance culture had become intimidating and joyless. Together, they unpack how brand, honesty, and creativity can cut through even the most crowded categories.

This episode is a must-listen for founders building brands in “samey” spaces and anyone curious about how community, tone, and restraint can outperform hype.

Key Topics Covered

1. Why less money can actually drive better decisions
2. Building a brand without formal brand guidelines (yet staying consistent)
3. Standing out in a crowded performance apparel market
4. Why humour and humanity don’t dilute performance, they strengthen it
5. The importance of organic growth before paid acquisition
6. Creating emotional connection beyond transactional sales
7. Balancing friendship and business as co-founders
8. The challenges of funding a product-led brand
9. Transitioning from limited drops to a core, year-round collection

Connect with Jago Leckie:

Angry Pablo

Website: https://angrypablo.cc

Instagram / TikTok: @angrypablo

Sign up to their newsletter for early access to drops

Connect with &Allies:

To discuss how we can help your brand grow, visit www.andallies.co.uk

In this episode of Abandoned Cart, Adam sits down with Joe Munns, an experienced FMCG leader, entrepreneur and brand builder, and the founder of home baking business, Baked In.

Joe shares the full story, from starting Baked In as a side hustle while working at IBM, to building an accredited food manufacturing operation and landing major retail listings. He opens up about the whirlwind pandemic boom that took the business from around £1m to nearly £5m in just nine months, and the lessons that followed as the business navigated funding pressure, operational complexity, and the realities of sustaining growth.

A standout section of this episode is Joe’s early adoption of TikTok Shop, including what it actually took to make live selling work, how they used community to build momentum, and why TikTok Shop quickly became Baked In’s biggest D2C channel during peak periods.

Expect a refreshingly honest conversation about:

• The best advice Joe ever received, and why “don’t stretch yourself too far” became a defining lesson
• Building Baked In from baking kits to a subscription vision, alongside retail and manufacturing
• The hidden complexity of too many SKUs, too many channels, and not enough resource
• What rapid pandemic growth really looked like behind the scenes
• How Meta and Google supported subscription acquisition, and what changed post-pandemic
• The power of community and how a Facebook group helped spark early momentum
• TikTok Shop in its early days: going live to tiny audiences, pushing through the awkward start, and finding a repeatable rhythm
• Why QVC-style demos worked so well for Baked In, and what most brands get wrong when they quit too early
• How super fans became moderators, created social proof in the comments, and helped convert new viewers
• Brand partnerships that improved margins (and the risks when values and perception clash)
• The TV ad experiment: what it taught Joe about top of funnel marketing and measurement
• Investors, debt funding, and the tougher reality of raising capital during a slowdown
• The personal impact of running a high pressure business, and what Joe would do differently
• What Joe is building now with Cutting Edge Golf, and his approach to sustainable growth this time

Connect with Joe:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmunns/

Email: joe@cuttingedgegolf.com

Connect with &Allies:

To discuss how we can help your brand grow, visit www.andallies.co.uk

In this episode of Abandoned Cart, Adam sits down with Alex, co-founder and CEO of Nini Organics, the artisan skincare brand built on passion, authenticity and a mission to reformulate the beauty industry for the better.

Alex shares the story behind Nini Organics, from struggling with severe acne and working in luxury beauty retail, to formulating products by hand and building one of the highest returning customer rates in the skincare space. He explains why the natural beauty movement fell out of favour after COVID and how Nini continued to thrive by staying true to its ethos, avoiding greenwashing, and keeping human connection at the centre of the brand.

Expect a refreshingly honest conversation about:

• The best advice Alex ever received and how it shaped his approach to business and boundaries

• The early beginnings of Nini Organics and why artisan, small batch creation is true luxury

• How the natural and organic beauty movement changed and why consumer sentiment dipped

• Why authenticity, founder presence and human connection have become Nini’s greatest growth levers

• The brand’s scrappy, founder-led marketing, experiments that worked, and content that absolutely did not

• How to build a loyal customer base without compromising on values or chasing trends

• The role of paid media, why Instagram remains their strongest platform, and the pros and cons of navigating Meta and TikTok

• What is next for Nini Organics, from pop-ups to new formulations and wider collaborations in the green beauty space

Whether you are an e-commerce founder, a marketer or simply someone building a brand with heart, you will take away valuable lessons on staying focused, standing firm in your mission and using authenticity to cut through a crowded market.

Connect with Nini Organics:

Instagram: @niniorganics

Website: niniorganics.com

Reach out directly on the Nini hotline or via DM for personalised skincare advice.

