From Tears to $25M: This Entrepreneur Refused to Give Up

Fresh from eTail Palm Springs with Wendy Wildfeuer: Transform Your Social Commerce Strategy

Author

Brent Peterson
April 16, 2025

In partnership with

The Talk Commerce Podcast Newsletter

Who have we been talking to lately? Focusing on conversations about eCommerce, AI, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing.

Our Latest Episode:

Persistence, Authenticity, and $25M: A Shopify Success Story with Jay Neyer

Jay Neyer's entrepreneurial journey from a failed first store to a $25M e-commerce success story proves that persistence is the ultimate key to business success. As the founder of Lantern Sol, he emphasizes that it's not about being the smartest, but about having an unwavering commitment to push through obstacles day after day. Despite three unprofitable years in his fitness business, his "run through walls" mentality and relentless outreach efforts eventually led to a successful exit.

Social Commerce Reimagined: How Brands Can Take Back Control - Wendy Wildfeuer at eTail Palm Springs

In this dynamic episode from eTail Palm Springs, Motom co-founder Wendy Wildfeuer shares groundbreaking insights on transforming social commerce. Drawing from her extensive experience since the early days of e-commerce, Wendy reveals how brands can regain control of their customer journey through innovative creator partnerships. Learn how Motom's platform is revolutionizing the way brands leverage creator relationships, track performance metrics, and build authentic connections with their audience in the evolving social commerce landscape.

By Brent Peterson
Choosing the right B2B platform can be the difference between frustrating your customers with rigid workflows or delighting them with customized experiences. My latest analysis pits VTEX (the Brazilian commerce giant) against Shopware (Germany's leading platform) in a head-to-head comparison that goes beyond marketing claims. Unlike that infamous World Cup match, this contest is much more balanced - with each platform bringing distinct strengths to the field. If you've ever sat in a meeting where someone admitted "we chose the platform that looked best in the demo, but now we can't configure our customer-specific pricing," this detailed comparison will help you avoid a similar $2 million mistake. Discover which approach - SaaS convenience or flexibility-first - aligns better with your unique B2B requirements. Read more

Social Media news of the week

Are you ready for a new social network? OpenAI is reportedly developing a social network prototype with a focus on ChatGPT's image generation capabilities and a social feed, though it's still in early stages and unclear whether it will be a standalone app or integrated into ChatGPT. - The Verge

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A Smarter Way to Boost Amazon Sales—Without Higher Ad Spend

If you sell on Amazon, you’ve seen it firsthand—PPC costs are up, and returns are getting harder to justify. But there’s a smarter way to scale without burning through budget.

More sellers are shifting to affiliate marketing—a model that brings in external traffic, boosts your organic rankings, and only costs money when it drives a sale.

How?

Amazon rewards sellers who drive traffic from outside platforms—like blogs, review sites, and social posts. That traffic helps your listing perform better and convert higher.

The result:

✅ Lower ad spend
✅ Higher rankings
✅ More sales

We put together a free guide that breaks it all down:

  • How to set up an affiliate program that works

  • Which networks are best for Amazon sellers

  • How to find quality affiliates

  • Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)