Kendal McMullen is passionate and data-driven with a knack for turning insights into impactful omnichannel strategies. From analyzing consumer behavior to optimizing cross-channel marketing, she thrives on making data work to connect authentically at scale.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:42] Sponsor: Taboola
• [01:56] Scaling wellness brands with quality focus
• [03:35] Solving roadblocks through focused one-on-ones
• [05:07] Sponsor: Next Insurance
• [06:21] Building a career with portfolios, not degrees
• [08:13] Turning self-taught experience into full-time roles
• [09:28] Accessing knowledge freely on the internet
• [11:15] Callouts
• [11:25] Leveraging zero-cost opportunities in 2025
• [13:24] Building a portfolio for reliable visibility
• [15:10] Sponsor: Electric Eye
• [16:17] Understanding P&L steady long-term margins
• [21:06] Optimizing AI to expand team capacity
• [24:17] Hands on hiring management ensure culture fit
• [27:03] Caring for your work to strengthen brand understanding

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Vegan organic vitamins and supplements globalhealing.com/
• Follow Kendal McMullen linkedin.com/in/kendal-mcmullen
• Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.com/honest/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Anna Brakefield’s story begins on her family’s cotton farm in North Alabama, where she grew up surrounded by the rhythms of agriculture and the values of hard work, stewardship, and tradition.

Her father, Mark Yeager, instilled in her a deep appreciation for the land and the premium cotton it produced—lessons that would later inspire a business built on craftsmanship and sustainability.

After earning a degree in graphic design and marketing from Auburn University, Anna pursued a career in advertising in New York and Nashville. Though she thrived in the corporate world, her roots kept calling her back home, planting the seed for what would become Red Land Cotton.

In 2016, Anna and her father launched Red Land Cotton with a mission to bring American-made, farm-to-home textiles to market. Armed with her marketing expertise and a passion for storytelling, she shaped the company’s identity, ensuring that each product—crafted from the cotton grown on their farm—embodied quality, authenticity, and Southern heritage.

As Red Land Cotton continues to flourish, Anna balances entrepreneurship with family life, finding inspiration in the land that started it all. Her journey is a testament to the power of honoring one’s roots while embracing the possibilities of growth and innovation.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [00:39] Sponsor: Taboola
• [02:24] Building new ventures from existing resources
• [05:08] Turning constraints into strategic clarity
• [07:25] Sponsor: Next Insurance
• [08:38] Validating demand while building in public
• [10:21] Callouts
• [10:32] Blogging company journey for early engagement
• [12:03] Teasing progress to convert followers into buyers
• [13:48] Meeting customers where they are
• [17:15] Experimenting with traditional advertising
• [20:10] Sponsor: Electric Eye
• [21:19] Sponsor: Freight Fright
• [23:22] Investing in skills when hiring isn’t an option
• [25:18] Balancing creativity with marketing strategy
• [26:57] Matching products to the right channels
• [28:46] Leveraging cross-channel marketing effectively
• [30:09] Leading with purpose beyond just making money

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Luxury American-Made Bedding & Towels redlandcotton.com/
• Follow Anna Brakefield linkedin.com/in/anna-brakefield-94389734
• Reach your best audience at the lowest cost! discover.taboola.com/honest/
• Easy, affordable coverage that grows with your business nextinsurance.com/honest/
• Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect
• Turn your domestic business into an international business freightright.com/honest

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Andrew is a self-proclaimed tragic sneaker fan and proven brand builder. After nearly a decade of leading multiple marketing functions at Google, Andrew and two of his colleagues embarked on a mission to build the world’s fairest hype commerce platform.

As CEO, Andrew leverages his marketing expertise and first-hand fandom experience to drive this mission forward. After launching just over a year ago, EQL has managed more than 10,000 high-heat launches in 15 markets.

When not helping culture-making brands get their goods into the hands of real fans, Andrew can be found spending time with his wife and three children, and dressing younger than he should.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Intro
• [03:51] Crafting launches that reward real customers
• [06:06] Callouts
• [06:16] Streamlining experiences through integrations
• [07:51] Adding connection where generic tools fall short
• [10:25] Designing pre, in, and post-launch strategies
• [13:29] Connecting with audiences in launch moments
• [19:32] Partnering with experts for better launches

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Better launches for in-demand products eql.com/
• Andrew Lipp au.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lipp-7b291722

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!