The 3 Big Affiliate Marketing Mistakes Ecommerce Brands Make (And How to Fix Them) With Greg Rollet
Release Date: 03/11/2026
Minds of Ecommerce
Luke Schneider is the Founder and CEO of Fire Department Coffee, a veteran-owned coffee company he launched in 2016 in Rockford, Illinois. A US Navy veteran and former firefighter-paramedic, Luke built the brand to combine his passion for high-quality coffee with a mission to support firefighters and first responders. Under his leadership, the company has grown from a small roasting operation into a nationally distributed brand. Luke also founded the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation, which provides aid and resources to sick or injured firefighters and first responders. In this...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Greg Rollett is the Head of Growth at Grommet, a product discovery platform that helps makers, inventors, and ecommerce brands showcase new and unique products to millions of shoppers. As an Emmy Award-winning producer, Greg has helped Grommet launch over 2,000 products in the past two years to a customer base of more than 2.5 million shoppers. Beyond his role in driving Grommet’s growth, he focuses on helping ecommerce brands with actionable strategies, particularly in partnership and affiliate marketing. In this episode… Affiliate marketing is often treated like a side project by...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Jay Steinfeld is the Founder and former CEO of Blinds.com, the world’s largest online retailer of window coverings, which was acquired by The Home Depot in 2014. Under his leadership, Blinds.com grew from a bootstrapped startup in his home to a billion-dollar enterprise, earning a reputation for innovation in ecommerce and technology-driven growth. Jay is also a Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Lead from the Core: The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity and the Entrepreneur in Residence at Rice University’s Graduate School of Business, where he shares business insights. ...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Chad Massure is the Founder and CEO of Rosy Soil, a company creating peat-free, carbon-negative potting soils designed to nurture both plants and the planet. He grew up gardening with his grandmother, a background that sparked his passion for sustainable horticulture and inspired him to reimagine what soil could be. Before founding Rosy Soil in 2022, he worked in the impact and food space, helping build ventures focused on sustainable food access and social good. Since then, Chad has guided the brand from a small startup to a rapidly scaling company while maintaining a strong commitment to...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Nicky Cutler is the B2B Marketing Manager at Goorin Bros., a premium hat and apparel company known for its cult-favorite line of trucker hats featuring embroidered animal patches. A seasoned marketer, Nicky led Goorin’s to over $1 million in affiliate revenue in two years by building and scaling Goorin’s ambassador and influencer programs. He previously worked across sales and retail leadership at Goorin and also launched his fashion brand earlier in his career. Blending brand building, community storytelling, and retail insight, he’s become known for driving culture-first marketing...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Cherie Hoeger is the Co-Founder and CEO of Saalt, a woman-owned period care brand known for its sustainable, reusable cups, discs, and leakproof underwear. With expertise in leveraging education-driven customer engagement and innovative sales channels, Cherie has led the company to become the #1 period care brand on TikTok Shop. Before Saalt, she worked as a technical writer for over a decade and launched multiple ecommerce ventures. As a social entrepreneur, she has steered Saalt’s mission to donate tens of thousands of cups and underwear globally to fight period poverty. In this...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Michael Houlihan was the Co‑founder, President, and CEO of Barefoot Wine, an iconic brand that he and his partner Bonnie Harvey launched in a laundry room in 1986 with no money and no knowledge of the wine industry, and built one of the top wine brands in the US and in 28 countries. It was eventually acquired by E. & J. Gallo. A renowned writer, speaker, and consultant, Michael co-authored the New York Times best-selling book The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. He currently divides his time between mentoring entrepreneurs and working on...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Aaron Zagha is the Chief Marketing Officer at Newton Baby, a company specializing in innovative, science-backed sleep products for babies and families. With a professional background in corporate finance and a data-driven marketing approach, Aaron oversees the brand’s marketing strategy, branding, and growth. He previously led international ecommerce operations for Teleflora. Under his leadership, Newton Baby collected over two million pounds of ocean-bound plastic and grew the brand through impactful influencer marketing. In this episode… Influencer marketing is one of the fastest-growing...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Wade Brown is the Vice President of Marketing at cbdMD, a publicly traded company known for its CBD and cannabis product lines. He is a seasoned executive with expertise across ecommerce, B2B and B2C channels, digital advertising, and strategic partnerships. Wade has led marketing for restricted product categories, including CBD, THC beverages, firearms, and tactical gear, with leadership roles at SupplyKick, Inc Authority, NatureWise, among others. At cbdMD, he drives customer acquisition and creative ad strategies, spearheading the launch of the Herbal Oasis infused beverage line and...
info_outlineMinds of Ecommerce
Hassan Alireza is the Founder and CEO of The Daily Crave, a California-based snack company that crafts better‑for‑you, non‑GMO, wholesome snacks sold worldwide. He launched the business in May 2012 with Veggie Chips and Sticks, which quickly gained traction in national retail chains. Under his leadership, the brand has expanded its lineup to include award-winning quinoa chips and, more recently, Crunchy Fries To-Go, which are made from high-quality non-GMO potatoes and are both gluten-free and kosher. Hassan’s vision focuses on delivering snacks that are delicious, crunchy,...
info_outlineGreg Rollett is the Head of Growth at Grommet, a product discovery platform that helps makers, inventors, and ecommerce brands showcase new and unique products to millions of shoppers. As an Emmy Award-winning producer, Greg has helped Grommet launch over 2,000 products in the past two years to a customer base of more than 2.5 million shoppers. Beyond his role in driving Grommet’s growth, he focuses on helping ecommerce brands with actionable strategies, particularly in partnership and affiliate marketing.
In this episode…
Affiliate marketing is often treated like a side project by ecommerce brands — an affiliate link in the footer and a hope that sales will magically appear. But while many companies invest heavily in paid ads, they overlook one of the most powerful performance-based growth channels available. Why do so many affiliate and partner programs fail to gain traction?
Greg Rollet’s answer starts with a mindset shift: treat partnerships like a real marketing channel. As a growth strategist specializing in affiliate and partnership marketing, he explains that many brands make three critical mistakes: lack of focus, weak incentives, and poor support for partners. Brands often offer commissions that are too low to motivate creators and publishers, even though they spend far more acquiring customers through paid ads. Greg also emphasizes equipping affiliates with the tools they need to succeed, such as product samples, creative assets, landing pages, and ready-to-use marketing copy. When brands align incentives and make it easy for partners to promote their products, affiliate programs can become a scalable and high-impact revenue channel.
In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle talks with Greg Rollett, Head of Growth at Grommet, to discuss the mistakes brands make with affiliate and partner programs. They explore why many affiliate programs fail, how to structure payouts using allowable CPA, and how brands can build strong affiliate relationships through proactive outreach and partnerships.