Operators Podcast
A weekly roundtable of active 8- and 9-figure e-commerce CEOs sharing tactical playbooks directly from their own companies.
Think of Operators as a 'board meeting in a box' for e-commerce leaders. The hosts, all current CEOs and presidents of major DTC brands, bypass abstract theory to discuss the real numbers, challenges, and playbooks they are using right now. Episodes alternate between hosts-only deep dives on topics like finance and logistics, and peer-to-peer interviews with other founders of massive scale.
“Unlike podcasts hosted by commentators or theorists, Operators is led by four active CEOs of nine-figure brands who share specific, current data and strategies from their own companies. They openly discuss their wins, losses, and the real economics of their decisions, providing a rare, unfiltered look into the operations of major DTC players.”
Who hosts this show
Operators is hosted by four active executives from major direct-to-consumer brands: Sean Frank (CEO of Ridge), Matt Bertulli (CEO of Pela Case and Lomi), Mike Beckham (CEO of Simple Modern), and Jason Panzer (President of HexClad). They share unfiltered, real-time strategies on growth, marketing, and operations, drawing directly from their daily experiences running nine-figure businesses. The show's premise is to leak the secrets of a legendary, high-revenue text group for the benefit of other founders and operators.
Credentials & credits
- Sean Frank, CEO of Ridge
- Matt Bertulli, Co-founder & CEO of Pela Case and Lomi
- Mike Beckham, Co-founder & CEO of Simple Modern
- Jason Panzer, President of HexClad
Other ventures
- Ridge (Wallets & EDC Gear)
- Pela Case (Compostable Phone Cases)
- Lomi (Smart Waste Kitchen Composter)
- Simple Modern (Drinkware & Lifestyle Products)
- HexClad (Hybrid Cookware)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Our 2026 Ecommerce Audit: Wins, Mistakes, Lessons & What’s NextJun 24, 2026 · 1h 09m
- 02How a $1.5B Pet Brand Wins at Ecommerce Marketing: Whisker’s CEOJun 18, 2026 · 1h 36m
- 03How Ridge’s Annual Revenue Grew 90% by Launching New ProductsJun 17, 2026 · 1h 08m
- 043PL vs Owned Warehouse: What 30 Years of Mistakes Taught UsJun 10, 2026 · 1h 14m
- 05From $10K Losses a Day to an L Catterton Deal: Zach Stuck’s Full StoryJun 4, 2026 · 1h 29m
- 06How Incrementality Cuts Waste + What and Where to Test in EcommerceJun 3, 2026 · 1h 13m
- 07How Ecommerce CEOs Actually Pay Themselves (Real Answers)May 27, 2026 · 1h 06m
- 08$450M ARR to $1.15B Exit: Tim Doyle’s Retention + Compliance PlaybookMay 21, 2026 · 1h 36m
Notable episodes
- 01How a $1.5B Pet Brand Wins at Ecommerce Marketing: Whisker’s CEO
A deep dive into scaling a vertically-integrated hardware brand, covering strategic decisions on manufacturing and the creative process behind a breakout ad campaign.
- 02How Ridge’s Annual Revenue Grew 90% by Launching New Products
An interview with co-host Sean Frank about balancing extreme business growth with new fatherhood, detailing his framework for product expansion and time management.
- 03Our 2026 Ecommerce Audit: Wins, Mistakes, Lessons & What’s Next
A hosts-only 'OG' episode where all four operators audit the current state of e-commerce, sharing specific numbers and strategies from their own companies for Amazon, advertising, and margin.
- 04How Ecommerce CEOs Actually Pay Themselves (Real Answers)
The hosts tackle a rarely discussed topic, openly sharing frameworks for founder compensation, distribution strategies, and building long-term wealth as an owner-operator.
What you'll be asked on this show
When guests are featured, the show is less a formal interview and more a peer-to-peer strategic deep dive. The hosts use a guest's story as a jumping-off point to compare strategies, debate tactics, and relate the conversation back to their own companies' experiences (e.g., comparing Lomi's hardware business to a guest's). Questions are direct, tactical, and often follow up on specific operational or financial details shared by the guest, with co-hosts frequently jumping in to probe deeper.
The format is a multi-host roundtable discussion that is dense, fast-paced, and full of industry jargon. Some episodes, often called "OG episodes," feature only the hosts auditing a business topic. Others, branded "Operators Titans," are group interviews with fellow high-profile CEOs.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
11 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
mindset
1- Q.01
“Looking back at a specific growth period, what do you think could have gone wrong?”
