First Movers: Kiri Masters

KIRI MASTERS is the founder of Bobsled Marketing, a digital agency that helps consumer product brands to grow their sales on Amazon.

She has also written two books about Amazon ("The Amazon Expansion Plan" and "Amazon For CMOs"), hosts the Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, and is a contributor to Forbes Retail.  

Why did you choose to pursue eCommerce in your career? I started an eCommerce business while working a corporate banking job in New York. Initially it was a hobby, a form of escapism from my job. But I fell in love with the fast pace of the category and the way that retail touches all of our lives. After learning enough about Amazon marketing to be dangerous, I left my banking job in 2015 to consult for branded manufacturers who needed help figuring out their Amazon channel. That consulting evolved into an agency of 20 Amazon pro’s who’ve helped hundreds of brands over the years to be more successful. I love the industry, the frighteningly smart and interesting people in it, and that we’re in a space that is growing so fast that we’re making up the rules as we go along. 

What is your biggest strength, and how have you used it for your success in eCommerce? For the entirety of my eCommerce career, I have created educational content in whatever topic area I needed to. Here’s some potentially embarrassing proof: a video of me teaching YouTube viewers how to make a custom lampshade. That topic is about as niche as you can get! But the point is if you can teach other people something that you know, it helps you understand the topic so much better. For me, the thousands of hours I have spent writing about eCommerce and Amazon has benefited my own thought processes as well as promoting my company. 

What is the weirdest skill or talent to come in handy in your eCommerce experience? My first professional job out of university was creating marketing and sales presentations for investment funds. My PowerPoint skills have come to the rescue many times. 

How have you most successfully influenced change within your organization (or with your clients)? Knowing exactly what the world will look like in 5 years time is a crap-shoot, much less 5 months or even 5 weeks right now! But studying some critical indicators, like eCommerce and marketplace GMV growth, the trends within individual categories, and the many changes that Amazon rolls out on a weekly basis, gives us some sense of where the puck is going. Helping brands to get “directionally orientated” with eCommerce and online marketplaces is by far the hardest and most critical step. Then it comes down to which operational moves to make. The latter requires a great deal of time and effort to stay hip to with constant innovation and change; but the former is what I’ll probably spend my whole retail career learning how to be better at.  

What was your most “valuable” career failure, and why? I took the advice of “find a niche” very seriously with my first business, Makely.shop. The only thing I sold was kits to help consumers make their own lampshades. I’m not even kidding! As such it was a tiny, tiny company for several years while I essentially taught myself ecommerce on the side. Today, its still a very small company but growing nicely because the focus is expanded more to handcraft supplies of many types. It taught me about the value of operating in a niche versus in a broader market, and the value of market-sizing. 

In the last five years, what new belief, behavior or habit has most improved your life? The more I can empower other people, the better the outcome. 

What are you learning right now? How to be a better manager. I’m trying to learn the balance of empowering other people while also holding them accountable. I’m reading an excellent book called “The Great CEO Within” by Matt Mochary. (would love to swap notes on this book with anyone). It seems to also be a skill that will come in handy with parenting as well!  

What are the 1-3 books you’ve gifted the most or that have greatly influenced your life, and why?

1. Dr Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution by Richard K. Bernstein, MD: As a fit, healthy, 27-year old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. This is unusual, but not unheard of. It was the first book I read about the condition and gave me a sense of agency over the disease that I’ll need to manage for the rest of my life. Diabetics have on average 13 fewer years life expectancy. But by being proactive and thorough, we can live longer, high-quality lives.
2. The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss: This book opened my eyes to the vast potential of entrepreneurship. Again, this book is about creating agency in your life. Putting aside the occasional ‘frat bro’ tone of the book, and the fact that many of the techniques are now out of date, the author makes a compelling case for abolishing the “deferred life plan”. Rather than working non-stop for 40 years to retire and finally enjoy life, we should create more freedom and joy in our lives right now.  

If you could have a gigantic billboard for the world to see with anything on it, what would it say, and why? “The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.” - Rupert Murdoch

What are the worst recommendations or advice you have heard related to eCommerce? That to get ahead, and in some cases make up for lost time, you need to game the system. “Everyone else is doing it”. It’s true that many systems can be exploited, and that bad behavior often goes unpoliced. Until suddenly, it is - and you’re on the wrong side of the policy. I advocate for a squeaky-clean approach always.  

What advice would you give to a future leader of change about to enter business, or specifically the eCommerce field? Never stop learning - from the ocean of content out there, to people scrappier and newer than you, and from your peers. Hubris is the enemy!

What specific, industry-related change do you believe will happen that few others seem to see? Intermediaries like distributors and resellers will be cut out of large portions of the supply chain. Brands want to get as close to the consumer as possible to capture margin and data. 

What is the last thing you bought online, and why? A subscription to a meal kit delivery service. I’m an avid cook, but I’m looking to change it up this week!

* * * * * * *

First Movers is a change leader interview series featuring select industry pioneers who are driving the evolution of commerce, the consumer and everything in between. If you would like to recommend a change leader for consideration, please reach out to me on LinkedIn.