Bonus Episode: Creating Connections That Can’t Happen Online with Paul Chambers

Paul Chambers

We're not just selling them one-off products anymore. Look at companies like Walmart with Walmart Plus, Amazon with Amazon Prime. Companies like True Classic have membership models as part of what they're doing.  

Chase Clymer

Welcome to Honest Ecommerce, a podcast dedicated to cutting through the BS and finding actionable advice for online store owners. I'm your host, Chase Clymer. And I believe running a direct-to-consumer brand does not have to be complicated or a guessing game. 

On this podcast, we interview founders and experts who are putting in the work and creating  real results. 

I also share my own insights from running our top Shopify consultancy, Electric Eye. We cut the fluff in favor of facts to help you grow your Ecommerce business.

Let's get on with the show.

Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Honest Ecommerce. Today, I'm welcoming another co-founder from SubSummit. We've heard from George way back when. Now we're bringing on Paul. Paul Chambers, welcome to the show. 

Paul Chambers

Thanks for having me. And I want to be careful because my natural reaction because my business partner is super competitive is to be like, the better co-founder. But I know if I say that and he listens to this, then it's going to start a whole thing. So we're just equally awesome. 

Chase Clymer

Yeah. This time next year, he's going to be back on the show. He's like, well, Paul said all this stuff. So now I have to defend my honor.  

Paul Chambers

I got to watch it. No, it's funny because we're kind of the yin and yang of SubSummit when totally explaining the event. He does all the sponsorships, talks to all that side of things. I plan content, different stuff. And then when it comes to the office too, we really balance each other well. He's gruff and tumble. And I'm like, let's think about this and let's strategically plan it. So far, so good. 

Chase Clymer

I think that it just says a lot about business partners. My business partner is the yin to my yang as well. It's just the way that he is wired is such a complement to the way I'm wired. And I'll tell you what, we didn't even know that when we started this. We were just very lucky. 

Paul Chambers

Yeah, I've been through a number of business partnerships in the course of my career and some have been great. Some have been terrible. And it's like a marriage. You spend so much time together when you find that right person, you're going to keep working at it. It takes time. Like there's a day where I stormed out of the office on him. He chased me into the parking lot because I was so mad at something he did. And that's a good partner. 

Somebody who's not going to let you even know what we're mad about. And there are days where we're all laughing. I popped a party popper in the office earlier today because he sold three sponsorships in one day. And so we like to have fun but it takes work. Partnerships take work. 

Chase Clymer

Absolutely. Now, so for those that hadn't heard George's episode last year or haven't actually attended SubSummit, just quickly, what is SubSummit all about? 

Paul Chambers

Yeah. We're the largest event in the world for anything, subscription, membership and recurring revenue. As well as loyalty in the direct-to-consumer space. So anything you subscribe to or you're a member of in your life, those are the companies that come to SubSummit to learn, grow, get better, to learn from each other. And there will probably be close to 2,000 people this year in Dallas, Texas from May 20th to the 28th to the 30th, 2025 here. We're finally in 2025. 

Chase Clymer

Absolutely. Yeah, I have been to the show. This may be my third year or I don't know, man. Time flies. But I will say that it's a great event. Especially if you're just getting into going to conferences and this is your first foray into that world. I think if you started something  like a SubSummit. I'm sorry. Not a SubSummit. If you started, say, like Shoptalk,  you might just be turned off to conferences in general because that is the crème de la crème and the biggest one out there. And it could terrify anybody.

Paul Chambers

Yeah and we're actually super fortunate. One of the original founders of Shoptalk, actually two of the original founders  are on our advisory board and we're super close to that original team. We've learned a lot from them what it takes to build the dynamic nature of a big event. But when we started this, this is actually our 10th SubSummit coming up now. 

We started it because we are running a subscription business ourselves, wanting to meet other like-minded subscription owners. So we kind of really have that in our roots still. We want to create this smaller conference intimate feel, but give the opportunities of a larger event as well to the sponsors, to the speakers, to the attendees. So really try and create this little fusion of  fun and the corporate nature of it as well. There's a lot of elements to it. We're always working to make it better. 

Chase Clymer

Absolutely. Now,  you got into it there. Your background in subscription. Just give me the crash course. What gives you the right to own a conference like this and have so much to say about subscription? 

