Ronak Shah

CEO & Co-Founder at Obvi | EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 | Featured on Inc. as 1 of 22 High Achievers | Chew on This Podcast Host

As the CEO of Obvi, I lead the company's vision to offer the most obvious choice of transparent products that deliver real results without sacrificing taste. Obvi, which has been featured on Inc. as one of the 22 high achievers of 2022, has grown rapidly since its launch in 2019, thanks to our innovative and customer-centric approach to product development, marketing, and community building.

With over a decade of experience in accounting, finance, and e-commerce, I have developed strong competencies in customer relationship management, analytical skills, communication, and technology. I have successfully completed enterprise-scale projects involving technology conversions, re-branding, custom CRM development, report design, and release management. As an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 and a co-host of Chew On This podcast, I am passionate about sharing my insights and expertise on DTC content and strategies with other founders and entrepreneurs. I am also a growth ambassador for Gorgias, a universal tool for CX that I endorse and use for Obvi.

Chief Executive Officer

Obvi was founded with one objective in mind: present the most obvious choice of transparent products which present real results without having to sacrifice taste. At Obvi, we believe the industry as it is currently, is facing a phenomenon which is known as the paradox of choice; that is, the more choices there are, the less satisfied the customer is starting to become. We have set out to make that choice as obvious and easy for our customers. Simple and transparent formulas with a cutting-edge flavor systems make any Obvi product, the obvious choice.

$80+ shipping is customer betrayal.
You're asking customers to leave your store.

International shoppers don’t leave because they don’t want the product.

They leave because of sticker shock.

They'll see $59,99 on the website.
Then at checkout, it's suddenly $100+.

Conversion is gone.
And the fix isn’t cheaper shipping.

Here's the solution:
Show the full price upfront.

To do this, use software that detects the user's location.

Then, bundle product + shipping + duties + taxes directly on the product page.

So:
• US customer sees $59.99
• Australian customer sees $105

Both customers can see “Free Shipping”
(because it’s already baked in).

With international ads 60–70% cheaper than US ads, even small conversion lifts compound fast.

The Takeaway:
Stop charging $30+ for international shipping.

Just show all-in pricing depending on the user's location.

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

If you want to grow your e-com business in 2026, avoid these 5 mistakes ⬇️
Mistake #1: Playing defense
No urgency = no innovation.

Markets punish complacency fast.

Mistake #2: No goal
When your team doesn't have a unified goal, your business will spiral.

Your employees won't know what to do and they won't feel motivated.

Mistake #3: Expanding too fast
At Obvi, our viral flavors made us famous.

Launching a line of unflavored greens would be a big mistake.
- That's why we made Strawberry Lychee greens.

Mistake #4: Ignoring subscriptions
Recurring revenue must be the core of the business.

Mistake #5: Mismanaging inventory & debt
Cash flow > expansion fantasies.

You can hire faster and chase growth, but if cash isn’t coming in faster than it’s going out, the business collapses.

The Takeaway:
Growth comes from urgency, focus, and doubling down on what works.

Don't make these mistakes in 2026.

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Attribution is the next Lego.
Attribution just means who you give credit to for a purchase.

And most teams are counting it wrong.

For example:
Someone hears me on a podcast during their commute.
They don’t buy.

A week later they open a newsletter that references Obvi.
Still no purchase.

Two days after that, a promo email hits their inbox.
They buy.

Last-click says the email did everything.
First-click says the podcast did everything.

Both are wrong.
Buying decisions aren’t a single moment. They’re a sequence.

Awareness without follow-up never converts.

A great closer without awareness can't close.

The fix is simple:
Lego attribution.

Instead of giving 100% of the credit to one touch, break it into blocks:
1) The awareness block gets credit
2) The conversion block gets credit

Why Lego attribution wins:
• Reflects how people actually buy
• Shows channels that create demand
• Proves what’s working together

The Takeaway:
Stop using single-click attribution.

Start tracking attribution blocks.

Common hiring mistake:
Thinking background is critical.

It’s not.
Reliability is what matters.

I’ll take a “get the job done” person with an average resume over a perfect background and shaky follow-through every single time.

Because follow-up emails close sales.

Because the CRM works only if someone updates it after the call.

Because the invoice needs to go out the same day, not three weeks later.

Because the unglamorous work keeps the lights on.

Because churn starts with “sorry for the late reply.”

Background tells you where someone’s been.

Reliability tells you what happens after you hire them.

