Podcasts about COGS

Stephen Coniglio is a legend of the GWS footy club. He is a former captain and vice-captain, the number 2 draft pick and has, at the time of recording, played 246 games for the Giants.  Cogs is about to take you behind the walls of GWS like you haven't heard before.  As one of the last remaining original Giants, Cogs shares the struggles of the early years, living at Breakfast Point, Kevin Sheedy's influence and players leaving. Plus, how they turned it into a destination club and the success they have had as a group.  We chat about the characters of the footy club, the big night after their first win and running into Chad Cornes & Dean Brogan at a nightclub.  Cogs opens up about being the first player in 20 years to be dropped as captain and how it soured the relationship with then coach, Leon Cameron. Add in the added element of the whole thing being filmed for the "Making Their Mark" documentary.  And speaking of moments caught on camera...Cogs shares that brutal spray he copped by Adam Kingsley!  We talk about the heartbreak of finals losses, his faith, the contract, celebration songs and the day Clarko found his way into his house and was waiting with a pitch for Hawthorn.  All this and more in a huge episode you're going to love!  Sit back and enjoy the most loyal of Giants, Stephan Coniglio!    Follow Cogs on Instagram @stephenconiglio    This episode is brought to you CoinSpot, Australia's most trusted Crypto trading platform. Buy Bitcoin and over 500 cryptocurrencies for as little as $1 Australian Crypto & Bitcoin Exchange, Crypto Trading | CoinSpot  Build your future and learn about CBUS at www.cbussuper.com.au  Grab the first ladder you'll buy and the last you own with Australia's most trusted ladder, Bailey Australia's #1 Ladder Brand | Bailey Ladders  Look good, smell good, feel good through Milkman's grooming products! www.milkmanaustralia.com (Use the code "Dosandd" for 20% off your first order)  Taste an Italian summer with Tommy's Booze - www.tommysbooze.com.au - use code tommys01 for 10% off!  Shop Australia's no.1 Seriously Comfy Underwear, Sleepwear & Socks at www.mitchdowd.com.au (Use the code "DOSANDD" for 30% off)  Book now at your favourite neighbourhood pizzeria, Freddy's! Freddy's – Your friendly neighbourhood pizzeria.    This episode was recorded at Hear That studios, Sydney - Hear That? | Hear That    Follow us on Instagram @dosandd_  Follow us on TikTok @dosandd  Watch & Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here - Dos and D - YouTube Follow us on Facebook here - The Dos & D Show | Facebook  Questions & Enquiries - thedosanddshow@gmail.com  Remember to Subscribe/Follow the podcast wherever you listen and leave us a 5-star review! 

Kyle Bertin thinks the industry has the returns conversation backwards. His company, Two Boxes, builds software for the section of the fulfillment center nobody wants to walk into, and his argument is that returns are an inventory management problem. He calls it the least optimized inventory pool most merchants own.The math he runs uses a hypothetical $100 million apparel brand. A 25% return rate sends $25 million of GMV back through the door, and at the 50% restock rate he sees in unoptimized operations, half of that never makes it back to full-price sale. Bertin says 80% restock is achievable across his customer base, which frees roughly $7.5 million of inventory and, after sell-through and gross margin, puts the net income impact between $3 and $5 million. For context on what that means against a real P&L, public apparel brands have spent the past several quarters working to hold net margins in the low double digits.He also tells the story of a footwear CFO who looked at a 35% return rate a few years ago and said, directly, that he did not care. At the time the reasoning held up. He was buying at under 20% COGS out of Vietnam, bringing it in duty-free under the Section 321 de minimis exemption, financing inventory in transit at close to zero interest, and answering to investors who rewarded growth over profitability. Bertin takes each of those conditions apart in turn, which is his explanation for why the inbound started as a trickle in 2023 and hasn't slowed.We also get into what has to change on a 3PL warehouse floor, where AI is doing real work in returns processing and where it isn't, the new Radial partnership, and Bertin's claim that only about 5% of returned items are genuinely unsalvageable.This Watson Weekly interview is sponsored by Radial.#watsonweekly #supplychain #returns #inventorymanagment

For the fourth straight year, it came down to one score: Genoa-Kingston 14, Oregon 12. Chase Ferguson's tackle on the 2-point conversion sealed it for the Cogs.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Elbows up — but make it strategic. Phil and Kenny break down what the latest US tariff escalation actually means for Canadian food, beverage, and CPG brands. This one's raw and unscripted. The guys air out the frustration, then get clinical: how founders should be stress-testing their US ambitions, why "buy Canadian" is more than a slogan right now, and how to hunt for opportunity instead of just moaning about the mess. They dig into the case for looking beyond the border — Mexico, Europe, Asia, and the I-5 corridor as its own set of regional markets — and why parking your US plan doesn't mean blowing it up. Plus a rundown of the food & beverage associations and buy-local programs across BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada that brands can tap for peanuts. If you're a Canadian brand, tell the world you're Canadian — people are asking, and not just here at home. In this episode: Why the guys are angry — and why they're choosing to move past it "Buy Canadian" when you can, and being real about when you can't Rethinking the US: sizing, packaging, COGS, and market viability Looking past the border — Mexico, Europe, Asia, and regional plays The provincial food & bev associations and buy-local programs worth joining This Commerce Life is Canada's longest-running commerce podcast, hosted by Phil Chang and Kenny Vannucci.

Welcome to the Season Finale of Creative Contraband! Today Danny Barrett helps us deal with slow sessions or stuck campaigns.With these 4 different techniques, you will be able to make things move again whether you are a Dungeon Master or a Game Master.Creative Contraband is a segment designed and hosted with love by Danny Barrett for How to Be a Better DM.Find Danny at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gamemaster.hof⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you want more content for Dungeon Masters and Game Masters alike, you can find related projects and sponsored links here:Worldsmith: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/worldsmith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/rollandplay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Phantasm Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/fantasms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monument Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠session0studios.com/monumentstudios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://session0studios.com/discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dungeon Master Level Up Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://session0studios.com/newsletter

Jaiden Lee is Genoa-Kingston's new starting QB — and his teammates can't wait. "He's been waiting for this opportunity for a while now," Blake Ides said. The Cogs are ready to build on last year's breakout passing season.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-636&utm_medium=podcastSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupFifteen videos in a shoot day. A writer's room where creators cross-edit each other's scripts. Hair, makeup, and wardrobe walkthroughs before anyone hits record. This is what organic content looks like at Kiyoko Beauty (kiyoko.ca), the curated Asian beauty retailer that hit 8 figures in 5 years, bootstrapped, while all three co-founders kept their full-time jobs.Gillian Liu walks through the whole machine, from a part-time student's 3M-view TikTok to a production calendar planned a month out.If you run content, growth, or a retail business on thin margins, this episode is worth a notebook.What's inside:The full production process: concepts and formats planned a month ahead, scripting against a reference hook library, a writer's room because "sometimes you're in it too much by yourself," script read-throughs with talent, then batch shoot days. "It's not vibes at all."Her comparison for why the pros post consistently: comedians who have joke-writing down to a science.The hiring filter for content roles: "What's your screen time? Show me." Her most recent hire clocks 8 hours a day. Gillian's reaction: "That's it?"Where it started: a student with 1,000 followers, found via Instagram DM, told to post three times a week with no direction. Three months in, one video hit 3M views on a niche product only Kiyoko carried, and site sessions 10x'd overnight.Platform roles: TikTok reaches strangers, Instagram converts them through stories and community, YouTube Shorts reposts overperform, and Red Note gets Gillian recognized on the street by the Chinese Canadian community.The math forcing all of this: retailer margins. A Meta top-of-funnel ad runs ~$10 CPM; organic works out to under a dollar. Paid has been bottom-of-funnel Google only for five years.The curation model itself: pay brand premium on COGS, then harvest demand created by other people's marketing budgets.Merchandising by data: Amazon US/Canada volume, Korea's top sellers, brand heads-ups on strategic SKUs, and Shopify's "search queries with no results" report.Brands as partners: one runs a 50/50 ad split with Kiyoko, others commission content monthly and pay in inventory value.The early jank: a $2,000 first order, a free Shopify theme, shipping from a co-founder's basement, and buying out-of-stock items from the Asian grocery store down the street.Why three co-founders kept their 9 to 5s (cash flow first, risk second), plus two warehouse moves in five months and the new California fulfillment center.Who this is for: content leads and founders doing organic at scale, and any operator whose margins can't support paid top of funnel.What to steal: her writer's room. Have creators cross-edit each other's scripts before anything gets shot.Visit the brand: kiyoko.caTimestamps:00:00 Building an Eight-Figure Brand While Working Full-Time06:10 The Organic Content Strategy That Changed Everything10:02 How Kiyoko Produces Viral Content at Scale17:07 Merchandising and Choosing Winning Products28:03 Why Organic Beats Paid for Customer AcquisitionSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

At the end of every season, Editor Steve Ewing assembles an episode built from his favorite moments from each episode.  Whether you have listened to the all of the episodes or just want to get a taste of Season 11, we hope that you enjoy this trip through the past 12 episodes of Reality Escape Pod.   Full Show Notes   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

In this episode we're joined by Edward Barrow, co-founder & CEO @ Cloud Capital, and a former finance leader who spent years managing $100Ms in cloud commitments before building the company to solve the problem himself.In this episode, Ed unpacks the rise of cloud and AI compute costs, and why CFOs now face a brand new discipline: a line item that's grown to rival payroll, yet remains the least understood and least predictable on the P&L. We dig into the critical difference between AI costs sitting in OpEx versus COGS, why repricing alone won't rescue gross margins, and the "token treadmill" that keeps consumption outpacing falling unit prices. We also explore why the CFO-CTO relationship has never mattered more, and what it actually takes to build a shared vocabulary between finance and engineering.https://startupcfo.tech/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebarrow/https://www.cloudcapital.co[Report] Cost of Compute 2026: https://www.cloudcapital.co/the-cost-of-compute

