The Cost of Caring: Nick Kaplan on Building, Breaking, and Believing Again.

Some leaders talk about empathy.
Nick Kaplan lives it even when it hurts. In our conversation on The Struggle Bus, he didn’t posture or package. He peeled back the layers of what it means to lead when you’re tired, when you’re unsure, when you’ve already done this dance a hundred times and still want to make it count.

Nick spoke about the tension between head and heart — that impossible balance of being rational enough to steer the ship and emotional enough to care about the crew. He’s built and rebuilt brands, seen ideas fly and others fall flat, and still shows up with that same curiosity and conviction.

“You can’t lead without self-awareness. If you’re not grounded, you’re guessing — and people can smell that.”

“Experience doesn’t make you certain. It just makes you more comfortable with doubt.”

What I learned listening to him wasn’t about retail strategy or growth hacks. It was about composure — the kind that’s earned through chaos. Nick’s version of leadership isn’t loud. It’s consistent. It’s kind. And it’s the sort that keeps businesses — and people — from burning out.

In a world obsessed with “scale,” he reminded me that steadiness is often the real differentiator.

Sponsors like Omnisend, Trustap, and ParcelPlanet help keep these stories moving, but it’s guests like Nick who remind us why the bus keeps rolling.

#TheStruggleBus #Leadership #Empathy #Ecommerce

Slowing Down to Go Fast” with Chloé Pascal, Global Head of Marketing, Nosto

This episode opens our new season with the serene force that is Chloé Pascal, who talks about empathy, leadership, and what it truly means to “slow down to go faster.” It’s part therapy session, part masterclass in marketing humanity.

From her roots in France’s quiet countryside to leading global teams in fast-paced ecommerce tech, Chloé’s journey is proof that clarity doesn’t come from the noise — it comes from learning to listen.

She pulls apart the illusion of “hustle leadership” and instead shows how empathy, structure, and curiosity build stronger teams and better brands.
It’s a conversation about presence over pace, about how team connection is the new growth hack, and how AI’s rise only deepens the need for humanity in leadership.

“To get the most from a decision, you have to create a space where everyone has a voice — it doesn’t matter if you’re a junior or a head of a team.”
(On inclusive collaboration and psychological safety)

“I learned to go faster by slowing down. It sounds backwards, but it’s how you stop reacting and start leading.”
(On leadership and self-awareness in high-velocity tech)

“AI is exciting, but we have to make sure we stay connected to the human side — otherwise we’ll end up knowing everything and understanding nothing.”
(On technology, humanity, and the future of work)

This wasn’t just about marketing — it was about how leaders show up.
Chloé described how her empathy, self-work, and team-building rituals shaped the culture at Nosto. The workshops she runs aren’t PowerPoints — they’re trust-building exercises. Her belief in active listening and psychological safety reflects a truth we too often forget in commerce: brands are built by people who feel seen.

The discussion touched the heart of modern commerce and leadership — where cross-functional collaboration meets emotional intelligence. It’s how great campaigns are born, how product teams sync with marketing, and how companies like Nosto thrive in a shifting AI landscape without losing their humanity.

We’re thrilled to welcome two new partners onboard the bus — Trustap, the transaction protection platform keeping your deals safe and transparent, and Parcel Planet, your logistics dream team turning “out for delivery” into a customer love story.

And, of course, Omnisend continues to ride shotgun with us — the email and automation platform that’s Vinny-proof and revenue-friendly.

From Demandware to Breckenridge: Harvey Bierman on TCO, Shopify & The Agency Squeeze”

Inside the SaaS trenches, culture, and why agencies must climb the value chain to survive.

In this Struggle Bus ride, Vinny O’Brien welcomes e-commerce veteran Harvey Bierman — former CEO of Red Van, CDO of Christy Sports, and one of Demandware’s early evangelists — who’s swapped boardrooms for the mountains of Breckenridge. Together they rewind to 2010’s SaaS gamble and fast-forward to today’s Shopify-driven utility model. Harvey’s take on Total Cost of Ownership, agency risk, and fragile “brands” built overnight is as candid as it gets.

