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The TL;DR:

• Let’s Chat D2C: Why too many Shopify apps could be killing your bottom line and your online storefront’s effectiveness.

• Building in Public with SCALIS: Diving into our new outbound email infrastructure and a few new ICPs we are testing into to get ahead of their consideration phase.

• What I’m Thinking about this Week: The ripple effects of tariffs not just on ecommerce brands but on B2B SaaS as well.

• Upcoming Events: I’m back in Miami this week then back to Arkansas until mid-May. Let me know if you’re in the area and want to connect!

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UGC and Micro-influencer posts in one seamless project

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Consumers today crave real connections and they’re guarded about who they trust–highly-polished, branded content simply doesn’t cut it anymore.

Take a page out of the book of Banza, Topicals, Imperfect Foods, and MeUndies and partner with minisocial for their large-scale micro influencer campaigns, which is the key to unlocking consistent engagement on Instagram and TikTok. Stop wasting your time emailing or messaging dozens of creators every day partner with minisocial, a fully-managed platform trusted by over 1,000 consumer brands!

The proof is in the pudding

Let’s Chat D2C: Are Too Many Shopify Apps Killing Your Store?

Shopify apps are everywhere. And while they’re easy to install and often promise quick wins, they can quietly sabotage your store if you're not careful.

First, the costs stack up. $29 here, $49 there. Multiply that by 15 to 20 apps and suddenly your margins are tighter than you expected.

Second, they slow your site down. Every app injects code, bloats your theme, and drags page load times. That kills conversion, especially on mobile.

And third, they disrupt the customer journey. Reviews live in one app. Loyalty in another. Subscriptions in a third. These tools often don’t speak to each other, which creates a fragmented and frustrating experience for customers.

The fix is simple. Audit your apps every quarter. Ask yourself: is this driving revenue, improving the customer experience, or saving my team time? If not, cut it. Focus on tools that solve multiple problems in one place. Less clutter, better performance, stronger results.

Just download a list of all of the apps on your Shopify storefront and create three columns next to them:

• Currently using?

• Keep this app or remove?

• Notes

Then, simply remove the ones you are no longer using, and for the ones that you are using audit whether or you really are using them effectively or not and if they are playing an integral component in driving customer acquisition or retention on your storefront.

Building in Public with SCALIS: Our New Outbound Infrastructure & Strategy

Our outbound engine is starting to click. Here's how we're running cold outreach right now.

We’re using Maildoso to mass create domains and 4-5 email addresses for each domain. Then, we warm inboxes and manage deliverability. Campaigns go live in Instantly, where we handle sequencing and personalization at scale, sending ~20 emails per day through each email account we set up (we have hundreds of email accounts). Then every response no matter to which email routes into Close CRM so our team can follow up and close conversations.

We’ve also stepped up our targeting game for businesses that aren’t on an ATS yet and are far easier to close with Crunchbase Pro. Right now we’re focusing on three very specific groups:

1. Pre-seed and seed founders who’ve raised at least $500K in the past 30 days. These teams are just starting to hire, and we want to get in early—before they settle for legacy ATS platforms. My story of starting Electriq and getting buried with an expensive recruiting stack and a few roadbumps with key hires resonates well here.

2. Series A founders with $5M+ raised in the last 30 days who have not brought recruiting in-house yet. This is a critical window for us to introduce SCALIS so that we are top of mind when they inevitability do hire on an internal talent acquisition leader or team.

3. Series A talent leaders (i.e. “Head of Talent Acquisition” “Director of Recruiting” etc.) who are still using an ATS bundled with their HRIS, like BambooHR. They're usually right on the edge of needed to upgrade to a more robust talent acquisition platform, and we want to talk to them before they make the jump to a legacy enterprise solution that will ultimately slow them down.

Right message. Right timing. Right tool. That’s how we win!

What I’m Thinking About This Week: The Ripple Effects of Tariffs!

Tariffs aren’t just a supply chain problem for brands importing physical goods. While the immediate impact is felt by ecommerce companies reliant on overseas manufacturing, there’s a much bigger ripple effect at play—and it’s reaching into the B2B SaaS world.

Let’s start with ecommerce. Tariffs increase the landed cost of goods, squeeze margins, and force brands to either raise prices or eat the difference. That might sound manageable if you’re Nike or Apple. But for small to mid-sized DTC brands operating on Shopify, where margins are already tight and CAC is climbing, even a 10% cost bump can be game-changing. It throws off pricing models, inventory planning, and cash flow. If you're importing packaging, inserts, or raw materials from overseas—even if you manufacture domestically—you’re still exposed.

Now here’s where things get interesting for B2B SaaS.

Most people think SaaS is insulated because there’s no physical product. But tariffs indirectly affect B2B SaaS in a few critical ways:

1. Your customers' budgets shrink.
   Ecommerce brands dealing with higher COGS will cut back somewhere—and tech tools are often first on the chopping block. If you’re a SaaS company serving these brands (think email, SMS, reviews, subscriptions, or analytics), expect longer sales cycles, more pricing pressure, and greater churn risk unless your tool directly impacts revenue.

2. VC-backed companies reallocate spend.
   For startups and growth-stage SaaS companies that serve manufacturers or retailers, tariffs create downstream uncertainty. If your ICP includes operations-heavy companies, expect budget shifts away from "nice to have" tools and toward mission-critical infrastructure. If you're not in the top tier of their stack, you're vulnerable.

3. Cross-border software operations get messier.
   Some SaaS companies rely on international teams for product development. Tariff policies often signal broader geopolitical friction, and that can complicate everything from payroll compliance to data transfer regulations. Even if tariffs don’t directly apply to software, the sentiment impacts how global teams operate.

4. Enterprise buyers get conservative.
   If your SaaS platform sells into large retail orgs, tariffs could delay deals. When cost structures are in flux, procurement teams tend to slow down. They want to see how economic policies shake out before they commit to new platforms, even if your product is a perfect fit.

What’s the playbook? For ecommerce brands, start stress-testing your supply chain and product pricing. Consider whether you can nearshore or renegotiate MOQs to stay flexible. For SaaS companies, this is the time to double down on proving ROI and retention value. Make your product indispensable.

This isn’t just a geopolitical issue. It’s a business model issue. The companies that win will be the ones that adapt fastest, communicate clearly, and make smart, data-driven decisions in the face of uncertainty.

Upcoming Events

I’ll be in Arkansas until mid-May. Let me know if you’re in the area and want to connect!

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