Why do so many famous men have alcohol brands?

Welcome back to The Checkout Podcast, where we break down the latest in eCommerce, brand building, and digital culture—with a little chaos along the way. In this episode, we get into:

💥 Why every famous guy has an alcohol brand (The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart—what’s the deal?)

💥 The rise of cannabis beverages and new mind-altering brands

💥 AI in eCommerce—will it replace human jobs or just make brands more efficient?

💥 The fraud problem nobody talks about: chargebacks, scams, and fake refunds

💥 Agency drama: When should agencies take credit for a brand's success?

📢 Featuring:

🚀 Zoe Kahn - CEO of The Inevitable Agency, early team member at Ghost & Chomps

👕 Bart Szaniewski - Co-founder of Dad Gang, eCommerce veteran

⚡ Nick Shackelford - Partner and Head of Retention at Brez and a serial entrepreneur

🎤 John Coyle - Typical white guy who talks a lot and thinks others MUST want to hear his opinions.

⚡ Subscribe for more eCommerce insights, brand breakdowns, and unfiltered takes!

📢 Follow us on social media:

Nick Shackelford

Twitter/X: https://x.com/iamshackelford

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickshackelford/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamnickshackelford/

Zoe Kahn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_zoekahn_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-kahn-5b61aa129/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/_zoekahn_

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ZoeKahn

Bart Szaniewski

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theszef/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/TheSzef

John Coyle

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnjhcoyle

Twitter/X: https://x.com/johnjhcoyle

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnjhcoyle/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/

📩 Business inquiries: john@coyle-enterprises.com

Chapters: 

00:00 - Welcome to The Checkout Podcast 🎙️

02:15 - Meet the crew: Who’s on today’s episode?

05:45 - Why do all famous men have an alcohol brand?

10:20 - Alcohol, cannabis, and mind-altering brands: What’s next?

14:50 - The LTV advantage of vice brands vs. other categories

18:35 - Why female celebrities lean toward beauty & wellness brands

22:10 - The psychology behind celebrity brand loyalty

27:05 - Can non-celebrities still win in alcohol & beauty?

30:45 - The cannabis beverage boom & market opportunity

36:00 - eCommerce fraud: The problem nobody talks about

41:30 - Chargebacks, customer scams, and fraud prevention tools

45:15 - AI-powered agents in customer service: Game changer or overhyped?

50:55 - The future of AI in marketing & media buying

55:40 - The Vessi agency drama: When should agencies claim credit?

01:02:15 - Do agencies really help brands scale, or just take credit?

01:08:45 - AI’s impact on eCommerce jobs—will it replace humans?

01:15:30 - When AI starts making purchase decisions for consumers

01:21:55 - Could AI change how we buy everything online?

01:28:20 - Final thoughts & wrap-up