Paid Forward is a channel about Paid Media, business life, and everything in between. Each episode features guests who share the lessons they’ve learnt (and the ones they’re still figuring out) — from ad strategies that actually work, to stories of rapidly scaling consumer brands, to the real challenges of building and running a business. Along the way, I’ll bring my own perspective from 15 years in paid media and 7 years of running an agency. The aim is simple: to pay it forward with honest conversations that help marketers and founders cut through the noise and get smarter, faster.
Paid Forward
Claim This Podcastby Raman Verma
10 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇬🇧
Podcast Overview
Paid Forward is a channel about Paid Media, business life, and everything in between. Each episode features guests who share the lessons they’ve learnt (and the ones they’re still figuring out) — from ad strategies that actually work, to stories of rapidly scaling consumer brands, to the real challenges of building and running a business. Along the way, I’ll bring my own perspective from 15 years in paid media and 7 years of running an agency. The aim is simple: to pay it forward with honest conversations that help marketers and founders cut through the noise and get smarter, faster.
Language
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Publishing Since
2/18/2026
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Recent Episodes
May 27, 2026
From A Garage to £30M | How Absolute Collagen Built a Subscription DTC Brand | Darcy Laceby
<p>Most ecommerce brands don’t fail because of the product. They fail because they can’t build trust, retention, and community at scale.</p><p>In this episode of Paid Forward, Raman Verma sits down with Darcy Laceby, co-founder of Absolute Collagen, to break down how she scaled a garage startup into a £30M collagen brand and one of the UK’s leading DTC success stories.</p><p>Darcy shares the realities of building a high-growth ecommerce business without external funding, how community-led growth became Absolute Collagen’s competitive advantage, and why retention matters more than ever in modern ecommerce.</p><p>The conversation dives deep into subscription models, Meta ads, TikTok Shop, Amazon growth, retail expansion with Boots, founder-led content, customer trust, and international scaling strategies across the US and China.</p><p>If you’re a founder, marketer, ecommerce operator, or DTC brand builder, this episode is packed with practical insights on sustainable growth, customer retention, creative strategy, and building a brand people genuinely believe in.</p><p><strong>Topics covered:</strong><br>• Community-led ecommerce growth<br>• Subscription retention strategies<br>• Scaling DTC brands profitably<br>• Meta Ads and TikTok Shop growth<br>• Amazon and retail expansion<br>• Founder-led storytelling and brand trust<br>• Customer acquisition and retention<br>• Ecommerce growth strategy in 2026<br>• International expansion for consumer brands</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Guest Links</strong></p><p>👤 Guest: Darcy Laceby</p><p>🔗 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3FwRmpOQWpxUy0ycUtfUkNZT1l1Q3VlZnh4d3xBQ3Jtc0ttdGVlRFNSTG9JNFBET3ZlTV8tMkY3SGFSMGJuUHN6RDI4b2d3QjEzOGh3dUNKcHBSYmNna0txaUdqT1BtTUNPUlp0S3BVNkhuSXVKcE1NNUp5QnhKUWlXMHFRb1pmOGpWTU1hZlFNUmJXWlVBUUpVdw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fdarcy-laceby-495432135%2F&v=aKp5XfI7BI8" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> / darcy-laceby-495432135 </a></p><p>🌐 Website: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVdrRVZQRGsxbk5mUXF5Wm5yX1FlSDhHa0FJZ3xBQ3Jtc0tsUDVyTWFzamdLN0JMdVdkYW9pQnNHVGF3TF9Xc3JaOGhyaUVEbktJZTNUcF9ENDM4VlAtY3pjdTZHdEdNTk96bXZnNE1RTWRjMjlHVnNJYndabU5CZkRrMk40MHRSQk1KMVZXZGFiZnRsYXRTWHNqcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.absolutecollagen.com%2F&v=aKp5XfI7BI8" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.absolutecollagen.com/</a><strong></strong></p><p>📸Instagram - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbXItUV94UHc1T0x0WUltVjdPYWVORkJSaERKd3xBQ3Jtc0tsbURuSUJvQjQtalZWdTlZTEpHLXdCbXlsU1UyWVI1LVNQVUh3c2xteFRUYkxaTFBZNjhnY0hWT1FNMUhfbEZPTFRKNldtRnpUUWx2LS1ZNGdyX1RQbEFxV1NETEw0ckJabDZ0TDRGc3pZX3NjVWJROA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fdarcylaceby%2F&v=aKp5XfI7BI8" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> https://www.instagram.com/darcylaceby/</a></p><p><strong>Host Links</strong></p><p>🎙 Host: Raman Verma</p><p>🔗 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGNzTmc4dFRTMjZrT3VqeHg0S1JNcW1JNkJsUXxBQ3Jtc0trOXZ3aHl0d3dhZ3h3RFhuRlJ4ZGZMeDJnOHdOd1J6cWhma1lMOFZWSkNlNXBHVEk1TUlQdlAySHFUWml6aFR3Y2hhNTk4cEU0XzdiWFdEUUlDWHFrWkRXZFlEdmk4YjVraHhWWHRsYWl3OW9iaGtLZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Framanverma-kandidly&v=aKp5XfI7BI8" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> / ramanverma-kandidly </a></p><p>🌐 Website: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbUZQOG9qb0NFQldzR3QxOTB6Zk9Ya3REZUpkZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttMlV3NnpPeXNQRExBbXlWOG1MZGxFTnZYUEhBVmhQcUlNTlJ1RmdnUWs1LXBwcEhBbFJCUzF1NnYtR25SSC1GeXFtbTVrb3cxdnVZVUtZaTFpODZ1Z0J0eEZlVXR0OTBMVFBJeW55X3A1dUY2WWVTcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fkandidly.co.uk%2F&v=aKp5XfI7BI8" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://kandidly.co.uk</a></p>
