Sweatproofing Success & Shark Tank Secrets with Billy Thompson & Randy Choi from Thompson Tee - EP016

Billy Thompson & Randy Choi share Shark Tank insights, eCommerce growth strategies, and how Thompson Tee turned sweat-proof innovation into success.

About This Episode

Do embarrassing sweat stains ruin your day or limit your confidence at work and social events? 

In this episode of eCommerce Masters, Billy and Randy from Thompson Tee share their journey creating an innovative undershirt that prevents underarm sweat. They reveal how they identified a widespread, often hidden issue, and used their own experiences to develop a patented technology that keeps customers dry and confident.

Billy and Randy offer practical insights into how they successfully scaled Thompson Tee, from appearing on Shark Tank—and how they leveraged that opportunity without giving away equity—to overcoming today's major eCommerce hurdles like rising ad costs and inflation. You'll learn why managing cash flow and tightly monitoring analytics are critical to surviving challenging times, along with the importance of product innovation to stay competitive.  

Ready to discover how solving a personal pain point can lead to eCommerce success? Listen now and learn actionable strategies from Billy and Randy to grow your brand in today's competitive online market.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Thompson Tee
03:40 - From Idea to Product: Solving Sweaty Situations
10:16 - Navigating Business Challenges & Shark Tank
15:32 - Behind the Scenes of Shark Tank
22:08 - Business Growth After Shark Tank
24:09 - Biggest Challenges Facing eCommerce Brands Today
31:28 - New Products & Innovation
36:07 - Practical Advice for Growing Brands
38:57 - Reality Check on Entrepreneurship and Influencers
40:31 - Wrap-Up & Final Thoughts

Resources

Groove Commerce - https://www.groovecommerce.com

Thompson Tee - https://thompsontee.com

Shark Tank - https://abc.com/shows/shark-tank

Shopify - https://www.shopify.com

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com

ChatGPT - https://chat.openai.com

QVC - https://www.qvc.com

William Morris Agency (WME) - https://www.wmeagency.com

Target - https://www.target.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com

About our Guest, Billy Thompson

Billy Thompson is the co-founder and co-inventor of Thompson Tee, a patented undershirt that blocks underarm sweat. Billy primarily leads the sales, marketing, customer service, and product development. Prior to Thompson Tee, Billy was a top-producing awarded sales professional in diversified environments, most recently private jets. Billy graduated with a BSBA in Marketing.

Connect With Billy on LinkedIn

About our Guest, Randy Choi

Randy Choi is the co-founder and co-inventor of Thompson Tee, a patented undershirt that blocks underarm sweat. Randy primarily leads the operations, global supply chain, and finance. Randy has over 30 years of successful entrepreneurial experience in diversified backgrounds including the dot-com era and the apparel industry with large projects for brands such as Lucky Brand Jeans, No Fear, and Guess Jeans. Randy graduated with a BSBA in International Business and Marketing.

Connect With Randy on LinkedIn

About Our Host, Ethan Giffin

Ethan Giffin is the Founder and CEO of Baltimore-based Groove Commerce, a premier eCommerce agency that helps mid-market brands design, build and grow their eCommerce sites.

Ethan is an industry expert in eCommerce, e-marketing, and the dynamic technologies behind them. For years, Ethan has lived and breathed conversion rates, search engine visibility, and web analytics.

When Ethan isn’t obsessing over SEO, conversion rates and eCommerce architecture at Groove Commerce, he can be found speaking as an industry authority, both nationally and internationally. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, traveling, DJing, and the pursuit of rare pocket squares.

Connect With Ethan on LinkedIn

Connect With Us:

Website: www.groovecommerce.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/groove-commerce/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iGotGroove
X: https://x.com/groovecommerce
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groovecommerce/