Amazon hasn't always been "Amazon." Nobody could have fully imagined the way it would take over the ecommerce ecosystem but here we are 20 something years later and Amazon is straight dominating. Many people in the current ecosystem started small, Host included, making people who say Amazon killed small businesses dead wrong. My guest today on The Longer Game, Ryan Burgess, Head of Growth at the ad optimization and analytics platform Intentwise, did just that. Not old enough to get a "real" job, he started buying products wholesale and selling them on ebay. Then came Amazon. 10 years later here he is leading companies to success on Amazon along with other ecommerce platforms, helping them track and take action on customer intent signals. Join us as we geek out on all things Amazon and discover our similarities live on camera.

Brick & mortar retailers are evolving and Tom Burgess, President of the Fintech company Snipp Interactive, came on The Longer Game to dive into the current state of retail evolution. For the longest time, Retailers had data from loyalty programs and didn't know how to leverage it, other than tracking purchase habits. They were actually scared of it. When they figured out how to wield this power, they created a behemoth; enter Retail Media Networks. Leveraging their own ecosystems, Retailers started advertising to their consumers directly and brought brands along with them, somewhat to the brand's dismay. While it helps by actually getting visibility and revenue, they bemoaned because spending feels like a "tax." While RMNs have seen success, they're starting to hit audience caps, requiring more ad inventory. Want to find out where this is going? Take a listen.

Selling products online is easy. Or it used to be. But selling is just the start. You then have to build emotional connection with the consumer to get them to come back and buy your product again. Otherwise, you're caught in what our guest on this episode of The Longer Game Ben Leonard, Founder of Ecom Brokers, calls the Fish Bowl Hamster Wheel cycle. Famsters, a cross between a fish and a hamster, while they may be imaginary, are exactly what business owners become when they don't think brand and are just reaching for their next sale. It's a never ending cycle that lacks sustainability and ultimately leaves the business owner wanting more whenever they go to sell their business, which is exactly what Ben helps ecommerce brands do. Jump off the wheel and listen to us dive into the crazy world of ecommerce where we explore important lessons and share why self-proclaimed gurus are the bane of our existence.

Agencies often get business wrong. Why? Because they focus on growth at all costs and push their employees and team members beyond their limits, which leads to them eventually burning out and clients becoming dissatisfied. George Reid, the Founder of the Amazon Ad's Agency Georges Blog, has decided to go a different route. The world of advertising on Amazon has continued to grow in complexity. While George keeps pace with those new levers being added, he has decided to grow by focusing on developing and caring for a strong team that leads to better client success. When most agencies double down on fast growth, which often isn't sustainable, George is okay to grow slowly and do it well. Meet the most laid back of self-proclaimed coffee snobs who also has a slight taste for pain in running ultramarathons.

Trouble finding good talent? Welcome to the club. The whole freelancer concept is incredibly powerful in it's flexibility and potential but finding the right person who can actually do what they say they can is no easy feat. The amount of markup on those freelancer's fees can also mean that brands end up being misled on the level of knowledge of said freelancer. Needless to say, there is room for improvement. Jai Dolwani, CEO of The Starters, a curated freelancer marketplace with vetted ecommerce talent, knows the pain of this process and is out to right the wrongs he experienced as the CMO at Winc, the well known internet based wine club. Pour some wine, swirl your glass, and open up your pallete to new ways to solve problems in the world of ecommerce.