This week Heff is joined by Zanks to review Round 21 of the 2026 AFL Fantasy season from a draft and keeper league perspective.We welcomed back Billy Dowling with a massive 107-point performance from 18 disposals, 11 marks and three goals. After consistently producing big numbers in the SANFL, can he keep scoring despite playing predominantly forward at AFL level, and is he worth an aggressive waiver bid?Stephen Coniglio continued his resurgence with 99 points from 20 disposals, six marks and three goals. With favourable matchups against Gold Coast and West Coast on the horizon, we assess his short-term value and whether his forward-heavy role makes him too volatile for coaches heading into finals.Liam Stocker also impressed with 102 points from 25 disposals, eight marks and three tackles. He now has a three-game average of 88.3, but is his recent form and role sustainable enough to trust against Carlton this week?We also work through plenty of other names worth monitoring, including Daniel McStay, Jhye Clark, Oscar McDonald, Oscar Ryan, Lachlan Bramble, Will Lorenz, Toby Bedford and more.As always, it's about working out what's real, what's role-driven, and what's just a one-week spike.If you're playing draft and keeper leagues, this episode is packed with the insights you need to stay ahead of the curve. Good luck to everyone competing in their keeper league finals!Become a Keeper League Podcast member:https://keeperleaguepod.com.au/keeper-league-membership/Join our Discord:https://discord.gg/APjqvT22zePlay FootyNumbers:https://footynumbers.comPlay FootyHeads:https://footyheads.com

Yes, that was a tough watch.Any time an opposition player racks up more than 1,000 metres gained against you, it's going to be a tough watch. When the Swans kick seven goals in the opening quarter and lead by 53 points at half-time, it becomes something else entirely.And then Finn went down.Is there any hope?Define hope…What we do have is a strong football club, a healthy culture, an awesome supporter base and a media storm brewing that seems heavy on noise and light on substance.We expect better from you, Cal Twomey.So here it is: direct from Giants fans, for Giants fans. An opportunity to listen, commiserate and reflect on the season that could have been—had something resembling half our best side been available at the same time.There were at least a few flickers amid the wreckage: Cogs kicked three and had plenty of High Speed Metres, the youngsters kept cracking in, and the Orange Army stayed loud despite being given very little to work with.And, of course, a special shout-out to the club doctor—also on crutches.Seriously, can we take a trick?Probably not in 2026. Nonetheless, we're loading up for Port Adelaide and one final attempt to keep the season alive.Never Surrender.----To get in contact, drop us an email, comment on Spotify or message us on X.We love reviews or ratings.Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thesquinterspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/thesquinters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NeverSurrenderByTheSquinters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheSquinters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gws_squinters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FB: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thesquinters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the.squinters⁠⁠⁠⁠

Send us Fan MailIn this video, the MAG Growth Podcast explains how Amazon importers can file for IEEPA tariff refunds before older customs entries become ineligible. Robert covers the ACE portal, filing timelines, refund interest, common account problems, and why these refunds are not automatic.The episode also explains how changing tariffs, freight fees, and big-and-bulky shipping can affect landed costs.Book a call with My Amazon Guy to review the refund process and next steps: https://bit.ly/4jMZtxu#AmazonFBA #AmazonSellers #Tariffs #Ecommerce #logistics Want free resources? Dowload our Free Amazon guides here:Download the 2026 Amazon AI Operating Manual: https://bit.ly/3SLmusPAmazon Receiving Delay Guide: https://hubs.ly/Q04cdD4c0Amazon Catalog Spring Cleaning: https://hubs.ly/Q046BVfp0Amazon Proft Margin Defense 2026: https://hubs.ly/Q042trRH0Amazon SEO Toolkit 2026: https://bit.ly/4oC2ClTAmazon Seller Strategy Report 2026: https://bit.ly/3YN1RME2026 Ecommerce Website & SEO Readiness Checklist: https://hubs.ly/Q04btghf0Amazon 2026 PPC guide: https://bit.ly/4lF0OYXTimestamps00:00 - Introduction: Why AIPA matters right now 01:47 - Meet Robert from Freight: Logistics and Customs Expert 03:07 - What is AIPA and why should sellers care? 05:33 - Why tariff refunds are NOT automatic 06:29 - The 13-month deadline: Don't let your entries liquidate 08:44 - How much paperwork do you actually need? 09:47 - Navigating the ACE Portal and technical hurdles 12:51 - Hidden costs in landed COGS math 14:50 - Using a Real-Time Container Rate Index 18:14 - Mastering "Big and Bulky" logistics for e-commerce 20:54 - Why most brands struggle to calculate shipping 24:25 - How shipping needs drive product design 26:43 - Advice for founders: Being "Confident about being unreasonable"-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Follow us:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28605816/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenpopemag/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/myamazonguys/Twitter: https://twitter.com/myamazonguySubscribe to the My Amazon Guy podcast: https://podcast.myamazonguy.comApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-amazon-guy/id1501974229Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4A5ASHGGfr6s4wWNQIqyVwSupport the show

Points of Interest 00:01 Introduction and New AI-Driven Call Analysis: Kristen and Carson introduce a new process where they use Claude to analyze client calls regularly and surface recurring themes for the podcast, starting with today's topic: pass-through. 01:14 Defining Pass-Through: Kristen defines pass-through as any money that flows from a client through the agency to another vendor, where the agency isn't responsible for that cost's profitability, citing examples like media spend, print budgets, and stock imagery. 03:26 Defining AGI and the Formula: Carson explains Agency Gross Income (AGI) as top-line revenue minus pass-through, emphasizing that a $5 million agency by billings might actually be a $1 million agency once pass-through is removed. 05:34 Case Study: Media Spend Masking True Agency Size: Kristen shares an example of a $3 million agency that was really closer to $1.5 million once media planning and buying income was stripped away, due to a messy chart of accounts. 07:26 Case Study: Off-Balance-Sheet Media Slush Fund: Kristen describes a second client who kept media dollars off their P&L entirely, creating the illusion of abundant cash on hand and complicating tracking of which funds belonged to which client. 09:17 Cash Flow Risks of Fronting Pass-Through: Kristen and Carson discuss how agencies that don't collect pass-through funds upfront risk becoming an unintentional bank for their clients, leading to cash flow trouble. 10:16 Case Study: Events Agency Mistaking $10M for $2M: Carson recounts a client who operated as if they were a $10 million agency when 80% of that revenue was pass-through events costs, leaving them a $2 million agency with unsustainable spending habits. 12:02 Case Study: Understaffing Miscalculation on a $100K Event: Carson shares a second events example where a team overstaffed a $100,000 event without realizing only $20,000 of that actually belonged to the agency, locking them into a multi-year contract destined to lose money. 16:26 The Contractor Decision Tree: Kristen walks through a sequential framework for classifying contractors as pass-through, delivery expense, or shared delivery cost, based on questions about salary status, compensation structure, and cost attribution. 23:15 Pricing and Estimating Projects with Pass-Through in Mind: Kristen and Carson explain how to separate people costs from pass-through costs when building project estimates, using breakeven calculations to arrive at a target price with margin. 25:09 Making Pass-Through Visible on the P&L: Carson advises working with bookkeepers to separate pass-through from cost of goods sold so agencies can clearly see their AGI rather than having it obscured within a muddled COGS section. 28:15 Tracking Costs and Empowering Project Managers: Kristen recommends empowering project managers closest to the delivery work to track and flag cost overruns proactively, rather than leaving pass-through reconciliation solely to bookkeepers or finance. Show Notes Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Connect on LinkedIn Carson Pierce Kristen Kelly Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

No one gets fired for doing what McKinsey says. That's not a joke, it's the actual product being sold in half of enterprise consulting: credibility a board can point to when a decision goes wrong. This week, Tim Lidman, founder of Clyde and formerly of a collaboration platform absorbed into Accenture in 2021, argues that AI won't replace that function — and says so without flinching, even though it means some prospective customers will balk.Tim also shares why he thinks “human in the loop” is such a dehumanizing turn of phrase.The conversation moves through the politics that quietly derail group decisions, the trap of building for experts at the expense of everyone else, and a real case where a district court judge canceled a trial because both sides had submitted AI-generated arguments neither side had bothered to check.And this episode ends somewhere unexpected: a founder building frontier AI for a living who gives his own children zero screen time, and why he thinks boredom is the skill nobody is protecting anymore.Mentioned: Deloitte Canada's GenAI snafu citing made up research• • Judge cancels trial after finding out both sides use AI

This week on Stasis Pod: Hot Shot is eager to get the new Multi-Cogs to the other recruits — and who has time for proper testing when a whole new world of altmodes awaits? Then, it’s time for the recruits to choose their second forms, but Hot Shot’s attempt to scan a rocket goes horribly wrong! Join us this week for the Rescue Bots Academy episodes “Small Cogs” and “Big Wheels”!

