In this Checkout episode of Add to Cart, we chat to CTO Damien Smith from Paramount Retail, best known for online alcohol brands BoozeBud and Barrel & Batch. Damien opens up about his unique online shopping habits, the tools that keep his team organised, and his approach to balancing strategy and day-to-day operations.
A Weird Online Purchases: K-Pop Cards
Kicking things off with some fun, we asked Damien about his weirdest online purchases. For Damien, it was a set of K-pop cards for his youngest daughter, who’s a big fan. He admitted that K-pop had become a big thing in his household, sharing, “She’s just got her favourite K-pop bands, and then the cards arrived, and I have to sit down and pick out which one’s my favourite artist out of all the cards that I’m shown.”
Why Kick Push is More Than a Niche Skateboard Brand
When asked which retailers inspire him, Damien showed his appreciation for brands that nail the fundamentals. Damien’s pick was a small skateboard retailer called Kick Push:
You just get the vibe they’re really trying to do the best they can across every single touchpoint and just doing it well. Great website, good pricing, had what I needed, fast express delivery at a good price, follow-up emails. For such a niche industry like skateboarding, these guys are just doing it really well.
The Tools He Can’t Live Without
We also asked Damien about the tools he relies on to keep everything running smoothly. For Damien, it’s Asana, the project management tool that helps him and his team stay organised across different locations: “I’m in Sydney, the rest of the team’s in Melbourne, and we’ve got some offshore staff as well. Asana is just a way for us all to keep in touch with what we’re meant to be doing next.”
Damien’s Strategy and Management Bibles
As an avid learner, Damien was only too happy to share some of his favourite reads and listens. Damien highlighted the book Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt, a personal favourite for him.
For podcasts, Damien recommended Manager Tools, a long-running show that provides practical advice for new managers:
For anyone who’s managing a team, it’s amazing. It’s actionable advice about different situations—here’s how to do it, here’s what to say. It’s a lifeline, especially for people moving from a technical role into a management role.
Needing to Be in Two Places at Once
While Damien is great with staying structured, he is often stretched pretty thin! His biggest challenge is the constant need to “duplicate” himself, balancing the time it takes to dig into the data and deciding what’s worth focusing on: “It’s really trying to pick out what are the things that are not worth spending time on or spending money on, to bring up that average.”
Balancing Business, Creativity and Learning
From quirky purchases to tools that help them stay on top of his game, Damien demonstrated the importance of balancing leadership with personal growth. Whether that’s staying organised with project management tools, getting inspired by other retailers, or taking time to read a good book, Damien reminds us that success in e-commerce is as much about creativity and learning as it is about strategy and execution.
The Checkout is a short snippet of our conversations.
