ABOUT THIS COMMERCE LIFE:
The idea of This Commerce Life – The Podcast was conceived in a little cafe in East Vancouver, in November 2017. As with most things with the Knuckleheads (maybe self-named – not too sure), it started with a locally roasted organic coffee and a 3-hour chat. Two retail / CPG (consumer packaged goods) guys getting together to reconnect and reminisce; talk about retail days gone by and what the future could hold for retail specifically in the Natural Health and Grocery Channels in both Canada and the US. We love Canadian retail - a competitive market that nurtures the best brands and iconic retailers.
After thoroughly amusing and amazing ourselves with such a breadth of retail knowledge (lol), what came out of this wonderful conversing was the notion that we could actually share our thoughts with others through podcasting! Imagine a weekly podcast just on Canadian Business, small and medium businesses, entrepreneurs, founders, retail, retail basics, and CPG! The stuff that we love! We knew the world was ready for this, or we knew that we could at minimum is just talk to each other on a weekly basis.
We are now over 250 episodes and thousands of downloads a month and growing since we first aired and we’re still excited about retail and CPG, why and how entrepreneurs and founders do what they do, and how the world of retail is changing (and maybe staying the same!)
We’re focused on stories – your personal story and your business story. How and why you got here and where you might be going. In the end, it’s all about you and the journey and the sharing of the trials and tribulations of small business, being a founder and entrepreneur in the highly competitive bricks & mortar and online retail space.
We are both at an age where we realize that the sharing of the knowledge that we have and the experiences of our guests can and will provide valuable insights for our listeners.
Join us weekly wherever you listen to your favourited podcasts. You never know, we may be on your favourites list going forward 😊
Meet the Knuckleheads
Kenny Vannucci
Retailer | Buyer | Outspoken Knucklehead
I’ve spent my life in retail. I worked front line retail in customer service and retail management, in the warehouses picking and packing orders, and I have worked in corporate office as a merchandise manager buying for numerous and varied categories withing grocery and drug. I know how a buyer thinks and what the triggers are. I know how to spot emerging and how to maintain/grow existing categories.
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I’ve spent 40+ years in retail, 26 years at London Drugs before striking out on my own to now to help small CPG companies and retailers with sales and operating fundamentals.
Helping you get and understand the mechanics of business right so you can turn a profit and scale up your business. I love retail, love CPG and love working with and helping entrepreneurs and founders grow by using This Commerce Life – The Podcast as a platform to reach as many as I can.
Phil Chang
Packaged Goods | Startup | Jack of all Knuckleheads
I come from consumer-packaged goods (CPG) - Unilever, Revlon, Kimberly-Clark, Danone, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson…doing everything from analytics, sales, sales strategy, trade marketing. I’ve spent time as a buyer at Target before jumping to retail startup to work on strategy and marketing.
Now I love to geek out on the latest trends to help companies right size their marketing fundamentals, navigate the digital landscape, and help directors and managers be better at empowering their teams.
I know how to get you, your share of voice in a very complex and noisy world. This Commerce Life – The Podcast allows me into your homes weekly to share with you our guest’s marketing wins and challenges so as to better prepare you for your marketing journey.
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Ask me about: Ecommerce, Omnichannel retail, shopper marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Marketing Strategy
Content Creation
Aaron Mann
Marketer | Herder and Keeper of the two Knuckleheads
I’m a marketing grad working in my first marketing job with these two knuckleheads. I am responsible for keeping them on track; no easy task. I love applying what I’ve learned to the podcast - SEO, Marketing tactics, ads and branding. I help these two with their social media and audience growth.
Doing what I can with these two. I think the Knuckleheads have something here, but honestly, it’s like herding cats. Have ideas to make the podcast better, have a guest or topic you would like them to chat about, hit me up!
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Ask me about email marketing, go-to-market tools for sales teams, social media and website optimization