Expect a brutally honest, culture-first look at how commerce is changing — and what agencies and brands need to do now if they want to stay on the bus.

• 🚦 Demandware Origins: How four progressive college towns shaped global e-commerce (Burton, Columbia, Deckers/UGG, Crocs).

• 💡 Shopify as Utility: Why the lights-on model is brilliant for merchants but disruptive for agencies.

• 💸 TCO is a Zero-Sum Game: Harvey’s contrarian view on the “Total Cost of Ownership” metric.

• ⚠️ Agency Squeeze: How AI and platform simplification kill low-value work — and where agencies must move (strategy, UX, innovation).

• 🌱 Brands Without Roots: Why low barriers to entry make the industry fragile and why values still matter.

• 🤖 Agentic Commerce: It’s just a blank until smart operators fill it with meaning — and intermediaries are most at risk.

• 🎶 Harvey’s Career Anthem: “Crazy” by Seal — the perfect Struggle Bus mood.

📩 Connect with Harvey on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hlbierman/
💌 Subscribe to The Struggle Bus for future episodes

Thanks to our community partner - Evolve Commerce Club

Sponsored by:Omnisend⁠ - The smartest, simplest and most cost productive way to run email marketing.⁠

Eurobase ⁠ - Ireland's best kept ecomm secret. Perfecting Global shipping for over 30 years. Making complex look simple. Stupid look good.⁠ De Minimis problems? Contact Julie Colclough

Strike Digital⁠ Irelands most Human agency.

What do you get when you mix the Eurovision Song Contest, 22,000 keyword combinations for duvets, and two decades of digital marketing? You get James Ullman—VP of Sales at NP Digital, former BBC/ITV/Sky producer, singer, charity founder, and self-confessed “generalist who knows enough to be dangerous.”

On this episode of The Struggle Bus, Vinny O’Brien sits down with James to talk about:

• Why sales isn’t a dirty word—and why empathy still beats algorithms.

• How imposter syndrome and performance can weirdly co-exist.

• The evolution of digital marketing from Yahoo! and Periscopix to today’s AI-fueled, “search everywhere” world.

• Why careers aren’t linear, they’re more like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody—full of chaos, solos, and sudden shifts.

James shares honest reflections from 20+ years in the trenches, from TV studios to agency boardrooms, and proves that the real “secret of life” is still pretty simple: talk to people.

🚍 Hop on the Struggle Bus for grit, laughs, and some unexpected life lessons.

Struggle Bus Ep 6 Dropped: Some guests talk about ecommerce like it’s a spreadsheet. Scott Lux talks about it like it’s a song. 🎶 On our latest episode, Scott (EVP Global Ecomm & Tech at Esprit) reminded me why I started this podcast in the first place: to capture the real human side of retail and technology. Not just the KPIs, not just the jargon, but the lived experiences that shape how we show up in this industry.

Scott grew up in Dallas, Texas, in his dad’s lighting store. Before “big box,” before Home Depot, before Amazon. Just a shop on the high street where half the business was B2C (families coming in to buy lamps for their homes) and the other half was B2B (homebuilders needing fixtures for projects).

Weekends for Scott meant sweeping floors, carrying boxes out to customer cars, and watching his dad build relationships one handshake at a time. When his dad splashed out on a half-page ad in the Dallas Morning News sports section, Scott remembers seeing the family business side by side with the Dallas Mavericks , a reminder that retail is as much about belonging in culture as it is about selling.

And right across the street? A record store called Sound Warehouse. That’s where Scott discovered punk, heavy metal, and the thrill of finding music that wasn’t on FM radio. His first CD was Led Zeppelin IV.

What did we learn from Scott?

💡 That retail relationships outlast any tech stack. His dad’s lessons about knowing customers, looking after staff, and building trust still apply, whether you’re running a lighting shop in Dallas or a global fashion brand.

💡 That slowing down beats rushing ahead. Scott sees “first-mover advantage” as overrated, whether it’s AI or ecommerce tools, moving fast without purpose is just asking for injury. Like running a marathon, you have to train, grind, and embrace the bad days.

