Every Step to Start an Ecommerce Business Revealed: Operators Build (E1)

“We’ve done it before. Can we do it again?” Five executives put half a million dollars on the line to start a new ecommerce brand. Operators Build follows every step, in public. You get the math, the disagreements, and the cost of launching an online business in 2026. This is not dropshipping. We bought inventory, formed an LLC, and registered our domain name: https://getwinks.com The plan? Shopify + paid social (Meta) with online marketplaces like Amazon and new channels like TikTok added as the numbers earn it. Curtis covers the category and the year they spent on the product + inventory management (sourcing, co-manufacturer, 3PL). Sean frames subscriptions and the CAC goal. Cody runs email and social-media marketing with AI to keep OpEx low. Mike pushes for constraints while Matt argues for high conviction, one big bet. Powered By Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Omnisend https://www.omnisend.com/9operators SARAL https://calendly.com/maxx-getsaral/operators Motion https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Shoplift https://shoplift.ai/operators Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ Chapters 00:00:00 New Ecommerce Business 00:03:30 Why Make a Sleep Product? 00:07:52 How to Start a Brand (2026) 00:13:43 The $500K Investment 00:21:44 Mercenaries Over Martyrs 00:30:01 We’re Not Dropshipping 00:36:40 Drive Traffic, CAC Ceiling 00:41:28 Go All In Or Spread Bets 00:49:25 Email & Digital Marketing 00:58:26 Culture And Low Ego 01:04:31 Need a Business Plan? 01:14:44 Choosing Co-Founders