Most e-commerce brands think they have a traffic problem.

They don’t.

They have a leakage problem, and it’s draining their bank accounts every single day.

In this episode of Think Millions, Dr. Alexa D’Agostino sits down with Matthew Stafford, an E-commerce Growth Expert who has helped hundreds of brands cross the million-dollar mark without dumping more money into ads.

Matthew has seen the backend of more Shopify stores than most founders ever will — and what he sees over and over again is the same pattern: brands blame ads, social, and platforms while ignoring what’s actually broken after the click.

In this conversation, we break down:

• Why most stores are failing before the first click
• The #1 revenue leak hiding in plain sight
• Why ads get blamed for website failures
• How clarity beats persuasion every time
• Why redesigns don’t fix conversion problems
• The mindset block keeping founders stuck at 6–7 figures
• How data (not design trends) actually drives scale

This episode isn’t about hacks or tactics.
It’s about fixing the real mechanics of growth, and getting out of your own way.

Keys Parts of the Conversation:

1. (0:10–0:52) | You Don’t Have a Traffic Problem
   Why most Shopify stores are leaking money after the click.
2. (4:12–4:31) | Ads Aren’t Broken, Websites Are
   The real reason paid traffic doesn’t convert.
3. (3:18–3:28) | Why Confused Buyers Don’t Buy
   Clarity vs persuasion in modern e-commerce.
4. (5:19–5:35) | High-Converting Sites Are Built With Data
   Why redesigns fail and analytics matter.
5. (6:44–7:05) | The Biggest Revenue Leak: Navigation
   How buyers actually find (or don’t find) products.
6. (9:42–10:23) | How to Identify Where Your Store Is Bleeding Money
   Using add-to-cart, checkout, and conversion data correctly.
7. (10:45–11:15) | What “Good” Conversion Rates Actually Look Like
   Benchmarks based on AOV.
8. (12:03–14:05) | Why Brands Stall at 6–7 Figures
   The mindset issue that founders don’t want to admit.
9. (16:45–17:32) | Scaling Isn’t Magic, It’s Mechanics
   The real formula behind sustainable growth.

Great Quotes from the Podcast:

• “Most e-commerce brands don’t have a traffic problem. They have a leakage problem.”
• “If people are clicking but not buying, the ads aren’t broken, the site is.”
• “Confused buyers don’t convert. They bounce.”
• “A high-converting site isn’t built with design tools. It’s built with data.”
• “Pretty doesn’t scale. Clarity does.”
• “You can’t fix what you don’t measure.”
• “Most founders would rather redesign their site than read their own metrics.”
• “Businesses don’t have business problems — they have people problems.”
• “Scaling isn’t magic. It’s mechanics.”
• “Stop throwing money at traffic before you fix the leaks.”

Resources:

• All Episodes: Think Millions Podcast
• Questions or Comments: support@thynkconsultinggroup.com
• Alexa’s Instagram: @dralexadagostino
• Alexa’s Website: AlexaD'Agostino.com
• Book a Discovery Call with Alexa: Discovery Call
• ThynkFuel Agency: ThynkFuelMedia.com

In this powerhouse episode of the Think Millions Podcast, host Dr. Alexa D’Agostino sits down with Timothy Rexius, CEO of Rexius Nutrition, Iron Heaven Gyms, and Omaha Protein Popcorn- for a raw, tactical, deep dive on building multi-million-dollar brands without outside funding, scaling through people, and turning “failure data” into breakout growth. From raising six kids while running three companies to a 20,000% relaunch after a day-one tradeshow flop, this convo is a masterclass in grit, systems, and brand clarity.

Keys Parts of the Conversation:

• 1:06 – 3:35 | Family as Fuel & Early Involvement
  How six kids became an asset in brand-building, softening the approach at events, and sparking product ideas—plus the “seven shared calendars” system that keeps life and business in sync.
• 3:35 – 6:09 | Why Protein Popcorn Exists
  Solving a real problem at home: getting kids and older adults to consume protein. 600 batches later, candy-coated protein popcorn is born.
• 13:18 – 14:06 | Be Somebody’s Something
  Tim’s mentor line: “Don’t try to be everybody’s everything—be somebody’s something.” Staying in your lane beats carrying every product under the sun.
• 17:25 – 18:12 | Tradeshow Faceplant → Breakout Pivot
  Day one: zero foot traffic. A Hershey’s exec delivers brutal feedback; they add the words “Protein Popcorn,” and lines form for two straight days.
• 18:54 – 19:10 | The 20,000% Relaunch
  Wife and daughters redesign the brand for the real buyer. New look, mascot, color system—demand explodes across 14 countries.
• 21:53 – 23:31 | Scaling Through People, Not Heroics
  Selling stores to staff, franchising to insiders, and moving to a chairman role while partners run SOPs and day-to-day.
• 23:45 – 24:18 | Permission to Innovate
  Empowering a 21-year-old operator to “step on my toes.” Merging Gen-Z ideas with seasoned strategy.
• 24:30 – 25:23 | Owner Mindset at Every Level
  Profit sharing, equity for key team members (including his former nanny turned assistant), and why 200 “owner eyes” beat one founder.