💡 That technology should enable, not replace, thinking. His contrarian take on AI is simple: it’s not that he’s against it, but he’s against outsourcing our brains. Retail is complex, but we’re the ones making it overcomplicated by chasing shortcuts.

💡 That humility matters more than ego. He leads with transparency, curiosity, and ownership. In his words: “Not every day is going to be a winner. But you put the work in, and the reward is greater when you do struggle and get through it.”

This episode of The Struggle Bus is one you won’t want to miss. 🎧

[insert link]

Sponsored by:

Omnisend⁠ - The smartest, simplest and most cost productive way to run email marketing.⁠

Eurobase ⁠ - Ireland's best kept ecomm secret. Perfecting Global shipping for over 30 years. Making complex look simple. Stupid look good.⁠

Strike Digital⁠ When we need humans more than ever, Strike sit among the best people doing an amazing job every day. Strike are an international marketing and performance partner - talent as standard.

Hop on. 🚍

#TheStruggleBus #retail #ecommerce #leadership #technology #AI #storytelling

🚨 We weren’t supposed to drop this episode yet. But when a guest is this good, you don’t wait. You hit publish. 🚨

Welcome to Episode 7 of The Struggle Bus: Profitability, Product-Market Fit & Everything in Between with the brilliant Jamie Roller.

Sometimes conversations meander. This one did not. Jamie came armed with lived experience, brutal honesty, and more clarity than most brand decks ever manage. She’s sat in consulting trenches, battled burnout, scaled global brands, and found her way into the chaos and opportunity of marketplaces. And what came out of our chat? Gold.

Here’s a taste of what we covered (and why you’ll want to listen on your next commute, dog walk, or doom-scroll break):✅ Burnout isn’t the end — it can be the trigger that reshapes your leadership style.✅ Profitability without product-market fit is possible… but short-lived.✅ The “ownership mindset” isn’t a LinkedIn buzzword; it’s what separates average teams from great ones.✅ Being Irish (or South African) is a networking currency. Use it wisely.✅ Transparency > ego. Every. Single. Time.✅ Virality isn’t strategy. But if you take enough shots, some will land.

Jamie’s take on leading with humility, keeping KPIs sharp, and refusing to pretend that ambiguity doesn’t exist — it’s the kind of perspective that makes you stop, rewind, and think: why aren’t more leaders this candid?

We also dug into the big structural questions brands are wrestling with right now:– What does internationalisation really look like when tariffs, supply chains, and time zones collide?– Why is profitability still treated like an afterthought in some corners of ecommerce?– And how do you actually build teams that can thrive at the pace marketplaces demand?

This one hit differently. So much so that we decided to bring it out early. Because The Struggle Bus is about one thing: cutting through the nonsense and surfacing conversations that make you smarter about how this industry really works.

And because no good bus runs without fuel — we’re opening up sponsorships for future episodes. If you’re a marketplace operator, a SaaS vendor, or a tech platform looking to get in front of senior commerce leaders who actually care, now’s your chance to ride shotgun. Title sponsorships, segment mentions, and community exposure via our partner network are live.

The Struggle Bus isn’t just a podcast. It’s a platform for the brutally honest conversations this industry desperately needs.

Hop on. 🚍

#TheStruggleBus #ecommerce #marketplaces #growth #leadership #podcast

🎙️ EPISODE 4: "We don't have a computer says no approach." Two ecommerce lads walk into Athlone and win the internet. (Yes, it’s a 2-for-1. You’re welcome.)

On this week’s Struggle Bus, we’re joined by the Midlands’ finest:

Paul Heavin & Benjamin Hade of Topline Heavins & Euronics — the DIY, electronics, and ecommerce duo proving you don’t need a Dublin postcode or a VC war chest to win online.

You just need:

🧠 A sense of humour.

👟 Running shoes (ask about the vacuum thief).

📦 40 years of customer service obsession.

📲 A willingness to chase TikTok trends like they’re runaway deliveries.

🎧 What’s inside the episode?

