Logan Merrick

Wilbound

I've spent the last 12 years immersed in the fast-paced world of eCommerce and software development, building high-performing teams from the ground up. In my last business I built and ran a 7-figure e-commerce brand and I've learned firsthand that finding the right people is the rocket fuel for growth.

That's why I've teamed up with my wife (who has extensive experience in business operations development, team building, and more) to help ambitious eCommerce brands headhunt the top 1% of talent in the Philippines.

Our company specializes in headhunting A-players in the Philippines with experience working in top e-commerce brands and agencies, who can supercharge your business. Let's chat if you're looking to build a dream team that can handle rapid growth and outpace the competition.

CEO & Co-founder | Headhunting top 1% Philippines talent

Sitting Pretty

Sitting Pretty is an innovative Women's Beauty product e-commerce and distribution company.

It specializes in an innovative hair extension method called The Halo which offers women a natural looking, secure and easy to use hair extension that doesn’t damage their own hair. And it challenges the ticky-tacky stigma of the hair extensions industry.

As the former Managing Director (CEO) of Sitting Pretty I drove the strategic vision and activities to achieve the phenomenal growth of the company that had been achieved to date, by building a Philippines based team of unique high-performers.

Founder & CEO | Exited

Buzinga App Development

Buzinga is an award-winning app development and innovation consultancy, helping startups and enterprises commercialise ideas and implement mobile-first strategies.

Buzinga produced some of Australia’s most recognised apps including SteelDrive for BlueScope Steel, That Sugar App for Madman Entertainment and Foodswitch for The George Institute of Global Health and Bupa. Since launching in Melbourne in 2012, we’ve been involved with more than 200 mobile app projects.

Buzinga was recognised by BRW as a Top 100 Australian Fast Starter in 2015, by JobAdvisor as among the Top 5 Workplaces in 2015.

Also won Anthill’s Coolest Companies Award for Mobile Business in 2015, and are proud of our several other accolades for our products and company culture.

Buzinga was acquired by Butterfly Digital Pty Ltd in July 2017.

Director & Co-founder | Exited

Headhunting the top 1% Philippine eCommerce talent 🥇 Strategic & Key hires ♟️ Zero ongoing fees 🤝 150+ hires, specialising in eCommerce & Saas 📦 3x Founder, building a life-first biz with my wife 👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻

We help 7-9 figure eCommerce founders grow their brands by headhunting strategic and key hires in the Philippines.

From VP of Marketing through to Creative Ads Strategists, we have a knack for finding unique talent that helps brands scale.

Over the last decade I've built and scaled 3x businesses. Including an eCommerce brand, that I grew with a 100% Philippine team of eCommerce experts, and exited in 2024.

I've hired talent globally, but the best talent I’ve found is in the Philippines.
Not because it’s cheaper. Because it’s smarter.

The Philippines is full of world-class professionals.
People who lead teams at Thrasio, Canva, Accenture, Kitsch, and KPMG.

Top-tier talent. Strong English. Global experience.
You just wouldn’t be able to afford them locally.

That’s the real opportunity. Better talent, smarter teams, faster growth.

After exiting my eCom brand in 2024, we launched Wilbound.
We help founders:

✅ Hire top 1% talent from the Philippines
✅ Build lean, high-trust remote teams
✅ Win back time to scale or slow down

100+ hires placed
$130M+ in client revenue
93% return rate
95% referral rate
42% average client growth

My wife, Melani, has led 300+ hires.
She runs recruiting. I focus on strategy.
Together, we build teams founders can trust.

If you're ready to grow with better people behind you, let's talk.
🔗 wilbound.com

Co-founder & Managing Director

Sitting Pretty is an innovative Women's Beauty product e-commerce and distribution company.

We specialize in an innovative hair extension method called The Halo which offers women a natural looking, secure and easy to use hair extension that doesn’t damage their own hair.

As Managing Director of Sitting Pretty I drive the strategic vision and activities to achieve the phenomenal growth of the company that have been achieved to date.

We are challenging the “ticky-tacky” stigma of hair extensions with a brand lead strategy focused on positive product imagery, lifestyle and natural beauty.

Stop treating remote teams like they're invisible.

Want A-players in the Philippines?

Treat them better than locals.

That's the secret nobody tells you.

