Jeff Webb is the Founder and President of the International Cheer Union (ICU), the world governing body for cheerleading. Under his leadership, the ICU has grown to represent over 116 national federations and achieved recognition by the International Olympic Committee. Jeff also founded the Universal Cheerleading Association and Varsity Brands (formerly Varsity Spirit), where he elevated cheerleading into a global sport before selling the company for $2.5 billion.

Cheerleading has become a widely recognized global sport, but scaling it into a multibillion-dollar category was no easy feat. From undercapitalization to supplier failures and resistance from industry leaders, it required resilience, creativity, and bold leadership. How did the king of cheerleading transform his niche passion into a worldwide movement recognized by the Olympic Committee?

Modern cheerleading pioneer Jeff Webb reinvented team uniforms to match athletic performance and created competitions that captured TV audiences. He emphasizes the importance of staying close to the field, practicing continuous improvement, and cultivating a strong culture through rigorous hiring and leadership standards. By treating cheerleading like other popular global sports, Jeff scaled it into a distinct category.

Join William Harris in today’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as he chats with Jeff Webb, Founder and President of the International Cheer Union (ICU), about how he built cheerleading into a global sport. Jeff discusses how he created a new market through innovation and shares leadership philosophies and hiring practices.

Rishabh Jain is the Co-founder and CEO of FERMÀT, the leading e-commerce experience platform. Before co-founding FERMÀT, he held leadership roles at LiveRamp, where he launched and scaled three new ventures, including a multimillion-dollar healthcare business. Rishabh also co-founded startups in solar energy and laboratory data sharing.

Mid-market e-commerce brands are feeling the strain as tariffs raise costs and acquiring new customers becomes more expensive. With CACs climbing on major ad platforms and inventory risks increasing, many operators face tough trade-offs between growth and operational stability. How can they adapt strategies to maintain margins during economic uncertainty?

According to e-commerce growth strategist Rishabh Jain, brands are adapting by investing in channels like email and SMS to maximize existing customers. He warns against relying too heavily on multi-touch attribution and instead recommends using multiple data sources, monitoring cash flow closely, and aligning on-site experiences with each audience segment. Rishabh also advises expanding into new audience cohorts, designing purposeful bundles, and gradually adding products to support long-term growth.

Join William Harris in the latest episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as he chats with Rishabh Jain, Co-founder and CEO of FERMÀT, about practical strategies for scaling e-commerce brands in a volatile market. Rishabh explains how mid-market brands can survive market pressure, replace flawed measurement with practical insights, and adapt site experiences for various audiences.

Erik Christiansen is the Co-founder and CEO of Justuno, a conversion optimization SaaS platform. With over 20 years of experience in e-commerce and tech, he specializes in sustainable growth and product development. Before co-founding Justuno, Erik scaled Sierra Snowboard from $0 to over $20 million in annual revenue.

Many website visitors leave without purchasing, and abandoned carts represent millions in lost revenue for e-commerce brands. Even as traffic and ad spend grow, conversion rates often stagnate, and customer acquisition costs continue to rise. How can online retailers capture more value from existing website traffic?

According to e-commerce expert and entrepreneur Erik Christiansen, improving on-site conversions can unlock immediate revenue gains. His three-step revenue approach, which includes capturing, identifying, and converting leads, prioritizes real-time engagement, visitor segmentation, and actionable promotions. Additionally, techniques like cart abandonment campaigns, shopper preference pop-ups, and high-quality SMS collections boost conversions and strengthen margins by maximizing the lifetime value of each visitor.

In this week’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris chats with Erik Christiansen, Co-founder and CEO of Justuno, about driving revenue through smarter on-site conversions. Erik also discusses creative cart abandonment strategies, the difference between vanity metrics and meaningful KPIs, and why hands-on entrepreneurship builds resilience.

Andrew Christison is the Co-founder and CEO of Retencity, a full-service customer lifecycle and loyalty marketing agency. Under his leadership, Retencity has worked with fast-growing brands like epres, Revision Skincare, and Diamond Art Club. The agency is also a member of 1% for the Planet and has planted over 80,000 trees and served over 100,000 meals through food banks across the US. Before Retencity, Andrew was the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Sendlane.

Many e-commerce brands struggle to scale sustainably because they rely on short-term tactics like discounting or top-of-funnel traffic generation, neglecting the long-term impact of customer retention and lifecycle marketing. Even brands generating $10 million in annual revenue can lack the infrastructure and strategy to nurture lasting relationships with their customers. How can companies rethink their tech stacks and messaging to build genuine brand intimacy and retention that drives growth?

As an expert in lifecycle marketing and customer relationships, Andrew Christison maintains that brands can shift from transactional messaging to experience-driven communication. This requires building trust from the first interaction by treating email and SMS acquisition like the beginning of a meaningful relationship rather than a sales funnel. Brands can also employ zero- and first-party data to personalize messaging over time and integrate tech stack automations, like back-in-stock notifications, to address hidden retention gaps. Additionally, aligning your marketing calendar to seasonality, customer lifecycle stages, and weather patterns can guide more relevant and timely campaigns.

Tune in to the latest episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as William Harris chats with Andrew Christison, Co-founder and CEO of Retencity, about creating customer retention strategies that drive growth. Andrew explains why authenticity matters more than automation, how to balance list quantity and quality, and how he diagnoses retention issues in growing brands.