The Takeaway:
Hiring isn’t about collecting impressive resumes.
It’s about betting on people who will execute.

Here's how I generated 1,000+ leads for AppLovin:
[steal this]

Most brands default to ads. We didn’t.

Instead, we published a starter guide for AppLovin that explained the platform from zero → launch.

This starter guide was the equivalent of a 2 hour acquired podcast on AppLovin.

Short-form video walkthroughs explained each section.

Old podcasts and clips from Chew on This were recycled inside the guide.

Real ad creatives showed what “good” actually looks like.

Here's the key to converting:
We gave an incentive for the audience.

$5,000 in free ad credits for anyone who signed up.

This was all on a landing page. Anybody can do this.

The result:
1,000 qualified leads from a single campaign without paying a dime in ads.

Takeaway:
Marketing doesn’t mean ads.
It means making something so useful people choose to opt in.

Most brands aren’t bad at marketing.
They’re bad at counting.

Specifically:
Who gets credit when someone finally buys?

Last-click attribution is the problem.
It gives 100% of the credit to the final touch.

Last click attribution is wildly misleading.

Example:
• Customer sees a random Instagram ad
• Doesn’t buy
• One day later Googles the brand
• Purchases

Last click gives Google the credit.
Instagram looks useless.

Here’s the damage:
You cut Instagram. Sales drop.

Now flip it.

First-click isn’t better either.
Now, you're ignoring what convinced the customer to buy.

Most purchases involve 6–10 touchpoints before conversion.

Which brings us to reality:
Marketing is a relay race, not a duel.

Weighted attribution fixes this:
• Awareness gets credit
• Consideration gets credit
• Conversion gets credit

The Takeaway:
Use weighted attribution to track sales.

It will make sure credit is given where credit is due.

3 things every brand must do to rank #1 in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini

(Brand operators: save this.)

Why this matters

Search behavior is changing fast.

- ~70% of discovery conversations are already moving to AI
- OpenAI has partnered with Shopify
- In 10 years, the majority of shopping decisions will start in AI search — not Google

If your brand isn’t visible inside AI answers, you’re not just behind — you’re invisible.

What we’re seeing in the wild

Sean Frank (CEO of Ridge Wallet) recently shared that ChatGPT is already driving meaningful traffic for them.

We’re seeing the same thing across brands like Obvi and others in our portfolio.

AI isn’t coming. It’s already here.

So how do you actually increase AI visibility?

Here’s the playbook we’re using.

1. Nail the boring (but critical) hygiene

AI can’t recommend what it can’t clearly understand.

That means:

- Clean Merchant Center + product feeds (titles, GTINs, variants, availability)
- Clear shipping, returns, and warranty pages (scannable, not fluffy)
- FAQs for every hero product
- Review markup + visible review counts everywhere
- One strong “About” page written in plain English that clearly says who the product is for

If AI can’t extract the facts, it won’t surface your brand.

2. Actively test your AI visibility

Stop guessing. Start querying.

Ask AI the way a real buyer would:

“I need an all-natural deodorant that works for heavy sweating, has no aluminum, and won’t stain black shirts.”

Then:

• Build 25–50 synthetic buyer queries per product line
 • Include use cases + constraints
 • Benchmark weekly across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
 • Track who is ranking — and why

AI leaves clues. You just have to look.

3. Reverse-engineer where AI gets its opinions

AI doesn’t invent “best products.”
It synthesizes consensus.

Look at what it cites:

- “Best X” listicles (Wirecutter-style + niche blogs)
- Reddit threads
- YouTube reviews + transcripts
- Marketplaces (Amazon, etc.)
- Review platforms

Your job is simple (but not easy):

1. Get mentioned in the places AI already trusts

2. Make sure your brand positioning is consistent everywhere

AI rewards repetition and agreement.
Consensus is the ranking signal.

The reality

You can do all of this manually.

Or… you can use the same system we’re rolling out across 25+ brands.

Meridian 2.0 just launched, and it automates AI visibility tracking, benchmarking, and footprint analysis in one place.

It shows you — clearly — where your brand stands inside AI answers and what to fix next.

If you want to see what your AI visibility score actually looks like, drop a comment and I’ll share the framework.

Yes — full transparency — we’re a proud Meridian partner.

This is the future of SEO.

The first reader of your post is not a person.


It’s a model.

Email. LinkedIn. Now ChatGPT.