Here's why your remote team fails:

1. You treat them like cheap labor
2. You never meet face-to-face
3. You don't invest in their growth
4. You think time = trust

Wrong on all counts.

Elite teams need:

- Real relationships
- Clear expectations
- Regular feedback
- Actual growth paths

The best talent in the Philippines has options.

They're not looking for:

→ Another client
→ Another project
→ Another paycheck

They're looking for:

→ Real opportunities
→ Career growth
→ Actual connection

Treat them like your A-team.

(Because they are).

Or they'll find someone who will.

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My LinkedIn impressions tanked last month.

I nearly lost the plot.

"Are we on the wrong platform?"
"Am I doing it wrong?"
"Is it enough?"

Then my wife said:

"Yes, impressions are down (for everyone). But our sales leads are way up. And which one pays the bills?"

That shut me up.
(My wife is smart)

Because here’s the reality:

Markets are like waves.

Some days you’re up, some days you’re down.
The only mistake is stopping paddling.

When your numbers dip, what keeps you moving?

You don't need to build a business that:

→ Scales to the moon
→ Impresses investors
→ "Changes the world"

(Unless that's what you actually want.)

What you need is a life that:

→ Gives you freedom
→ Feels like yours
→ Makes you smile

Most people chase success metrics that aren't even theirs.

They want:

A big office (to prove something)
A huge team (to feel important)
Fancy titles (to impress strangers)

But deep down, they crave:

More time with family
A flexible schedule
Less stress

But here's what nobody tells you:

You can design your business around your life.

That's the cheat code.

And most won't believe this until they're burned out at 2AM working on someone else's dream.

Don't be most people...

Start designing now.
Ask yourself:

"What would the perfect day look like?"

Headhunting the top 1% Philippine talent 🥇 Strategic & Key hires ♟️ Zero ongoing fees 🤝 150+ hires, specialising in eCommerce & Saas 📦 3x Founder, building a life-first biz with my wife 👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻

They warned me: “Never work with your wife.”

But I didn’t listen.

And I'm glad I didn't (because they were wrong)

Our duo works.
We're polar opposites:

• She's the analytical systems-maven
• And I'm the bold visionary

On paper? Disaster.

In practice? Unstoppable.

Here's how it works:

• I bring in the business → She makes it happen
• I have the vision → She builds the systems
• I push boundaries → She keeps us grounded

Do we disagree?
Of course.

But we're aligned on the goals, and the values.
So we always find the right solution.

And what I've realised is:

The secret isn't finding someone who thinks like you.

It's finding someone who fills the gaps you can't.

Whether it’s your partner, co-founder, or a key hire: choose complementary (not identical).

That's where the magic happens.

Have you ever worked with someone who's your complete opposite?

54 days ago we made a bold move.

We fired 90%+ of our market.


In a nutshell:

We decided to stop "serving everyone."

And started serving just 7-9 figure eComm brands.

Risky pivot? Kind of.

If I'm being honest, the decision made me sweat...

("What if it's a mistake?!")

But it's been nearly 2 months, and here's what happened:

→ Leads? Increased by 55%
→ Sales conversion? +82%
→ Average order? Up 24%
→ Revenue? 21% increase

(I'm secretly super stoked)

And the best part:

There's no competition. No comparison.

We're in a category of our own.
"The obvious choice"

By focusing on 7-9 figure eComm brands:

→ We can speak their exact language
→ We can solve their exact problems
→ And can deliver their perfect outcome

And no one else can.

So sales calls became easier.
Operations, more streamlined.
And cash flow is 🤌🏼

I'm just kicking myself that we didn't do it sooner.

What about you:

Have you found the niche that makes you the obvious choice?

I used to think niching is a marketing trick.

I was wrong.

This year, I realised it's a strategic decision that transforms everything.

From marketing, to operations.
Customer service, to finance.

I run a headhunting agency serving 7-8 figure eCommerce brands with my wife (Melani Merrick).

We doubled down on eCommerce.

And that decision changed everything:

→ Our team are eCommerce specialists
→ Our processes are built for DTC hiring
→ Our templates designed accordingly
→ Our tech stack is DTC optimised

To SaaS founders, we're just another "recruiter".

But to eCommerce founders, we're a unicorn.