Andrew Youderian disappears into a cave for six weeks every year to crunch data from 300+ seven, eight, and nine-figure store owners — and comes back with the most honest read on the state of e-commerce you'll find anywhere. This year's survey has a few takeaways that sting: AI adoption hit 73% but produced zero measurable financial edge in 2025, Amazon has quietly slipped from growth engine to supplemental channel, and the single biggest profit lever isn't a tactic at all. Brett and Andrew dig into what the numbers actually say — and what operators should do about it before everyone else catches on.Inside the episode:Why Amazon's share of revenue has fallen back to 2017 levels even as more brands sell there — and the "build a brand, sell on Amazon second" shift behind itThe 92% vs. 17% gap: how store owners really feel about selling DTC versus Amazon (and why the P&L explains it — 47% COGS vs. 58%)The AI gut-check: 73% of brands "meaningfully adopted" it, so Andrew pulled their actual sales data instead of asking for ROI — here's what he foundThe financial-mastery cliff: going from a 4-out-of-5 to a 5-out-of-5 on financial fluency jumps net margins from 9.7% to 14.3% and net income growth ~50%The warehouse stat that became Andrew's most viral thread: own your warehouse and grow ~4%, lease or 3PL it and grow 30–35%The optimist vs. pessimist breakdown — conversion rate, inventory turns, and fixed overhead — and what separates the two campsWhy the future belongs to "small, durable brands" — and why the days of hacking distribution are over—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters:[00:00] Intro clip — Andrew on treating AI adoption as a growth tool that didn't pan out in the data[00:26] Welcome & introducing Andrew Youderian of eCommerce Fuel[01:31] Backstory — How Brett and Andrew connected, and eCommerce Fuel's origins[03:41] Inside the annual survey — Methodology and respondent profile[05:27] Amazon findings — Declining revenue share, low seller satisfaction, and P&L economics vs D2C[11:22] The Amazon land-grab era ending — 97% of brands now use paid traffic[17:34] CAC, moats, and the Dan Kennedy quote — Spending more to win the long game[20:19] Amazon as a checkout, not a discovery engine — The 40% off-platform sales stat[24:53] AI adoption findings — No financial edge despite 75% adoption[28:26] The nuance on AI — Vibe-coding pitfalls and where AI is actually helping[31:20] Financial intelligence — Why jumping from a 4 to a 5 out of 5 skyrockets margins[39:43] 2026 outlook — Optimists vs. pessimists, and the future of durable small brands—Connect With Brett:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmbMwBW8LYDfFAqNqlgTGwWebsite: https://www.omgcommerce.com/Request a Free Strategy Session: https://www.omgcommerce.com/contactRelevant Links:Andrew's LinkedIn: /andrew-youderian-ba74a623/Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Stephane Colleu, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more

Send us Fan Mail Function 1.2: Analysis and Evaluation of Data covers several essential topics that would make a great foundation for your podcast:Financial Analysis & Modeling: Analyzing individual companies, comparable companies, and specific industry sectors, as well as building spreadsheets and financial models using basic accounting and statistical concepts.The Balance Sheet: Breaking down assets (such as cash, marketable securities, inventory, PP&E, and goodwill), liabilities (like short-term debt, accounts payable, and long-term debt), and stockholders' equity/net worth (including preferred/common stock and retained earnings).The Income Statement: Understanding the flow from revenue/sales down to net income, including COGS (fixed and variable costs), SG&A expenses, depreciation/amortization, operating income, and taxes.The Cash Flow Statement: Exploring the three main pillars: operating cash flow, investing cash flow, and financing cash flow.Support the show

In this episode, host Don Adeesha sits down with Dr. Tiffany Hall, Chief Growth Officer at Aesthetic Record, to dismantle the biggest myth in medical aesthetics: that revenue is the number that decides whether a practice survives. Dr. Hall, who sits on top of one of the largest pools of real-world operational data in the industry, argues that most owners misdiagnose a marketing problem when the real bleed is happening at the operational and follow-up layer. She walks through the exact data trail an owner can pull tomorrow morning, speed to lead, conversion, retention, and frequency of visit, and explains why "fishing in your own pond" beats chasing new leads every time. From the 2.5-visits-per-year golden number to the 80% utilization sweet spot to the inventory and COGS metrics a PE firm scrutinizes during due diligence, this is a tactical map of where revenue hides inside your own EMR. Dr. Hall closes with her one Monday-morning fix for any owner staring down 24 months to scale, sell, or stall: run your 12-month inactivity report, find every patient who came in once for one thing, and start re-engaging them. The data is the goldmine, most owners just never sit down and dig.

In episode 124 of Venture Everywhere, Scott Hartley, a General Partner at Everywhere Ventures, talks with Mayssa Chehata, founder and CEO of BEHAVE Candy — the first-ever better-for-you confectionery brand making low-sugar gummies without artificial sweeteners. Mayssa shares how her dad's diabetes and her own sugar addiction drove her to prove that candy doesn't need artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols to taste good and stay blood-sugar-friendly. She discusses BEHAVE's vision to build the healthy candy aisle of the future — where taste, accessibility, and clean ingredients all come together.In this episode, you will hear:Reformulating BEHAVE's recipe to cut sugar without artificial sweetenersLanding Erewhon as an early anchor retailer to build credibilityRebuilding the supply chain to lower COGS and find a co-packerBuilding a following on TikTok that ultimately doubled revenuePricing BEHAVE for accessibility while protecting marginLearn more about Mayssa Chehata | BEHAVELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayssa-chehata-86b21140 Website: https://www.eatbehave.com/ Learn more about Scott Harltey | Everywhere VCLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthartley Website: https://everywhere.vc/

AI ARR is easy to announce. Proving it is where most SaaS finance teams are about to get exposed. In episode #379, Ben Murray tackles the new bar for AI financial transparency and what it means for your next budget season. The public markets have already moved the goalposts. Launching AI was the 2024 story. Reporting AI ARR was the 2025 story. Now investors and boards want to see AI margins, customer outcomes, and proof that AI revenue is actually dropping to the bottom line. That same pressure is heading straight for private SaaS, and your board will bring it to budget season whether you are ready or not. Understand why AI ARR by itself no longer satisfies boards or investors, and what they now demand to see in the numbers. Separate pure AI revenue, AI-influenced revenue, and AI upsell so your reporting survives scrutiny, using clean SKUs, product IDs, and chart of accounts. Know which AI costs belong in COGS, including inference, infrastructure, and observability, so you can show your real AI margins. Walk into budget season ready for the board questions on AI revenue, AI cost, and margin by revenue stream. Instrument heavy, medium, and light AI users so you can defend margins and LTV to CAC as usage scales. Listen now and build the AI transparency your board will expect before budget season starts. Resources Mentioned Ben's blog posts on capturing AI costs in COGS: inference, infrastructure, and observability: https://www.thesaascfo.com/what-should-be-included-in-ai-cogs/ Ben's training on AI metrics: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ai-finance-metrics-saas

 "Pick an immersive subgenre, and I think that it can be made better by the escape room model." For the Season 11 finale of Reality Escape Pod, we're turning the spotlight inward. After years of writing reviews, producing podcasts, running RECON, hosting Tours, and building a community around immersive experiences, we asked our audience a simple question "What do you think?" Hundreds of you responded to the Room Escape Artist audience census, sharing how you engage with our work, what you want more of, and where we can improve. Lisa Spira, editor-in-chief of Room Escape Artist, data wizard, and David's wife, joins us on the podcast to for a deep dive into the census results. We received over 200 responses to our massive audience survey covering topics ranging from audience demographics and favorite content formats to the future of escape rooms, the rise of immersive experiences, community feedback, and some honest critiques. We gained perspective on what our audience enjoys, their awareness of REA content, and how they consume immersive experiences. Some results were truly surprising, including how many escape rooms the average participant plays per year. We also asked for your feedback, critiques, and worries. We addressed many of the criticisms with honest and candid replies about why some aspects of Room Escape Artist have changed over the years. We also acknowledged times when we got things wrong and explained the reasoning behind the editorial schedule and structure. I really enjoyed sharing this behind-the-scenes look at Room Escape Artist. I thought the most interesting parts of this episode were seeing how much thought goes into the choices behind the content we put out, why certain reviews get written, why some trends excite us, and how difficult it is to serve a global community with wildly different interests. This was a conversation about growth, and the future of Room Escape Artist, REPOD, and the escape room industry. When it comes to escape rooms, there is room for different kinds of play. We're seeing experiences that blur the lines between escape rooms, theater, games, and adventure. As David puts it, "The medium continues to evolve, and that's exactly what makes it exciting." I couldn't agree more. Whether you found us through reviews, podcasts, RECON, Tours, or somewhere else entirely, we appreciate being part of your escape room journey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the census and share feedback, and to those who support our community and continue listening.     Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

Michael Kleinmann is the Founder and CEO of Michael Kleinmann Consulting, a bespoke consultancy helping DTC e-commerce and subscription brands grow. He is also the Founder and CEO of Underwear Expert, a men's underwear platform that evolved from a digital media brand into a leading curated subscription service. As a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur, Michael spent a decade as the President of Freshpair, where he helped build one of the largest online retailers in the underwear category. With over two decades of experience scaling e-commerce and subscription brands, he focuses on brand building, subscriptions, operations, marketing, technology, and customer experience. In this episode… When growth stalls, most brands immediately reach for a new agency, a better campaign, or a larger ad budget. Before pouring more money into an acquisition, leaders have to ask themselves, is the business actually built to scale? The answer is to diagnose the foundation before trying to scale what sits on top of it. E-commerce operations and subscription expert Michael Kleinmann advises brands to validate their data, focus on gross profit over ROAS alone, and audit their systems for issues with sizing, product structure, COGS, and inventory forecasting. He suggests fixing low-hanging operational problems first, not training customers to expect deep discounts, using 3PLs when fulfillment distracts from growth, and ensuring subscription models have the right infrastructure before launching. Sustainable growth comes from strengthening the systems that support marketing, not simply spending more on acquisition. In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris sits down with Michael Kleinmann, Founder and CEO of Michael Kleinmann Consulting and Underwear Expert, to discuss fixing the hidden cracks that stop DTC brands from scaling. Michael shares lessons from early e-commerce, subscription complexity, AI opportunities, inventory forecasting, 3PLs, discounting mistakes, and operational audits.