With SEO, page two still gets traffic.
With GEO (AI search), there is no page two.

Here’s how to optimize for GEO:

Take the example of what we did for Dr. Jen Natural, a premium toothpaste.

#1: Question the model
Ask ChatGPT and Claude what toothpaste they recommend.

Make a list of those exact articles & URLs.

#2: Copy the structure
Use the same framing. Same logic. But with a different product.

#3: Declare yourself the winner
Publish ranking-style content where Dr. Jen is the clear winner.

#4: Reinforce
Consistency trains the model. Repetition locks it in.

Now when someone asks AI for the best nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste,

Dr. Jen appears.

The Takeaway:
If customers trust ChatGPT and ChatGPT doesn’t trust you, you have a problem.

Optimize for ChatGPT.

Buying a $10-$100m Brand 🛒 or $1m- $10m SaaS biz this year.

I'm on the hunt for great Ecommerce brands and Apps. In the next year I'm going to Buy A Biz! 

After a decade of scaling the fastest-growing Shopify Plus Brands and Apps, it's time for me to run one. I'm acquiring Brands @ $10m - $100m and SaaS apps @ $1m - $10m Topline.


When I'm not living the Ecom lifestyle I'm learning Mandarin, and exploring the flavors of my kitchen.


I write a weekly Public Brand Teardown newsletter and share my journey 👉: 
https://letsbuyabiz.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Jeremy Horowitz'

There are ~3.6m Shopify stores (+24% YoY).
~ 125k do $1m+/yr (+26%)
~ 69k are on Plus (+81%).
~ 400 of those are >$100m+/yr

The important insights:
- Shopify is massive but only 3% are real bizs
- Only 50% of $1m+ brands are on Plus.
- Plus adoption is growing faster than everything else.


Reading through the tea leaves.

Plus is growing faster than everything else for 2 reasons:
1) Reps are more heavily compensated here.
2) Shopify is signing up more Omni-brands.

Retail features are nested inside of Plus.

Which will go down as Shopify’s smartest product move.

Ever.

The future for Ecommerce + Shopify.

Is Omni.

Acquired: CocoAI - Increase Rev +15% w/ WhatsApp. Still looking for a $10-$100m Brand 🛒 .

7k+ Shopify stores that do $10m+/yr. The Breakdown:
1) US: 82%
2) UK: 5%
3) India: 3%
4) Canada: 2%
5) Australia: 2%

Germany, France, Italy, Hong Kong + the Netherlands all trail with 1%.


The US is still the only real Shopify market. 

With a meaningful scale of big brands.

Yotpo will IPO in the next 24 months.

How do I know this? Because you don’t:
- Shut down an 8-fig product line.
- Layoff 40% of the team.
- Completely Rebrand

Unless you are preparing for a major exit.

After raising $400m+
Doing north of $150m in ARR (I’m speculating).
Leading 2 of the biggest categories in Retail (Reviews + Loyalty)

The only exit you can afford: IPO.

I don’t have any insider info. 
Just reading the tea leaves.

It’ll be amazing to see # 4 from the Shopify IPO class public.

What do you think they’ll IPO for?

New Year. Finally a new Profile photo.

For 3 years everyone meeting me must have been so confused.

Seeing a prof pic of me with hair.

To meet me in person.

Literally balder than the day I was born.

So finally I have an updated profile picture.

Thanks to my incredible sister for the headshot.
+ ChatGPT for the post effects.

For everyone in NYC today...

I'm going to be hanging around NRF meeting people.

Let's meet up!

Five $100m brands that need to be on your 2026 radar.
1) YoungLA (Gen Z Gymshark)
2) Bogg Bag (Crocs for Bags)
3) Little Sleepies (Family PJ sets)
4) Comft (True Classic for Athleisure)
5) FORTÉ (JRB for men)


Everyone is going to Grüns themselves over these brands next year.

My bet: Bogg Bag is the first to go public.

After talking about a Youtube channel for 3 yrs.
Now you can finally see + hear me break down my crazy takes.

We’ll cover:
- Stocks + Turnaround stories of major brands.
- Special tactics of what the best brands are doing.
- Deep dives into WhatsApp and AI.

It’s time to finally get back on camera.

Big goal for the year 0 -> 1k subscribers 

Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/euxx2e5G

5 Insights from reading 25 pgs of Loop’s 2026 Benchmark report:
1) 65% of brands charge a return fee (~$9)
2) Accessories Return Fraud = ~$341 (3x the avg)
3) 55% of Cosmetic/skincare brands offer Exchanges?
4) Lowest hanging fruit: Variant exchanges.
5) You want to add friction to your Returns program.