When you narrow your ICP, you sharpen your entire operation to meet their need.

Specialisation isn't limiting.

It's the only way to be exceptional.

Have you found your niche?

I burned out one of my best project managers.

She quit on a Tuesday morning via email.

No warning. No conversation. Just... "see ya".

Running a 92-person agency, I thought leadership meant being the hardest worker in the room.

"Gotta set an example!"

16-hour days became my badge of honour.

I'd respond to emails at 2 AM.
Jump on calls during weekends.
Never said no to a client request.

My team saw this and followed suit.

The PM who quit? She'd been working until midnight for 3 months straight.

I praised her dedication in team meetings.
Gave her more "opportunities" (work).
Never once asked if she was okay.

The skill I was missing?

Strategic rest.

Not just for me, though. But for my team too.

I thought pushing hard showed commitment. It actually showed I didn't understand sustainable performance.

After she left, I didn't change anything.

Not immediately.

But it stuck with me for a long time.

I kept thinking about that Tuesday morning email.
The 3 months of midnight work sessions.
The "dedication" I praised in meetings.

In my next business, I finally implement Strategic Rest:

→ Modelled boundaries by taking weekends off
→ Started asking "What can we remove?"
(instead of "What else can we add?")
→ Mandatory offline hours

The comparison was shocking.

Previous business: 24% annual churn.
New business: Lost 2 employees over 8 years.

Productivity went UP.
Creativity improved.
We actually kept our people.

Here's what I learned the hard way:

Your team doesn't need a martyr.
They need a leader who protects their capacity.

The most underrated leadership skill?

Knowing when to slow down so your people don't burn out.

Want a high-performing team?

Stop glorifying exhaustion.

Most founders hate when I say this.

But I'm saying it anyway:

You don't have to work 60+ hours a week to build a great business.

How do I know?

I'm building a 7-figure agency on 4 hrs /day.
One year in. Half way there.

But this isn't my first rodeo.

I've already built two 7-figure businesses.

In 2017, I built a $3.5M ARR agency.

I was working 96hr/week.
And the business absolutely owned me.

But despite my hard work, and my loooong hours... 

After 5 long years, it still failed.

And I was left with nothing.

I remember sitting in the lawyer's office, signing liquidation forms, thinking: "I did everything right"

You know the drill:

"Scale fast!"
"Hustle harder!"
"Sleep when you're dead!"

All that sh-t. And it nearly killed me.

Afterwards, my mentor said something I'll never forget:

"For your next business, cap your work to 5 hrs a day, focus on building systems, and hire people smarter than you."

It sounded so stupid at the time.

"Yeah, sure, I'll just work 5 hrs a day. good idea..."

But I had nothing to lose.
So I tried it.

And over the next 10 months?
My life totally changed:

→ I built a new biz
→ Scaled to 7-figures
→ Working 10 hrs /week
→ Highest profits I've ever had

And I realised:
Time is the REAL currency.

And we waste it like it's "gratis".

We think more hours = more growth.
But the opposite is true.

Because less time forces better decisions
and higher-leverage thinking.

Let me ask you:

If you only had 4 hr/day, what would you work on?

Let's talk about something most people get wrong about hiring senior talent in emerging markets...

I used to think:

"You can't find strategic hires here."

But this year changed everything.

We were helping a fast-growth client:

↳ 50M ARR eComm brand
↳ Ready to scale to 250M ARR
↳ Needed a Head of Marketing yesterday

They wanted someone who could:

- Own P&L across multiple channels
- Lead paid media, creative & more
- Build & scale a 50-person team

All the usual assumptions came up:

• "You can't find that level here"
• "The best talent is in the US"
• "They don't have the experience"

But guess what?

We found someone who:

✓ Scaled TWO brands to 9-figures
✓ Built large teams from scratch
✓ Data-driven + creative

And they're based in the Philippines.
Working locally.
At a fraction of Silicon Valley cost.

Here's what this means for you:

Stop assuming you need to look locally.
The talent exists overseas.

They're just waiting for the right opportunity.

Your move.

Big companies: "Remote work is over"

Also big companies: "We can't find good talent"

In the last 2 months, I've spoken to several billion dollar corporations. Household names.

