The 2026 eCom Trends Report
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Podcast | Episode 633
Why You Can’t Trust Shopify’s Sales Numbers — and More with Drew Fallon on Ecom Finance
Do you know where your money is really going? In this episode, I sit down with Drew Fallon, founder of Iris, to break down the financial realities behind growing a brand. If you’re in that mid-7-figure range or pushing toward $10M+, this is where things start to get complex—and where small mistakes get expensive fast. You’ll learn what really happens behind the scenes of finance planning and analysis, the biggest mistakes brands make when it comes to contribution margin, and why so many businesses think they’re profitable when they’re not.
Listen in as we unpack what Drew is seeing across real brand data, from overhead quietly eating into profits to margin compression across channels like Amazon. We also talk about what separates brands that scale profitably (and even take dividends) from those that stall, plus the smartest financing options available right now. And don’t miss hearing how AI is changing bookkeeping and forecasting, as well as what we consider one of the most important foundations for growth at any stage.
You’ll learn:
- How Drew got into Mad Rabbit from banking. (6:00)
- The importance of having your books in order at any stage of business. (8:20)
- How Drew’s business financed and how they navigate debt. (12:30)
- Suggestions for keeping track of finances and spending when scaling a business. (19:40)
- What people frequently get wrong when doing a cash flow forecast. (29:00)
- What successful businesses are doing right now. (34:20)
- Drew’s personal investment approach. (46:00)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Drew Fallon of IrisFinance.co)
What Was Mentioned
- Drew Fallon: Substack | Iris
- The Financial Mastery Series
- eCommerceFuel Forum
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“Make sure you have a rudimentary understanding of your unit economics.” - Drew Fallon Tweet this “eCommerce businesses eat cash. It’s one of the unpleasant surprises for people who come into the space.” - Andrew Youderian Tweet this “It’s very difficult in eCommerce to predict what your sales are going to be… being overly optimistic is usually worse than being under-optimistic.” - Drew Fallon 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.
