What happens when you're among the very first to crack a billion-dollar platform? You get Ethan Kramer and Adam Sommers—two TikTok Shop legends who made history.

When TikTok Shop launched in the US, most brands were sitting on the sidelines. Not Ethan and Adam. Together, they sold the 2nd product ever purchased on TikTok Shop US, and that was just the beginning of their extraordinary journey.

Adam Sommers, co-founder of Willow Boutique, didn't just test the waters—he dominated them. From those early beta-testing days, Adam and his team went on to shatter records, including an unforgettable $150,000 single livestream event that reached 2.8 million viewers and added over 4 million products to carts. Willow Boutique has become a case study in how to leverage TikTok Shop's unique ecosystem, growing from scrappy startup to social commerce powerhouse.

Ethan Kramer is the mastermind behind the strategy. As Partner and Social Commerce Practice Leader at Go Fish Digital (after his agency EK Creative was acquired), Ethan has driven over $50 million in annual social commerce revenue and helped hundreds of brands crack the TikTok Shop code. Named a top TikTok Shop Partner, he's orchestrated campaigns that generated over $1 million in GMV in under 28 days and revolutionized how brands approach live selling, affiliate marketing, and creator partnerships.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What it was really like being in the TikTok Shop beta program and making history as the 2nd sale ever
• The exact strategy behind Adam's record-breaking $150K livestream (and how they built the campaign in just one week)
• How Ethan's agency scaled from zero to $4M ARR in three years through pure word-of-mouth and exceptional results
• The evolution of TikTok Shop from beta to billion-dollar platform—and what's coming next
• Why early adoption gave them unfair advantages that brands can still replicate today
• The biggest mistakes brands make on TikTok Shop (and how to avoid them)
• Live shopping strategies that convert millions of viewers into buyers
• How to build and manage creator affiliate networks at scale
• Cross-channel promotion tactics that amplify TikTok Shop performance
• The future of social commerce and why TikTok Shop is just the beginning

Whether you're a brand owner looking to break into TikTok Shop, an agency seeking to add social commerce services, or an entrepreneur exploring the next big opportunity, this conversation delivers the battle-tested insights you need from people who literally wrote the playbook.

Subscribe to The TikTok Shop Blueprint for more insider strategies from the pioneers and leaders shaping the future of social commerce.

Hosting this conversation is Sebastian Nelson, who saw the TikTok Shop opportunity before almost anyone else. When the platform launched in 2023, Sebastian immediately went all-in. Recognizing that managing creator affiliates at scale was the biggest bottleneck for TikTok Shop sellers, he co-founded Cruva (formerly UpTk), an AI-powered affiliate outreach and management platform that's now facilitated over $47 million in GMV and helped hundreds of brands automate their creator partnerships.

Learn more about Sebastian's work and tools for TikTok Shop sellers at cruva.com