In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we break down the hidden mechanics of Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and why the companies that master their costs often outperform competitors that generate far more revenue. Through real-world examples from Costco, Walmart, Tesla, and Blue Apron, we explore how gross margin, unit economics, supply chains, and operational efficiency shape long-term business success.While revenue grabs headlines, COGS determines whether a company can scale profitably, defend its margins, and build a durable competitive advantage. We unpack the strategies behind some of the world's most successful businesses and reveal how seemingly small decisions inside operations, procurement, and product design can dramatically impact profitability.

"The connection between the solver and the setter is really important." If you're a daily puzzle lover, your morning might start something like mine: pouring a cup of coffee and jumpstarting the brain with my favorite snack-sized games. Chief among those are the snappy games at LinkedIn, such as Queens, Zip, Tango, and Patches. The man behind this collection of puzzles powering LinkedIn's Games section is Thomas Snyder. Thomas Snyder is a three-time World Sudoku Champion, co-author of the foundational puzzle design book Puzzlecraft, and Principal Puzzle Master at LinkedIn Games. A Harvard trained chemist, Thomas is a scientist at heart. He has a methodical approach to puzzle solving and puzzle crafting that makes for satisfying logic puzzles. However, there's also a lot of artistry to the puzzles Thomas designs. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes that each puzzle put out by LinkedIn is handcrafted. There is a playfulness and inventiveness to the layout and solve path. There's a dance between the puzzle creator and the solver. Thomas posts videos on LinkedIn of his solve path for the games, and he talks to us about the conversation that sparks. In fact, the whole reason behind the puzzle offerings at LinkedIn was to create opportunities for users to connect socially and bond over the games. I especially appreciated talking about puzzles that empathize with the solver and how to create approachable puzzles that can still delight expert players. LinkedIn just launched their newest game Wend, which is Thomas's take on a word search puzzle. We also played a game I wrote, which Thomas solved embarrassingly (for me) quickly, but we had fun, which is the whole point. If you enjoy zippy puzzle games, check out the LinkedIn Collection, and for even more fun games-on-the-go, listen to PG's Playhouse.     Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

'What "fucked" actually means in ecommerce and the two ways brands get there: over-buying stock and operating at a loss'Ryan sits down with Paul Waddy, author of Shopify for Dummies, former Head of Operations at Showpo, former CEO of The Horse, and founder of Learn eCommerce, fresh off one of the standout keynotes at Retail Fest: "How to Unfuck Your Business in Three Steps."Paul shares his journey from suitcases of shoe samples in Guangzhou to coaching hundreds of ecommerce brands including Naked Sundays, Budgy Smuggler, Maison de Sabré and LSKD, and breaks down exactly why so many ecommerce businesses are losing money without realising it, and the formulas to fix it.Packed with hard numbers: target margins, ad spend benchmarks, inventory formulas and the metrics every founder should be tracking daily.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN• What "fucked" actually means in ecommerce and the two ways brands get there: over-buying stock and operating at a loss• Why high revenue can hide a failing business, and why some founders are "the lowest paid workers in Australia"• The three foundations of a healthy ecommerce business: sales, gross profit, and OPEX + inventory• The break-even formula: OPEX ÷ gross profit• Why you need a ~70% product margin in today's market• The inventory formula: forward cover = lead time + 30 days safety stock• Why ad spend should stay under 20% of net revenue (MER) with a 20% net profit target• The #1 trait of successful founders: humility• Why ecommerce businesses are valued on EBITDA multiples (2–4x), not revenue• Underrated organic channels: SEO, newsletters, and why nobody in ecommerce is using Reddit (yet)TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Welcome Paul Waddy — "the godfather of Australian ecommerce"(01:11) From McDonald's and Bonds Couriers to trade union official(03:18) Flying to Guangzhou and starting a men's shoe brand(05:18) Hard lessons in wholesale margins and cash flow(06:08) Five retail stores, no profit — and the move to ecommerce in 2007(07:38) Joining Showpo: $100M with no external funding(08:50) CEO at The Horse and the start of advisory (Muscle Republic, Babyboo, and more)(09:52) Building Learn eCommerce: coaching hundreds of brand owners(12:11) What does a "fucked" business look like? The two killers: stock and operating losses(14:14) "You're the lowest paid worker in Australia" — why revenue hides the truth(17:56) "Time till I'm fucked" — the metric every founder should know(19:17) The three steps: sales, gross profit, OPEX & inventory(22:00) Margin targets, logistics under 10%, merchant fees under 3.5%(24:29) A warning about the "scale bros" and taking on debt to grow(25:22) Inventory formulas: forward cover and monthly stock budgets(28:14) The #1 trait of successful founders: humility(30:36) How often should you check your numbers? (Daily.) Forecasting within 2%(32:45) How to beat competitors with bigger ad budgets: differentiation(36:47) EBITDA multiples and why profit — not revenue — determines what your business is worth(39:48) Should you build to exit from day one?(41:30) Ad spend benchmarks: why MER should stay under 20%(44:24) Hot take: the channels everyone is sleeping on — SEO, newsletters and Reddit(48:50) How brands can actually use Reddit (without getting downvoted)(52:31) How to work with PaulKEY FORMULASBreak-even: OPEX ÷ gross profit (if monthly OPEX exceeds gross profit, you're losing money)Forward cover: lead time + 30 days safety stock (e.g. 60-day lead time = hold 90 days of stock)Monthly stock budget: planned sales × COGS % (e.g. $100K sales at 30% COGS = $30K stock buy)Benchmarks: ~70% margin | logistics

Most e-commerce brands pour everything into getting customers to checkout — and then hand them a generic, one-size-fits-all experience that quietly kills the sale. Avi Moskowitz, co-founder of PDQ, has processed millions of checkouts across top Shopify brands (including Jones Road Beauty), and his diagnosis is blunt: cart abandonment isn't a technical problem. It's an emotional one. And it's leaving $270 billion on the table every year.Inside the episode:Why your checkout is the one place segmentation goes to die — and how personalizing it by customer type (first-time, returning, high-value) can drive an 18% AOV lift or double-digit conversion jumpsThe "WISMO problem": why more than 50% of order-related support tickets arrive the same day the order was placed — and what it tells you about the trust gap you're creating at checkoutThe free shipping threshold mistake almost every brand is making (hint: they copied a competitor who also just guessed)Surprising checkout wins from PDQ's testing: why moving the economy shipping option down one slot meaningfully increased revenue per session — without a single new ad or productHow to think about every order as its own P&L — factoring in CAC, COGS, fulfillm—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters:[00:00] Intro — The $270B checkout abandonment problem[00:22] Welcome & Guest Introduction: Avi Moskowitz, Co-Founder of PDQ[01:52] Avi's Background: From Craft Beer to SaaS Founder[03:23] COVID Timing & The eCommerce Wake-Up Call[05:09] The Root Cause of Cart Abandonment: Trust, Not Technology[07:27] How PDQ Solves the Checkout Confidence Gap[14:30] Reducing Friction: Shipping, Delivery Dates & Upsells[23:00] Free Shipping Thresholds & AOV Optimization[34:00] Building a Checkout That Converts Like Amazon[43:24] Thinking in Mini P&Ls: Per-Order Profit Optimization[46:26] Personalized Checkout Logic at the Customer Level[48:24] Where to Find PDQ & Get Your Free Checkout Audit—Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmbMwBW8LYDfFAqNqlgTGw Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ Request a Free Strategy Session: https://www.omgcommerce.com/contactRelevant Links: Avi's LinkedIn: /moskowitzaviPast guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Stephane Colleu, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more

" There are three defining characteristics of a Sauve Qui Peut game: an unusual underlying concept, commitment to the bit, and beautifully painted murals." They do things a little differently around here. That's been Steven Keller's personal design philosophy ever since he started making his first escape rooms at his company, Sauve Qui Peut, located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec, Canada. If you've ever played games at this company, you'd know the house style is that there is no house style. Every game feels distinct and different, almost like they were designed by different people. And yet Steven is the mad genius behind it all. Steven is one of the most instinct-driven designers I've encountered in this industry. He designed his first three rooms within five months of having the idea, before he'd even signed a lease. He deliberately avoided playing other escape rooms early on so he wouldn't get influenced. However, he eventually abandoned this philosophy when he realized that Egyptian-themed rooms were not, in fact, his invention. What hasn't changed is his core approach: start with one really cool thing, build around it, and figure out the story last. Like I said, they do things a little differently around here. However, Steve doesn't do it alone. Shawn Mercier is Steven's right hand man, and he joins us also to give us the nuts and bolts perspective. He started as a gamemaster, began quietly fixing and improving mechanisms, and pretty soon made himself indispensable. Shawn introduced more sophisticated and reliable tech to Sauve Qui Peut's rooms. He helps keep everything running smoothly, all before he turned 26! We know, because he celebrated his birthday with us on the day of our recording. Together, Steve and Shawn are responsible for some of the most inventive and, yes, slightly unhinged escape room design in Quebec. I really appreciated hearing Steven talk about his design process. There's a madcap creative improv quality to it, and it's part of what makes their games so quirky and memorable. If you enjoyed this conversation and want to check out the games at Sauve Qui Peut, consider joining us on one of our future Escape, Immerse, Explore tours to the Montreal area.   Full Show Notes   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

