Scaling a Technical Ecommerce Brand Through Automation and a Lean Team With John Ibbetson

John Ibbetson is the CEO of trueCABLE, a company specializing in low-voltage and fiber optic products. Under his leadership, trueCABLE has developed a comprehensive end-to-end solution, emphasizing reliability and customer support. With a background in business development, John previously held sales and account management roles at Distributor Wire & Cable, Bortek Industries, Inc., and Omni Cable. 

In this episode…

Managing growth while keeping operations lean is one of the toughest challenges for scaling ecommerce companies. As teams expand, so do inefficiencies, repetitive tasks, and customer support burdens. How can brands streamline their operations without compromising customer experience or team agility?

John Ibbetson, an ecommerce automation expert, shares how he tackled these issues by prioritizing intelligent automation from the beginning. John automated order entry through ERP integrations, which allowed his team to stay small and focus on strategic growth initiatives. He emphasizes using customer feedback to guide automation decisions, especially in areas like returns and content support. John also discusses how building a rich library of educational content not only reduces support tickets but also strengthens brand trust. He warns, however, that automation must be balanced with accuracy and authenticity — particularly when content is technical and customer-facing.

In this episode of Minds of Ecommerce, Raphael Paulin-Daigle interviews John Ibbetson, CEO of trueCABLE, about leveraging automation for strategic growth. John explains why automation is a business multiplier, reflects on failed automation experiments, and shares insights on building educational content, optimizing the customer journey, and staying lean.