{"id":1555550,"date":"2025-08-15T09:08:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T13:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/?p=1555550"},"modified":"2025-08-15T09:08:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T13:08:24","slug":"the-best-ecommerce-business-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model","title":{"rendered":"The Best Ecommerce Business Model"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In this year&#8217;s &#8220;Ecommerce Conversations,&#8221; I&#8217;ve occasionally shared my experiences owning and operating Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer brand I launched a decade ago. To date, I&#8217;ve addressed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/my-8-step-ecommerce-hiring-process\">hiring<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/branding-is-more-than-a-logo\">branding<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/margin-hacks-for-cash-strapped-ecom-stores\">profit-building<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/build-a-business-you-love\">priority-setting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/dont-exit-for-the-wrong-reasons\">exiting<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/how-to-survive-a-million-dollar-loss\">overcoming a million-dollar loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In this installment, I share what I believe is the best bootstrapped ecommerce model and why others should consider it.<\/p>\n<p>My entire audio dialog is embedded below. The transcript is condensed and edited for clarity.<\/p>\n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-17668155\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t <script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/1995667\/17668155.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-17668155&amp;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<p>Building a D2C brand is hard. Developing and selling products is a grind. A better path is a bootstrapped, sustainable business where you spend less than you make and enjoy the journey.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose is not chasing giant exits or reinventing the world. It&#8217;s about building a lifestyle business \u2014 likely under a few million in annual revenue \u2014 that trades rapid top-line growth for lower stress, profitability, and freedom. It may never go mass market, but it can deliver a great life.<\/p>\n<h3>Agile Structure<\/h3>\n<p>When building an ecommerce business, aim to keep fixed, internal costs to a minimum. Take inspiration from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/protein-bar-founder-thrives-in-a-crowded-field\">Will Nitze of IQ Bar<\/a>, who runs a lean team and outsources marketing, design, video, packaging, operations, and manufacturing. Outsourcing creates flexibility. Vendors that underperform are easily replaced.<\/p>\n<p>In-house manufacturing ties you to equipment, facilities, and local employees. All reduce mobility. With an outsourced model, you can work from anywhere \u2014 even Denmark, where I am now \u2014 and still receive prototypes and manage operations. A remote setup opens the talent pool worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>There are trade-offs. In-person collaboration can be valuable, but physical offices create obligations. I learned this the hard way with a five-year lease in Austin, Texas, that became unnecessary during Covid, costing us over $100,000 annually.<\/p>\n<p>Local teams and on-site operations may suit folks who prefer a traditional setup. But if freedom matters \u2014 to travel, hire globally, pivot quickly \u2014 consider outsourcing from the start. I prefer flexibility, partnering with both in-house staff and external providers to keep my business agile.<\/p>\n<h3>Smart Niches<\/h3>\n<p>An ideal ecommerce product is small, lightweight, and consumable, serving a large audience with an average order value of $75\u2013$125. This price range makes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/how-to-achieve-negative-cac\">customer acquisition<\/a> easier and ad testing faster. The challenge: It&#8217;s highly competitive, especially in the supplements, beauty, and premium beverage sectors, such as specialty coffee or tea.<\/p>\n<p>Other strong options are non-consumables that share those traits, such as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/ridge-wallet-ceo-aims-for-1-billion-exit\">Ridge pocket knife<\/a> \u2014 easy to ship, high perceived value. Consider untapped luxury niches. Affluent customers value convenience, presentation, and uniqueness far more than price.<\/p>\n<p>For inspiration, visit luxury department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Observe what sells and why someone might pay 10 times more than a viable alternative. Avoid trend-driven categories, such as fashion, which require constant reinvention. Instead, focus on evergreen household goods with a unique twist for a small but willing-to-pay market.<\/p>\n<p>While these niches won&#8217;t create billion-dollar companies, they can deliver low-stress, highly profitable businesses \u2014 think $750,000 in annual revenue with $250,000 in profit \u2014 without the complexity of endless SKUs, large teams, or operational headaches.<\/p>\n<h3>Margin Power<\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s possible to build a $750,000 ecommerce business that nets $250,000, but only if you manage gross margins \u2014 aim for 90%. For example, sell an item costing $6 for $60. You&#8217;ll still retain around 80% after shipping, taxes, and delivery costs. High margins are non-negotiable for a low-stress operation.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, products with tighter margins attract price-sensitive customers, which leads to increased returns, complaints, and support tickets. Serving customers with disposable income reduces friction because they&#8217;re less likely to demand refunds.<\/p>\n<p>At a $115 average sale, $750,000 in annual revenue equates to roughly 6,520 orders \u2014 just 18 per day. One person can fulfill this volume, or with minimal help, generating perhaps only a few support tickets per week.<\/p>\n<p>If margins leave $650,000 after cost of goods, and you spend $400,000 on marketing, you&#8217;ll retain $250,000 profit. The model works, but launching it \u2014 higher-priced products in a niche \u2014 requires time and testing. It won&#8217;t be easy to stand out, but with the right offer, it&#8217;s a manageable, profitable, and less stressful way to run a business.