Having sold and established multiple ecommerce providers, and having worked for numerous ecommerce startups, Internet Smith believes broad economic trends determine entrepreneurial achievement as much as strategic execution. Successful entrepreneurs, Smith asserts, must be polymaths — possessing knowledge across multiple topics — to understand opportunities. And that is the purpose of 2PM, his most recent company.
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“2PM is short for ‘to polymaths,'” he told me. “That is for a reason. You cannot begin a company and scale it unless you’ve got a holistic view of every part of your industry and associated industries.”
2PM is a media company, an advisory firm, and a seed investor. I spoke with Smith lately about his ecommerce travel, 2PM, and his prognosis for online selling, post Covid-19.
What follows is our whole sound conversation and its transcript, which can be edited for clarity and length.
Eric Bandholz: Tell us about yourself.
Internet Smith: I did not set out to have a profession in ecommerce. Beginning in Austin in 2009, I started, with friends, an ecommerce and media play for the CrossFit community. We offered that in 2012. Then I combined Rogue Fitness in Columbus, Ohio. It is a tremendous company with approximately 1,000 workers now. Fully bootstrapped.
From that point, I co-founded Mizzen+Main, a men’s apparel business. We bootstrapped it, also. It was a really painful experience, but I learned a lot — tactically, professionally, and personally.
From there, I chose to escape entrepreneurship. I was burnt out. I worked for a couple of media companies, such as Uncrate and Gear Patrol, that set forward, which was to launch 2PM. I didn’t have a business strategy. I just hoped that it was going to work.
2PM is short for”into polymaths.” That is for a reason. You can’t begin a company and scale it unless you’ve got a holistic view of every part of your industry and associated industries.
My very first stage of entrepreneurship, in my mid-twenties, I did not know how things interacted with each other — like the politics of fundraising and social relationships. This time around, at 37 years old, I know my limits. I understand when I want to outsource. I am okay growing slowly. I try to not be swayed by other people.
Bandholz: Is 2PM bootstrapped, also?
Smith: Definitely. It was a hobby that became a daily task that I finally monetized. I had a vision for the platform, helping to move the ecommerce business ahead, with information insights and social connections. So we are delivering on that. Could it be larger? Yes. But I am not sweating the details just yet.
Bandholz: how can you bring value to your 2PM clients?
Smith: One of the best ways to grow a business is to obtain the ideal wave at the ideal time. These are typically the most prosperous businesses. I have come from a couple of those businesses. With no CrossFit early on, there likely will be no Rogue Fitness. But Rogue is way larger than CrossFit now. They caught a wave, and they ran with it optimized after the truth.
So I attempt to present opportunities to companies. They could act on them to get a strategic advantage.
Bandholz: How do you know when the industry is shifting or moving to recognize those opportunities? It looks like a little luck.
Smith: I do not think it’s luck. It comes from using an whole view of what 2PM signifies. If you study the whole ecosystem enough, you will discover connections between different occasions, how numerous businesses interact or respond to certain things. You’re likely to see it.
Bandholz: 2PM also provides seed level investments.
Smith: Yes, 2PM does seed and angel round investing. In addition, we consult with innovative companies that we predict growth partners. Examples include Verizon Media, ShipBob, Passport, The Chernin Group, BigCommerce, CommonThread, ButcherBox, Alibaba, Rogue, Duradry, and Packlane.
Those engagements provide operational insights to 2PM in addition to recurring revenue, which we delve in the corporation. It enhances our articles and our ability to assist others.
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And, yes, I allot an amount per quarter to invest in brands and platforms.
Bandholz: What do you look for in these investments?
Smith: It depends on the company. When it is a consumer-products brand, I search for omnichannel expertise. I believe that Recess [sparkling water] has done a wonderful job. Element [apparel] has done a wonderful job as has Sanzo [sparkling water]. Haus [adult drinks ] is tremendous.
From a style perspective, you’ve got Alps and Meters and Rowing Blazers in addition to my bet in Mizzen.
I just search for the companies which are supporting the ecosystem. These are all exciting things for me.
Bandholz: Are the investments purely financial, or is there also a time commitment?
Smith: It is meant to be strictly financial. But I am always available to assist. I am passionate about that. I need to be useful, and I need to be operational.
Bandholz: Is 2PM just you, or do you have help?
Smith: I’ve help. My editor is Hilary Milnes. Andrew Haynes is creative director. Andrew Johnson is head programmer. Vincenzo Landino helps me with audio production. I am soon to hire a couple of others. But the huge bulk of the articles that you see from newsletters to creating memos, to growing and managing, to moderating Polymathic (our invitation-only forum) — that is all me. I am pushing 70-to-80 hour weeks.
Bandholz: Which are the valuations for ecommerce brands?
Smith: Ecommerce valuations are based on EBITDA. We have tried the tech evaluation thing, which I have never agreed with. Ecommerce is about profitability.
Bandholz: We have all seen the change from bricks-and-mortar to internet over the last few months. Will this be the new normal?
Smith: Yes. 100 percent. I just published something in yesterday’s edition of 2PM. It spoke about how close we are to a cashless society. Cashless societies are a leading indicator of what is to come in ecommerce. China has mastered the cashless society. Due to that, trade penetration is inching towards 40, 42 percent, which is crazy.
When the U.S. reaches 30, 35, 40 percent, you are talking about $3 trillion in total retail spend through ecommerce. Consider what top-of-mind ecommerce brands may do after the industry is a lot larger, and client acquisition becomes less costly.
We’re going to find a great deal of companies blow up very quickly. It’s only a matter of time.
Bandholz: How can Amazon play into this?
Smith: Amazon is the ecommerce business’s fullback. We ought to support Amazon in every way, shape, and shape. I try to check through the lens of American history. Our government no longer assembles infrastructure as it used to. The infrastructure that Amazon has developed is what could have happened if the government did it in the’40s,’50s, or’60s.
Amazon has assembled the ecosystem — the equal of lines, streets, highways, tunnels, and bridges — that we will need to run ecommerce companies. Amazon should be encouraged as such. Do I agree with lots of their practices? Of course not. Can I put my brands on Amazon? Probably not. However, the ecommerce business would be a lot smaller without Amazon’s involvement.
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