“We really wanted to make a game that would encourage creators to make more weird stuff.” Low budgets, tight spaces, and a DIY mentality. As it turns out, indie filmmaking and creating escape rooms have a lot in common. James Hamer-Morton & Charlie Bond of Deadlocked Escape Rooms in Reading, UK, know this better than anyone. They joined us on REPOD to talk about creating their quirky, puzzle-driven games. James and Charlie actually met as actors on the set of a film, and they've been partners in life and business ever since. David even wrote a post about one of their projects, Echoes of Darkness: A Star Wars Fan Film . These origins really honed their “do-it-yourself” ethos. As Charlie puts it, “It originally stems from a lack of funds. But also it's enjoyable to do it yourself, and to learn a new skill in the process.” Where Deadlocked really shines though is in their creativity. Their games have quirky mechanics and stories. They've employed clever tricks to make the sets feel larger than they are. Relying on quick wits and creativity have allowed Deadlocked to stay nimble. During the pandemic, they created a wonderful virtual game called The Insiders that gave them global recognition in the escape room world. This led to them giving a talk at the very first RECON about Adapting Your Escape Room Business to New Mediums. James and Charlie have spent the better part of a decade building one of the UK's most distinctive escape room companies. Deadlocked is currently ranked the #1 escape room in the UK, and their newest game, The Reading Witch, recently topped the TERPECA rankings for England. One of my favorite stories from this episode is about the time they were playing an escape room and they stopped mid-game to help the owners fix a broken prop. They are two of the most charismatic, creative, and relentlessly hands-on people in the business, and I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.       Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

In this episode of the Inventory Genius Podcast, I'm serving up a major wake-up call for product-based business owners: revenue does not equal profit. If you've ever had a record-breaking sales month but still feel completely broke, or if you're making major business decisions based on a gut feeling rather than actual data, this episode is for you. I break down the massive misconception that growing your top-line revenue automatically means scaling your business. In fact, without a clear picture of your numbers, a product business can easily sell itself right out of business due to skyrocketing fulfillment costs and hidden inventory drains. I share the exact four-bucket framework I use with my clients to strip the emotion out of finances, stop the reactive discounting, and give you the ultimate roadmap to smart cash flow. Key Takeaways Feelings Are Not a Financial Strategy: Making reactive decisions based on emotion leads to overstocking, undercharging, and unnecessary discounting. Data gives you the confidence to say yes or no to hires, ad spend, and wholesale inquiries. The Revenue Trap: Product businesses can easily grow themselves out of business if their cost of goods sold (COGS) is too high or if inventory is mismanaged. Your Secret Weapon: Gross margin is the single most overlooked and underutilized number in a product business, but it serves as the absolute backbone of a sustainable brand. The 4 Buckets of Numbers To make your data easy to digest, I break down your business metrics into four distinct categories: Revenue & Sales: Total sales, sales by revenue stream (e-commerce, wholesale, brick-and-mortar), average order value (AOV), and units per transaction (UPT). Profitability: Gross margin per product, total COGS (materials, packaging, labor), and net profit/loss. This is where vanity metrics end and true scaling begins. Inventory & Cash Flow: The value of inventory on hand, inventory turn (what's moving vs. sitting), and cash in versus cash out. Customer Metrics: New vs. returning customer ratios, email list growth, and store/website conversion rates. These allow you to accurately predict future revenue trends. Your Financial Hygiene Rhythm Different numbers require a different review process. I recommend establishing a dedicated routine—like our signature Money Mondays—to check in on your business health. The Weekly Checklist - Total revenue (this week vs. last week)- Units sold by product category or brand- Average order value (AOV)- New email subscribers or customer acquisition numbers- Cash balance in your dedicated inventory checking account- Outstanding invoices or bills due- Top-selling products- Ad spend vs. revenue generated from ads The Monthly Checklist - Total revenue vs. the prior month and the same month last year- Breakdown of revenue by specific revenue stream- Gross margin by your top 5 products or brands (be ruthless here!)- Total cost of goods sold (COGS) for the month- Full financial review (Profit & Loss statement and Balance Sheet)- New vs. returning customer ratios- Total marketing spend vs. total revenue generated Work with Me - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-meVisit the Bookstore - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/bookstoreSign Up for Free Weekly Tips and Trainings - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/subscribe More About the Episode Sponsor:Simply Lynn's Creative (https://simplylynnscreative.com/) - With real retail roots and 225+ brands served since 2018, Simply Lynn's Creative partners with retailers and product-based businesses on branding, Shopify website design, and Klaviyo email marketing. They build the strategy, the systems, and the confidence to help you grow a brand that looks the part and sells to match! Use code CS15 at checkout, and save 15% off anything in the Resources Shop!

In this episode of the Inventory Genius Podcast, I'm serving up a major wake-up call for product-based business owners: revenue does not equal profit. If you've ever had a record-breaking sales month but still feel completely broke, or if you're making major business decisions based on a gut feeling rather than actual data, this episode is for you. I break down the massive misconception that growing your top-line revenue automatically means scaling your business. In fact, without a clear picture of your numbers, a product business can easily sell itself right out of business due to skyrocketing fulfillment costs and hidden inventory drains. I share the exact four-bucket framework I use with my clients to strip the emotion out of finances, stop the reactive discounting, and give you the ultimate roadmap to smart cash flow. Key Takeaways Feelings Are Not a Financial Strategy: Making reactive decisions based on emotion leads to overstocking, undercharging, and unnecessary discounting. Data gives you the confidence to say yes or no to hires, ad spend, and wholesale inquiries. The Revenue Trap: Product businesses can easily grow themselves out of business if their cost of goods sold (COGS) is too high or if inventory is mismanaged. Your Secret Weapon: Gross margin is the single most overlooked and underutilized number in a product business, but it serves as the absolute backbone of a sustainable brand. The 4 Buckets of Numbers To make your data easy to digest, I break down your business metrics into four distinct categories: Revenue & Sales: Total sales, sales by revenue stream (e-commerce, wholesale, brick-and-mortar), average order value (AOV), and units per transaction (UPT). Profitability: Gross margin per product, total COGS (materials, packaging, labor), and net profit/loss. This is where vanity metrics end and true scaling begins. Inventory & Cash Flow: The value of inventory on hand, inventory turn (what's moving vs. sitting), and cash in versus cash out. Customer Metrics: New vs. returning customer ratios, email list growth, and store/website conversion rates. These allow you to accurately predict future revenue trends. Your Financial Hygiene Rhythm Different numbers require a different review process. I recommend establishing a dedicated routine—like our signature Money Mondays—to check in on your business health. The Weekly Checklist - Total revenue (this week vs. last week)- Units sold by product category or brand- Average order value (AOV)- New email subscribers or customer acquisition numbers- Cash balance in your dedicated inventory checking account- Outstanding invoices or bills due- Top-selling products- Ad spend vs. revenue generated from ads The Monthly Checklist - Total revenue vs. the prior month and the same month last year- Breakdown of revenue by specific revenue stream- Gross margin by your top 5 products or brands (be ruthless here!)- Total cost of goods sold (COGS) for the month- Full financial review (Profit & Loss statement and Balance Sheet)- New vs. returning customer ratios- Total marketing spend vs. total revenue generated Work with Me - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-meVisit the Bookstore - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/bookstoreSign Up for Free Weekly Tips and Trainings - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/subscribe More About the Episode Sponsor:Simply Lynn's Creative (https://simplylynnscreative.com/) - With real retail roots and 225+ brands served since 2018, Simply Lynn's Creative partners with retailers and product-based businesses on branding, Shopify website design, and Klaviyo email marketing. They build the strategy, the systems, and the confidence to help you grow a brand that looks the part and sells to match! Use code CS15 at checkout, and save 15% off anything in the Resources Shop!

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Ryan Roccon, CFO of Zapier, to cover AI hiring standards, automating month-end close, measuring ROI on AI spend, and why determinism still beats agents most of the time.—SPONSORS:EY has been part of Silicon Valley since it was just a valley, helping the most successful names in tech go from startup to exit to megacap. With teams across strategy, tax, audit, and transactions, EY helps you get your financials right early, long before your investors start asking for it. You build the next big thing, and EY will help you build it right. Learn more at https://www.ey.com/techstartupsSpendHound cuts your SaaS and AI spend by up to 30% using real pricing benchmarks across 10,000 vendors, so you always know what fair pricing looks like before your next renewal. Rated #1 on G2 in SaaS spend management, it's free forever for teams up to 1,000 employees. Sign up by June 12th and get $500 just for getting started. Go to https://www.spendhound.com/cjBrex is an intelligent finance platform with AI-powered agents that capture expenses automatically, enforce policy before the spend happens, and close your books in minutes instead of weeks. 35,000+ companies like OpenAI, Coinbase, Anthropic, and DoorDash already run on Brex. It's time to get Brex AF. Learn more at https://www.brex.com/metricsAleph is a modern FP&A platform built for teams that want more than another planning tool. By connecting your ERP, CRM, and other systems into one trusted data layer with AI workflows, Aleph helps you move faster with real-time insights. Get a personalized demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform that lets your product team ship new pricing without asking finance for permission, and your sales team close deals without creating downstream chaos. Check out their free tool at calculator.rightrev.com It scores your rev rec process, shows what's exposing you to risk, and tells you exactly where to focus before it bites you in the rear end. Check it out at https://calculator.rightrev.comRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to replace NetSuite and close faster. With revenue recognition, close management, multi-entity support, and native Stripe and Salesforce integrations, Rillet helps scaling companies run their finance stack in one place. Hundreds of teams, including Windsurf and Mercor, use Rillet to make the zero-day close real. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cj—LINKS: Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsNGuest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanroccon/Company: https://zapier.com/CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:Ryan's First Appearancehttps://youtu.be/VIZ_RzfV78IChris Byington, Head of Data @ Superhumanhttps://youtu.be/ydH38JnWfww—TIMESTAMPS:0:00 Preview and intro2:11 Ryan's scope at Zapier3:17 Why the finance guy runs ecosystems6:19 AI is a required hire competency6:46 The four levels: unacceptable to transformative8:48 How Zapier tests for it11:50 Favorite interview question13:06 Sponsors — EY | SpendHound | Brex16:18 AI changes the hiring profile17:07 Support becomes customer-facing engineering18:44 Where AI beats deterministic Zaps21:00 80-90% of builds are deterministic22:41 Sponsors — Aleph | RightRev | Rillet26:00 Month end close on Zaps27:40 Time saved is a leading indicator29:53 AI token costs: COGS or investment?31:51 Performance issue or measurement issue?33:41 Partner ARR: chasing the wrong thing35:56 Build around what changes the decision37:17 The initiative sizing coach40:00 Escalate on magnitude, not certainty41:55 The 9,000 integration story44:02 M&A process and minimum model46:19 Cash vs. stock: incentive alignment48:06 CFO's role in M&A: show up early49:18 Credits

