The Trendsetter - TikTok Shop & Creator Marketing

Hosted by Trndsttrs, Inc

Business Marketing

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Episodes

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Trendsetter is the go-to show for marketers, founders, and creators shaping the future of commerce through content. Hosted by the Jake Bjorseth and the team behind Return On Creators, we dive deep into the stories, strategies, and insights of those building the social commerce economy... one video, one product, and one partnership at a time. From viral TikTok creators to brand builders innovating on new platforms, each episode brings you candid conversations, actionable lessons, and a front-row seat to the shift from traditional retail to community-driven commerce. Whether you're scaling a brand, creating content, or launching a new product, this is your place to get inspired, stay sharp, and plug into the next wave of commerce.

Listen to episodes

24 recent

August 7, 2026Episode 439 min

Priced to Lose the Sale: How the Best Brands Actually Win TikTok Shop | TikTok Operator Pod

This one runs deep on merchandising and product innovation built specifically for the channel: why the best operators price higher on TikTok Shop than on their own site, why you don’t actually own the customer you just sold to, and why the halo effect only works if you force the action toward a customer who was ever going to come back. Kevin breaks down how ChocBox turned a throwaway moment on a live stream into an entirely new product line, why the product has to be the content, and the twenty-second street test for whether something can win on social commerce. Jake makes the case for building your whole strategy off-platform first, setting a real business objective before you list a single SKU, and killing products that are selling fine because they’re pulling the wrong customer. Hero SKUs, variant stacking, Discovery SKUs, pricing ladders, and why almost none of the broad TikTok Shop advice you hear survives first principles. New episodes weekly.

July 21, 2026Episode 322 min

The Shelf Follows The Feed | TikTok Operator's Pod

For weeks I've been harassing Matt Goldbloom to join me on the pod. Selfishly, I've been captivated by his LinkedIn content and needed to learn wtf 'Off Price Retail' is. Matt is the founder of Common Shelf, helping modern CPG brands grow through off-price retail without sacrificing brand equity. Sound familiar? The parallels between TikTok Shop and this rising retail lane of "off price" speak to a consumer market vastly misunderstood by us marketers that audit funnels, analyze the beverage aisle, and know how to pronounce Erewhon. If you're interested in Matt's work, give him a follow on LinkedIn here.

July 13, 2026Episode 239 min

How Top Brands Are Deploying AI Today | TikTok Operator's Pod

On today's pod I'm joined by a long-time TikTok Shop operator, Sohun Sanka. Sohun has been a day one player in TikTok Shop on the brand side, software side, and now with this own venture: Clankers - A consultancy working with top brands and agencies to deploy their own AI Operating System. Together we explore the real use cases of AI inside top brand operations today. How brands are using AI to find the right creators, connecting the dots org-wide to put TikTok content to work everywhere, and why it's mission critical that businesses operate on their own O.S.

June 25, 2026Episode 151 min

How Chocbox Became the #1 Food Brand on TikTok Shop | TikTok Operator's Pod

ChocBox climbed to #1 in the food category on TikTok Shop. Then it used that traction to walk onto retail shelves. Episode 1 of TikTok Operators. Jake Bjorseth sits down with Kevin Nemandoust, Co-Founder of ChocBox LA, one of the original TikTok Shop CPG brands. Kevin tells the real version of the story: a brand his wife started, the decision to leave his corporate job and go all-in right after they got married and found out she was pregnant, and what it actually took to reach #1 in the food category with nothing but a chocolate brand and a TikTok Shop account. What we get into: Building real demand on TikTok Shop before any retail footprint existed Pioneering the Dubai Chocolate trend and what it did for the brand Turning platform traction into retail distribution What operators starting today should copy and what they should ignore New episodes weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.

June 22, 202621 min

The AI Stack Our Team Uses to Manage the Top Brands on TikTok Shop

You're (probably) using AI wrong. If you're using AI to write content scripts, to reach out to creators, or to design serious marketing strategies... you're using AI to replace the one thing it should be optimizing for: Human Thinking. This week I shared the lean AI Stack our team uses across some of the best performing consumer brands on the planet, and our fundamental philosophy that has led here.

July 17, 2025Episode 1721 min

Athletes > Specialists | The New Creator Strategy

Today, Jake breaks down the new creator marketing strategy that we are seeing continue to outperform others across our brand portfolio in TikTok Shop. Athletes > Specialists Want more insight? Email jake@thesugaragency.com for any questions!

June 24, 2025Episode 1626 min

TikTok Shop Merchandising Strategy | 1:1 w Jake Bjorseth

Today's episode is a solo breakdown from Jake Bjorseth on the exact TikTok Shop Merchandising Strategy we are rolling out for two key accounts at the moment. Why does SKU consolidation matter? How does the integration and listing optimization work? How should I think about cataloging? That and more covered on today's pod!

June 10, 2025Episode 1520 min

Agency Insider: TikTok Shop CRM Unlocks, Paid Creator Feature, GMV Pay/Credit Line

On today's episode Jake is joined by James Bennett and Adeen Khan. The managing director and head of shop ops for our agency, respectively. Together, the trio pull the curtain back on the real candid conversations we're having internally across our client partners as we strive to deliver for them on TikTok Shop. From rising AOVs to CRM Protocols to new platform features, we share all and our exact attack plan.

May 7, 2025Episode 1428 min

Teen Mom Turned Full-Time TikTok Creator | Creator Life with Kylah Williams

On today's episode we welcome Kylah Williams! A notable content creator and TikTok affiliate navigating her creator career as a young mother. Kylah's story is one that every creator needs to hear. From the journey of finding your voice and message to monetization, Kylah shares it all! Check out Kylah on TikTok at @Lifewkylahmei

April 30, 2025Episode 1353 min

Creators Rule the World | Special Guest: Bora Mutluoglu, Partner @ Reacher

In this episode of The Social Commerce Collective , Jake hosts a LinkedIn Live alongside Bora Mutluoglu, a friend, partner, and co-founder of Reacher. Reacher is the go-to affiliate automation platform for brands winning in social commerce and a long-time partner of Trndsttrs. Jake & Bora discuss: Why Creators Drive So Much of the Success on TikTok Shop How to Master Every Step in the Creator Outreach to Sign-On Process How to Get the Most out of Creator Partnerships Along with a live Q&A for our live LinkedIn audience. Interested in giving Reacher a try? Free Trial Here Interested in working with our agency? Apply Here Got a question? Email me jake@gosugar.ai any time!