349 | Winning Customer Trust by Owning Early Ecomm Mistakes | with Jeremy Barker

Jeremy Barker is the founder and CEO of Murphy Door, best known for transforming hidden doors and space-saving furniture into a thriving direct-to-consumer brand. From humble beginnings to Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies 2025, Jeremy has built Murphy Door into the industry leader in functional design and custom craftsmanship. With Murphy Door, Jeremy is redefining what it means to blend utility, aesthetics, and engineering. What started as a bold idea, turning bookcases into fully functional hidden doors has scaled into a multi-million-dollar business recognized nationwide. By combining product innovation with viral social media, Murphy Door has grown from scrappy startup to household name. Jeremy’s story blends grit with vision. From serving as a firefighter and paramedic, to living out of his car while learning how to face failure head-on, to now running one of America’s most innovative companies, he’s proof that persistence and transparency can turn customers into lifelong advocates. Whether you’re scaling a DTC brand, looking to harness social media for growth, or exploring how AI and software can reshape customer experience, Jeremy offers an unfiltered look at what it takes to build with purpose and why owning mistakes early is the fastest path to building trust. In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:43] Intro[01:16] Turning bold ideas into real products[02:04] Growing sales with early Facebook ads[07:05] Securing patents to gain attention[09:32] Stay updated with new episodes[09:42] Turning mistakes into loyal fans[14:56] Managing expectations with transparency[17:08] Simplifying processes to prevent confusion[19:00] Owning mistakes to improve clients’ trust[20:11] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye & Heatmap[22:52] Leveraging partnerships to fuel growth[24:01] Empowering customers to tell stories[26:42] Rewarding referrals with revenue share[31:12] Learning to test before scaling spend[34:53] Preventing conflicts with partner clarity Resources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeCustom-built, multi-purpose hideaway doors murphydoor.com/Follow Jeremy Barker linkedin.com/in/jeremy-barker-02007648Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connectClear, real-time data built for ecommerce optimization heatmap.com/honest If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!