And they all said the same 2 things:

1) "Remote work is over. Everyone's coming back to the office"

(then two breaths later)

2) "We can't find good talent that want to work in the office anymore."

(Hmmm... you don't say 🤔)

Here’s the rude wake-up call that’s coming their way:

Their best people aren’t coming back. Top talent are leaving corporate jobs in droves to join smaller, founder-led businesses.

(And our clients are cleaning up)

Not because they pay more.

But because they understand what top hires actually want today:

→ Remote work setups
→ Flexible schedules
→ Trust and ownership

It's not rocket science. It's cause and effect.

I guess they're about to learn the hard way what happens when you treat flexibility as a perk, instead of a principle.

What do you think, will we be returning to the office?


Image: my office for today ☀️☕️👋🏼

The hard truth:

Your business is still a job.
You just can't admit it yet.

Trust me, I know.

I spent years building systems.
Documenting processes.
Hiring VA's.

But something was broken.

I was:

• Still working 60+ hours
• Always putting out fires
• The bottleneck for growth

Then I realized:

It's not the processes.
It's not the systems.
It's not the tools.

It's the people.

See, most founders hire cheap.
Or fast.
Or both.

But really, you need A-players who:

→ Think like owners
→ Solve problems upstream
→ Make decisions without hand-holding
→ Actually give a damn

Game-changing truth:

Great talent isn't expensive.
Bad talent is.

Because here's what happens:

• Bad hires = daily headaches
• Mediocre teams = constant babysitting
• Wrong people = systems fail

But when you stack A-players?
Everything changes.

You:
→ Take real vacations
→ Work ON the business
→ Actually scale up
→ Live your damn life

Stop building systems for C-players.
Start building teams that make systems unnecessary.

Your future self?
They'll thank you.

I'm scattered. Disorganised. And kinda lazy.

But I made $31M with this ONE skill:

→ Building SIMPLE systems.

With this skill, I can set up 7 figure businesses fairly quickly.
(while only working 10-20hr /week)

2014: built a 92-person agency
2017: scaled a $3.1M ARR eComm brand
2024: started Wilbound (6+ figures in year one)

But I'm not "special".

I have a process for building SIMPLE systems, that scale 7-figure businesses, fast.

Here it is:


1. Simplify Everything

→ Kill ALL unnecessary work
→ Automate the boring stuff
→ Delegate what's left

↳ Make yourself 'optional'


2. Create the Manual

→ Identify the key activities
→ Document step-by-step
→ Keep it super simple

↳ Consistency is King


3. Invest in an A-Team

→ Hire ONLY exceptional people
→ Train them right (this is key)
→ Provide ongoing support

↳ Invest in people, always.


That's it.

You don't need 90+ hr workweeks. Or complex strategies

You just need:

→ Remove complexity
→ Documented processes
→ A team of A-players

What steps would you add to my process?

I wasted $74K on recruiters who promised "top talent"

And got nothing but empty promises.

I spent 9 years building a 7-figure eCommerce brand.

Scaled fast.

And built a team in the Philippines.

But finding elite Philippine eCommerce talent?
Incredibly hard.

Recruiters kept pitching “top 1% candidates" and sending the same recycled resumes from job boards.

→ No DTC experience.
→ No ownership mindset.
→ No strategic thinking.

After one particularly frustrating hire, I realised the problem was two-fold:

1. They didn’t understand eCommerce.
Because they’d never run ads, built a funnel, or scaled a brand.

2. They sourced from job boards.
And the best talent was never there.

So I was forced to build our recruiting process internally.

We headhunted our own team, hired a General Manager (also in the Philippines) and turned the business into an elite eCommerce operation.

But in 2023, a friend called me on Zoom.

He was in a tight spot.

Overworked.
Constantly sick.
Bottlenecking his business.

And all because he couldn't find reliable eComm talent.

He’d been hiring freelancers from job platforms, but he was getting no where.

Low-quality work.
High turnover.
No trust.

We helped him out, as a friend.
And filled his roles in 5 weeks.

Changed his business. Gave him his life back.

Needless to say, he was exstatic.

He referred 2 friends. They referred more.
Referrals kept scaling.

Suddenly... we were an agency.
Booked for weeks in advance.
By 7-8 figure eComm brands.

