What I Know After 25 Years Building Ecommerce

After leading ecommerce and digital teams at Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers and Theory, and later co-founding and scaling a Shopify-focused agency, I’ve spent 25 years immersed in how brands grow.

I’ve learned key lessons from running brand-side teams in design, user experience, strategy, and eventually the entire ecommerce team. Cross-discipline success came from a focus on a culture of collaboration, subject matter expertise, a spirit of innovation and the primacy of external partnerships.

These became foundational principles in building my own business, now the largest design and development partner on the Shopify platform.

Collaboration is the real superpower

I’ve never enjoyed the “lone genius” idea. I grew up drawing and being deeply familiar with the art world, and “lone genius” is essentially a foundational principle of that world. It’s also the defining feature of all business heroes that adorn magazine covers and books.

However, success in a subject as complicated as digital commerce requires teamwork and deep expertise. It calls for the coordination of professionals in marketing, merchandising, technology and creative. I’ve always found that the finest work comes from groups of curious, collaborative individuals who actually enjoy working together to solve complex problems.

When the right subject matter experts are present and an enthusiastic, future-thinking environment is established, the process of collaboration itself turns into a competitive advantage.

In the user experience field, a discipline I enthusiastically embraced in 2005, I became fond of reminding people that it’s not just about creating ease of use, but also joy of use. This principle applies to running a business as well.

I once asked a UX guru whom I admired, “What is the hallmark of a successful team?”

He replied, “that each member doesn’t think they’re the most important person in that team.”

Creating an atmosphere that is enjoyable to be a part of is an important but often overlooked aspect of successful companies. And this has nothing to do with camaraderie at the expense of outcomes – being results-oriented is, in fact, one of my company’s core values.

But when you recognize that morale and performance are related, everything changes. A healthy, collaborative culture draws great people in, equips them to grow through challenges, and creates something greater than the sum of its parts.

Related: Innovation Without Responsibility Is Risky — Here’s How to Balance Them for Lasting Growth and Impact

Scale by staying true to what you’re best at

One of the quickest ways I see businesses flame out is by chasing every new request or adjacent opportunity. This is especially true for service agencies at an early stage of their growth, when it’s hard to say no to additional revenue. It usually starts with a small yes, a request that falls just outside your core competency. This can cascade into working in areas that don’t play to your strengths. Your brand loses its clarity, and the edge that attracted clients in the first place begins to fade.

Companies built to last stay disciplined, especially in their foundational years. They are “self-aware.” They double down on what they do best and rely on their trusted partners to do the adjacent work. I’ve always respected partners who know their niche, own it fully, and don’t drift from it.

This also illustrates that true experts know their limits. Focus doesn’t restrict growth; it makes it sustainable. When you commit to a clear direction, you sharpen your expertise, strengthen your systems, and build a reputation for excellence in your field.

The best ideas don’t always come from the top

One valuable business lesson came from Andrew Rosen, cofounder and CEO of Theory, whom I reported to. He told a company-side meeting, “The ideas that will propel us forward aren’t necessarily going to come from me or from our executives. They’ll come from one of you, people who are closer to the action, who can see opportunities that we can’t.”

That perspective shaped how I lead and is vital during mid-stage business growth.

My experience running the design agency within Ralph Lauren gave me my first real leadership lesson, that my team was serving many masters. The digital design-and-build process trained me to stay open, to see possibilities around every corner.

That same mindset applies to leadership. It’s more important to foster an atmosphere where innovative ideas can come from anyone and anywhere than it is from the most senior voice in the room. The most effective leaders inspire their people to seek out these possibilities themselves.

Related: Hustle Alone Won’t Drive Real Growth — Here’s What Will

Partnerships are your growth multiplier

When I started my first agency, my primary focus was on driving excellent work and providing exceptional customer service. Rather than relying on salespeople or marketing, a founder-led business can rely on referrals from our high-quality delivery.

However, putting more effort into our platform partners, providers, and peer ties is something I personally would’ve done sooner. Luckily, my co-founders carried that responsibility in our early years. As time went on, I came to realize that external collaborations may be just as significant as the actual job. Particularly in the networked realm of e-commerce, no company functions in a vacuum. Your capacity to resolve a client’s issue often hinges on the personal relationships you’ve formed with your key business partners.

These relationships function as concentric rings of trust that extend from your internal team to your clients, their own customers, and out to the industry. Being known as a trustworthy partner who works well with others can open up doors that you can’t get just through marketing or sales.

It helps your company by building a strong network that provides you with client leads and also valuable industry insights and competitive information. Strong business partnerships born during positive, early engagements are also invaluable during the challenges that arise in any agency-client relationship.

Work with people whose strengths complement yours. When you set a relationship on trust and a clear, common goal, their success will reinforce your foundation over time — and sustainable growth will follow.

After leading ecommerce and digital teams at Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers and Theory, and later co-founding and scaling a Shopify-focused agency, I’ve spent 25 years immersed in how brands grow.

I’ve learned key lessons from running brand-side teams in design, user experience, strategy, and eventually the entire ecommerce team. Cross-discipline success came from a focus on a culture of collaboration, subject matter expertise, a spirit of innovation and the primacy of external partnerships.