Paul Chambers

No right whatsoever. No rights at all. It's funny. It's one of those things. I've been in business for 25, over 25, almost 30 years now, probably. I've owned a SaaS business. I've owned retail businesses. I've owned all sorts of different things. You name it, I've got a war story for it. 

But one of the things that we had, we were running in 2008, 2009 was a subscription box called the Gentleman's Box. And I say myself, my business partner Chris and as well as John wanted to find a conference out there for other like-minded individuals that didn't exist. And we're like, let's start this as just a way to meet people. And it turned into what it is today. For the first few years we were originally rooted in subscription box, a lot of subscription box companies coming. 

We found like, okay, there's this much larger ecosystem. And where it really started was in 2019 when a streaming provider came up to me and said, I just went to a session that was put on by an underwear subscription. And I learned something that will have probably a six figure impact to our bottom line. 

And it ended up doing that. And so that's what's crazy. These other different subscription brands started coming to our event and we're like, okay, we needed to give up on just being a subscription box. Let's expand the ecosystem here and let's bring this community together in so many different ways. And really just help everybody learn and grow from each other. 

Chase Clymer

That's amazing. Now, you're saying you're coming up on 10 years of these events. Was it always like SubSummit as a conference or did it slowly take on  that  prestige? 

Paul Chambers

Yeah, a little known secret. So it was always SubSummit. Well, originally, it was called The Subscription Summit because that's the only domain name I could get. And so then over time, I was able to secure the domain name. So we realized we wanted to shorten it. So we got to SubSummit.

The original design was going to be SubSummit and was going to be focused around subscription boxes. And then we had a sister conference called Recur. And Recur was going to be the larger ecosystem. Over time, we realized it's super weird. We still have a small and lean team. And so  doing this all, everything we do two events a year with such a lean team became challenging. So let's just focus on one event. Let's bring everybody together. And that's where SubSummit has been kind of that history along the way.

Chase Clymer

Absolutely. Now let's talk about the attendees. If I'm listening to this show and we've got a subscription element as a key piece of our business,  or potentially we're looking to maybe expand and add subscription or membership or just really take loyalty more seriously, get that recurring customer purchase up. If I was going to attend SubSummit, what would be some of the things I would be learning or the things I could do?

Paul Chambers

I'm going to take a step back in your question for a second. One of the things that you said was about whether it's a part of my business right now or if it's up and coming and we're going to be building into it. And one of the things that we realized about half a decade ago, we started looking at the industry as a whole, where things were going. And so let's create this roadmap in our events, our thematic roadmap of how we want to guide the industry and take.

People see subscription membership and loyalty as a bigger part of their business and it's sort of the core of their business. So five years ago, we had our themes that started thematically leading up to this, to where we are this year. And that theme this year is to level up commerce without limits. Because what we're seeing from a lot of companies today is they're saying our subscription program or our membership program or the loyalty side of it, it's the core of our business.

Customers are coming into the door, engaging with us and then staying with us long term. We're not just selling them one-off products anymore. Look at companies like Walmart with Walmart Plus, Amazon with Amazon Prime. Companies like True Classic have membership models that partner with what they're doing, obviously. And it's all about creating community and these long lasting  relationships with customers. It reduces the amount that you can spend upfront or you can invest maybe a little bit more upfront to get them in the door and build this sort of framework around your customers. And so we really see that as a core to the businesses. And so we see these companies today that are coming and saying, this is such an integral part of our business. We want to continue to learn how to make that better. And started talking with brands. 

Last year, I started hearing this thematically a lot more where people were saying retention starts on day zero. Even before somebody comes in the door and as a customer of our brand, we're working to build them on the experience. Working to create this sort of idea that you're the brand you want to be part of. And so when you start talking that way from the very beginning, then they make a purchase from you. 

And now they're even more part, even more involved in your business. Buy more products from you and be part of more parts of your brand than ever before. So we're really starting to see that to finish off your question, what people can come and learn are retention tactics and techniques of those acquisition, the way to acquire, whether it be paid or social or different elements.

We have so many brands that are international, like global pricing strategies we'll talk about. We talk about global shipping strategies, especially with tariffs today. And how does that impact things? Where are you sourcing products from? And what are you doing to taxes in other parts of the world, different things like that? So we really cover the gamut of that. And if it's not covered in content, it's covered in the networking. People get a chance to talk to each other and meet and learn and grow.

Chase Clymer

I think that networking at these events is what I always talk about, regardless of which event I'm talking to. And I know that obviously, you and I met through this event. I met a lot of amazing  subscription company owners, a lot of great partners, and a lot of guests that have been on the show met at the event. And obviously, that helps for me because I'm trying to create cool content. 

