Berk started his career as a software engineer and considers himself a product-focused builder.
He is the creator of the first local search engine and is the author of a wide range of patents on everything from VoIP to data mining.
He’s an equal-opportunity coffee drinker but is most fond of fresh crop Geishas from Colombia.
As the co-founder and chief executive officer of Bean Box, a global marketplace for specialty coffees, coffee subscriptions, and coffee gifts, Matthew Berk is responsible for the development, growth, and vision of the brand.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
[00:00] Intro
[01:12] How Matthew conceptualized Bean Box
[04:19] The parallels to Lean Startup principles
[05:08]Try things even if you get it wrong
[07:11] Doing Ecom is trying to sell 2 products
[09:26] Focus on getting the products into people’s hands
[10:59] 2 areas where you could easily get lost in
[11:43] How to avoid “price spiraling”
[16:14] Competitor comparison can be pointless
[17:54] Sponsor: Electric Eye https://electriceye.io
[18:14] Sponsor: Mesa https://apps.shopify.com/mesa
[18:58] Sponsor: Gorgias https://gorgias.grsm.io/honest
[20:24] Sponsor: Rewind https:/rewind.com/honestecommerce
[20:55] Sponsor: Klaviyo http://klaviyo.com/honest
[21:42] The ratio between capital raised and revenue generated
[22:47] Investing in people is a rocket fuel for business
[24:15] Capital can obfuscate your problems
[27:05] The entrepreneur’s job is prioritizing problems
[28:31] You don’t have to grow if you don’t want to
[32:09] When should you go custom
[37:10] Would Bean Box’s strategy 8 yrs ago work today?
[39:02] Where to find Bean Box
Resources:
Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1
Connect with Matthew https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewberk
Share the joy of small-batch, locally-roasted beans with coffee lovers around the country https://beanbox.com/
Read The Lean Startup http://theleanstartup.com/book
Scale your business with https://electriceye.io/
Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store https://apps.shopify.com/mesa
Level up your customer support https://gorgias.grsm.io/honest
Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free http://rewind.io/honest
Get started with a free account at http://klaviyo.com/honest
If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!
Review Link: http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1447700156
Honest Ecommerce is a weekly podcast, community & educational resource providing online store owners with honest, actionable advice to increase their sales and grow their business. Visit http://honestecommerce.co/ for more information.
If you like our videos, consider subscribing & joining our FREE Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/honestecommerce/
Or get all our content sent directly to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter:
https://honestecommerce.co/pages/subscribe