The Power of Small Wins in Ecommerce Success
The Ecommerce Revolution - Newsletter #3
Hey Everyone!
Building a successful ecommerce business isn’t about overnight success. It’s about stacking small wins, learning from them, and using those insights to build momentum. That’s exactly what Alex Back, Founder & CEO of Couch.com, shared in our latest podcast episode. He took his first furniture brand, Apartment2B, from $0 to $40M, and he’s back at it again—this time, leveraging content and community in a whole new way.
Here are three key takeaways from our conversation that can help you reach your first $10K in sales and beyond:
1. Start with Low-Cost, High-Impact Marketing
Before you jump into paid ads, exhaust all the free and low-cost marketing tactics available:
Tap into local opportunities: Alex and his team went door-to-door in apartment complexes, partnering with landlords to get in front of new renters.
Leverage collaborations: He placed furniture in local boutiques and pop-up shops to get visibility at minimal cost.
Capture leads everywhere: Whether you’re at a farmer’s market or a trade show, don’t just make sales—collect emails and build a list.
💡 Lesson: Every interaction should have an intention. Whether it's generating brand awareness, collecting leads, or making a sale—make sure it ladders up to a bigger strategy.
2. Treat Your Business as an Iterative Process
One of Alex’s biggest lessons? Success isn’t linear. The best ecommerce businesses evolve based on what works.
He originally planned Couch.com as a DTC furniture brand but pivoted to a content-driven marketplace when he saw a better opportunity.
Many brands resist change because of ego—don’t get stuck on your original idea if the data tells you otherwise.
Every small win (first sale, first 100 email subscribers, first successful ad campaign) is a stepping stone to bigger success.
💡 Lesson: The best ecommerce entrepreneurs stay nimble and adjust when needed.
3. Content & SEO Can Save You Millions
Alex admitted that if he had invested more in SEO & content early on, he would’ve saved millions in advertising costs over time.
SEO takes time, but it pays off long-term. Start creating blog posts, product guides, and customer-focused content that answers real questions.
Video & social content are your best tools for brand building—don’t just post for the sake of it, be intentional about the content you create.
AI tools can accelerate content creation. Tools like Surfer SEO help you write SEO-driven articles, and platforms like ChatGPT can help you repurpose content across multiple formats.
💡 Lesson: Content isn't just about marketing—it’s a long-term asset that builds organic traffic and brand trust.
Final Thought: Small Wins Lead to Big Growth
No matter where you are in your ecommerce journey, the key is to take action, analyze results, and keep improving. As Alex shared, "If you see your business as an iterative process, you set yourself up for success."
Until next time, keep stacking those wins!
🚀 Ramin
P.S. Comment below on the small wins you are experiencing! 🎉
📩 Catch the full conversation here.
Making Your First $10K in Ecommerce
In this episode of the Ecommerce Revolution podcast, host Ramin Ramhormozi interviews Alex Back, founder and CEO of Couch.com and former founder of Apartment 2B, a direct-to-consumer furniture brand that grew from zero to $40 million over 13 years. Alex shares invaluable insights about starting and scaling an ecommerce business, focusing on reaching the crucial first $10,000 in revenue.