Honest Ecommerce

Alissa Miky is a Japanese entrepreneur and the founder of OoMee, the first seaweed-based beverage in the U.S. She’s the youngest woman ever recognized on Forbes Japan’s Top 100 list. After running a successful flower business, Alissa created the viral seaweed candy company Misaky.Tokyo, and later launched Aqua Theon, a seaweed tech company. 

In spring 2025, Alissa turned her proprietary Seabiotics™ technology into the star ingredient for OoMee -- the functional beverage bringing the wellness benefits of agar-agar to America's beverage aisle.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[01:58] Pioneering a niche in an untapped market

[03:43] Using cultural roots to drive innovation

[06:51] Sponsor: Klaviyo

[08:52] Sizing up categories before committing

[10:57] Callouts

[11:07] Using competitor research as winning edge

[14:25] Sponsor: Intelligems

[16:23] Letting the product do the talking

[19:44] Knowing when to launch and building

[21:51] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[23:00] Using intellectual property for passive income

[25:43] Turning disadvantages into entrepreneurial fuel

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Marine plant-based company https://aquatheon.com/en

Marine-powered functional beverage https://oomee.life/

Follow Alissa Miky https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissa-miky-21a8673b

Migrate and grow more https://www.klaviyo.com/honest 

Book a demo today at https://www.intelligems.io/

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts https://electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Tamara is the Founder & CEO of Bark Bistro Company, creator of Buddy Budder—a line of 100% natural peanut butters made for dogs. What began in her kitchen has grown into a nationally distributed brand available DTC, Ecommerce, independent retailers, and now expanding into mass and grocery channels. She is passionate about blending innovation and creativity, brand design, and business strategy to make products that bring joy and health to pets while scaling into new retail channels. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[01:37] Discovering ecommerce as the growth engine

[05:38] Solving a personal problem to spark a product

[07:18] Sponsor: Klaviyo

[09:24] Leading a category by entering early

[10:29] Choosing Ecommerce to accelerate growth

[12:10] Callouts

[12:20] Bootstrapping growth with early revenue

[13:57] Sponsor: Intelligems 

[15:56] Validating demand through review data

[18:02] Listening to customers to improve goods

[22:03] Engaging customers to co-create the brand

[23:47] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[24:55] Learning while building the business

[26:28] Accepting mistakes as part of the journey

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Healthy and natural peanut butter dog treats barkbistro.com/

Follow Tamara Coleman linkedin.com/in/tamara-coleman-07578a23/

Get your free demo klaviyo.com/honest

Book a demo today at intelligems.io/

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Co-founded in 2012 by Ryan Emmons, his cousin Alex Preston, a Hawaiian artist and game designer, and friend Matt Meyer, Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages is a premium beverage company from Hilo, Hawai‘i, offering volcanic water, sparkling water, and coffee, crafted with deep respect for the land, its people, and the responsibility that comes with both. 

Rooted in sustainability, Waiākea is setting a new standard for CPG, blending exceptional taste with conscious practices. From their certified B Corp status and proprietary 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, OceanPlast®, to their community-driven Kōkua Initiative nonprofit, Waiākea is changing the way we hydrate.

Inspired by the founders' long-standing work with clean water and education non-profits, the concept for Waiākea was to move away from singular profit and towards a triple bottom line model (circular packaging, sustainable sourcing, and commitment to the community). 

Their water embodies that mission with an experience that’s natural alkaline pH, 100% BPA & PFA Free, packed with electrolytes & minerals, light, crisp, and refreshingly clean.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[01:25] Turning sustainability into an advantage

[03:28] Starting without industry experience

[05:49] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[07:00] Building a business from a class project

[09:45] Self-distributing to reach early customers

[11:57] Sponsor: Klaviyo

[13:56] Building trust through consignment

[15:12] Scaling distributions with good relationships

[17:06] Callouts

[17:16] Adjusting strategy based on performance

[20:47] Sponsor: Intelligems

[22:47] Managing supply chains for heavy goods

[25:01] Balancing risk with growth opportunities

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Alkaline Hawaiian Volcanic Water waiakea.com/

Follow Ryan Emmons linkedin.com/in/ryan-emmons-8709871b/

Book a demo today at intelligems.io/

Migrate and grow more klaviyo.com/honest   

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Julian Tcherassi is the founder of Magiktea, the first USDA Organic & Wildlife Friendly certified palo azul tea brand in the world. 

Under his leadership, Magiktea has grown from a small independent startup into a nationally recognized wellness brand, now available in over 1,000 health food stores nationwide. 

Passionate about natural remedies and sustainability, Julian started Magiktea with the mission to share sustainably sourced palo azul so that everyone can enjoy Mother Nature's most magical tea. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[02:06] Spotting an opportunity from personal experience

[02:56] Starting a business through personal readings

[05:06] Prioritizing retail over DTC for early traction

[06:53] Offering consignment as visibility strategy 

[10:31] Callouts

[10:41] Embracing rejection as early sales training

[14:43] Sponsor: Klaviyo

[16:49] Learning advertisement tactics from founders

[18:41] Optimizing website to support conversions

[26:46] Sponsor: Intelligems

[25:46] Improving listings to outshine competitors

[29:26] Leveraging Amazon for exposure and sales

[33:25] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[34:31] Analyzing your brand for the winning message

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Fluorescent alkaline palo azul tea magiktea.com/

Follow Julian Tcherassi linkedin.com/in/julian-serrano-tcherassi-97a891156/

Get your free demo klaviyo.com/honest

Book a demo today at intelligems.io/

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Eliah Thanhauser is the Co-Founder and CEO of North Spore, a company dedicated to making mushroom cultivation accessible to all. Since its inception in 2014, they’ve grown from a small operation in a garage in Maine to a vertically integrated manufacturer and a national leader in mycological supplies. 

Eliah’s journey began with a passion for sustainable agriculture and a desire to empower individuals to grow their own food. At North Spore, Eliah and his team provide high-quality mushroom cultivation products and education, supporting everyone from home growers to commercial farmers.​ 

Beyond business, he’s committed to environmental stewardship, advocating for better public access to Maine's shorelands and exploring innovative ways to integrate fungi into sustainable practices.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[02:10] Launching North Spore from a tiny garage

[05:47] Callouts

[05:57] Embracing ecommerce before it was crowded

[07:16] Creating educational content to attract buyers

[09:05] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[10:22] Putting in the work to earn attention

[11:47] Building trust in a skeptical market

[15:55] Avoiding direct competition with giants

[17:31] Sponsor: Intelligems

[19:31] Focusing on one core product first

[23:15] Sponsor: Migrate

[25:13] Persisting through economic challenges

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Mushroom log spawns and supplies northspore.com/

Follow Eliah Thanhauser linkedin.com/in/eliah-thanhauser/

Book a demo today at intelligems.io/

Done-for-you conversion rate optimization service storetester.com/

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!