The Checkout

Book a call with John: ⁠https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440⁠ Casey loaded a real job posting into ChatGPT and told it to act like the CEO interviewing John, without revealing who they were. John had two goals: figure out who he's talking to, and get the job. The company turned out to be Beast Industries. In this episode, John walks through the exact tactics he used: refusing to enter the interviewer's frame, mirroring from Never Split the Difference, asking more questions than he answered, and diagnosing the problem the founder has been wrestling with in the shower. The big risk: telling Jimmy that the biggest mistake he could make is becoming Jimmy the businessman instead of Jimmy the YouTuber. Most hires fail because the person hiring can't say what success looks like. Job interviews are sales calls. Treat them that way. Topics discussed: 00:00 - The challenge: get a job from a mystery famous CEO 01:06 - Why your job in any interview is to be memorable 03:12 - Refusing vague questions and forcing clarity 05:44 - The mirroring technique from Never Split the Difference 20:36 - Spotting the clues that point to Mr. Beast 27:06 - Why asking more questions than you answer builds trust 36:09 - The risky bet: diagnose the founder's shower problem 40:33 - Why Jimmy the businessman is hurting Jimmy the YouTuber 44:55 - The real reason most new hires fail 48:46 - The final score and where John tanked Learn more about our sponsors: ⁠https://www.attentive.com/⁠ ⁠https://fuego.io/⁠ ⁠https://www.socialsnowball.io/⁠ ⁠https://redo.com/⁠ 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOSH SUGGS: ⁠https://www.streettalk.com/⁠ ⁠https://x.com/joshsuggss⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/joshsuggss/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/streettalk/⁠ 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/⁠ ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle⁠ 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : ⁠https://szaniewski.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/theszef/⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/ This episode was produced by ⁠Podcast Boutique

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 Most AI projects in e-commerce are shiny object syndrome. The dream of the one-person, one-billion-dollar company is real, but it probably isn't your company. Meanwhile, 50% of Americans are now more concerned than excited about AI, and customers can spot AI content from a mile away. In this solo episode, John walks through six reasons you probably shouldn't use AI in your business, then flips it and shows exactly how he uses it to make money without wrecking the brand. The framework: out-of-the-box tools first, then human in the loop, then human on the loop. Avoid the fully autonomous dream. The biggest unlock isn't replacing your team. It's making sure your day-to-day execution team isn't the one tasked with figuring AI out. Topics discussed: 00:00 - The truth about implementing AI in your business 01:16 - Six reasons not to use AI (people genuinely don't like it) 07:18 - Why AI projects become the worst shiny object 09:39 - The one-person billion-dollar company isn't yours 13:04 - Why a human has to be accountable when things go wrong 20:26 - Human opinion is the scarce resource in the age of AI 30:29 - Why AI is still worth using anyway 44:00 - The Jones Road case study: 25% lift in profit per visitor 49:38 - Why your execution team shouldn't be your AI team 53:09 - Human in the loop vs on the loop vs out of the loop Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/ https://fuego.io/ https://www.socialsnowball.io/ https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH RYAN DEISS: https://scalable.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandeiss/ https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDeissOfficial 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 Most founders dabble in all four marketing channels and wonder why they're stuck under $2M. There are only four channels that get an e-commerce brand from zero to $2M. Pick one and ride it all the way before you think about a second. In this solo episode, John walks through the framework live with Casey, mapping every brand into one of four buckets based on what you have (time or money) and what your product is (differentiated or not). He covers real examples across SSDs, Jacklings chili, bandages, and Neurogum, then closes with the 100-day rule: commit hard, or move on. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Why dabbling in four channels keeps you stuck 01:43 - The only four channels that get you to $2M 02:00 - The matrix: time vs money, differentiated vs not 03:39 - Time and a non-differentiated product: TikTok Shop influencers 12:18 - Money and a differentiated product: Meta ads 16:24 - Money and a non-differentiated product: Google ads 20:15 - Time and a differentiated product: organic content on TikTok 22:55 - Why now is the golden window for organic 30:30 - The fashion exception: when clothing is differentiated and when it isn't 36:38 - The 100-day rule: commit hard or move on Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/ https://fuego.io/ https://www.socialsnowball.io/ https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH RYAN DEISS: https://scalable.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandeiss/ https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDeissOfficial 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 Most of what you see people doing with AI online doesn't make them money. It just looks cool. In this episode, John and Bart show the AI workflows they actually use across Dad Gang and Solus Bands - the ones that ship emails, build product pages, find collabs, and surface breakthrough ad ideas. Bart designs full Dad Gang launch emails in Manus in about 22 minutes of real time with two minutes of focused attention, then builds the matching PDP and homepage banner from the same project. John walks through his Banger Builder skill that feeds creative humans information in stages so the breakthrough idea actually shows up, and a 10-minute Claude app called Creator Scout that filters for comedians and collab partners by niche, follower count, and follower overlap. The take: don't use AI to generate the work. Use it to prompt the humans who can. