In this episode, we unpack why product—not just ads—is at the heart of everything. From launch cadence and customer feedback to staying on-brand (or not), we share what’s been working, what hasn’t, and how we’re both thinking about product development heading into the next stage of our brands. A practical, honest chat from two founders still figuring it out.

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• David on X: @austriker27

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Website: https://underdogecom.com
Podcast: https://podcast.underdogecom.com

I​​n Episode 9 (wow, how did we get here already!), we’re getting real about Meta ads: the good, the bad, and the painfully expensive. We talk through what’s working (finally), what’s not, and all the messy lessons we’ve learned running our own ad accounts without big budgets or fancy agencies.

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Thanks for listening! Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and share it with fellow ecom founders! Your support helps us keep it real.

💬 Join the Conversation:
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• David on X: @austriker27

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In this episode, Jack and David go deep on the real behind-the-scenes of product design, sourcing, and packaging—when you don’t have a big team or massive budgets. From hiring designers to leveraging suppliers, and from poly mailers to box regrets, this one’s packed with practical tips for scrappy founders figuring it out as they go.

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Thanks for listening! Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and share it with fellow ecom founders! Your support helps us keep it real.

💬 Join the Conversation:
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• David on X: @austriker27

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From pro tennis tours to Pacific Northwest pop-ups—Jack and David share how they stumbled into the world of e-commerce and built their brands from scratch. In this episode, they dive into the unexpected twists, early mistakes, and the wins that shaped their journeys, all while keeping it real about what it actually takes to build something from nothing.

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💬 Join the Conversation:
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In this episode, Jack picks David’s brain on all things B2B and wholesale—from getting stocked in REI and airport gift shops to building a Shopify-powered wholesale channel from scratch. They dive into tools like Faire, SparkLayer, and Trunk, discuss margins, outreach tactics, and what makes wholesale a viable (and sometimes brutal) growth lever for DTC brands. Plus, a quick detour into how new AI tools are shaking up creative workflows and initial ecom community reactions.

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In this one, David breaks down how he pulled off a mystery box sale to move excess inventory—VA hacks, ops chaos, and way better ROAS than expected. Jack’s deep in stockouts throughout a sale, wrestling with whether to open up pre-orders… We get into the real trade-offs of crowdfunding, cash flow pressure, and why sometimes it’s better to just wait—even when customers are begging to buy.

📢 Enjoyed the episode?

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🎧 More from Underdog Ecom:
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In this episode, we open up about the very real challenges of juggling fixed costs — from surprise fulfillment bills and tariff headaches to stacking revenue-based loans. We discuss how we’re purging unnecessary apps, negotiating SaaS pricing, and finding creative ways to turn fixed costs into opportunities. If you’re navigating tight margins and trying to stretch every dollar, this one’s for you.

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🎧 More from Underdog Ecom:
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This isn’t another e-commerce podcast filled with gurus telling you how rich they are. We’re in the trenches, running our own brands, and sharing the real ups and downs of building an ecom business in 2025.

This week, we (David & Jack) are getting real about the challenges we’re facing right now in our businesses—along with some cool experiments we’ve tried (fundraiser, anyone?). Plus, we’re sharing practical insights on AI from the perspective of two underdog operators.

If you're a team of one looking to leverage AI to grow your brand, this episode is for you.

📢 Enjoyed the episode?

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💬 Join the Conversation:
• Jack on X: https://x.com/passportprodigy
• David on X: https://x.com/austriker27

📩 Got feedback or topic ideas?
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