The 2026 eCom Trends Report
Top Report Findings: This is our sixth Trends Report with 300 owners representing $3.5...
Ever wondered how the perfect blend of email marketing and operations can elevate an eCommerce business? In this episode, I’m joined by Karly Craig, author of Email is Not Dead, COO of MiniKatana.com, and Co-Founder of email marketing agency TequilaSunrise.co. Karly has been on my radar for quite some time, and I’m excited to dive deep into email marketing, operations, and systems building today.
Listen in as she shares her unique journey into the eCommerce world, as well as the processes that were most instrumental when she was onboarded as COO of MiniKatana.com. We also discuss the most important thing any business owner can do before bringing on a COO, the toughest challenges of systematizing (and how to tackle them), and her experience transitioning to 3PL.
You’ll learn:
- Karly’s non-traditional route to eCommerce. (3:25)
- The systems that were most instrumental when Karly came in as COO of MiniKatana.com. (12:55)
- The changes Karly made as COO to trim the fat and streamline operations. (16:15)
- How to set up an incoming COO for success as a business owner. (19:10)
- The hardest part of systematizing. (26:25)
- What the systems tech stack looks like for the businesses. (30:00)
- Karly’s experience going to 3PL. (32:30)
- Her experience writing Email Is Not Dead. (34:30)
- Lightning round with Karly. (37:30)
Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | Amazon
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Karly Craig of TequilaSunrise.co)
What Was Mentioned
- Karly Craig: Twitter
- Email Is Not Dead: How To Stop Losing Customers, Find Hidden Profit, And Turn One-Off Sales Into Lifetime ROI by Karly McFarland
- MiniKatana.com
- TequilaSunrise.co
- SendLane
- Klaviyo
- Become our Director of Connection
- One Click Upsell – Increase Sales 15%+ with Pre-and Post-purchase Upsells. (On average, Shopify users increase sales 15% immediately after installing the app!)
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“Nothing in life is happening to me. I have so much power over where I’m going, what I’m doing, who is in my life—all of it.” - @karlymcfarly Tweet this “There is not only one way to see the world.” - @karlymcfarly Tweet this “Part of the focus on growth has to actually be building on something that is sustainable and scalable.” - @karlymcfarly 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.
