40:24Austin 2026
San Diego 2025
Ecommerce Hot or Not with the ASOM Podcast
The ASOM panel debates customer ownership, convenience, creator economics, and preparing a DTC business for an exit. Jimmy Kim, John Roman, Amer Grozdanic, and Bryan MacDonald bring different operator perspectives.
Watch it. Put it to work.
ABOUT THIS SESSION
Treat channel ownership as a tradeoff.
The ASOM panel debates customer ownership, convenience, creator economics, and preparing a DTC business for an exit. Jimmy Kim, John Roman, Amer Grozdanic, and Bryan MacDonald bring different operator perspectives.
For ecommerce founders, marketers, and operators working on leadership & operations.
- Speakers
- Jimmy Kim
CEO, eCom Email Marketer - John Roman
CEO, BattlBox - Amer Grozdanic
CEO, Praella - Bryan MacDonald
Director of Ecommerce, Oma’s Pride - Recorded at
- San Diego 2025 ↗
September 2025
Speaker roles and platform examples reflect the session’s original context. This is an archived conversation.
TAKE IT BACK TO YOUR DESK
Ideas to put to work.
- 01
Treat channel ownership as a tradeoff
Compare customer access, cash flow, and operational needs instead of choosing channels by slogan.
Read this part · 04:04 ↓ - 02
Reward the customers who recommend you
Compare referral incentives with what you already spend to acquire a customer.
Read this part · 11:56 ↓ - 03
Build an exit-ready business before an exit
Think about the operating quality and durability a future buyer will evaluate.
Read this part · 19:03 ↓
READ THE SESSION
The edited transcript.
A condensed, edited reading version based on the YouTube captions and session chapters. Repetition and unclear audience audio have been removed; the discussion is paraphrased for clarity, rather than presented as a verbatim transcript. Timestamps refer to the original video.
Original recording on YouTube ↗Treat channel ownership as a tradeoff
The discussion questions a simple owned-versus-rented distinction. Direct relationships are valuable, but a marketplace or other intermediary can also serve a commercial purpose. The panel considers situations such as moving inventory and reaching customers, emphasizing that the decision depends on the business rather than a universal rule.
Reward the customers who recommend you
The influencer and affiliate debate expands to existing customers. A brand may spend heavily to acquire a buyer while offering very little to the customer who recommends it. The panel challenges that imbalance and discusses the value of recognizing real advocacy with incentives that reflect its contribution.
Build an exit-ready business before an exit
The final discussion shifts from marketing tactics to the business behind them. An exit is connected to the quality of the operation and its revenue, rather than simply a moment when the founder decides to sell. The panel encourages founders to consider those questions while building, not only during a sale process.
KEEP THE IDEAS COMING
Stay in the conversation.
3 SESSIONSPLAY IT BACK. PUT IT TO WORK.
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YOUR NEXT STEP: IN THE ROOM
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