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"backlist-wrapper\">\n            <h3 class=\"recommended\"><div class=\"icon\"><\/div> Recommended<\/h3>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/montana-knife-co-blends-craft-with-scale?utm_source=back\" >\n                <div class=\"backlist-content\" >\n                    <div href=\"\" class=\"thumb-link\">\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ECC-Brandon-Horoho-030725.jpg\" alt=\"Montana Knife Co Blends Craft with Scale\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n                                            <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"backlist-detail\">\n                                                <h4>Montana Knife Co Blends Craft with Scale<\/h4>\n                                                    <p class=\"backlist-date\">March 7, 2025<\/p>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n        \n<h3>Trusted Voice<\/h3>\n<p>Every high-end ecommerce brand needs a trusted public advocate \u2014 someone who can vouch for the quality, experience, and value of the product. It doesn&#8217;t have to be a celebrity. It can be the owner, provided she&#8217;s willing to be the face of the brand.<\/p>\n<p>The advocate&#8217;s role is to build trust, communicate the product&#8217;s value, and demonstrate how it improves customers&#8217; lives. Titles alone aren&#8217;t enough. An advocate must have influence and sales ability. Without this trust, it&#8217;s nearly impossible to command premium prices.<\/p>\n<p>You may need to sell to an audience you&#8217;re not part of. That requires shedding your own &#8220;value shopper&#8221; mindset to learn how target customers buy. Experience their lifestyle, understand why they pay more, and embrace their perspective. This shift in thinking can be the key to unlocking growth.<\/p>\n<h3>Creative Edge<\/h3>\n<p>Innovation is essential. If you can&#8217;t create something unique, this model may not work. Competitors will copy your ideas and undercut your prices. Success requires loyalty and brand affinity, and thus customers who won&#8217;t switch to save $30 \u2014 or $100.<\/p>\n<p>Luxury beauty brands such as La Mer skincare succeed not only from functional superiority, but also because of their storytelling, perceived exclusivity, and trust. The challenge for like-minded entrepreneurs is to create an experience and narrative so compelling that customers believe no substitute can match it.<\/p>\n<p>In premium markets, even a few thousand loyal customers can sustain a profitable, low-stress business \u2014 if your innovation keeps them hooked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our podcast host, a successful, decade-long entrepreneur, shares his ideal product and niche.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":718,"featured_media":1555570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[30006],"class_list":["post-1555550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-management","tag-podcasts",""],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.2 (Yoast SEO v25.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Best Ecommerce Business Model - Practical Ecommerce<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our podcast host, a successful, decade-long entrepreneur, shares his ideal product and niche.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best Ecommerce Business Model\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our podcast host, a successful, decade-long entrepreneur, shares his ideal product and niche.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Practical Ecommerce\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/practicalecommerce\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Bandholz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-15T13:08:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"240\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Eric Bandholz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bandholz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@practicalecomm\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Eric Bandholz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Eric Bandholz\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b9a9b25eed7ab330bf65fbc9b65c7980\"},\"headline\":\"The Best Ecommerce Business Model\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-15T13:08:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model\"},\"wordCount\":913,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Podcast\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model\",\"name\":\"The Best Ecommerce Business Model - Practical Ecommerce\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-15T13:08:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Our podcast host, a successful, decade-long entrepreneur, shares his ideal product and niche.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg\",\"width\":360,\"height\":240,\"caption\":\"Eric Bandholz\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Best Ecommerce Business Model\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/\",\"name\":\"Practical Ecommerce\",\"description\":\"Independent analysis and strategy for online merchants\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Practical Ecommerce\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/practical-ecommerce-stacked-hires.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/practical-ecommerce-stacked-hires.jpg\",\"width\":250,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Practical Ecommerce\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/practicalecommerce\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/practicalecomm\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/practical-ecommerce\/\",\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ecommerce-conversations\/id874457373\",\"https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/practical-ecommerce\",\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/practicalecommerce.com\"],\"description\":\"Practical Ecommerce is an independent digital publication founded in 2005 that helps online merchants improve their businesses through expert articles, guides, webcasts, and podcasts. The site has published over 7,000 articles and serves millions of readers worldwide.\",\"foundingDate\":\"2005-07-01\",\"duns\":\"09-076-7155\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"},\"publishingPrinciples\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/editorial-policy\",\"ownershipFundingInfo\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/about-us\",\"actionableFeedbackPolicy\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/contact\",\"ethicsPolicy\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/editorial-policy\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b9a9b25eed7ab330bf65fbc9b65c7980\",\"name\":\"Eric Bandholz\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/efe2e53aad24b3435f753cd72725301e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/efe2e53aad24b3435f753cd72725301e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Eric Bandholz\"},\"description\":\"Eric Bandholz is the host of \\\"Ecommerce Conversations,\\\" Practical Ecommerce's weekly podcast, and co-founder of Beardbrand, a leading men\u2019s grooming company that focuses on beard care. With the help of his co-founders, he\u2019s bootstrapped Beardbrand from zero sales to a multi-million dollar business. Eric is an ecommerce authority, having spoken at dozens of industry conferences and meetups. Contact Eric via email or LinkedIn.