This past Wednesday, New Edition co-hosted another Ugly Talk inside a packed house of over 200 people at Shopify New York—our first big event of 2026.

If you haven't been to an Ugly Talk at Shopify NY yet, here's the deal: we bring together founders, service providers, and anyone building in eCommerce to have honest conversations about what actually works, what doesn't, and the ugly moments nobody talks about on LinkedIn (or in newsletters 🙂 ) .

I spoke with Jade Beguelin (4AM, skincare), Steve O’Dell (Breath Death, oral care) and Kiki Couchman (Sourmilk; greek yogurt) about what we learned from 2025 and what we should be prioritizing as we head into 2026.

The TLDR version: Master the fundamentals—product quality, supply chain efficiency, and founder-led content—before chasing growth at all costs.

If you weren't in the room, below are five key takeaways that will help you make smarter decisions in your business in 2026.

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OH, AND HERE ARE OUR WINNERS FROM THIS WEEK’S $100 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY…

• $100 DIGITAL GIFT CARD // 4AM: Teresa Lee

• $100 DIGITAL GIFT CARD // Breath Death: Noah Habtemichael

• $100 DIGITAL GIFT CARD // Sourmilk: Christina Ferrari

1. Don’t Accept Standard Terms With Your Suppliers

When discussing cash flow strategy - as Kiki put it: "We've talked to businesses like Baker that bootstrapped into Target entirely because of aggressive negotiations on terms."

The lesson: you have more control over your cash conversion cycle than you think. Don't accept standard net 30 terms. Push back. Ask for net 60 with co-manufacturers and net 15 with retailers. You'll unlock the cash flow needed to scale without external funding.

Why this matters: The difference between a negative cash conversion cycle (collecting from customers before paying suppliers) and a positive one can literally determine whether you bootstrap your way to millions or get stuck in a growth plateau.

2. Bootstrapping isn't just possible right now; it's likely the smarter play early on.

The conversation around bootstrapping versus taking outside funding revealed something important: bootstrapping isn't just possible in eCommerce right now; it's likely the smarter play early on.

Jade Begeulin explained: "Funds aren't super interested without a large inflection point. The thing that cuts off is huge marketing swings and testing."

Why this matters: Build for cash flow first. Test marketing channels without burning capital. In other words, if you're growing and profitable, fundraising becomes a choice, not a necessity.

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3. Hire For What’s Keeping You From Scaling

When asked about their first and next hires, panelists talked about operations, finance, and supply chain—the unsexy stuff that actually scales businesses.

Jade shared: "Our first hire is a VP of Ops and Finance because that's what I do now, but it's not my zone of genius." Kiki mentioned she brought on a VP of Supply Chain because managing biweekly production runs manually was unsustainable.

Why this matters: Hiring based on your operational gaps means every new person multiplies your capacity to execute. Identify what's keeping you from scaling, then hire to eliminate that bottleneck.

4. Don’t Chase Every Trend. Double Down On What’s Working

Success in eCommerce comes down to fundamentals. Unit economics matter. Customer feedback matters. Last year's channels won't work this year.

As I put it in my intro: "Mistakes can be fatal in this industry. The key is learning from your mistakes and not making them over again." The successful founders aren’t chasing every trend—they are focused on fundamentals: unit economics, team building, customer relationships, and continuous learning.

Why this matters: In a landscape where margins are thin and change is constant, mastering the basics provides a stable foundation that trends can't shake.

5. Community Is More Than A Buzzword - It’s Your Competitive Moat

Throughout the conversation, panelists emphasized that they were building movements of people who cared, not just products.

Jade emphasized: "Making sure we're doing events (with our community) is really important (to us)." Kiki mentioned Sourmilk’s ability to generate buzz and following among customers who were willing to meet them at inconvenient locations just to get the product. That's community. That's loyalty you can't buy with paid ads.

Why this matters: Community creates word-of-mouth, repeat customers, and long-term resilience. It's the moat that protects you when paid advertising gets expensive and competition increases.

If there's one thing that stood out from Wednesday's event: 2025 was not easy. Paid ads got expensive. Supply chains got complex. Retail got competitive.

The founders who thrived weren't chasing trends—they mastered the fundamentals and stayed disciplined.

As you head into 2026, focus on generating proof points, negotiate harder on terms, stay scrappy on feedback, and build sustainable unit economics. That's not sexy, but it works.

If you missed this one, I hope to see you at a New Edition Event soon!

Which was your favorite takeaway?

Shoot me an email ([email protected]) and let’s chat about it.

See you next time ✌️