ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Building a product people love isn't always enough, especially if they never need to buy it again. Eric shares why he shifted from durable grooming tools to replenishable oral care, and how embracing constant experimentation helped him uncover bigger opportunities.
In this episode, Host of E-Commerce Conversations Eric Bandholz and CEO of Ollie Eric Steckling discuss:
- Building durable vs. essential consumable product businesses
- The "at-bats" approach to product innovation
- Recognizing distractions versus real opportunities
- Using customer behavior to validate ideas
- Scaling through subscriptions, content, and retail
Key Takeaways:
- A durable product can become a growth challenge when customers rarely need to buy it again.
- Treat every product launch as an affordable experiment, giving yourself more chances to discover what truly resonates with customers.
- Customer opinions are valuable, but purchases are the ultimate measure of demand.
- Knowing when to walk away from an idea can be just as important as knowing when to keep improving it.
- The strongest brands don't rely on a single growth channel; they build momentum by combining great products, compelling content, subscriptions, paid acquisition, and eventually retail.
“As long as you're making changes, as long as you know what to do next, then I think you need to keep going.” - Eric Steckling
About Eric Steckling and Ollie:
Eric Steckling is a bootstrapped direct-to-consumer founder behind Brio, a men’s grooming brand known for durable trimmers, and Ollie, an oral care brand focused on high-performance, everyday essentials like toothpaste, mouthwash, and whitening strips. He’s obsessed with product development, creative marketing (especially short-form video), and using constant “at-bats” to turn ideas into hero products that drive real customer lifetime value.
Connect with Eric Steckling and Ollie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-steckling-95955131/
Website: https://olliesmile.com/
Connect with Eric Bandholz, host of ECommerce Conversations:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericbandholz/?hl=en
Website: https://www.bandholz.com
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ecommerce-conversations/id874457373
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Show notes by Podcastologist: Hanz Jimuel Alvarez
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