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.beardbrand.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Bandholz\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bandholz\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/bandholz\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@Beardbrand\"],\"gender\":\"Male\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Online_shopping\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Entrepreneurship\"],\"knowsLanguage\":[\"English\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Founder & CEO\",\"worksFor\":\"Beardbrand\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/author\/eric-bandholz\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Best Ecommerce Business Model - Practical Ecommerce","description":"Our podcast host, a successful, decade-long entrepreneur, shares his ideal product and niche.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Best Ecommerce Business Model","og_description":"Our podcast host, a successful, decade-long entrepreneur, shares his ideal product and niche.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model","og_site_name":"Practical Ecommerce","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/practicalecommerce","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Bandholz","article_published_time":"2025-08-15T13:08:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":360,"height":240,"url":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Eric Bandholz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@bandholz","twitter_site":"@practicalecomm","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Eric Bandholz","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model"},"author":{"name":"Eric Bandholz","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b9a9b25eed7ab330bf65fbc9b65c7980"},"headline":"The Best Ecommerce Business Model","datePublished":"2025-08-15T13:08:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model"},"wordCount":913,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg","keywords":["Podcast"],"articleSection":["Business"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model","url":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model","name":"The Best Ecommerce Business Model - Practical Ecommerce","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-15T13:08:24+00:00","description":"Our podcast host, a successful, decade-long entrepreneur, shares his ideal product and niche.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ECC-Eric-Bandholz.jpg","width":360,"height":240,"caption":"Eric Bandholz"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/the-best-ecommerce-business-model#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Best Ecommerce Business Model"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/","name":"Practical Ecommerce","description":"Independent analysis and strategy for online merchants","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#organization","name":"Practical Ecommerce","url":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/practical-ecommerce-stacked-hires.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/practical-ecommerce-stacked-hires.jpg","width":250,"height":100,"caption":"Practical Ecommerce"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/practicalecommerce","https:\/\/x.com\/practicalecomm","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/practical-ecommerce\/","https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ecommerce-conversations\/id874457373","https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/practical-ecommerce","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/practicalecommerce.com"],"description":"Practical Ecommerce is an independent digital publication founded in 2005 that helps online merchants improve their businesses through expert articles, guides, webcasts, and podcasts. The site has published over 7,000 articles and serves millions of readers worldwide.","foundingDate":"2005-07-01","duns":"09-076-7155","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1","maxValue":"10"},"publishingPrinciples":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/editorial-policy","ownershipFundingInfo":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/about-us","actionableFeedbackPolicy":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/contact","ethicsPolicy":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/editorial-policy"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b9a9b25eed7ab330bf65fbc9b65c7980","name":"Eric Bandholz","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/efe2e53aad24b3435f753cd72725301e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/efe2e53aad24b3435f753cd72725301e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Eric Bandholz"},"description":"Eric Bandholz is the host of \"Ecommerce Conversations,\" Practical Ecommerce's weekly podcast, and co-founder of Beardbrand, a leading men\u2019s grooming company that focuses on beard care. With the help of his co-founders, he\u2019s bootstrapped Beardbrand from zero sales to a multi-million dollar business. Eric is an ecommerce authority, having spoken at dozens of industry conferences and meetups. Contact Eric via email or LinkedIn.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.beardbrand.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Bandholz","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bandholz\/","https:\/\/x.com\/bandholz","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@Beardbrand"],"gender":"Male","knowsAbout":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Online_shopping","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Entrepreneurship"],"knowsLanguage":["English"],"jobTitle":"Founder & CEO","worksFor":"Beardbrand","url":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/author\/eric-bandholz"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/718"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1555550"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1555639,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555550\/revisions\/1555639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1555570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1555550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1555550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1555550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}