Like you said, the reason you started this years ago was because you just wanted to find other subscription business owners and pick their brains. And everyone is somewhere in that journey, maybe a few steps ahead of you or a few steps behind you to where they either have made that mistake before and have an answer for you or they're about to make that mistake and you can save them a lot of time and energy. 

Paul Chambers

Yeah. And I think it's interesting. We went through this time period of COVID where everybody started to think like, it's going to be work from home. It's going to be the future forever. Virtual events are great because we can just really get our head down and work.

And we forget about the element of human touch, human interaction and how important that is in our lives. And the bump into the serendipitous moments, how impactful they can be. You really don't realize it until sometimes when you reflect on it. 

John Roman at BattlBox has told me a number of times, the connections he's made at SubSummit are absolutely priceless. A lot of them are just like random serendipitous interactions. I know Jordan West because I bumped into him at Shoptalk one time. We're at the bar together and started talking about things. I was like in line behind him and I got to know him that way and do different things. 

And so it's pretty interesting how you can have those moments. And that's one thing like we realized with SubSummit over the years, we have to continuously improve upon, create different ways for people to sort of those interactive, those serendipitous moments, those bump into. 

Zappos is famous for this. When Zappos moved into a new headquarters, they closed off all the other doors and had people only come in one door. Now you can still fire exit out of them. Don't panic. But what they made it is so that people would find ways within the headquarters to just have their random interactions. We apply some of those principles into our event as well. 

Create lounges and spaces, receptions, create experiences you're walking through. And what we did last year, I think was good, but I learned a lot of lessons and we're going to make it even better next year and the year beyond. It's super fun. And obviously, you can tell I'm passionate about it. 

Chase Clymer

I do just want to repeat what you said about how virtual events don't have that same amount of impact. You're so right. Just bumping into someone, meeting someone. When you're looking at 5 boxes on a screen and you're one of them, it's a little less authentic than going and getting lunch and the person next to you is wearing the same badge and you start talking. It's a lot easier and I feel like some of the virtual stuff was starting to get forced there at the end. 

Paul Chambers

And look, if I consider myself an introvert extrovert, right? I love kind of just chilling behind the scenes. Sometimes like in these events, I'll go in like I was at CES a month ago and I was like at the end of the day, I was like, I just, I don't want to see people. I don't want to talk to people. And then I was like, okay, I got to channel that energy right now, build it up, get it going for a little bit. 

And so like, you know, it's a challenging thing to do sometimes, but there's different ways for different people. And that's where virtual events have their time and their place. And sometimes they're still great to pick up on. I'm not saying don't attend a webinar or don't do this stuff, but I'm also saying like you do need to get out of your office. Well, at times I'll talk to companies. It'll be like, well, we're not doing events this year because we're so heads down in the company. And like I'm nice about it. And I say, oh, cool. Like really support your decision to focus on the business. 

Hit me up next year. But it's like, I think you're missing an opportunity. If your head's down in the business, you're only going to see what you're looking at right there versus getting out and you might talk to somebody who could spur the next best thing for your business or get your head out of the weeds for a minute. And so that's where I think everything has its time and place in there.  

Chase Clymer

I really need to look this up. I bring it up almost every time I'm talking on this dumb podcast now.  The idea of the surface luck area.  And it's just getting yourself out there and into situations that could benefit your business. This also could apply to other parts of your life if you really want to think about it. 

But I can point directly to meeting people that have changed the trajectory of our agency, this podcast, etc. Because I was at the right place at the right time and someone just said, Do you know this person walked me over to them and made an introduction? 

Paul Chambers

Yeah. It's so priceless. So it's those types of moments where you get that friendly face that will introduce you to the next person. And if you're not the type person, we do things like set up table talks as part of our event. And so you can sign up for it. You go and get your hosted ticket. We should talk about that here in a second. 

Chase Clymer

Absolutely. 

Paul Chambers

You can sign up for table talks. And then when you show up in the morning, it'll pair you with  like minded individuals of similar size companies, similar types of companies. And then you can select topics you're interested in.

So don't have to have these moments where you're like, I got to go find somebody to talk to. Or I got to sit down with a random person, ask them a random question and spill my guts. You can go to this pre-scripted table talk that already knows what you're looking for and the type of people you should be around and set you up for success that way. Any sort of personality can  get integrated there.  