"We don't fear spoilers because a good room has more to offer than just the set that you saw in a photo. It must be something that you feel also." When most people think of an escape room, they think of puzzles, padlocks, with maybe a light narrative slapped on top. When Rémy Strobbe and the team at Live Cinema created Zone 51, however, they thought: okay, but what if instead of solving puzzles, you were inside a movie? Rémy is the co-founder and creative director of Live Cinema, based in Paris, France. He joins us on REPOD to talk about Zone 51, a jaw-dropping 120-minute experience set across 550 square meters, 25 rooms, 3 live performers , and a cinematic globe-spanning story. David calls it "one of  the most remarkable experiences that I have seen in the immersive world." Zone 51 begins the moment you walk through the door. Indeed, for those unaware, they might be convinced that they're here to watch an actual movie. As you can see, the set is absolutely gorgeous. Rémy talks candidly about the difficult journey to creating this game. Amongst their troubles, they had a construction partner go bankrupt mid-build and take €80,000 with them, and a pandemic that halted production for over a year. He also shares the secrets behind the tight pipelining schedule that makes this project financially feasible. I especially loved hearing Rémy talk about their philosophy on marketing and allowing players to record their games. Live Cinema leans into sharing striking visuals. As Rémy put it, a good experience has more to offer than just what you see in a photo. And those photos are spectacular. Zone 51 is currently bookable in French, with limited English sessions available by email. English availability is expected to expand by fall 2026 — which happens to align perfectly with the Escape Immerse Explore Paris Tour. Zone 51 (review coming soon) will be on the Tour, along with a few other games from the same creators at Lock Academy. If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining us on the Tour, if it hasn't already sold out!     Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

"We take your favorite games from TV, but we put our own twist on it." Sound design is the most underused tool in escape room design. It's not just for ambiance; it's a feedback system. It tells players what they did, redirects them when they're wrong, and stops them from doing the same wrong thing over and over. Sound design plays a huge role at The Escape Game and Great Big Game Show. Troy Armstrong has two music composition degrees. If you've played Cosmic Crisis, The Depths, or The Rugrats version ofThe Playground, then you've heard some of his work. Troy got his start in the industry as a gamemaster at The Escape Game. One day, he cold-emailed the head of design to "talk about game design" and left with a sound design commission. Today he's Director of Product Design for Great Big Game Show, one of the newest immersive gaming options from The Escape Game. Great Big Game Show is not an escape room. Rather, it's a live immersive gaming experience where two teams compete over a series of mini games, all guided by an energetic, live host. It takes familiar games from TV, but adds origin spin on the concepts. Troy is passionate about gameshows and sound design. It was fascinating to hear him talk about how he crafts these elements to create the best possible experience for guests. I especially enjoyed hearing him talk about all the ways that sound design can help direct players and shape the flow of a game. If you're interested in hearing more about how sound design matters, join us at the Reality Escape Convention, where Troy will be speaking.   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

Today we're digging into a topic you might not have considered before: the importance of clean financial data. We talk about numbers constantly—how to focus on them, why they matter, and what you should be looking at. But we haven't truly discussed why having clean information is the absolute backbone of successful decision-making in a product-based business. The Danger of Dirty Data I recently spoke with two clients who were using a financial analysis tool to guide their buying. The tool kept telling them to buy more, buy more. They followed the data, thinking they were being efficient, only to end up buried in inventory that didn't move. That wasn't a supply chain problem or a marketing problem—it was a data problem. Dirty data is dangerous because it doesn't come with a warning label; it looks like fact, but it's actually fiction dressed as finance. What Does Dirty Data Look Like? If you want to avoid making wrong decisions confidently, watch out for these five common red flags: Miscategorized Transactions: Expenses floating in no man's land or assigned to the wrong revenue streams. COGS vs. OPEX Confusion: When your inventory purchases are blurred with operating expenses, you can't see your true margin. Timing Errors: Recognizing revenue when cash hits rather than when it's earned (Cash vs. Accrual). Inventory Valuation Gaps: Your books say you have 800 units, but your warehouse only has 500. Un-netted Discounts: Refunds and chargebacks that aren't properly subtracted from your top-line revenue. The Three Cs of Clean Data To run a genius inventory system, your data must be: Consistent: Applying the same rules and categories every single month. Connected: Your POS, bank account, and accounting software should all tell the same story. Current: Books should be reconciled and in your hands by the 15th–20th of every month—not just at tax time! 8 Key Data Points You Need to Track I want you to look at your dashboard and ask: “Do I actually have this number, and can I trust it?” Gross Margin by SKU: Not just overall, but by category and brand. Inventory Valuation: Real-time wholesale and retail value. 12–13 Week Cash Flow: A forward-looking projection of your bank balance. Net Revenue: Gross sales minus returns, fees, and discounts. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): What it actually costs to get a buyer through the door. Inventory Turn: How fast your product is moving by department. All-in Cost Per Unit: The landed cost including shipping and handling. Contribution Margin: Revenue minus all variable costs to see what truly goes toward profit. Your 3-Step Data Audit Don't just listen—take action today with these three simple steps: Step 1: Pull your P&L and go line-by-line. Ensure every expense is correctly categorized. Step 2: Confirm your bookkeeper is reconciling accounts monthly and delivering reports on time. Step 3: Check your POS. Ensure every SKU has an accurate cost associated with it. Final Thought: Stop treating your books like a tax document and start treating them like a GPS. Clean data leads to better decisions, which leads to stronger margins, which leads to cash. Work with Me - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-meVisit the Bookstore - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/bookstoreSign Up for Free Weekly Tips and Trainings - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/subscribe More About the Episode Sponsor:T&O Strategic Advisory (http://www.tostrategicadvisory.com/) - Offering a wide range of tax and accounting services, including entity election and S-Corp advisory.

Most real estate teams are built around their leader. And at some level, most team leaders know it. Nathan Clark identified that problem early, named it clearly, and spent 20 years solving it. The result is a 600-plus transaction, 24-agent, 5-ISA, and 7-staff real estate team in Rhode Island that generates 30 to 35% net profit annually and genuinely runs without him: 15 to 20 hours of work per week, five race cars, and a full year away from the business when his family needed him. The team kept running.You'll learn how Nathan structures the financial model that makes that possible, starting with the COGS ceiling most teams quietly violate and the full P&L benchmark he reviews weekly.You'll learn why he charges sellers $2,000 and buyers $1,000 before showing a single home, how that generates $40,000 to $50,000 per month in working capital, and how that revenue funds better advertising and a better agent income on a lower split.You'll also learn when to step out of production, the ideal ISA:agent ratio, what team size has been most profitable for them, how to grow revenue per client instead of chasing transaction count, and what Nathan believes the team model will look like when AI is fully in the picture.Watch or listen for Nathan's insights into:0:00 Intro and welcome 1:43 Why speed, going all in, and staying focused would make more leaders successful 6:57 What "runs without you" actually looks like 10:36 Specific lessons learned between 200 and 600 transactions, including the right ISA:agent ratio 17:34 Starting with the end in mind and making your team or brokerage more valuable 21:49 Why your cost of sale should be 40%, what that means for your splits, and how your agents can still get ahead 27:20 Raising your commission when everyone else is cutting it 29:06 Getting paid three times on each transaction, including upfront (and what he's doing with the $40-50k/month in working capital that generates) 36:36 Why they were most profitable at 20-25 agents and when you should be able to leave sales production 39:34 Why growing GCI by 50% doesn't require 50% more agents and 50% more closings 43:35 The weekly or monthly meeting you must have, even if it's just with yourself 44:36 The P&L benchmarks: 40% COGS max, 15% advertising, 14-15% payroll (including yourself), 1-3% rent, 25% base profit, up to 35% with add-ons 48:24 Why teams modeled after enterprises will continue to take market share and how AI can empower a 600-transaction team to scale to 2-3k 51:37 At the end, learn about the underdog and the goat, an addiction that runs fast and costs a fortune, and a personal crisis that proved his business was worth every hour he put into it over the years.Mentioned in this episode:→ Mike Schumm “The Hidden Curve That Kills Real Estate Team Profit”→ Andy Mulholland “Mastering Real Estate Business Financials”→ Anthwon Thomas “Preserving Your Profit Margins”Connect with Nathan Clark:→ Nathan at NathanClarkTeam dot comLearn about the systems Nathan runs on:→ https://hs.yhsgr.com/maibConnect with Real Estate Team OS→ https://www.realestateteamos.com→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Today we're digging into a topic you might not have considered before: the importance of clean financial data. We talk about numbers constantly—how to focus on them, why they matter, and what you should be looking at. But we haven't truly discussed why having clean information is the absolute backbone of successful decision-making in a product-based business. The Danger of Dirty Data I recently spoke with two clients who were using a financial analysis tool to guide their buying. The tool kept telling them to buy more, buy more. They followed the data, thinking they were being efficient, only to end up buried in inventory that didn't move. That wasn't a supply chain problem or a marketing problem—it was a data problem. Dirty data is dangerous because it doesn't come with a warning label; it looks like fact, but it's actually fiction dressed as finance. What Does Dirty Data Look Like? If you want to avoid making wrong decisions confidently, watch out for these five common red flags: Miscategorized Transactions: Expenses floating in no man's land or assigned to the wrong revenue streams. COGS vs. OPEX Confusion: When your inventory purchases are blurred with operating expenses, you can't see your true margin. Timing Errors: Recognizing revenue when cash hits rather than when it's earned (Cash vs. Accrual). Inventory Valuation Gaps: Your books say you have 800 units, but your warehouse only has 500. Un-netted Discounts: Refunds and chargebacks that aren't properly subtracted from your top-line revenue. The Three Cs of Clean Data To run a genius inventory system, your data must be: Consistent: Applying the same rules and categories every single month. Connected: Your POS, bank account, and accounting software should all tell the same story. Current: Books should be reconciled and in your hands by the 15th–20th of every month—not just at tax time! 8 Key Data Points You Need to Track I want you to look at your dashboard and ask: “Do I actually have this number, and can I trust it?” Gross Margin by SKU: Not just overall, but by category and brand. Inventory Valuation: Real-time wholesale and retail value. 12–13 Week Cash Flow: A forward-looking projection of your bank balance. Net Revenue: Gross sales minus returns, fees, and discounts. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): What it actually costs to get a buyer through the door. Inventory Turn: How fast your product is moving by department. All-in Cost Per Unit: The landed cost including shipping and handling. Contribution Margin: Revenue minus all variable costs to see what truly goes toward profit. Your 3-Step Data Audit Don't just listen—take action today with these three simple steps: Step 1: Pull your P&L and go line-by-line. Ensure every expense is correctly categorized. Step 2: Confirm your bookkeeper is reconciling accounts monthly and delivering reports on time. Step 3: Check your POS. Ensure every SKU has an accurate cost associated with it. Final Thought: Stop treating your books like a tax document and start treating them like a GPS. Clean data leads to better decisions, which leads to stronger margins, which leads to cash. Work with Me - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-meVisit the Bookstore - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/bookstoreSign Up for Free Weekly Tips and Trainings - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/subscribe More About the Episode Sponsor:T&O Strategic Advisory (http://www.tostrategicadvisory.com/) - Offering a wide range of tax and accounting services, including entity election and S-Corp advisory.

