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From Grit to Growth
Welcome to From Grit to Growth! With a combined 50+ years of executive experience in retail, technology, and financial services, Mark and Jennifer have played pivotal roles in the success of several Fortune 500 companies. In this podcast, they'll talk about the key factors of successful founders, what holds them back from growth, how to find the why behind what they do, and much more.
From Grit to Growth
11. Your Gut Instincts Are Your Greatest Operating System
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The early days of e-commerce were chaotic. No Shopify, no Klaviyo, no attribution dashboards. In this conversation, Jennifer turns the tables and interviews Mark about the path that began with a phone call from a man selling hammocks in Washington and eventually led to Hayneedle’s sale for hundreds of millions. Their story was built inside a Barnes & Noble, fueled by instinct, trial-and-error, and a long list of decisions that shaped modern online retail.
Mark shares what it felt like to scale from a single product site to more than 300 niche stores, how customer curiosity became the catalyst for entire categories, and the moments where listening to his gut would have saved millions.
If you’re building, scaling, or thinking about your next chapter, this conversation offers the kind of clarity only lived experience can give.
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About Dundee Growth Partners
Dundee Growth Partners provides E-commerce leaders with the strategy, systems, and tools they need to face growth challenges and scale with confidence. With deep industry experience and AI-powered platforms, we help leadership teams scale in a sustainable way. Interested in learning more? Click the link below to get started.