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Why most AI demos don't make you any money 02:25 - Dad Gang's lean team and what AI actually unlocks 03:06 - Designing a launch email in Manus in 22 minutes 08:00 - Why multitasking finally works now 16:29 - Building project instructions over time instead of upfront 19:29 - The Banger Builder: using AI to prompt creative humans 22:12 - Why AI won't generate your banger but can set it up 26:28 - Avatars, pain vs moment buying, and format mapping 46:29 - Building a full PDP in Manus, pasting it into Gem Pages 51:34 - Spinning a homepage banner from the same project 55:36 - Why Claude wins for interactive MVPs 56:36 - Creator Scout: a 10-minute app to find collab partners 58:36 - The Dad Gang collab play using follower overlap 65:39 - Automating influencer seeding with computer use Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/ https://fuego.io/ https://www.socialsnowball.io/ https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH RYAN DEISS: https://scalable.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandeiss/ https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDeissOfficial 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 You're one banger ad away from changing your business. Under $2M, it's almost always one creative that resets the trajectory of a brand. The problem is the system every DTC brand builds for paid social is built for more, not better. More UGC, more creators, more volume. That works until it doesn't. In this episode, John builds a real ad from scratch with comedian Kyle Reho for Dad Gang. Brand brief to customer avatars to concepts to a full mockumentary script. The process surfaces five or six low-lift ideas and one bigger swing worth shooting, all in about 40 minutes. The takeaway: you don't need the agency that made the Purple Mattress ads. You need one funny person, $100 to $200 an hour, and a brief that feeds them information in stages instead of all at once. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Why one banger ad is worth more than 100 UGC pieces 01:24 - Why more volume stops working 02:38 - Building an ad live for Dad Gang 03:00 - Starting with brand ethos, not the product 10:43 - How customer avatars actually unlock ideas 17:08 - The still-cool-dad angle and where it leads 20:11 - Reframing dad as a league you want to play in 23:13 - The jealous-wife skit concept 27:24 - Picking the right avatar with pain vs moment buying 34:29 - Choosing the format: skits, pod clips, green screen, reactions 37:31 - Building the mockumentary script beat by beat 50:08 - The hat as a uniform - landing the punchline 55:10 - How to actually run this with comedians for $100 to $200 an hour Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/ https://fuego.io/ https://www.socialsnowball.io/ https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH RYAN DEISS: https://scalable.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandeiss/ https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDeissOfficial 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 Most ecommerce founders try to build a brand by running better ads to a product page. They obsess over conversion metrics while ignoring the thing that actually makes a brand stick: a story consumers connect to and repeat back to each other. In this episode, NJ Falk, managing partner at Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL), breaks down the six or seven story threads APL uses across every product launch, campaign, and piece of content. From the NBA ban that became the foundation of the brand, to designing sensory language instead of spec sheets, NJ explains why most ecommerce brands hit a scale ceiling and what it actually takes to build a brand customers love saying out loud. Topics discussed: 00:00 - How APL turned an NBA ban into their brand foundation 01:00 - The origin of Athletic Propulsion Labs and the Concept One 03:00 - Never waste a crisis: turning a ban into performance credibility 06:00 - The six story threads APL uses for every product launch 09:00 - Why specs do not sell and sensory language does 11:00 - The Japan pancake trip that inspired a midsole 13:00 - Tongue-in-cheek tech stories like Run Naked 18:00 - How to keep your founder story fresh after telling it 100 times 22:00 - Gym to street to life and the versatility thread 26:00 - Social proof, awards, and editorial validation as a story bucket 30:00 - Should you build the story first or the product first 42:00 - Aspirational identity as the thread in everything you make 46:00 - A simple T-chart framework for brand storytelling 53:00 - How to expand into a new sport or category authentically 01:03:00 - Why brands hit a scale ceiling without a real brand Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/ https://fuego.io/ https://www.socialsnowball.io/ https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH RYAN DEISS: https://scalable.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandeiss/ https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDeissOfficial 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 Most ecommerce brands treat email like its own revenue channel. They obsess over campaign metrics while missing the bigger opportunity — using retention to lower acquisition costs, improve customer experience, and increase lifetime value. In this episode, Sammy Tran breaks down what actually drives growth for ecommerce brands today. From subscriptions and retention marketing to AI-generated content and owned audiences, Sammy explains why brands focused only on short-term revenue are falling behind — and what smart operators are doing differently. