The 2026 eCom Trends Report
Top Report Findings: This is our sixth Trends Report with 300 owners representing $3.5...
Podcast | Episode 601
Favorite Business Books, Influencers Ruining the Internet & Wealth Managers
What do Palm Springs hot tubs, a six-month influencer experiment, and a stack of business books have in common? In this month’s State of Play episode, I sit down with long-time friend and community member Bill D’Alessandro to unpack the latest in founder life, marketing trends, and entrepreneurial insights.
Listen in as we reflect on the return of eComm Camp in 2026, share lessons from recent vacations with kids, and debate the state of influencer marketing. We also cover wealth management strategies, social content experiments, and what’s currently on our reading lists.
You’ll learn:
- What’s new in travel plans and what the ECF community is up to. (5:00)
- Why trust in influencer marketing is wearing thin. (9:00)
- What we’re noticing in shifting marketing strategies and buyer behavior. (14:00)
- The business books we’re loving right now. (21:00)
- Smart ways to think about wealth management and minimizing taxes. (37:00)
- How some founders are using wealth advisors—and whether it’s worth it. (52:00)
- Final reflections and what we’re excited about next. (55:00)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Bill D’Alessandro of ElementsBrands.com)
What Was Mentioned
- Bill D’Alessandro: Website | X | Instagram | LinkedIn
- Elements Brands
- Natural Dog Company
- Acquisitions Anonymous Podcast
- Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
- 10x Is Easier than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
- Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street
- Topgrading, 3rd Edition: The Proven Hiring and Promoting Method That Turbocharges Company Performance by Bradford D. Smart
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
- Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes by Morgan Housel
- The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel
- Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Sean Covey
- Wealthfront
- Frec
- eCommerceFuel Forum
Ideas Worth Sharing:
"I always tell people that being in the event business, in and of itself, is just absolute masochism at its finest.” - Andrew Youderian Tweet this "I'm kind of surprised. It's 2025, and you are just experiencing some cynicism for influencer marketing just now. - @BillDA Tweet this “You kind of forget, if you're the owner, that you're in charge. That you can change things, that you might be afraid, there might be consequences if you mess it up, but you have the power to change it.” - Andrew Youderian 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.