Great Quotes from the Podcast:

• “If I’m going to be broke, I might as well be happy and broke—not miserable and broke.”
• “Don’t try to be everybody’s everything—be somebody’s something.”
• “The ability to shake a hand and cultivate a relationship creates repeat business you can’t buy with ads.”
• “Our first expo day nobody stopped at the booth. Day two, one banner change to ‘Protein Popcorn’ and there were thousands in line.”
• “Women make 80% of buying decisions—I was marketing to me. That had to change.”
• “I look at every employee as a long-term interview for a future partnership.”
• “When you give people ownership and profit sharing, you get 200 sets of owner-eyes on the business.”
• “The popcorn started as a way to trick my kids into getting protein—then the market told us we’d built a brand.”
• “Ego holds you in the operator seat. Let others lead so you can build the brand, the systems, and the future.”

Resources:

• All Episodes: Think Millions Podcast
• Questions or Comments: support@thynkconsultinggroup.com
• Alexa’s Instagram: @dralexadagostino
• Alexa’s Website: AlexaD'Agostino.com
• Book a Discovery Call with Alexa: Discovery Call
• ThynkFuel Agency: ThynkFuelMedia.com

Most companies don’t have a marketing problem.
They have a trust problem.

Specifically, a trust breakdown between the CEO and the CMO.

In this episode of Think Millions, I unpack why CEOs don’t trust marketing leaders, why CMOs feel set up to fail, and why both sides are actually right. Modern buying behavior has changed, but the mental models and measurement systems evaluating marketing have not.

Buying is nonlinear.
Decisions happen privately.
Influence happens long before attribution ever shows up.

Yet marketing is still judged at the end of the funnel.

This episode breaks down the real reason trust erodes, why marketing feels invisible even when it is working, and how leadership teams can fix the disconnect without forcing marketing into outdated boxes.

No hype. No theory. Just what actually happens inside real companies trying to scale.

Key parts of the conversation:

0:16 – Why CEOs don’t trust CMOs and why CMOs feel set up to fail
0:54 – The stat that should make every CMO uncomfortable
1:14 – Why trust controls budgets, hiring, and risk
1:29 – One third of Fortune 500 companies eliminating the CMO role
2:01 – Why CEOs and CMOs are both right
2:12 – The outdated system quietly killing trust
2:36 – Rising expectations, shrinking budgets, impossible timelines
2:58 – Brand and trust compound quietly but are evaluated loudly
3:06 – Why modern buying no longer happens in a straight line
3:20 – Marketing influencing outcomes before it can be measured
3:34 – The burnout and trust fracture inside marketing teams
3:41 – Most marketing arguments are actually about fear
3:51 – Why uncertainty makes leaders pull back
4:13 – Marketing used to feel simpler, even with less data
4:25 – Marketing shapes preference before pipeline
4:30 – CEOs are asking the wrong question, not an unreasonable one
4:36 – Marketing is no longer transactional; it is directional

Great quotes from the podcast:

• “Most companies don’t have a marketing problem. They have a trust problem.”

• “80% of CEOs do not trust their CMOs. That should scare you.”

• “Trust is the foundation of every decision a company makes.”

• “When trust exists, leaders invest forward. When it breaks, leaders pull back.”

• “The CEO isn’t wrong. The CMO isn’t wrong. The system is outdated.”

• “Marketing is being evaluated on outcomes that no longer happen in a straight line.”

• “Marketing is influencing outcomes before it can be measured.”

• “Marketing is doing two jobs at once shaping perception early and justifying results late.”

• “Most marketing arguments aren’t about marketing. They’re about fear.”

• “Marketing is no longer transactional. It’s directional.”

• “Strong marketing starts to look invisible when measurement lives too late.”

Resources

• All Episodes: Think Millions Podcast
• Questions or Comments: support@thynkconsultinggroup.com
• Alexa’s Instagram: @dralexadagostino
• Alexa’s Website: AlexaD'Agostino.com
• Book a Discovery Call with Alexa: Discovery Call
• ThynkFuel Agency: ThynkFuelMedia.com