5 is my favorite.

There’s some great game theory you can work through.

Have fees + strategically remove them 

To incentivize certain actions. Like 
- VIPs
- Pushing to Exchanges
- Buying more in the exchange.

*The data is across 23m Returns from 4k Shopify brands using Loop returns.

Apple ($3.8T) needs to raid its $125B of cash + acquire Perplexity. 

To stop the Siri bleeding 
Make it not suck 
+ stop paying Google $1B/yr.

Meta/Open AI should have 0 chance at creating the next AI device.

Apple already has it: Airpods + iPhone

- Airpods: Speaking/Listening device to 
- iPhone: Interactive screen to visualize outputs

To really crush it, they should take $20m and clone Whspr flow too.

They already have all the users/data/devices.

They just need Siri to be usable.

In 2020, Tupperware was a $1.5B biz. 

Now it's worth $930k (-99.9%).

1 of America’s most iconic brands.

Is worth less than the Public biz compliance fees.

This should have never happened.

The signs were there for years to adjust course.

Poor management and refusing the adapt with the times.
Lead an American legend into irrelevance.

My 5 goals for 2026
1) 2x CoCo AI again this year.
2) Get back to monthly Therapy Sessions by March
3) Build up a 6 mo cash reserve again
4) Start taking a short vacation 1x/quarter
5) Do a 3-day fast 1x/quarter.

The hardest goal not to have this year

Is blank in the Philanthropy bucket.

I need to be real with myself.

And admit that I need to go all in on Coco AI.

Before I can meaningful commit to helping others.

This is a season of focus in my life.

And that focus will require me to be more selfish that I'd hoped.

“DTC has better margins” is a lie.

Omni-brands are 8x more profitable than Pure DTC.

Real Omnichannel brands have much higher margins than DTC.

The chart below is Drivepoint’s DTC index.



The takeaway.

Your only job:

Sell your product in every channel customers buy.


Stop letting Meta suck your biz dry.

Find the right times to expand into the right channels.

This Tech stack 2x’d Coco in only 10 months (20 tools):
1) ChatGPT
2) Lovable
3) Lindy
4) JIRA
5) GitHub
6) Meow
7) Google Cloud 
8) Google Workspace
9) LinkedIn
10) Crisp
11) Vercel
12) Sentry
13) Twilio
14) Notion
15) Zapier *
16) Deel*
17) Hubspot*
18) Docusign*
19) Inngest
20) Webflow

Even though we use tools 15–20.
I would not recommend.

I'm actively looking for alternatives.

What is your favorite tool that you’ve been using?

What are some good alternatives to my list?

Laird Superfood ($35m) is making the worst acquisition of 2026.

Raising $50m in debt to acquire Navitas Organics for $38.5m.

Today in the newsletter I’m breaking down the full shenanigans.

Of how this is the worst M&A of the year.

IN THE FIRST MONTH.

🧠 Takeaways: Today, I’m breaking down Laird Superfood’s comically awful acquisition of Navitas + why Laird is the worst run biz of 2025. Laird Superf

Open article: The Stupidest Deal of All Time (by Laird) by Jeremy Horowitz' • 6 min read

The Stupidest Deal of All Time (by Laird)

If you're still only using email + Meta ads to grow your eCom brand...

You're leaving $100k+ in Rev on the table.

At CoCo AI, we've helped 665+ Shopify brands implement WhatsApp.

Here's what we're seeing:
→ 80–90% open rates (vs email's 20–30%)
→ 15–20% conversion rates from WhatsApp chats
→ 90x ROI on ab cart recovery
→ European brands recovering 45–60% of abandoned carts

Meanwhile, most eCom brands are still:
- Fighting rising Meta ad costs.
- Watching email deliverability tank.
- Seeing messages buried in overcrowded inboxes.

So I just recorded a video breaking down exactly how to use WhatsApp.

To add 15–20% in extra revenue to your store.

I cover:
1) Why WhatsApp is outperforming email + SMS right now
2) How to set up WhatsApp marketing for your Shopify store
3) The 3 methods to build your WhatsApp list fast
4) The abandoned cart automation driving 90x ROI
5) How AI agents handle customer conversations 24/7 (no support team needed)

Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/ej697eEx

Who wants to make $100k for <10 hrs/wk?