Rand Fishkin is the Co‑founder and CEO of SparkToro, a software company he launched in 2018 to make audience and market research more accessible to marketers and creators. He previously co‑founded Moz (originally SEOmoz) in 2003 and helped scale it into a leading SEO software company before stepping down as CEO in 2014. Rand authored Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World, co‑authored The Art of SEO, and is widely recognized for his Whiteboard Friday video series and keynote speaking at over 100 international events.

Modern marketers face a harsh reality: The tools they once relied on to track performance — like attribution models — are now deeply flawed. As data becomes increasingly fragmented across devices, platforms, and privacy barriers, understanding what truly drives customer behavior has grown more complicated than ever. How can brands measure success when attribution data can no longer be trusted?

Rand Fishkin, a digital marketing and audience research specialist, offers a compelling case for abandoning rigid attribution models in favor of more human-centric, lift-based measurement. He recommends marketers return to fundamentals and observe customer behavior across multiple touchpoints, test messaging across regions or channels, and evaluate net impact over time. Rand encourages brands to shift focus from granular ROI tracking to identifying where their audience spends time and investing in channels, like podcasts and blogs, where competitors aren't yet visible. He also cautions against over-optimizing for paid media and emphasizes the power of brand presence and share of mind in an era dominated by AI-driven discovery.

In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris interviews Rand Fishkin, Co-founder and CEO of SparkToro, about how marketers can adapt to the changing digital landscape. Rand explores why traditional attribution is breaking down, how audience research unlocks new opportunities, and the flaws in post-purchase surveys. He also dives into AI’s role in SEO, the influence of brand mentions over backlinks, and the importance of leading with transparency and kindness.

Daniel Brady is the Co-CEO of Orita, a software company that improves email deliverability. As a neuroscientist turned data scientist, he has helped leading e-commerce brands organize their data sets. Daniel has also worked with CEOs, CTOs, and other leaders to build eCommerce companies.

Email marketing promises big returns, but many brands unknowingly sabotage their success. They blast generic campaigns, over-segment based on recency, and trigger inbox fatigue that leads to declining engagement, retention, and revenue. How can e-commerce brands rebuild trust, retain overlooked buyers, and turn emails from a cost center into a compounding asset?

Neuroscientist turned machine learning strategist Daniel Brady has developed a behavior-driven approach to email marketing. By analyzing long-term customer behavior beyond recent clicks, brands can use intelligent segmentation to both reduce email volume and boost conversions. Daniel recommends recategorizing inactive subscribers, validating leads before sending campaigns, and treating email engagement as a dynamic two-way relationship. He also emphasizes the importance of rethinking post-signup flows, preventing deliverability spirals, and aligning marketing cadence with buyer behavior.

Join William Harris in today’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as he chats with Daniel Brady, Co-CEO of Orita, about turning email marketing into a scalable, intelligent revenue driver. He explains how neuroscience informs strategic audience segmentation, the impact of acquisition on retention, and how to adapt as you scale.

Matt Kovacs is the President and Lead Strategist at Blaze PR, a boutique PR agency that works with lifestyle brands. With over two decades of experience in PR and marketing, he has led campaigns for major brands like ESPN, Honest Tea, and Marriott Hotels. Matt specializes in helping brands leverage PR to attract investments, shape category dynamics, and build reputations that convert.

For consumer brands aiming to scale, public relations often feels like an uncertain investment. While performance marketing offers measurable ROI, PR can seem intangible, focusing more on image than impact. How can founders ensure their PR efforts support business outcomes like fundraising, acquisition, or retail expansion?

Public relations strategist Matt Kovacs has developed a practical framework for aligning PR with business goals. He emphasizes the importance of clarifying a brand’s objectives before launching any campaign, whether building thought leadership, category awareness, or retail traction. Matt recommends building cross-functional buy-in, investing in influencer product sampling, and leveraging media audits and strategic messaging to improve placement outcomes. To quantify results, he suggests using tools like an “impact index” to rate coverage based on business-relevant criteria.

In today’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris sits down with Matt Kovacs, President and Lead Strategist at Blaze PR, to discuss how to execute PR that drives measurable business growth. He talks about aligning PR with acquisition or retail goals and best practices for media training, leveraging influencer partnerships, and supporting founder-led storytelling.

Dani Dufresne is an Emmy Award-winning executive producer and the Founder of The Auxiliary Co, which provides executive production, consulting, and creative project management for top agencies and brands. With over two decades of experience spanning broadcast, digital, experiential, and branded content, she has led high-impact campaigns for major brands, including Nike, Apple, Google, and Sephora. Dani also serves as an agency leadership consultant, helping creative agencies navigate growth, sales, and operations.

Many brands struggle to create content that truly connects, let alone converts. In a fragmented digital landscape dominated by short-term thinking and data overload, creative work is often diluted, reactive, and forgettable. How can marketers craft branded content that captures attention, earns trust, and builds a lasting community?

Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dani Dufresne urges brands to stop chasing trends and start building deeper relationships through clear, bold, and emotionally resonant storytelling. Integrating media strategy earlier in the process and investing in long-term thinking can dramatically improve creative outcomes. Dani emphasizes thoughtful execution, creative bravery, and audience empathy as the keys to developing a sustainable, long-term creative strategy.

In this week’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris chats with Dani Dufresne, Founder and Executive Producer of The Auxiliary Co, about how to produce branded content that converts. Dani shares how misaligned incentives break creative, why building slow beats burning fast, and what brands can learn from influencers and legacy agencies.