191: How An Artist And Engineer Turned Business Owners Built a “Cult”

Hosted by: Austin Brawner

Success in the ecommerce world doesn’t happen overnight.

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Success in the ecommerce world doesn’t happen overnight.

Our guests today are not only big contributors to the ecommerce community, but are also co-founders of a business they built from nothing to one that now has a cult following.

I met Matt and Meredith, owners of Boredwalk T-Shirts, at an Intensive I led a couple of years ago. Today they join us to share the story of how they built their “cult” of customers, including customer service best practices and how they overhauled their hiring process to rebuild a team that is excited about the core values of the company.

Enjoy!

Episode Highlights

  • 6:29 How it all started for Matt and Meredith in the ecommerce space.
  • 8:06 The cheeky birth of  Boredwalk T-Shirts.
  • 11:11 The big team and operational changes Matt and Meredith made in 2018 that allowed them to grow their business.
  • 13:45 How Matt and Meredith’s revamped their hiring process to find the best people for their business.
  • 18:41 Things Matt and Meredith tried last year on Facebook and Pinterest that didn’t deliver the results they hoped for, even though, hypothetically, they should have.
  • 25:08 The journey from focusing on the marketplace side of the business to focusing on customer retention (i.e., building a “cult”).
  • 30:00 Matt and Meredith’s customer service philosophy: responding promptly, managing expectations, and not negotiating with terrorists.
  • 33:10 Why the Boredwalk founders go against the industry standard when it comes to dealing with bad customer behavior.
  • 35:55 How not to talk to customers: the operational side of Boredwalk’s customer service strategy.
  • 39:30 How Matt and Meredith take extra care of their “whales” and bond with their audience.
  • 40:51 The realities of owning an ecommerce business: why it’s not just a side hustle and what it takes to be successful.
  • 44:49 Mental health of entrepreneurs, and why Matt and Meredith don’t recommend the ecommerce world to all.
  • 47:15 How the Boredwalk founders have changed in the last four years and what’s helped them make it to where they are now.

Links And Resources

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