What happens when your digital marketing team wears green jackets and pink shorts on purpose?

The secret sauce to converting local loyalty into national scale.

Why awards matter (and how to win one for “Most Trusted Website” in Ireland).

How to prioritise when you're drowning in ecommerce to-do lists.

The pros and cons of living smack bang in the middle of Ireland.

Why TikTok Shop isn’t just for Gen Z beauty hauls, it’s for power tools and paddling pools too.

And why one customer got their power banks hand-delivered from Galway to Donegal. In a van.

💬 Favourite quotes from the boys:

“We don’t have a ‘computer says no’ culture. We just say yes, then figure it out.”

“Customer service doesn’t stop because they’re 200km away.”

“You want margin on first sale. I want repeat business in five years. Let’s arm wrestle.”

Ben Hade has long been one of them marketers in Ireland I have been most interested in and he didn't disappoint. He and Paul would make ecommerce work in ANY company ANYWHERE in the world. No doubt.

—

🧠 The Struggle Bus is still proudly powered by:

✔️ Burnout-as-a-service

✔️ Ecommerce team meetings that are 80% reprioritising and 20% regrets

✔️ Inbox zero as mythical folklore

✔️ And Omnisend — still our imaginary sponsor. Still delivering real emails. Let’s talk.

—

👀 If you’ve ever:

Fought your corner at a boardroom table full of spreadsheets and “Q4 alignment”.

Carried a business on your back while juggling marketplace compliance and Facebook’s latest meltdown.

Lost sleep over one-star reviews... and lost your weekend rewriting the PDP.

Or won an award but still had to chase a vacuum thief the next day

…then climb aboard.

The Struggle is real. But so is the craic.

And with guests like this?

It’s standing room only.

#strugglebus #ecommerce #tiktokshop #omnichannel #customerexperience #athlonelegends #retailmarketing #marketplaces #b2c #founderlife #teamof2 #vinnyobrien #toplineegans #podcastlaunch #omnisend

Ep 3: The reluctant technologist who accidentally inspired this entire podcast. No pressure.We bring in a Queen fan with a badge phobia and a global job he doesn’t think should exist.

Meet Philipp Labkovskiy. Global ecom director. Podcast host. Accidental futurist.
And now: karaoke captain of the Struggle Bus.

In this episode, Philipp explains why:

• eCommerce is just commerce (but with fewer lunch breaks).

• Job descriptions are a 19th-century fantasy.

• Leadership is about setting the climate, not managing people.

• AI won’t take your job—Jenny in Logistics might

We also cover:
🧠 Why he hid his badge at conferences to avoid B2B badge-hunters.
📊 The myth of “managing outcomes” in a world where most people can’t manage their own breakfast.
🤖 The industrial hangover still shaping how orgs are built.
🎤 Why Queen’s “I Want It All” is the only acceptable Monday morning anthem.

And then we get into the real stuff:

• How roles are blending into fluid career soup.

• Why motivation is overrated (even he can’t convince himself to run in the rain).

• And how AI is just going to make lean orgs leaner, faster, and more unpredictable.

It’s not a TED talk.
It’s not a LinkedIn Live.
It’s just a brilliant, funny, grounded chat about the reality of managing, leading, surviving, and evolving in a world where marketplaces now run the mall and your CRM is smarter than your CEO.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever AI still hasn’t replaced humanity:
📢 Proudly sponsored again by:Omnisend - The smartest, simplest and most cost productive way to run email marketing.Eurobase - Ireland's best kept ecommerce secret. Perfecting Global shipping for over 30 years. Making complex look simple and stupid look good.Strike Digital When we need humans more than ever, Strike sit among the best people doing an amazing job every day. Eager to learn, improve and deliver. Strike are an international marketing and performance partner - talent as standard.🎙️ Listen now on Spotify, Apple or wherever you board your emotional ecommerce bus:

#strugglebus #ecommerce #fellowcommerce #leadership #ai #queen #remotework #conferencesurvival #fluidroles #futureofwork #ecommercemanagement #vinnyobrien #humanvsmachine #karokeKPI