The host asks this to probe the guest's ability to assess risk and think in counterfactuals.
process
4- Q.01
“Why did you decide to make a major strategic decision like doubling manufacturing before demand hit?”
This question is used to unpack the strategic thinking behind significant, risky capital or operational investments.
- Q.02
“Did you ever have a serious conversation about getting out of your core business model, like manufacturing?”
This explores how leaders challenge the fundamental assumptions of their own business.
- Q.03
“Does your team ever push back on your new ideas?”
A follow-up question used to explore team dynamics and the level of creative friction within the organization.
- Q.04
“How do you manage your calendar—is it packed or do you leave a lot of free time?”
This question is used to surface a leader's core philosophy on time management and focus.
craft
2- Q.01
“How much of the 'new' product innovation at your company still comes directly from you?”
This is asked to understand the founder's evolving role in innovation as the company scales.
- Q.02
“What has changed in your process that's making you so good at launching new products now?”
This question seeks to uncover specific lessons learned from past product failures.
personal
1- Q.01
“How did you decide this was the right time in your career to have kids?”
A personal question asked to understand how founders approach major life decisions alongside their careers.
origin
1- Q.01
“What's the story behind your company's branding and having multiple names like Whisker and Litter-Robot?”
An opening question to establish the company's market identity and strategic branding choices.
money
1- Q.01
“Are you concerned about financial trade-offs like margin compression when expanding your strategy?”
This question directly addresses the financial implications and potential downsides of a specific growth strategy.
industry
1- Q.01
“What are the real reasons that spending a lot on advertising creates a competitive moat?”
Used to deconstruct a common business concept and get to the specific mechanics of how it works for the guest.
Signature segments
- · Operators OG
- · Operators Titans
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are exclusively founders and CEOs of high-growth, often nine-figure e-commerce or DTC brands (like Whisker, The Woobles, and Eucalyptus) who can engage in a peer-level discussion about scaling, strategy, and execution.
- Jacob Zupki, CEO of Whiskeron How a $1.5B Pet Brand Wins at Ecommerce Marketing: Whisker’s CEO
- Curtis Matsko, CEO of Portland Leather Goodson 3PL vs Owned Warehouse: What 30 Years of Mistakes Taught Us
- Zach Stuck, Founder of Easy Street Brandson From $10K Losses a Day to an L Catterton Deal: Zach Stuck’s Full Story
- Austin Harrison, CEO of Northbeamon How Incrementality Cuts Waste + What and Where to Test in Ecommerce
- Tim Doyle, Founder of Eucalyptuson $450M ARR to $1.15B Exit: Tim Doyle’s Retention + Compliance Playbook
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Sponsors are exclusively B2B software and service providers targeting established e-commerce companies. The categories include attribution (Northbeam), fulfillment (Fulfil), customer service (Richpanel), and marketing platforms (Postscript, AppLovin).
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch this show
No public contact email on file yet — try the social channels below, or claim this page if you’re the host.
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of the Operators podcast?
- The hosts are Sean Frank (CEO, Ridge), Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela & Lomi), Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern), and Jason Panzer (President, HexClad).
- What is the format of the show?
- It's a roundtable discussion. Some episodes feature the four hosts discussing a topic; others are interviews where the hosts collectively interview another e-commerce CEO.
- Is this podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes on a weekly basis, as of mid-2026.
- Where can I listen to the Operators podcast?
- The podcast is available on major platforms including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
- Is this show for beginners in e-commerce?
- No, the content is advanced and assumes a high level of familiarity with e-commerce operations, finance, and marketing. It is best suited for experienced founders and executives.
- How can I pitch to be a guest on the show?
- The show does not publicly solicit guests. Guests are typically peer founders and CEOs of 9-figure+ DTC brands.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Operators Podcast Official Website9operators.com
- [02]Operators - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [03]Operators Podcast - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [04]Sean Frank, CEO of Ridge.com - Biomission.org
- [05]Matt Bertulli, CEO of Pela Case & Lomi - Biomattbertulli.com
- [06]Mike Beckham, CEO of Simple Modern - Biosimplemodern.com
- [07]Jason Panzer, President of HexClad - Biotheorg.com
- [08]Operators Podcast Overview - Elephant Herd Consultingelephantherd.co
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