Chase Clymer

Absolutely. And obviously, I wasn't going to let you go without us talking about the hosted meetings program. I'd love to say this was a special for our listeners. It's just out there in the wild. But let them know and give them that good pitch, make them go there and fill out the form. 

Paul Chambers

Yeah. Well, you know what we could do? Especially for your listeners. If they register and mention you, we can ship them some free honesty, commerce socks. We find a way to do that. 

Chase Clymer

Yeah. So for all of you listeners out there, go find the YouTube  video. Paul was just holding up  socks. Last year, I did a live podcast there. Might be doing another one this year. But they had my logo on file. And Paul printed out all these socks for all these people. It's a great running gag on LinkedIn. I've thoroughly been enjoying it. 

Paul Chambers

Did I give you your socks? Did I give you some socks?  

Chase Clymer

They haven't arrived just yet. But we can talk about that offline.  

Paul Chambers

This is why I still have yours because I forgot to hand them to you. And so when this all ends, you're going to tell me your address and I'm going to mail them to you because everyone else got theirs. But yet yours have been in the mix of ones I've been selecting on LinkedIn. 

But these are what we call, “toe stoppers”. So everybody who did a podcast got some toe stoppers, except you didn't get yours Chase, I'll send them to you. But anyway, coming back to the hosted merchant program, you can go on our website. 

If you're a merchant doing over at least half a million dollars a year in revenue, just a bit of recurring revenue every month, you can apply and be approved for our hosted program. What that means is you'll tell us a little bit about your business, the types of companies you're hoping to get to know at SubSummit, solutions you're looking for, like I'm looking for email marketing or I'm looking for a new shipping provider or more marketing solutions. 

And then you'll agree to take a set number of meetings on site, which could be six to eight, like mutually matched meetings. So these software providers think like, yeah, I'd like to meet with companies that do this and that. And then in exchange for taking those couple of meetings on site, super low friction, super easy. You'll get a free ticket to the event.

Then we also provide up to $750 in travel and hotel reimbursement. So really, that'll pay for probably not every part of your trip. But if you can get a good deal on a flight and go to a hotel room at night, which we have in our room block, pretty close to paying for the entire thing. So make it super low friction and get a ticket to the event, which is a couple thousand dollar value as well. So any of the merchant brands out there can apply to be part of this program. 

Chase Clymer

Absolutely. And I think that's a fantastic way for those smaller businesses to get out there without dipping into their pocket. I think that's something that a lot of them were probably like, Yeah, Chase, we'd love to go to these things. We just can't afford it. And right here is how you do it. Just reach out for their hosted meetings program. And if you say the right things, which it's hard to say the wrong thing, they'll definitely talk to you and figure it out. 

Paul Chambers

Like we talked about, even if you don't have a subscription or membership program, you probably should have a loyalty program. We talked a lot about loyalty there because that, you know, we had Panera Bread last year on stage and they talked about how, you know, there it starts with the free loyalty program for them. 

Once they get somebody in the free loyalty program, they know they can continue to build that relationship and build them up into their SIP club, which is their paid monthly membership. And it works. And they've got so much data behind it. 

That's kind of some of the stuff that they shared last year from stage. So if you're in business in Ecommerce, this is a great place for you to come and learn and grow. If you're thinking about membership, you already have a subscription program.  Anybody can be there and be part of this.  

Chase Clymer

Absolutely. Now, Paul, tell them one more time, where should they go? What's the website?  

Paul Chambers

Super easy. It's subsummit.com. S-U-B summit.com.  And you'll see the tickets in the top right corner. You can look at our speakers, our agenda, more details on the venue, all sorts of things. And then two,  if I can ever be helpful to anybody, you can find me on LinkedIn. You can find me on X.

Usually on some of the other platforms as well. But those are my two main ones. But I'm always happy to be helpful. Reach out to me in any way, anything I can do. I'll always do it. 

Chase Clymer

Awesome. Paul, thank you so much for coming on the show. 

Paul Chambers

Yeah. Good to talk to you.  

Chase Clymer

We can't thank our guests enough for coming on the show and sharing their knowledge and journey with us. We've got a lot to think about and potentially add into our own business. You can find all the links in the show notes. 

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Lastly, if you're a store owner looking for an amazing partner to help get your Shopify store to the next level, reach out to Electric Eye at electriceye.io/connect.

Until next time!