Metallica - circa 1991 - walk up music (Dan’s choice).
What says ecommerce more than Enter Sandman? Dan gives a quick background on where he’s from (Amherst Massachusetts).
Jason met
Dan Stepchew in 2014 at a Vistage meeting (a group of executives that meet once per month).
Dan initially called GoldenComm for SEO and web development.
The company that Dan was working for was called
MEDELITA. The company was owned by
Joe and
Lara Francisco and the company specialized in creating a lab coat that properly displays aptitude and professionalism.
As we started working with MEDELITA (with Dan, Joe and Lara) our Chief Architect (MIC, who also did a really nice
ecommerce podcast earlier this year) was immediately impressed by Dan’s knowledge and also how he would *push the envelope* on a myriad of eCommerce features.
We ended up re-doing the website on Magento and used a few strategic partners to help with key features.
One of those partners is
YOTPO, which was a leader in UGC (user generated content).
After installing and optimizing YOTPO, Dan says, “we did not realize it until we started testing…” and watching the clicks and paths of the users, “… they (web visitors) would all go down to the UGC pictures. They would all look at it and click on it and engage with those pictures of people wearing lab coats or scrubs and talking about it…”
So that for the site was a turning point.
Photo galleries. Photo contest. And all the theories/foundations of peer-to-peer selling.
How do I build a community?
How do I get my best customers to promote my brand?
After $3M to $5M to $10M and up to $20M (estimating) Lara and Joe sold the company during the pandemic. BOOM. Missoin complete. Next chapter.
A side note about Dan… we can’t remember a customer (that was not an owner) that cared as much as Dan did about the website he was working on.
So, what’s next?
For Dan, probably more UGC projects.
He’s developing a plugin/platform for eCommerce (Jelle) (found at
getJelle.com). He’s also consulting with clients (plug for him for sure if you have a complex ecommerce project that you need help – particularly around creating peer-to-peer selling - e.g. user generated content).
SwayPay is a notable vendor that Dan mentioned (platform working on TikTok).
Dan and his family live in San Diego – meaning we’ll see him again, soon!
Thank you, Dan, for sharing your knowledge with us at the podcast/TV studio.