I asked Rok Hladnik, an ecommerce merchant turned agency owner, how to launch a new product line without confusing existing customers and diverting staff. He advised creating a new brand. “There’s nothing wrong with applying learnings to a new company,” he told me.

Rok’s agency, Flat Circle, is based in Slovenia and serves ecommerce businesses worldwide. In our recent conversation, he shared how AI is changing advertising, why product quality matters, and the appeal (and risk) of launching a new brand.

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

Eric Bandholz: Tell our listeners who you are and what you do.

Rok Hladnik: I’m the founder of Flat Circle, a Slovenia-based marketing agency. Luka Dončić, the basketball player, is from here. I launched this business in 2019 after running our own ecommerce stores.

We focus on brands doing six to eight figures annually and looking to reach the next level.

AI is changing the agency business.…