Johnny Russo

Shaping the Ecommerce, Digital Marketing, Social Media Landscape

The Commerce Show Podcast: Episode 7 with Johnny Russo

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Montrealer Philippe Pâquet-De Varennes asked me to be on his new podcast, The Commerce Show. We chatted about Ecommerce, Digital, Retail, ball hockey, and leadership.

Philippe is so energetic, and it’s easy to have an off-the-cuff conversation with him. Happy to support his new podcast, which I know will be a great success.

In this episode, we talk about a framework I built for digital transformation. We talked about marketplaces such as Amazon & Walmart. We also cover leadership to help you understand what it takes to lead an eCommerce team.

We then venture into the new project I’m working on, a new sleepwear site called The Cozy Shop that will be launched on Shopify-Plus. I also chat about leading a purpose-driven eCommerce company called INVICTA Commerce Ventures. So many exciting things about this business. We invest in eCommerce brands in the Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Essentials, and Sustainability verticals.

I hope you enjoy the show!

Here’s where you can listen or watch it. Click on the links below.

YouTube

Spotify

The Commerce Show website

Rangle Podcast: Explosive Ecommerce Growth During The Pandemic

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In February 2021, Rangle asked me to be on their very first podcast. The fantastic Rebecca Holland is the host, and I met Rebecca at a Digital Marketing and Ecommerce event years back, and we kept in touch.

I was honoured to be chosen to kick this off for Rangle, a company that partners with organizations to build high-quality, customer-centric software experiences.

Rangle’s newest podcast series explores the intersection of people and technology.  
 
People-Centered Innovation puts the spotlight on leaders in digital to share their perspectives, their innovative work, and their advice.  

We chatted about a range of topics, including:

  • Explosive Ecommerce growth during the pandemic
  • Framework for Digital Transformation
  • Investing in your team
  • Partnership ecosystem and philosophy
  • My leadership book coming out in 2022

You can view or listen to the podcast on various channels linked below:

YouTube: People-Centered Innovation. Episode 1: Johnny Russo

Spotify: People-Centered Innovation. Episode 1: Johnny Russo

Apple: People-Centered Innovation. Episode 1: Johnny Russo

An Often Overlooked Aspect of Being a Great Manager

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An Often Overlooked Aspect of Being a Great Manager

Most people start their careers, and after a year or two, they dream of being a boss. They want to be a Manager. They want to lead and mentor a team. And everyone believes they will be good at managing a team. And at the beginning of your career, you may even think it looks easy. After all, you communicate great with your friends and colleagues, how hard can leading people be?

This blog post won’t cover all the aspects that make a great (or bad) Manager, but it will cover one very important one. Be responsive.

Time Management Can Be a Key Driver in Being Responsive

See, here’s the thing. Usually, when you become a Manager, you have more responsibilities which means you have to manage your time better. If you don’t do a good job of managing your time, you will either: A. Always have to play catch up at night or on the weekends or B. Always leave your team looking for answers because you’re not being responsive to their questions and/or needs.

If you take on the responsibility of being a Manager – remember, this is a big step in your career – you’re being given employees whom leadership expects you to mentor, coach, mold, help, and maybe most importantly, they expect you to get them to get shit done. Meaning if you are a Manager, you cannot be a bottleneck. You cannot keep your team waiting for answers – unanswered emails, texts, or calls, and a lack of timely decision-making will surely not move the needle, and then you may lose respect amongst your team. You also need to make time for them. Even if you’re wrapped up in meetings all day, that’s no excuse. Take them for a coffee. Have breakfast with them. Stay late to talk with them. Make time for them.

And this does not go only for new Managers. This is even more crucial for senior Managers and senior leaders, as you have even more responsibility, pressure, and probably more issues to tackle.

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The Parallels Between Leading and Hiking Alone – My Trip to Sedona

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“For each of us there is a special place in this world…A place where beauty, adventure and majesty capture the soul…Discover your place and discover your soul.” Author Unknown.

In early March, I took a trip to Sedona. Now this was not just any trip. I had Sedona on my list of places to visit. You know, that list you make and then visit every other place on it. Not me. Not anymore. My lists are my bond. If I put it on there, I will do it. Sedona, which is 2 hours north of Phoenix in the state of Arizona, was a place that I’ve been drawn to for a few years now. In January, I got an email from WestJet saying if I booked in the next 24 hours, I would get to use $225 WestJet dollars. I booked within minutes of opening the email. Oh, and did I mention I was going to visit Sedona all alone? Yes, all alone.

So I booked this trip on a whim (didn’t ask my wife, but she was there when I booked it). And now I had to plan it. (Usually, my wife does this stuff). So January and most of February happened, and I hadn’t planned a thing. With 7 days left before takeoff, I finally got to it. I booked my hotel (the Matterhorn Inn) and got a car rental from the Phoenix Airport (GMC Terrain from Avis). And then I planned my days, which involved tons of hiking. I researched which trails to go on, and how to get there, and where to park. My wife told me of a Reiki session I should do. I hold no clue what that was. But I booked it. Let me rewind for a second.

The Matterhorn Inn – Uptown Sedona

Uptown Sedona
Uptown Sedona

Reconnecting The Heart, Mind, and Spirit

The reason I was going on this trip was to connect again – with spirituality, my heart, and well, my life again. I had lost myself a bit in the last couple of years. My son Luca has certainly helped me regain much of that and fill my heart. Luca was turning 7 months around the time of this trip. He is my heart. He is my life. But you can always improve in life, right? This was by no means a mid-life crisis. I turned 36 a few weeks before this trip. And I still feel young. This trip was more about soul searching and opening myself up to new experiences, and trying to find some spirituality. I am Catholic. I believe in God. But at times, like anyone, I question things. Why did this happen? Why did this not happen? How can I get over this? How can I fulfill my full potential? What is my life purpose? Where is God when I or others get hurt? What is my meaning? I was not expecting my Sedona trip to solve all this, but I was open to it, whatever it was.

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About the Blog

Johnny Russo Logo

I have been following blogs for over 15 years. I have also written blog posts for many of the companies I have worked for. So it only made sense that I finally (yes, I said finally) made the plunge and launched my own blog in 2015. So what … Read More

Experience

Digital Experience - Johnny Russo

I have 13+ years experience in the Retail, Start-up, Technology, and Manufacturing industries. I have led growth and strategies in Ecommerce, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Branding Social Media, Mobile, and Omni-Channel … Read More

Current Project

Working as the Vice President of Marketing & Ecommerce at The Kersheh Group, an apparel retailer and manufacturer that specializes predominately in kids sleepwear. The Kersheh Group manufactures and markets sleepwear for boys, girls, adults, and the entire family. Our cozy, … Read More