May 13, 2026
The Digital Transformation Playbook For Enterprise Brands
<p>For ecommerce and legacy businesses struggling to scale digitally, improving customer experience and operational thinking is often more important than simply driving more traffic or launching new technology.</p><p>In this episode of Paid Forward, Raman Verma speaks with Hemant, a digital transformation leader with experience spanning ecommerce, travel, retail, and international expansion. From helping grow EasyJet’s ancillary revenue from $50M to $100M+ to leading ecommerce initiatives across Europe, Hemant shares practical lessons on customer journey optimisation, experimentation, digital KPIs, and scaling online businesses sustainably.</p><p>Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, Hemant explains why many digital transformation projects fail, how businesses create friction by replicating offline processes online, and why customer experience should always take priority over aesthetics. The conversation also explores localisation vs globalisation in ecommerce, balancing DTC with retail partnerships, agency vs in-house dynamics, and the future impact of AI and blockchain on digital marketing.</p><p>If you are an ecommerce founder, operator, marketer, or business leader looking to scale digitally while improving profitability and customer experience, this episode provides practical insights from someone who has led transformation projects across multiple industries.</p><p>• Why customer experience matters more than aesthetics in ecommerce<br>• The digital KPI framework that drives sustainable growth<br>• How EasyJet increased ancillary revenue without reducing conversions<br>• Why experimentation and testing are critical for digital transformation<br>• The operational and organisational barriers that slow digital adoption<br>• How global brands balance localisation with scalable ecommerce systems<br>• Why businesses should rethink their dependence on Google and paid media<br><strong>Guest: Hemant Desai</strong>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemant-desai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemant-desai/</a></p><p><strong>Host: Raman Verma</strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramanverma-kandidly"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramanverma-kandidly</a></p><p><a href="https://kandidly.co.uk">https://kandidly.co.uk</a></p>
April 8, 2026
Why Your Conversion Rate is Lying to You | CRO Strategies for Ecommerce Brands
<p>For ecommerce brands struggling to improve performance, understanding what truly drives conversions is just as important as driving more traffic.</p><p>In this episode of Paid Forward, Raman Verma speaks with Adam Pearce, Shopify CRO expert and Co-Founder of Blend Commerce, a specialist agency helping high-growth brands improve revenue through data-driven Conversion Rate Optimisation. Adam shares how CRO has evolved from design-led experimentation into a structured discipline focused on improving user journeys, increasing average order value, and driving repeat purchases.</p><p>Drawing on years of CRO testing experience, Adam explains why many brands misunderstand optimisation, why conversion rate alone is often misleading, and how small UX improvements can significantly impact profitability. The discussion explores the importance of trust signals, how to prioritise experiments using proven frameworks, and why traffic volume plays a critical role in reliable A/B testing.</p><p>If you are an ecommerce founder, operator, or growth leader looking to scale efficiently, this episode provides practical insight into how high-performing brands approach experimentation, improve customer experience, and build sustainable revenue growth.</p><p>• Why CRO is about improving revenue per visitor, not just conversion rate<br>• The three ecommerce growth levers: buy now, buy more, buy again<br>• Where users drop off in the customer journey and how to reduce friction<br>• How trust signals such as returns policies and guarantees increase conversions<br>• Why traffic thresholds matter for accurate A/B testing results<br>• How bundling and offer strategy can increase average order value<br>• Why revenue per session is a stronger performance metric than conversion rate</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Guest: Adam Pearce</strong><br><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shopifyexpertadampearce/" target="_new" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/in/shopifyexpertadampearce/</a></p><p><strong>Blend Commerce</strong><br><a href="https://blendcommerce.com/" target="_new" rel="noopener">https://blendcommerce.com/</a></p><p><strong>eCom Collab Club</strong><br><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ecom-collab-club/" target="_new" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ecom-collab-club/</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Host: Raman Verma</strong><br><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramanverma-kandidly" target="_new" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramanverma-kandidly</a></p><p><a href="https://kandidly.co.uk" target="_new" rel="noopener">https://kandidly.co.uk</a></p>
10 total episodes available
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