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "I wasn't an Imagineer because of the dollar. It's because I wanted to do something marvelous for people to enjoy." Captain Eo. Ghostbusters. Men in Black. Team America. Star Tours. The Muppet Movie. If you've ever fallen in love with puppeted characters that felt impossibly alive, there's a good chance Terri Hardin worked on them. A master puppeteer, creature builder, and performer, Terri has spent decades blurring the line between imagination and reality, helping bring some of the most iconic characters in film, television, and the Disney Parks to life. Thanks to the success and beloved characters of Jim Henson, puppets and fantastical characters were having a huge moment in the 80s and 90s. Studios depended on practical effects and humans to create and bring to life characters such as Stay Puft, the giant Marshmallow Man and Zuul, the Temple Dog in Ghostbusters, both of which Terri helped animate. Terri has such an impressive list of productions she's worked on that her bio below is a 22 page document full of references to beloved films and characters. We've also linked to some videos of her work below in the Resources section. Terri also worked as a sculptor and Imagineer at Walt Disney for many years. She is brimming with incredible stories about all the people she's worked with including Michael Jackson, Dan Aykroyd and Jim Henson, and Michael Eisner. Terri talks to us about how she prepared herself so that when any opportunity came, she was ready. I especially loved her story about how she created the Dragon's Lair attraction at Disneyland Paris. Terri is an absolutely remarkable character herself, and she had both me and David laughing through the entire interview. Beneath it all, Terry is a passionate artist who breathes life into all her creations. Whether you're a film buff, a Disney fan, a maker, or just someone who loves a good behind-the-scenes story, this conversation pulls back the curtain on puppetry as a craft. You'll never look at puppetry the same way again.   Full Show Notes     Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

Are AI inference costs already eating into your gross margin — and you can't even see them on your P&L? In episode #370, Ben Murray breaks down exactly what belongs in AI COGS for SaaS companies offering an AI-first or AI-infused product line. Inference bills are stacking up fast, infrastructure-layer spend is the surprise line item nobody priced in, and most finance teams haven't built the GL account structure to capture any of it cleanly. If you don't get the framework in place now, you'll be reporting AI gross margin you can't actually defend by next quarter — and your board will notice. The 5 cost categories every AI COGS framework needs — inference, model hosting/GPU infrastructure, the AI infrastructure layer, monitoring and observability, and AI-specific support Why AI inference costs deserve their own GL account — and shouldn't be buried inside your cloud hosting bill where they disappear The surprise cost line one industry report flagged as the #1 unexpected AI expense — hiding in data platform usage, networking, and egress How to structure your COGS cost centers so you can deliver clean margins by AI product line, not just lumped together at the company level Why token tracking by customer cohort (heavy / medium / light users) is now table stakes for any AI product sold as a subscription The deployed-engineer question: should AI support tickets sit with tech support or a specialized team — and how that decision rewires your margin model Tune in to get the AI COGS framework in place before your gross margin lands on a board slide you can't defend. Resources Mentioned Ben's new AI course: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ai-finance-metrics-saas Ben's blog post: What Should Be Included in AI COGS: https://www.thesaascfo.com/what-should-be-included-in-ai-cogs/ SaaS Metrics Foundation course: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/the-saas-metrics-foundation

Did your AI bill just jump overnight — even though no one announced a price increase? In episode #369, Ben Murray breaks down the hidden AI price hike that's quietly hitting SaaS P&Ls this month. Anthropic shipped a new tokenizer underneath Claude Opus 4.7 — same menu pricing as 4.6, but real enterprise workloads are showing 12-27% higher effective cost, with some prompts consuming up to 35% more tokens for identical output. Most finance teams won't catch this variance until the invoice lands. If you're running AI in production, paying for Claude Code, or modeling AI COGS into next year's plan, this is the cost dynamic you need on your radar before the next board meeting. Why "same per-token pricing" doesn't mean same cost — and how a new tokenizer can quietly inflate your token consumption by 35% The real-world math: how a $50K/month API spend can balloon to $67K with zero changes to the pricing page What Anthropic's doubled Claude Code per-developer estimate ($6 → $13/day) signals about the end of subsidized AI pricing Why the era of "AI is just going to keep getting cheaper" assumptions is breaking down — and what that means for forecasting and runway The exact metrics to monitor in your Anthropic console today to catch token volume spikes before they hit your GL How to use the Inference Efficiency Ratio (revenue ÷ token costs in COGS) to measure AI margin if you're embedding AI into your product Why finance teams now need to document internal-use AI models the same way they document internal-use software Tune in before your next Anthropic invoice lands — and learn what to track now so AI variance doesn't become a board question. Resources Mentioned Dev.to article: https://dev.to/dev_tips/the-ai-price-hike-that-never-showed-up-on-the-pricing-page-your-bill-went-up-27-anyway-3mn5 Put your AI framework in place: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ai-finance-metrics-saas

Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dig into the Redpoint Ventures 2026 Software and AI Market Update - a 69-page report built on proprietary CIO survey data from 141 respondents, plus public market data from Qatalyst, Pitchbook, Goldman Sachs, RBC, and McKinsey. Big report with even bigger implications. Ray and Dave unpack the data that matter most for B2B SaaS and AI-native software operators.WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODEThe AI Build-Out Is Real and It's Not the Dot-Com BubbleHyperscaler CapEx is projected to hit $765B in 2026, up nearly 50% year over year. More than 90% of new data center capacity is already pre-committed. Compare that to the dot-com era when fiber utilization was under 3%. The other critical difference: today's infrastructure spend is funded primarily by free cash flow, not debt. The more important signal is demand. AI has reached 1 billion monthly active users in four years. The internet took far longer to reach 70 million. The demand is real. The risk of speculative overbuild is also real.The Agent Maturity Curve and Why Most of the Value Is Still AheadPage 7 of the report maps the four phases of agent maturity by runtime: co-pilots (seconds), task agents (minutes), workflow agents (hours), autonomous agents (days). Co-pilots represent roughly $500B in software spend. Task agents, where coding tools live today, push that to $1.2T. Workflow agents expand the TAM to $2.8T. Autonomous agents take it to $6.1T. Coding has been the beachhead use case for good reasons: structured training data, instant verification, self-improving feedback loops. The real enterprise revenue opportunity is still in phases three and four.What the CIO Survey Actually Says This is the buried lead of the report. 54% of CIOs are actively consolidating vendors. 45% of AI budgets are coming from existing software budgets, not net-new spend. 58% say AI feature additions are the top driver of incremental software spend. 54% prefer to stay with incumbent vendors if they deliver on AI. Only 13% have a strong preference for AI-native software. The 33% who are neutral are the swing vote. Incumbents are winning the preference battle but losing the execution battle — the CIO feedback on Agentforce, Copilot, and ServiceNow AI in the survey is not flattering.Terminal Value Is the Real SaaS Valuation StoryThe public SaaS median NTM revenue multiple sits at 4.1x (Meritech says 3.1x), the lowest since the global financial crisis. In a SaaS DCF, 85 to 95% of enterprise value comes from terminal value, not the five-year forecast. The implied long-term growth rate embedded in current SaaS valuations has collapsed from 4.7% to 1.1%. Short-term beats like ServiceNow's recent quarter do almost nothing to move the stock because the market's concern is not next year. It's year ten and beyond. That is a terminal value story, not a growth story.ARR Per Employee - The Benchmark EvolvesCursor and Anthropic hit $100M ARR in roughly two years. Slack took three. Salesforce and Adobe took four to five. ServiceNow took seven to eight. AI-native companies have made $1M revenue per FTE the new floor. The P&L transformation model in slide 39 projects R&D costs down 15 to 20%, sales costs down 15 to 20%, COGS increasing due to inference spend but offset by reductions in customer support and customer success. Net result: potential EBITDA expansion of 100 to 250% on the same revenue base over three to five years.Private Markets Are in an AI Love FestAI-native deals represent nearly 100% of new VC activity in Q1 2026. Deal concentration is accelerating: the top 20 deals captured 44% of total funding in 2025, up from 31% in 2024 and 7% in 2022. At the model layer, dollars and valuations are concentrated while deal volume belongs to the application layer (61% of deals). The model competition is effectively over. The only question is rank order. The application layer is where the volume plays out, and AI-native vendors are winning that battle.Redpoint 2026 Software and AI Market Update: https://www.redpoint.com/reports/2026-market-updateABOUT THE METRICS BROTHERS Ray Rike is the Founder and CEO of Benchmarkit, the leading B2B SaaS and AI-native software benchmarking company. Dave Kellogg is an EIR at Balderton Capital, independent consultant, and author of Kellblog. Together they bring a CFO-meets-GTM lens to the metrics and benchmarks that drive efficient revenue growth and enterprise value.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "I want to make things big and explosive." You've just been thrown in jail, locked up inside a massive prison complex in the Netherlands. Along with 125 other prisoners, you must scheme, bribe, blackmail, commit mayhem, and find your way out. This is Prison Escape, an immersive experience structured as a cinematic escape from prison. In 2025, Prison Escape ran 280 shows with an average player count of 125 participants. Approximately 22 of those shows were available in English. Prison Escape creator Rik Stapelbroek joins us on REPOD to talk about this remarkable experience. There are many paths through to the end, including sweet talking the guards, perhaps poisoning a few, or maybe you work together with other prisoners to start a riot. Rik walks us through some of the logistics of how they create different opportunities for each type of player to succeed. Rik has designed many types of interactions, from social manipulation style puzzles, to fact gathering missions so a player can contribute to a shared escape route map. He is also expanding their offerings online so more people can experience Prison Escape. This is an absolutely bonkers game, in the best way possible. If you're a fan of larps, or large scale open world play, this episode is a must-listen.   Full Show Notes   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