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Why most ecommerce brands use email wrong 06:24 - Landing pages, pop-ups, and conversion strategy 07:00 - Why ecommerce testing gets complicated fast 14:43 - The reality of running a marketing agency1 5:07 - Agency incentives vs effective marketing 28:44 - Why retention revenue fuels growth 31:51 - Building better subscription experiences 32:05 - Loyalty systems and retention tools 39:51 - Why brands need audiences they own 40:05 - The rise of owned marketing channels 01:11:37 - Using customer feedback to improve products 01:11:50 - Finding patterns in customer responses 01:19:10 - AI-generated content becoming the norm 01:19:18 - Why human creativity will stand out more 01:21:36 - Final thoughts and closing remarks Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/https://fuego.io/https://www.socialsnowball.io/https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH RYAN DEISS: https://scalable.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandeiss/ https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDeissOfficial 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART: https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 Wondering why you're more buried in work than you were a year and a million dollars ago? You hired helpers. Not operators. Ryan Deiss founded DigitalMarketer.com, trained 120,000 marketers, and now runs 17 companies doing $250M+ a year. In this episode, he walks through how he'd actually scale any brand from $1M to $30M+ — from the hire that unlocks scale to the three engines that power e-commerce businesses. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Introduction 00:48 - Does EOS work in e-commerce? 08:13 - The worst stage of any business 09:09 - 3 engines every e-com brand runs on 21:42 - Mapping your business for scale 26:01 - Scaling without losing time with your family 36:00 - Why founders never feel like they’re making enough 40:50 - Identity shifts as you scale 48:17 - The first role to hand off (and one you shouldn’t) 57:23 - How to hire for an undefined role 01:01:54 - What to focus on at each stage of growth 01:10:37 - Should you scale, sell, or raise at $30M? 01:17:44 - Do lead magnets work in e-commerce? Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/ https://fuego.io/ https://www.socialsnowball.io/ https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH RYAN DEISS: Instagram @ryandeiss YouTube @ryandeissofficial X @ryandeiss Website : https://scalable.co/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandeiss/ Free Book Get Scalable: https://www.getscalable.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 Most of the e-commerce industry has written UGC off in 2026. Here’s why you shouldn’t. In this episode, StreetTalk founder Josh Suggs breaks down the one content format outperforming everything else in e-commerce ad accounts: street interviews. He shares where it fits in your media mix at every budget level, why the brands trying to do this in-house keep failing, and his formula that converts customers in just 40 seconds. If you're running paid ads in 2026 and haven't tested this yet, you're leaving revenue on the table. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Introduction 01:17 - StreetTalk’s origin story 07:53 - How they scaled so fast 17:41 - The early hustle 21:21 - Leveraging your way to success 27:09 - The business move that failed 33:02 - How Expo West changed the business 34:16 - The street interview formula 38:12 - Why street interviews convert so well 39:55 - Making money as a StreetTalker 42:18 - Why street interviews belong in your ad account 43:29 - How to allocate a $5–$10K content budget 47:42 - Why brands struggle to replicate this in-house 50:28 - Street interview concepts for real products 59:45 - Creating a show around your brand Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/ https://fuego.io/ https://www.socialsnowball.io/ https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOSH SUGGS: https://www.streettalk.com/ https://x.com/joshsuggss https://www.instagram.com/joshsuggss/ https://www.instagram.com/streettalk/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/

Book a call with John: https://www.thedivenewsletter.com/squeeze-page1712742970440 Stuck between $2M and $30M and asking yourself, "What are the big brands doing that I'm not?" Nik Sharma worked with $100M brands like True Classic, Jolie and Eight Sleep, and he knows why most brands stall before they ever get close. In this episode, he breaks down exactly what the brands that speed-run to $100M do differently and the moves you can make to get unstuck. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Introduction 00:29 - What makes a brand reach $100M in e-commerce 04:15 - Eight Sleep case study: how they got so big 07:58 - Why second-time founders hit $100M faster 12:17 - Budgeting for marketing you can’t track 22:09 - Top vs. bottom of funnel marketing: what most brands get wrong 24:19 - Creating effective advertorials 29:04 - Why some successful brands stall before $100M 43:04 - Five marketing channels that work in e-commerce 46:15 - How to leverage AI without getting distracted 58:53 - Shiny object syndrome and your role as founder 01:01:19 - How to start a new brand with $50,000 01:09:24 - The one factor that differentiates $100M brands 01:13:31 - What most founders don’t know about scaling Learn more about our sponsors: https://www.attentive.com/ https://fuego.io/ https://www.socialsnowball.io/ https://redo.com/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH NIK SHARMA: https://www.nik.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrniksharma/ https://x.com/mrsharma 🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ https://www.tiktok.com/@johnjhcoyle 🔗 CONNECT WITH BART : https://szaniewski.com/ https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/