WHO I AM
I’m Vinny O’Brien. Irish, based between North America and Europe, and I’ve spent long enough in this industry to know the difference between what people say at conferences and what they say afterwards at the bar.
I write, host, and think about commerce for a living. Not from the outside looking in, from somewhere in the middle of it, where the interesting stuff actually happens.
I’m on the Rethink Retail Top 100 list, which I mention not to impress you but because it tells you something about the room I’m in and the people I talk to. Senior operators, founders, brand leaders, SaaS builders. The people making the actual decisions, not just commenting on them.
I am also, for the record, genuinely terrible at pretending things are fine when they aren’t. Which turns out to be a useful quality in a journalist.
WHAT THE V SPOT IS
The V Spot started as a newsletter and became something harder to categorise , which I’ve decided to take as a compliment.
It’s ecommerce and retail news, analysis, and conversation, delivered with a point of view and occasionally with a raised eyebrow. I call it Nearly News because by the time most industry publications cover something, the people I talk to already know about it. My job is to be a beat ahead, or at least honest about what’s actually going on versus what the press release says.
There are now four thousand of you reading this. Three of you pay for it, which I find both humbling and motivating in equal measure.
THE SHOWS
The Struggle Bus The human side of commerce. Every guest is a senior leader in ecommerce or retail, but I don’t ask them about their KPIs. I ask them who they actually are. Each episode is built organically over 18-25 minutes, with one question they never see coming. It’s the show people post about on LinkedIn afterwards, unprompted, which remains the best metric I have.
The Sunday Supplement Three people. Three or four reports between us. One conversation about what’s actually worth reading that week and who it’s useful for. Simple premise, honest format, no filler. Me and two others keeping each other accountable to the signal rather than the noise.
The V Spot Nearly News The obvious stories, delivered with satire. Because sometimes the most useful thing you can do with industry news is point at it and laugh — and then explain why it matters anyway.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
I’ll let the guests speak here because they do it better than I can.
“Reading it back was unexpectedly reflective. While this is the most unknown I’ve ever felt in my career, it’s also the most grounded I’ve felt. Thank you, Vinny, for creating space for honest conversations.” Chloe Pascal, Nosto
“He’s a mentor in the real sense of the word. Not someone who gives surface-level advice, but someone who changes how you think. Vinny is a legend in his own right and I’ve long respected what he does.” Suze Dowling, Pattern Brands
WORK WITH ME
I work with a small number of sponsors per season, partners who want to be in the room rather than just in the ad break. Current partners include Omnisend, Trustap and Parcel Planet. There is one open slot for Season 3 of the Struggle Bus.
If your brand belongs in a conversation that includes Nike, Elastic Path and Pattern Brands — get in touch.
THE CLOSE
I started doing this because I genuinely love the industry and I couldn’t find the version of it I wanted to read. That’s still the reason.
If you’re new here, welcome to the bus. It’s not always comfortable but it goes somewhere interesting.
— Vinny
