eCommerce Australia

← eCommerce Australia10 jun · 47 min

From $5 Tablecloth to Two Stores: Amanda Phoenix on Building Peak Moto | eCommerce Australia

From $5 Tablecloth to Two Stores: Amanda Phoenix on Building Peak Moto | eCommerce Australia10 jun47 min

<p><a href="https://www.remarkabledigital.com.au/contact/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">FREE: Find out why you&#39;re brand isn&#39;t ranking in AI with a Remarkable Digital Free AIO Audit Here</a> </p><p><br></p><p>The best eCommerce Australia founder stories start with a problem nobody else has solved.</p><p>Amanda Phoenix moved from Vancouver to Melbourne with $3,000 to her name, had a motorcycle accident, and sewed her first product from a $5 polka-dot tablecloth she bought at Spotlight. </p><p>Today she runs Peak Moto - Australia&#39;s leading women&#39;s motorcycle gear retailer with stores in Melbourne and Brisbane and a fast-growing eCommerce store.</p><p>In this episode of the Ecommerce Australia Podcast, Ryan Martin sits down with Amanda to trace the full founder journey: </p><p>From living on a chicken farm in regional Victoria on a working holiday visa, to a presale campaign that flooded her Gmail with 200 orders in a single evening, to rage-quitting a marketing agency job and opening a 29-square-metre hole-in-the-wall with no running water and a four-hour daily limit imposed by the absence of a toilet.</p><p>Amanda shares hard-won lessons on eCommerce SEO, finding the right marketing agency, why she walked away from wholesale (B2B) to go all-in on direct-to-consumer, how she negotiated her first commercial lease to exit penalty-free, and why community, not advertising, has been the biggest driver of growth for Peak Moto.</p><p>If you&#39;re an Australian eCommerce founder, a product-based business owner, or thinking about opening a bricks-and-mortar store alongside your online store, this episode is essential listening.</p><p>What You&#39;ll Learn</p><p>• How Amanda bootstrapped Flying Solo Gear Company from zero - no money, no network,no plan</p><p>• Why a presale strategy turned a hobby into a real eCommerce business overnight</p><p>• The exact lease negotiation that let her exit her first store with 30 days notice and no penalty</p><p>• Why she dropped B2B wholesale and went D2C — and what it meant for margins</p><p>• How to build a community that sells for you without paid advertising</p><p>• What to look for (and watch out for) when hiring an eCommerce marketing agency in Australia</p><p>• Bricks-and-mortar lessons: why smaller is smarter when opening your first retail location</p><p><strong>Episode Timestamps</strong></p><p>00:00 Welcome — the full circle moment</p><p>02:00 Amanda&#39;s background: strength coach, national team, total burnout</p><p>04:30 Why Australia? Selling everything for $15K CAD and booking a one-way ticket</p><p>06:00 Chicken farm in regional Victoria — the working holiday visa reality</p><p>08:30 Moving to Melbourne: nearly run over by a tram on Day 1</p><p>10:00 The motorcycle accident that created Flying Solo</p><p>11:30 The $5 Spotlight tablecloth, a borrowed sewing machine, and the first bum bag</p><p>13:30 The Yarra Valley petrol station moment — what are you wearing?</p><p>15:00 Kill Switch Pack: carbon fibre, Kevlar, and the world&#39;s toughest bum bag</p><p>17:30 Flying Solo born in one day at the cafe downstairs</p><p>20:00 The presale that changed everything: 200 backpack orders in one evening</p><p>22:00 Word of mouth, Mailchimp, and growing without paid ads</p><p>24:00 Rage quit → first retail space → 29sqm with no toilet</p><p>27:30 Importing MotoGirl, Revit saying yes when everyone else said no</p><p>29:00 Why Flying Solo became Peak Moto</p><p>31:30 Founder advice: smaller MOQs, ditch B2B, test before you scale</p><p>36:00 How Peak Moto built a community that drives word-of-mouth sales</p><p>40:00 Bricks and mortar lessons: leases, location, lifestyle</p><p>44:00 How to find a good marketing agency — and the red flags to watch for</p><p>Links &amp; Mentions</p><p>Guests</p><p>→ PeakMoto — Women&#39;s Motorcycle Gear (Melbourne &amp; Brisbane)</p><p>→ Flying Solo Gear Company</p><p>→ Amanda Phoenix on Instagram</p><p>Mentioned in this episode</p><p>Revi