The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Live Selling Secrets From a $25M Golf Brand
Feb 24, 2026
Nick Mertz, founder of Pins and Aces, turned $6,000 into a $25M golf lifestyle brand. He digs into live selling on Whatnot and TikTok Shop, licensing collabs with big IP, scaling wholesale to 40% of revenue, in-house fulfillment, viral grab-bag tactics, and running the company like a sports team.
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Live Selling Creates Organic Discovery And Sales
- Live selling is a low-cost discovery channel that builds brand familiarity and drives sales without paid CAC.
- Pins and Aces used Whatnot and TikTok Shop daily, growing to millions of weekly impressions and $400K December sales on TikTok.
Wholesale Lead Uncovered Whatnot Opportunity
- Anecdote of a wholesale lead revealing a new channel: a reseller told Nick he sold Pins and Aces products on Whatnot.
- That prompted Nick to try Whatnot; their first two-hour show did $10,000 and opened a new acquisition path.
Use Core Collections Plus Limited Drops And Live Exclusives
- Do run tiered drops: core collections for staples, limited editions for scarcity, and live-exclusive drops to build urgency.
- Nick uses seasonal core drops plus limited collabs and Power Hours to drive demand and VIP access.