Where Are They Now? Afton Kenyon from Slate Milk Gives a Career Update and Ecommerce Industry Outlook - Episode 285
INTERVIEW WITH AFTON KENYON
DESCRIPTION
The episode features Kiri's conversation with Afton Kenyon, Sr Ecommerce Manager at Slate Milk, she started out in a small family-owned honey company as marketing. Since then, she went through multiple different categories and aspects of ecommerce across retail brands, and agency life.
This is a great episode for those who are earlier in their ecommerce career or managing/coaching more junior team members who are interested in progressing in their ecommerce career.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Afton was first on the podcast in 2019 when she was pretty new to the world of Amazon and ecommerce.
“Ecommerce is really at a precipice. So much has changed in the last two years, one year, and even 6 months. I think AI is fascinating and is really going to change the face of ecommerce as a whole. ”
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In today’s episode Kiri and Afton catch up on the past 4 years - What has she been up to since Thirstystone:
Expanded out of just Amazon into other aspects of ecommerce like DTC and retail.com
Worked with brands large and small, found a niche in emerging brands in natural grocery
Slate being the reverse order of your past experience - going from DTC to retail
What are the top 3 ways you’ve been able to progress in this field?
The largest leap forward was agency work. Drank from firehose and gained 5 years in 1.5.
Ways to absorb knowledge - podcasts, youtube, conferences, Twitter
DTCX
Jeremy Horowitz from Gorgias
Eli Wiess
The Youtube algorithm works well for recommendations
Had some really fantastic bosses that helped her grow and refine professionally
How to choose a boss? Be forward and honest. Interview your boss as much as they interview them. Ensure alignment.
Shared philosophy - work quickly, or have all the evidence upfront?
Now that she’s in a position where she’s managing more entry-level folks and leading the charge for ecommerce. What do you know now, that you wish you knew back then?
Each time I’ve been in the position to manage someone less familiar with ecom, my goal has been to educate and encourage. As a manager, I feel it’s my job to ensure people understand the “why” first, then make decisions based on their desired outcome.
I also have a passion for mentorship and helping younger people entering the ecom space understand some of the nuances of the space and grow in the direction of their interest/passion. I wish I had known that you don’t have to know ALL things. I was always stressed (and still do) about being a Jack of All Trades, but in this space, there is enough room to specialize and really become an expert in the part that interests you most.
What have you changed your mind about in the world of ecommerce?
That Amazon is the boogeyman - I’ve learned that Amazon can be a really incredible growth engine if you know how to navigate it. When all else fails, file a case!
What are you excited about in the world of ecommerce?
Cliche - but AI. I do believe that it’s going to cause disruption to the ecom industry, but I’ve already seen some amazing things and I think the key holders will be those who understand how to utilize it to their advantage. I’ve been diving into prompt creation and have already seen it put out some wonderful things.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Learn more about Acadia
Connect with Afton Kenyon
Larn more about Slate Milk
