Please enjoy this repeat of a popular episode first aired in April 2025.

Mehtab Bhogal is the co-founder of Karta Ventures, a Canada-based acquirer of troubled ecommerce businesses. The firm seeks companies with "issues," such as unpaid taxes, regulatory problems, and founder disputes.

He says buying distressed companies is like salvaging a crashed car. "What are the parts worth?" he asks.

In this episode, he addresses identifying hidden value, turnaround tactics, seller concerns, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ecommerce-investor-on-turnaround-tactics

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com

When he appeared on this podcast in 2021, Bryan Mahoney had just co-founded Chord, an ecommerce platform that separated the public frontend from the nuts-and-bolts backend. It was a "headless" structure that enabled merchants to connect with their preferred external providers rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

The problem, Bryan says in retrospect, was a complicated setup that required replatforming. What merchants wanted was his tools that consolidated data from external vendors for a holistic view across channels, customers, and more.

So he pivoted. In 2023 Chord became an ecommerce-focused data management company, no longer requiring customers to use its frontend layer.

In this episode, he explains the transition and the importance of data in an AI world.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/chord-commerce-ceo-on-pivoting-to-data

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

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Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com

We've hit a plateau at Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer business I launched 15 years ago. Our revenue is down from its peak. We've made mistakes.

The beard care space has dried up. We've moved from a blue ocean of growth and opportunity to a red ocean of fierce competition. If Beardbrand grows, a competitor loses, and vice versa.

In this episode, I'll depart from my typical interview format and share our plans for moving Beardbrand forward. My goal is to help other merchants in similar circumstances.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/inside-beardbrands-expansion-plan

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

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Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com