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Ever wonder what it takes to scale a brand from $3.5M to nine figures?

In this episode, I sit down with MacCoy Merkley, CMO of Portland Leather Goods, to break down exactly how they did it—without relying on overcomplicated marketing tactics.

MacCoy started at Portland Leather Goods seven years ago, back when they were just a small Etsy shop.

Fast forward to today, and they’re the largest leather bag manufacturer in North America.

We dive into:

The wild Craigslist job interview that landed him the role
How COVID-19 forced them to pivot—and ended up accelerating growth
The single biggest driver of their success (hint: it’s not ads)
Why discounting isn’t the enemy—and how they do it strategically
The future of e-commerce in 2025 (and why great products win every time)

Meet MacCoy Merkley

CMO of Portland Leather Goods
Former wedding photographer who landed a marketing job through Craigslist
Helped scale Portland Leather Goods from $3.5M to over $100M+ in revenue
A big believer in great products > marketing hacks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maccoy-merkley-95146815b
Twitter: https://x.com/MacCoyMerkley

Key Takeaways from the Episode:

1. How MacCoy Landed a Marketing Job With No Resume

Answered a Craigslist ad for a “Digital Media Specialist” role

2. Scaling from Etsy to Direct-to-Consumer (DTC)

Curtis (the founder) started Portland Leather Goods by hand-making leather bags in his garage

3. How COVID Forced a Business Pivot (That Led to Explosive Growth)

COVID-19 shut down their in-house production—forcing them to pause website sales

4. Why Product Quality is the #1 Growth Lever

30% of their new customers come from referrals—no ad spend needed

5. The Future of E-Commerce in 2025

Meta (Facebook & Instagram) Ads still work—but only if you have a product worth talking about

6. Why Personal Branding Matters (Even for B2C Brands)

MacCoy & Curtis post daily on LinkedIn & Twitter—keeping PLG top of mind

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Get 5 Offers for 2 Products (10 in total) along with 10 highly engaging tried and true creatives, 30 captivating headlines, descriptions, and ad texts sent to you for only $99. Go to https://www.upgrowthcommerce.com/offer and order now - this offer is only available for a limited time.

We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here: upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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Ep 620: How This CMO Took a Leather Brand from $3.5M to 9 Figures (Without Overcomplicating Marketing) with MacCoy Merkley

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