And in 2024, I sold my eComm brand to a large US company, to focus on building Wilbound with my wife (Melani Merrick).

And here's why it works:

1) We have deep eCommerce understanding. Paid media, creatives, email, Shopify, accounting, inventory. We know eCommerce, intimately.

2) We don't use job boards. We manually review 1650+ profiles per role by proactively engaging with talent from top universities, and who’ve worked at elite eComm brands, aggregators & DTC agencies, etc.

High-volume headhunting. (Executive Search)

Because the best hires don’t come from job boards. They come from putting in the work to actually find them.

Want to hire eComm operators in the Philippines? DM me.

At 23, I built a $3.5M ARR agency.

Then watched it burn to the ground.

Why?

Because I was chasing someone else's dream:

→ 16-hour workdays
→ Never-ending hustle
→ Constant comparison

And after 5 long, tiring years:

I was stressed, anxious,
and completely miserable.

And then? It collapsed.

The business? Gone
The income? Vanished
My reputation? Tarnished
My mental health? F--ked

I lost everything. Just like that.

All because I was chasing "their" version of success.

But then I met my mentor. And he told me:

"Our uniqueness is our edge."

That was an eye-opening moment for me.

I realised that it's not about being better.
It's about being different.

And when I finally got this, everything shifted for me.

Within 12 months I:

→ Built a new brand to $165k MRR
→ While working 5-10hr /week
→ And traveled the world

All by doing it MY way.

Not the "right" way.
Not the "normal" way.
Just my way.

Because the thing is:

No one can compete with YOU being YOU.

So don't dial down your quirks.
Don't suppress your ideas.
Don't copy others.

Just lean into being YOU.

What do you think matters more in business today: being better, or being different?

At 23, I built a $3.5M ARR agency. Then watched it burn to the ground.

We thought he was lying.

Then he showed us how he runs 24 startups using AI.


Dylan Hey and I spoke with John Rush, on the Winning Friends podcast.

Who is John?

He's known as the most automated entrepreneur on the internet, and runs 24 separate startups using AI to automate 80% of the work.

Everything from:

- SEO
- Content
- Outreach
- Customer service
- And even accounting

The craziest part?

It actually works, while he lives with his family in the middle of the forest.

(personally, I love that)

And he shared in detail exactly how he:

→ Ideates products
→ validates demand
→ codes the solutions
→ automates marketing

All using AI.

He even shares which tools he's using,
and some of the tools he's built himself.

My favourite parts of this conversation were:

1) Using AI to automate a lot of his marketing.
2) How he manages multiple companies.

Tune in to the conversation here:

Youtube: https://lnkd.in/dfK8beRD
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dtQzSR8G
Apple: https://lnkd.in/gBMbX3UG

Winning Friends is sponsored by e-Residency 🙌🏼

Here's what nobody tells you about trust online:

It's now a game of who can fake it better.

Let that sink in.

We're living in an era where:

- Your entire identity
- Your professional history
- Your company's reputation

Can be manufactured in 10 minutes or less.

Here's the brutal reality:

1. Anyone can be anyone

That 'Head of Marketing'?
Could be a 16-year-old in his bedroom.

2. Credentials mean nothing

'Worked at Google'?
Cool story. So does half of LinkedIn apparently.

3. Connections are cheap

Want 500+ connections?
There's an app for that.

But here's what nobody's talking about:

The victims aren't just individuals anymore.

They're companies losing:

- Reputation
- Money
- Trust

Every single day.

And you're probably thinking:

"But what can I do about it?"

In our latest Winning Friends episode,
Dylan and I spoke with Cecilie Fjellhøy.

(Remember her from The Tinder Swindler?).

She lost £200K to a serial-scammer.
And now she helps others avoid the same fate.

Her playbook:

1. Don’t trust. Verify.
2. Paper trails > good vibes.
3. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Because today, trust isn’t given.

It’s earned.

And those who forget it?
They’re the next victims.

Tune into our chat with Cecilie Fjellhøy:

 🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dvCw735f

 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dcBEsppF

Open video: Why 90% of entrepreneurs can't spot AI scams: the blind spot costing millions (ft. Cecilie Fjellhøy) on youtube.com

Why 90% of entrepreneurs can't spot AI scams: the blind spot costing millions (ft. Cecilie Fjellhøy)

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