That saying about the best time to plant a tree is also true of newsletters.
When is the best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago.
The next best time? Now.
Why you got this email
You might have signed up for this Frankly eCommerce list as long ago as 2024.
That’s when I created the optin form following the Austin Shopify Meetup event registration.
If you signed up this summer, then maybe you saw rumblings on my LinkedIn of this project at last beginning.
So this is the email before the newsletter launches. It’s the ‘here’s what’s coming and why’ notice!
A promise and purpose
My promise to you dear reader is to communicate directly, to pull no punches. I’ll be frank. And I’ll introduce you to people who I expect will do likewise.
My purpose is to encourage a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurship and business profitability. I mean this for brands who prioritize improvement in their Direct to Consumer (DTC) sales channel. In a word, ecommerce!
Part of this ecosystem is the software and app providers who make it so easy to just provision ‘ecommerce’. I’ll offer something for you, too.
Perspective on accelerating change
I write this as someone who built his first e-commerce website in 1996 for a beloved catalog and roadside stand in Alabama. Then I founded a SaaS turnkey ecommerce platform in 2003 that ultimately lost out to Shopify. Early days! Everything felt like innovation compared to today’s simple signup and go experience!
And yet, the pace of change accelerates faster, and we must adapt and innovate again. Expect a seasoned perspective on this dynamic environment.
Another part of this ecosystem are the service providers, consultants, and employees who make it all run. You can expect help connecting with others, match-making, referrals, tips, and links to events and jobs.
For those in, or curious about, Texas
Based in Austin, Texas, this newsletter will orient to this Texas Triangle, or Texas Diamond, as it’s being called.
That said, I’ll draw from trusted collaborators from South Florida to Salt Lake and beyond. Our view will be industry-wide.
I see the people promising to get involved in this project as the beginnings of a consortium. I’m excited to introduce you to them!
This newsletter will feature interviews of people with something worth saying.
Frank talk for doers
The first podcast interview guest is Hatch chile entrepreneur Chris Lang, who describes why now is the best time to launch a brand online.
Yours frankly,
Patrick Scott Pitman
P.S. Companies like Tie, Swym, and Alia support this project, and are worth a closer look. Can you reply suggesting who else might want to sponsor this project?
