The 2026 eCom Trends Report
Top Report Findings: This is our sixth Trends Report with 300 owners representing $3.5...
Darnell Jackson is the Chief Operations Officer at VIPHaircare.com, a 100% black-owned luxury beauty brand that focuses on the growth and maintenance of strong, healthy hair. Darnell has a really interesting story, having grown up without access to a lot of resources and overcoming all of that to build a successful beauty brand with his wife.
Listen in as Darnell shares his journey as a young entrepreneur, how he pivoted from illicit pursuits to business pursuits, and what it’s like bootstrapping your way to the top without a safety net to fall back on. We also discuss why his next focus is on growing a personal brand instead of a business, and how he and his wife are approaching influencer marketing to make that happen.
You’ll learn:
- Darnell’s childhood and his entrepreneurial journey. (4:15)
- How he pivoted from the illicit to business. (8:20)
- What he wants people to know about bootstrapping your way up. (13:25)
- How VIPHaircare.com started. (18:10)
- What’s next for Darnell and the business. (24:00)
- How he is approaching influencer marketing. (25:30)
- Lighting round with Darnell. (27:15)
- The lowdown on VIPHaircare.com products. (31:45)
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Darnell Jackson from VIPHaircare.com)
What Was Mentioned
- Darnell Jackson: Website
- Content and Research Assistant Job Posting
- eCommerceFuel Forum
- Klaviyo
- One Click Upsell – Increase Sales 15%+ with Pre-and Post-purchase Upsells. (On average, Shopify users increase sales 15% immediately after installing the app!)
Image credit to VIPHairCare.com featuring some of their products.
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“I was an entrepreneur before I knew what an entrepreneur was.” - Darnell Jackson Tweet this “It’s a lot easier in this climate to grow a personal brand than it is to grow a business.” - Darnell Jackson Tweet this “You don’t realize how close you are to poverty when you’re in that zone.” - Darnell Jackson Tweet this
Post by Andrew Youderian
Founder and Chief Instigator, eComFuel
Andrew quit an early finance job to sell CB radios online — an admittedly unorthodox career path. It set him on a course to found and sell multiple businesses, host a decade-running podcast, lecture at Harvard Business School and create eComFuel, the leading community for 7- and 8-figure online business owners. Andrew is fascinated with branding, AI, building community, investing and growing meaningful businesses that don't require sacrificing what truly matters.
