Luke Bream is the Chief Executive and Co-founder at Valentte, sellers of organic skincare and home fragrance. Founded on a market stall in 2011, they now do £25 million via their WooCommerce store and some on Amazon.

In this episode, Luke shares the story behind Valentte’s journey from a small market stall to an 8-figure eCommerce brand, including the pivotal decisions that accelerated their growth. He explains why the team keeps marketing in-house, how they approach scaling paid ads and creative testing, and what founders must change in their leadership to grow a business from millions to $100M and beyond.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• How Luke scaled Valentte from a market stall to £25M in eCommerce revenue 🚀
• The £50k loan + Facebook ads decision that triggered explosive growth
• Why Luke believes most brands should run their ads in-house (not with agencies)
• The creative testing strategy behind ad accounts running thousands of ads
• How Valentte gets 80% of orders from returning customers 🔁
• Why AI changes the game for eCommerce execution — and what it still can’t replace 🤖

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[05:48] Breaking Business Growth Limits

[07:54] "Scaling: A Personal Business Choice"

[10:36] "Challenges in Scaling Growth"

[14:31] Reducing Complexity in Manufacturing

[19:16] In-House Creative: Key to Ads

[20:17] "Ad Strategy Requires Scale"

[23:34] "Embracing Iteration and Letting Go"

[26:45] Listen to Luke’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/588

Katie Ward is the Managing Director at Microbz, a natural microbial solutions business. Founded in the 2000s and rebranded in 2024, they are on track for around £1million this year across their Shopify store & partner network.

In this episode, Katie shares how they’ve grown in one of the most competitive supplement markets by focusing on real customer pain points, building trust before pushing subscriptions, and expanding lifetime value through a “probiotic life” strategy. It’s a candid conversation about balancing mission and margin, managing multiple channels, and scaling sustainably without compromising your values.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• How Microbz scaled toward £1M in revenue without slashing their product range 💰
• The smart way to introduce subscriptions after 2–3 purchases (and boost LTV) 🔁
• Why starting with customer pain points beats leading with brand vision every time 🎯
• How to balance D2C, Amazon, B2B & agriculture without losing focus 🌱
• The unexpected growth upside of sticking to your mission over “expert” advice 🚀
• How giving away a free cleaner can unlock a whole new category sale 🧴

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[03:58] Nature's Solution for Wellbeing

[07:21] Microbial Fermentation and Herbal Remedies

[11:32] "Managing Business Complexity Effectively"

[13:29] "Healthy Soil, Nutritious Life"

[18:25] "Probiotics: Educating and Building Trust"

[20:36] Listen to Katie’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/587

Rich Chapple was previously the CMO at Gymshark and the CEO at THG Ingenuity, part of The Hut Group, scaling both companies to unicorn valuations. He is now the co-founder at The Growth Foundation, helping eCommerce and DTC brands grow the right way.

In this What Would You Do episode, Rich shares exactly what he’d do in his first 90 days as the new CEO of an 8-figure fashion brand. From finding the real “truth” in the numbers to sharpening strategy, building the right team, and focusing on profitable growth, this conversation is packed with practical guidance for any eCommerce leader looking to scale with clarity and control.

Hit PLAY to hear:

• The exact first 90-day plan for a new CEO stepping into an 8-figure eCommerce brand
• How to find the real “truth” in your numbers (and the costly mistakes most brands miss)
• The simple Where to Play / How to Win framework to cut complexity and drive growth
• Why most 8-figure brands are structured for survival, not scale — and how to fix it
• The hidden growth opportunity in CRM and customer insight most teams ignore 📈
• A low-cost traffic tactic that can deliver 70–90% off media rates 👀

Key timestamps to dive straight in:

[05:52] eCommerce Evolution and Increased Competition

[09:19] "Defining Truth Across Business Metrics"

[11:45] "Financial Analysis by GP Bands"

[14:46] Strategic Alignment and Execution Framework

[17:09] "How to Win with Strategy"

[22:41] Scaling Strategy and Future Planning

[25:39] "Developing Leaders Through Cross-Discipline"

[28:33] "Testing Strategies for Business Growth"

[31:29] Listen to Rich’s Top Tips!

Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/586