Ecommerce to Real Estate: An Owner’s Story

Shakil Prasla once owned 12 ecommerce consumer brands generating $50 million in combined annual revenue with 50 employees. But he grew wary of the fluctuating revenue and non-stop marketing, so he pivoted during Covid to wholesale personal protective equipment.

That’s when he and I last spoke. The PPE business, Gloves.com, had misgauged demand and lost, initially, a whopping $6 million. He has since recovered and pivoted again, this time to real estate and convenience-store gas stations.

He’s an inspiring example of resilience, priorities, and seizing opportunities. He shared those lessons and more in this our latest conversation.

Our entire audio is embedded below. The transcript is condensed and edited for clarity.

Eric Bandholz: Give us a rundown of what you do.

Shakil Prasla: I own Gloves.com. We primarily sell disposable protective gloves for medical, food service, and other industries, mostly wholesale. We import from overseas, store our inventory in warehouses, and have a team of sales representatives who build relationships and sell to large distributors, such as Sysco.

Sysco, in turn, supplies restaurants and businesses like McDonald’s and Taco Bell. Orders flow through backend integrations, and while we use automation, we’re essentially a logistics company: importing, storing, and distributing goods.

I acquired the business with a private equity group. The brand has been around for over 30 years, so it came with an established sales history. When evaluating it, we looked at total market share — disposable gloves are a surprisingly massive, multi-billion-dollar industry. They’re used everywhere: hospitals, nail salons, barber shops, grocery stores, even gardening.

While gloves are our core offering, we also provide other disposable wearables, such as bouffant caps and beard covers. What I learned from ecommerce is that consumables drive strong repeat business. Customers reorder when they run out, which increases lifetime value and makes the business model attractive.

I bought my first online business in 2013, before acquiring ecommerce brands was popular. I enjoyed improving and growing them. By 2018, I owned 12 brands, generating over $50 million in annual revenue with more than 50 employees.

During Covid, I sold most of my brands and transitioned into wholesale distribution of personal protective equipment. Now, I’m also involved in real estate — buying land, building strip centers, and gas stations around Austin, Texas.

Bandholz: You scaled this business quite a bit.

Prasla: We acquired the company with just the inventory — no team, no tech — so we had to rebuild it from the ground up. Fortunately, it had been a large business with strong brand recognition, so we focused on the low-hanging fruit: reactivating old customers.

We reached out to clients from 15 to 20 years ago and informed them that the brand had new ownership, improved service, and the same trusted products. We addressed past issues and emphasized improvements — faster shipping, better pricing, and consistent product quality. That approach worked well, and many customers returned.

Unlike ecommerce, where you’re constantly running ads on Facebook, Google, TikTok, and writing emails, we don’t rely on traditional marketing. Our sales reps do the marketing. They follow KPIs, and their bonuses are tied to performance. That incentive structure has been a key driver of our growth.

Bandholz: How do you find operators and get aligned so they can thrive and help scale the business?

Prasla: I realized early on that operations aren’t my strength — I get bored by the day-to-day details. Back in my ecommerce days, I started outsourcing operations. I hired someone from what was then oDesk (now Upwork) to handle customer service, agency calls, and other tasks. At first, it was messy because I didn’t have proper operating procedures, but I refined the process over time.

Finding great people is hard. A one-hour interview isn’t enough. Candidates are selling themselves, and what they present isn’t always accurate. So there’s a trial-and-error phase.

Today, we use staffing agencies, LinkedIn, and platforms like Monster. My human resources team handles job postings, and we make sure to clearly outline the role — for example, “I need a leader to run a nine-figure business and inspire sales reps.” That clarity helps attract the right people.

Incentives are also critical. Some candidates seek a stable income, while others prefer a lower base pay with high performance bonuses. I try to understand what motivates them and tailor compensation accordingly.

To filter applicants, we include a short questionnaire: “If you were running this company, how would you grow it?” Only thoughtful responses move forward. Then our team conducts interviews, and I speak with the final candidates. That’s the process that’s worked for me.

Bandholz: What is your relationship with the CEOs?

Prasla: I keep it simple. One 30-minute call per week, focused on high-level strategy. We review a dashboard with key metrics, including revenue, what’s working, what’s not, and where the opportunities lie. I get the agenda in advance, and we stick to it.

I don’t micromanage. My job is to empower, not control. I give CEOs guardrails — for example, “Let’s grow from $1 million to $1.2 million this year.” Then I ask how they plan to do it. They break it down into quarterly and monthly KPIs. Maybe the goal is to increase conversion from 1% to 1.5% through home page A/B testing. I guide the direction, but they own the execution.

That ownership is key. When they create the plan, they’re more committed to achieving it.

Compensation for a seven- or eight-figure company typically includes a base salary ranging from $150,000 to $300,000, plus phantom equity that vests over time, profit sharing, and performance bonuses.

If my CEO brings in an extra $1 million in value, I’m happy to share in that. It’s about alignment — when they win, we all win.

Bandholz: Tell us about the shift into real estate and convenience stores, and getting into strip malls.

Prasla: My move into real estate came from two things I noticed in ecommerce. First, the ecommerce revenue was unpredictable. One month it would be up, the next it would drop due to factors such as algorithm changes, underperforming ads, or supply chain issues. It was stressful, and I wanted more stability. Second, I wanted to build long-term wealth through equity, not just profit. Real estate gave me both.

It’s been a fun challenge. I enjoy negotiating land deals and working with brokers, developers, and banks. Once I find a property, the real planning begins — figuring out the building footprint, engineering, architecture, and sometimes dealing with environmental or access issues. It’s rewarding to see a project come to life from the ground up.

I’m not the general contractor — I hire one to manage all the subcontractors, including plumbing, roofing, MEP, and foundation, among others. We also work with about 20 professionals per project, including architects, engineers, and traffic consultants. Financing typically requires a down payment of 20–35%. After construction and getting a certificate of occupancy, it takes about six months to stabilize.

This isn’t a flip strategy for me — I plan to hold the properties long term. Traffic at busy intersections brings consistent footfall, unlike the volatility of ecommerce.

After years of grinding, experiencing burnout, and incurring some losses driven by ego, I’ve reevaluated what truly matters. I have two young kids, and now my priority is time — being present. I built a stable financial base, and now I’m focused on enjoying the next chapter.

Bandholz: Where can people find you?

Prasla: Gloves.com is our business for disposable products. Our convenience stores — called Snack Shop  — are in Austin, Texas, where I live. I’m on LinkedIn.