What does it really take to scale on Amazon in 2026?

In this episode of The eCom Growth Show, Danan Coleman sits down with Amazon growth operator and fractional eCommerce leader Dr. Drew Littlejohns to break down the biggest challenges brands face when trying to grow beyond early traction and into serious scale.

Drew has spent more than a decade helping brands navigate Amazon, DTC, and omnichannel growth. From scaling a brand from $500K to a projected $28M run rate, to building and managing Amazon systems from the inside out, he shares practical lessons most sellers learn the hard way.

If you're an Amazon seller, DTC founder, or eCommerce operator looking to build a more profitable and sustainable business, this episode is packed with actionable insights.

In this episode:
✅ Why Amazon growth eventually requires an omnichannel strategy
✅ The biggest mistakes brands make when scaling
✅ How branding impacts long-term business value
✅ The costly consequences of ignoring trademarks and IP protection
✅ Shopify vs other eCommerce platforms
✅ How to vet agencies, freelancers, and in-house hires
✅ Why profit matters more than revenue when evaluating growth
✅ Building systems and SOPs that support scale

🔗 Connect with Drew Littlejohns
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-littlejohns-21673a13

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Introduction & Meeting Drew in Nashville
01:13 Who Is Drew Littlejohns?
02:26 Amazon Then vs Amazon Now
04:30 The Biggest Challenges of Scaling on Amazon
06:20 Is Shopify Still the Best Platform for Brands?
08:00 The #1 Mistake Amazon Sellers Make
10:18 Why IP & Trademarks Matter More Than You Think
11:08 Building AOV, LTV & Customer Retention
13:12 Danan's Branding Mistake & Domain Lessons
16:44 How to Vet Agencies, Freelancers & In-House Talent
18:11 Why Percentage-of-Spend Agency Models Are Outdated
20:34 Revenue vs Profit: The Truth About Growth
20:58 What Good Agencies and Freelancers Actually Do
21:55 What Brands Should Expect to Pay for Talent
23:51 How to Connect with Drew
24:47 Future Deep-Dive SOP Episodes
25:34 Outro

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Danan Coleman is an expert in the Amazon field. He's been actively selling on Amazon since 2010 and in the SaaS and Service network for Amazon sellers since 2018. After helping companies like ManageByStats and Carbon6 scale and be sold, he started his eCom Triage [https://ecomtriage.com] to help sellers with solutions to complicated and seemingly impossible tasks like removing negative reviews and detecting critical and detrimental changes to your product detail pages. He also consults both brands and agencies in the Amazon space.