Connect with And Allies:

If you’re a scaling ecommerce brand looking for a growth partner across strategy, paid media & creative, head to https://andallies.co.uk/

Enjoy the episode, and subscribe for more honest conversations with the founders and marketers shaping the future of ecommerce.

In this episode, we are joined by Kim Leary, founder of Squibble, about essential strategies for improving user experience (UX) and conversion rate optimization (CRO) in e-commerce.

We discuss the importance of pricing for quality and how testing and understanding customer behavior is crucial for marketing analytics.

We also explore challenges faced by small businesses with low website traffic and future trends in CRO, including the role of AI and the convergence of UX and CRO.

• Kim Leary's Journey and Squibble's Story
• Challenges in Marketing Analytics
• Importance of User Behavior Data
• Understanding UX vs CRO
• The Future of CRO

Links

Kim (Turrell) Leary

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberleyjane/

Website : https://squibble.design/

& Allies (Formerly Pink Leopard)

www.andallies.co.uk

In this episode, we are joined by Stokely Howard, a performance creative expert.

Stokely shares insights from his journey, influenced by his granddad's advice about the brevity of life, which fuels his drive across multiple ventures.

We explore the importance of storytelling in e-commerce, detailed strategies for creating effective videos, the role of continuous testing, and cost-effective ways to produce engaging content. We also discuss the impact of TikTok on modern branding and how creative elements can significantly boost conversion rates on websites.

Stokely emphasises the necessity of adaptability, understanding customer pain points, and consistently feeding the content creation loop with fresh and strategic ideas.

The episode wraps up with actionable tips for leveraging video content to enhance customer trust and drive sales.

• Stokely's Background and Business
• Creating Highly Converting Videos
• The Importance of Brand Strategy
• Cost-Effective Content Creation
• TikTok and Creative Strategies

Links

Stokely Howard

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stokely-howard-0281a378/

Website: https://www.trendygrandad.com/

&Allies (Formerly Pink Leopard)

www.andallies.co.uk

In this episode, we are joined by Matt Caron, a Shopify SEO specialist and yoga teacher, where we discuss the significance of mindset in personal and professional life, the evolution of e-commerce search, and the impact of AI on search algorithms.

Matt explains the transition from keyword matching to more advanced algorithmic approaches and the importance of high-quality content, structured data, and product optimisation for e-commerce businesses.

We also delve into the future of AI in search, its potential privacy issues, and strategies that e-commerce leaders can implement to stay competitive in the evolving digital landscape.

Key takeaways:

• The Evolution of E-commerce Search
• The Future of AI in E-commerce
• Practical Tips for E-commerce Leaders
• Key Strategies for Shopify SEO
• The Impact of SEO on E-commerce Success
• Understanding and implementing effective SEO strategies

Links

Matt Caron

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-caron/

Pink Leopard

www.pinkleopard.co.uk

In this episode, we are joined by Rebecca Worsley, founder of Rainy City, an award-winning Shopify Plus agency. Rebecca shares her journey from dropshipping to creating a successful e-commerce agency, emphasising the importance of personalised user experience (UX) in web design.

Throughout the episode, we discuss actionable insights such as leveraging tools like Rebuy and DataShips, integrating AI for tailor-made customer interactions, and the critical role of understanding and targeting the right customer demographic to boost online sales.

Key Takeaways:

• Rebecca's Journey: From Dropshipping to Rainy City
• The Importance of User Experience (UX) in e-commerce
• Challenges and Misconceptions in UX
• Personalization in Web Design
• Tools and Technologies for Personalization
• 5 Future Trends and Final Thoughts
• Advice for Improving Website UX

Links

Rebecca Worsley

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaworsley/

Website : https://www.rainycityagency.com/

Pink Leopard

www.pinkleopard.co.uk

In this episode, we are joined by Celia Tugores, Head of Digital Marketing and e-Commerce at UpCircle Beauty.

Celia shares the best advice she received, emphasising the importance of following your own path. We dive into five key elements of profitable growth in e-commerce: creative strategy, offer, conversion rates, brand awareness, and retention strategies.

Celia elaborates on how each element contributes to a successful and efficient business, stressing the importance of testing, optimisation, and making data-driven decisions.

Key Takeaways:

• The Five Keys to Profitable Growth
• Understanding Profit and Customer Acquisition
• Creative Strategy: The Volume Game
• Crafting the Perfect Offer
• Optimizing Conversion Rates
• Building Brand Awareness
• Retention Strategies for Long-Term Success
• Daily Tracking and Prioritizing Based on Data

Links

Celia Tugores

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/celia-tugores-322626156/

Website : https://upcirclebeauty.com/

Pink Leopard

www.pinkleopard.co.uk