When I was introduced to Michael Lebhar, the founder of Sellcord, a company that helps e-commerce sellers get started on the Walmart.com platform, I was intrigued. Although selling on Amazon has become a good source of income for many, Walmart has been positioning itself to compete as an online marketplace.
These days, it’s becoming more and more common to place orders on Walmart.com alone or in addition to Amazon. In this interview, Michael reveals what’s been working for Walmart, as well as some of its strategies for growth.
Michael started Spawn Fitness to sell fitness equipment as a teenager, and he now has several e-commerce brands, including one for supplements called 2×4.
After selling 2×4 products on Walmart.com and doing well, Michael founded SellCord, which helps other people sell on Walmart. Walmart has featured this fast-growing company many times in its media as one that truly understands its vision and future.
Enjoy!
—Nesanel
I was born in Eretz Yisrael. My father, Rabbi Mordechai Lebhar, was a rosh kollel there but was advised by his rebbi to start his own kollel in America, so we moved to Los Angeles when I was seven. We then lived in Toronto for a while before returning to LA in 2015.
“For elementary school I went to The Toronto Cheder, followed by Brodsky’s for ninth and tenth grade. But my family moved back to LA when my father was asked to return and head the kollel. Today, he heads the LINKS kollel and is also the rav of the Magen Avot shul, which is about to build a much larger beis midrash.
“I finished high school at Yeshiva Gedolah of Los Angeles and then went to Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway for a year. My rebbi in 11th grade was the brother of Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, the rosh yeshivah of Darchei, and he recommended that I go there. Afterwards, I went to Mir Yerushalayim and learned in Rav Elimelech Reznick’s shiur. Then I came back to LA and got married shortly thereafter.
“I was always buying and selling things as a kid. In high school I started a side business selling various items online after yeshivah and during bein hazmanim, mostly accessories like resistance bands, workout gloves, yoga mats and jump ropes. Our brand was called Spawn Fitness. I wouldn’t say that my father actively encouraged me, but he didn’t mind it because it kept me out of trouble, and I didn’t let it affect my grades. I ran the business together with my younger brother Shlomo. We sourced products from overseas and sold them on Amazon. The sons of one of the rabbanim in my community who were very successful in online business helped me learn the ropes.
“Even after I went to Eretz Yisrael I continued my involvement in the business while making sure to never miss a seder. I had a small office that I went to after night seder, which was great because that was during the workday in America. I’m not saying it was ideal, but it worked for me.
“During Pesach bein hazmanim in 2018, I attended an online trade show called Prosper Show, the purpose of which was to network and share tactics and strategies. That was where I met my eventual partner, Cal Chan. He was the number-one bestseller on Amazon in the beauty category. Everyone knew his products. His charcoal-based toothpaste became number one on Amazon and then got into every Walmart, Target and major retailer within a very short period of time.
“At the time, he was looking to build a better brand with better products. A lot of brands on Amazon sell random products that happen to be trending, so they slap a label on to drive some sales. He wanted to build something that could stand the test of time. He hadn’t capitalized properly and his company wasn’t built well. At one point he’d gotten a $70 million buyout offer, but the brand soon dropped quickly. The two of us hit it off, and we decided to partner to build a company with multiple brands that were category-defining. Unfortunately, our first brand didn’t work out. It was in the CBD space, which is very crowded and regulated, so you can’t run proper advertising.
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