Having the idea is easy. Turning that idea into an actual business is the hardest part. It takes a leap of faith. It takes execution. It takes a mindset shift that most people never make.
If you are still stuck between "I have an idea" and "I have a business," this Ugly Talk is built for you.
🎯 Why You Should Attend
- What to look out for when starting an e-commerce business and the common rookie mistakes you can avoid before they cost you
- Where to invest your time and money first, and the underrated activities that compound and multiply later
- How to attract your first 100 customers
- What to do when the launch does not go as planned, how to know when to pivot, and if you even should
🙋 Who's Getting In This Room
- Side-hustle operators ready to go full-time
- Aspiring founders and creators sitting on an idea
- Early Shopify merchants ready for the next level
- Builders who are done researching and ready to move
This room is not for spectators. If you are here, you are building.
🎤 Who's Taking the Stage
Mary Bemis - Founder of Reprise
Mary is the founder of Reprise, a plant-based, nontoxic activewear brand she launched in 2018. She started the company with a Kickstarter campaign that raised just under $20,000 and has since bootstrapped its growth nationally and internationally. Reprise was built on the belief that what we wear directly impacts our health, especially during movement, when our skin is most absorbent. The brand uses a custom Tencel blend fabric chosen not only for its sustainability and performance, but for its ability to offer a lower-toxin alternative to conventional synthetic activewear. Through Reprise, Mary is working to raise awareness about the connection between textiles, human health and the planet.
Tommy Castellano - Founder of KYVO
Tommy Castellano is a Shopify merchant, entrepreneur, and father of four from Long Island, NY. What started as a dropshipping operation quickly became a proving ground — validating products, building audiences, and learning what actually converts. Now Tommy is channeling those lessons into his true passion project: KYVO Performance, a golf performance brand built for the everyday competitor who takes the game seriously. Between early morning simulator sessions, a full-time career, and four kids at home, Tommy's story is about building something real — without waiting for the perfect moment.
Rider Tuff - Founder of Timeless Patents
Rider is the founder of Timeless Patents, a company that transforms original US patents into watercolor artwork. He's grown the business through paid media and product seeding. Prior to Timeless Patents, he worked in US Strategy at Deloitte.
Moderator:
Arjun Mahadevan - Founder & CEO of doola
Arjun is the Founder & CEO at doola.com and the host of the 15-minute founder podcast. Before that, Arjun started on the Data & Analytics team at Dropbox before moving to Product Manager on the Growth team. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where he completed a dual degree between The Wharton School and The College of Arts and Sciences, concentrating in Statistics and majoring in Mathematics.
💬 What We Do Not Sugarcoat
What it actually takes to launch in 2026
- Supply chain, channel selection, first hires, and building your stack without overbuilding
- AI and modern tools lowered the barrier. That means more competition, not less.
- The early decisions that separate businesses that last from ones that fizzle in 6 months
What founders get wrong and how they course-correct
- Skipping customer interviews and confusing interest with intent
- Spending $10K on inventory before validating demand
- Ignoring unit economics because "we will figure it out later"
- Experiments that failed, what the data said, and the mindset shifts that saved the business
The back-of-house stuff nobody talks about
- LLC formation mistakes that cost you later. Wrong entity type, wrong state, wrong timing.
- Bookkeeping from day one. Not "when we have revenue."
- Tax setup, compliance, and the ops stack that keeps you from getting buried before you even launch
- The zero-to-one operations that separate a real business from a Shopify link with no backend
Steps to take and how to execute to win
- Problem interviews, offer tests, price tests, smoke tests, small cohorts
- A week-by-week checklist with example KPIs and early revenue benchmarks
- What support to line up and when to stop testing and start building
🤝 Who's Backing This
Shopify New York – Powering millions of sellers around the world
doola - The Business-in-a-Box™ for e-commerce founders—helping you launch, manage, and grow a US business from anywhere.
New Edition – Fractional Head of Content for eComm brands & thought-leaders
⭐ About Ugly Talk:
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.
Official Website: UglyTalk.com
🎥 Get a taste of past Ugly Talk energy:
2025 Year Recap
Ugly Talk: From E-Com Side Hustle to Full-Time Revenue
Hosts
Wed, Apr 08, 06:30 PM - 08:30 PM (EDT)
To be shared on approval (New York)
100 attendees
Having the idea is easy. Turning that idea into an actual business is the hardest part. It takes a leap of faith. It takes execution. It takes a mindset shift that most people never make.
If you are still stuck between "I have an idea" and "I have a business," this Ugly Talk is built for you.
🎯 Why You Should Attend
🙋 Who's Getting In This Room
This room is not for spectators. If you are here, you are building.
🎤 Who's Taking the Stage
Mary Bemis - Founder of Reprise
Mary is the founder of Reprise, a plant-based, nontoxic activewear brand she launched in 2018. She started the company with a Kickstarter campaign that raised just under $20,000 and has since bootstrapped its growth nationally and internationally. Reprise was built on the belief that what we wear directly impacts our health, especially during movement, when our skin is most absorbent. The brand uses a custom Tencel blend fabric chosen not only for its sustainability and performance, but for its ability to offer a lower-toxin alternative to conventional synthetic activewear. Through Reprise, Mary is working to raise awareness about the connection between textiles, human health and the planet.
Tommy Castellano - Founder of KYVO
Tommy Castellano is a Shopify merchant, entrepreneur, and father of four from Long Island, NY. What started as a dropshipping operation quickly became a proving ground — validating products, building audiences, and learning what actually converts. Now Tommy is channeling those lessons into his true passion project: KYVO Performance, a golf performance brand built for the everyday competitor who takes the game seriously. Between early morning simulator sessions, a full-time career, and four kids at home, Tommy's story is about building something real — without waiting for the perfect moment.
Rider Tuff - Founder of Timeless Patents
Rider is the founder of Timeless Patents, a company that transforms original US patents into watercolor artwork. He's grown the business through paid media and product seeding. Prior to Timeless Patents, he worked in US Strategy at Deloitte.
Moderator:
Arjun Mahadevan - Founder & CEO of doola
Arjun is the Founder & CEO at doola.com and the host of the 15-minute founder podcast. Before that, Arjun started on the Data & Analytics team at Dropbox before moving to Product Manager on the Growth team. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where he completed a dual degree between The Wharton School and The College of Arts and Sciences, concentrating in Statistics and majoring in Mathematics.
💬 What We Do Not Sugarcoat
What it actually takes to launch in 2026
What founders get wrong and how they course-correct
The back-of-house stuff nobody talks about
Steps to take and how to execute to win
🤝 Who's Backing This
Shopify New York – Powering millions of sellers around the world
doola - The Business-in-a-Box™ for e-commerce founders—helping you launch, manage, and grow a US business from anywhere.
New Edition – Fractional Head of Content for eComm brands & thought-leaders
⭐ About Ugly Talk:
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.
Official Website: UglyTalk.com
🎥 Get a taste of past Ugly Talk energy:
2025 Year Recap