Sell my Media sponsorships (6m Views/yr) to Top .01% bizs and you will.

This isn’t some 2-bit operation. We have:
- Fully built out sales process w/ playbooks (HubSpot)
- List of Potential partners
- Aggressive Compensation

What you’ll do:
- Talk with the leading Shopify apps in the space.
- Find the right media package fits.
- Close Sponsorship deals.

I’m looking for an experienced BD person.

Week 1 you’re working the pipeline.
Week 2 work with me to deliver great ads.
Week 4 collecting those sweet commissions.

+ we’re adding new channels (AKA new sponsorship opps) this year.

I’m looking to bring someone on by EOM.

If this sounds like a good fit for you, send me a DM.

Let’s talk.

How OpenAI will own Paramount by EOY 2027:
1) OpenAI rug pulls on their Oracle commit.
2) Oracle’s stock plummets, triggering margins loans.
3) Cascade of defaults forces Paramount into bankruptcy.


The Ellison empire is pretty fragile:
- OpenAI promised to pay Oracle Cloud $60B/yr for 5 yrs
- Oracle borrowed $35B to fund data center build-outs.
- Paramount had $14B in debt post-exit.


OpenAI is 78% of ORACLE’s est rev.

FOR THE NEXT 5 yrs!

Oracle has $125B in total outstanding debt.
The family's other assets are funded by Margin loans/debt.

If Oracle’s Rev doesn’t grow fast enough, the debt collapses.
Forcing the Ellisons to abandon Media to protect the core.

Then...

OpenAI swoops in to buy Paramount out of bankruptcy.
And if things get really ugly for Oracle.
OpenAI buys them as well.

I have 5 major goals for 2026:
1) 2x Coco’s ARR. Again.
2) Start taking small vacations 1x/quarter.
3) Get back to monthly therapy sessions.
4) Build up a 6 month Nest egg.
5) 4 Fasts of at least 3-days.


Every year I have to trim down my goals.

I only hit 3/7 last year.

It hurts.

But that’s the cost of success.

🧠 Takeaways: How did I do against my 2025 + 2026 goals: Hits and misses. Major focuses for this year. Greatest lesson from missing most of my 2025 go

Open article: My #1 Career/Life Unlock: Thoughtful Goals by Jeremy Horowitz' • 3 min read

My #1 Career/Life Unlock: Thoughtful Goals

I 2x'd CoCo AI ARR in 2025. I acquired it today here's what I'd do differently
Sales: +318% (YoY) 🤤
Gross Profits: +225% 👍
OPEX: +210% 👍
Net Income: +2,159% 😍
ARR Run Rate: +118% 💪


Key P&L Takeaways:
1) Rev growth was exactly where it needed to be.
2) COGS is growing too fast, dragging down Margins.
3) OPEX was really tight leading to good Operating profits.


My 3 step Growth strategy to 50x the value in 5 years:
1) Be more AI native.
2) Invest more in Success.
3) Triple down on what’s already growing the pipeline.


If you want the full LBAB! Style breakdown.


Check out the full newsletter below.

🧠 Takeaways: Today, we’re running through the gameplan of what we’d do with my biz Coco AI if I acquired it today. Be more AI native. Invest more in 

Open article: 50xing value of MY company: Coco AI by Jeremy Horowitz' • 6 min read

My 3 Predictions for 2026:
1) Everyone will spend more of their ad budget on Meta.
2) More Bigger Exits + Bankruptcies. Nothing in the middle.
3) Consumer will keep struggling and spending.

Plus how accurate were my 2025 predictions.

2026 is going to be more of the same. The Struggle is real, but at the same time there will be opportunities abound. 🧠 Takeaways: Major ‘26 predictio

Open article: My 3 Predictions for 2026 by Jeremy Horowitz' • 5 min read

If you're running an ecom brand + you're not using WhatsApp marketing…

You're leaving a MILLIONS on the table.

This is what WhatsApp can bring:
→ 80% ORs (vs email's 20%)
→ 30x higher ROI on abandoned cart flows
→ Millions in extra revenue this year

But if you don't have a list of numbers.

You can't actually start WhatsApp marketing yet. 

So I just recorded a video breaking down the 7 best strategies to grow your list.

These are the most effective ways to get customers’ phone numbers.

Based on helping 100s of brands crush it with Whatsapp.

Check out the full video here: https://lnkd.in/epjfGCd3

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