Today Grandpa Bill talks about- Mastering Sensory MappingUnlock the secret power of the human voice and sensory awareness to transform your well-being from the inside out. Grandpa Bill takes you on a soulful journey, weaving ancient wisdom with practical modern techniques to elevate your vitality. Discover how vocal mastery and the COGS framework can deepen your connection to yourself and your environment, amplifying mental clarity, emotional resilience, and physical well-being.Grandpa Bill Asks:How can tuning into your voice and senses transform your daily well-being?What role does sensory awareness play in achieving holistic health?"What if your best healing tool isn't a pill or trend, but your own voice and senses?

Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike tell the full story of how Intercom, a $400M ARR company that stalled at 4% growth, executed one of the most dramatic AI-first transformations in B2B SaaS. From writing off tens of millions in ARR to building a proprietary vertical AI model, this episode breaks down what it actually took to reinvent a mature SaaS business from the ground up.Topics CoveredFrom 4% to 26% Growth: The Numbers Behind the Turnaround. Intercom hit rock bottom with five straight quarters of declining net new ARR before founder Eoghan McCabe returned and went all in on AI following the ChatGPT launch in November 2022. Ray and Dave walk through the growth trajectory and what made the timing of the reset both urgent and actionable.The "Burn the Ships" Organizational Decision. Intercom rotated roughly 80% of its R&D team onto the new AI product, deliberately wrote off 50 to 60 million in ARR, and created small startup-like teams of 10 to 15 people with directly responsible individuals leading each workstream. Ray and Dave discuss why half-measures fail and how a stuck business actually has an advantage: very little to lose.Board Dynamics and Why Committees Kill Bold Moves. Dave shares a candid take on how PE boards versus VC boards respond differently to dramatic pivots, and why the committee nature of multi-partner VC boards tends to drive toward measured, middle-ground responses that often produce no real outcome.AI Economics: Gross Margins, Inference Costs, and Building Your Own Model. The shift from SaaS to AI-native changes the cost structure fundamentally. Ray puts current gross margin ranges in context (40 to 55% for pure AI-native, 55 to 70% for blended), explains why inference spend is actually rising despite lower per-token costs, and discusses why Intercom built its own vertical customer agent model for both performance and COGS optimization.Outcome-Based Pricing and the 99-Cent Resolution. Customer support is one of the clearest use cases for outcome-based pricing because the natural unit is obvious: a resolved ticket. Ray and Dave break down how Intercom priced Fin at 99 cents per resolution, validated the model against an 81% internal resolution rate, and watched NRR climb from 112% to 146% as adoption scaled across 8,000 customers.Never Waste a Good Crisis. Dave frames the broader lesson for SaaS CEOs: two paths exist now, dramatic AI reinvention or a Rule of 60/70 efficiency play. The Intercom story illustrates what the reinvention path actually demands. Ray adds that many SaaS companies sitting at 10% growth and 25% EBITDA are already in a slow-moving crisis and just haven't admitted it yet.If you lead a B2B SaaS company navigating the shift to AI, this episode is the most concrete case study available on what full commitment actually looks like in practice. Ray and Dave go beyond the headlines to examine the organizational design, board dynamics, cost structure, pricing model, and retention metrics behind Intercom's transformation. Whether you are considering an AI-first pivot or trying to understand why incremental approaches tend to stall, this episode gives you the analytical framework and the real numbers to think it through.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "Try to find the delight in puzzles." Amanda and Errol have been fixtures in the escape room community for years, so of course we had to get the OG escape room podcasters on REPOD. This episode is basically a love letter to everything weird and wonderful about playing escape rooms, designing immersive games, and the incredible community we found along the way. From 2016-2022, Errol and Manda, along with their other co-hosts Ruby and Mike, podcasted about their escape room antics. They gave valuable commentary on the early years of escape rooms, and along with Room Escape Artist, really helped shape the community that grew around this new form of immersive gaming entertainment. Not only did Errol and Manda provide commentary on escape rooms, they also helped create some iconic games, including Heist on a Moving Train, the Cryptex Hunt puzzle hunt series, and Present Quest. They have each appeared twice as speakers for our own convention, the Reality Escape Convention. As a Certified Fraud Examiner, Manda gave a talk in fraud prevention for RECON 25. Errol's puzzle design talk from RECON 21 remains one of the most popular from any RECON. Errol and Manda are a joy to chat with. If you enjoyed this episode, the Bonus Aftershow we recorded with them was even more fun. Consider joining our Patreon for even more content! And a very special thanks to Bill Sunderland from Escape This Podcast for singing, "The Glow of Black Light" in this episode.  We now have a special offer just for REPOD listeners! Get 70% off your first month at the Bonus Show level  ($5/month). Valid now through the end of May. Use code MOREREPOD at checkout to claim this offer.   Full Show Notes   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! " A big mistake [is saying] 'look at our thing', instead of 'How do I empower and serve my customer?'" What is the future of storytelling? If you ask Charlie Melcher, the answer lies in "living stories," stories where the audience has a role and participates. Indeed, the subtitle of his new book, The Future of Storytelling is "How Immersive Experiences Are Transforming the World." In the early 90s, Charlie started Melcher Media, publishing books. Even then, he noted that books had a unique tactile physicality. He talks about working on the infamous Madonna photo book Sex, and how they made it into an early "immersive experience," wrapping the book in mylar to mimic the look of a condom. He also produced and designed S by J.J. Abrams, which told a story through elaborate annotations and other media enclosed within a copy of the novel The Ship of Theseus. The book has a very unusual mechanic for storytelling, including postcards and even a cipher wheel. He even did something different when it came to his own book, The Future of Storytelling. He created a unique multi-fold dust jacket so readers could choose the genre and look of the cover themselves. Charlie Melcher has been pushing the envelope when it comes to books and storytelling, so it's no surprise that when he attended his first immersive experience, he was hooked from the beginning. Today, he joins us on REPOD to talk about his vision for where immersive stories are going. Besides having his own podcast, also titled The Future of Storytelling, he has hosted many immersive summits under the same brand. Charlie has so many thoughtful insights about immersive storytelling. We touched on topics from the complexities of scaling intimate moments, to breaking down immersive experiences into the core components of physical, participatory, and emotional immersion. I found this to be an enlightening conversation. And if you enjoy this conversation, I highly recommend you listen to Charlie's own podcast, The Future of Storytelling, starting with the episode where David and I were guests.   Full Show Notes   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

Is your AI SaaS company skating on thin ice because of exploding compute costs you're not tracking? In episode #365, Ben Murray tackles one of the most pressing financial challenges facing AI-first SaaS companies: the structural margin compression caused by LLM inference costs. Traditional SaaS was built on near-zero marginal cost per customer — that era is over. If you're building on top of AI, every prompt, query, and agentic workflow is a hard COGS line that scales with revenue, and if you're not managing it, it will quietly destroy your unit economics. Why AI-first SaaS companies are running 50–60% gross margins (vs. 70–80% for legacy SaaS) — and what Bessemer data shows about AI supernovas with margins as low as 25%. How inference and compute costs differ fundamentally from traditional SaaS COGS — and why they won't scale down the way hosting costs did Why token costs vary wildly (from $1–2 per million to $30–180+ for frontier models) and how that variability makes feature-level economics a CFO priority 5 tactical ways to reduce LLM spend: model routing, prompt caching, context compaction, semantic caching, and batch processing How to set up your GL accounts and COGS tracking to allocate inference costs by feature — so you actually understand the economics of what you've built Tune in before your next board meeting — because if you're not tracking AI inference costs at the feature level, you're flying blind on your most important unit economics. Resources Mentioned The SaaS CFO: https://www.thesaascfo.com/ Ray Rike — AI to ROI Newsletter: https://ai2roi.substack.com/ Tomas Tunguz: https://tomtunguz.com/ Fungies.io — 5 Ways to Save on LLM Costs: https://fungies.io

Ever hit a milestone in your business that you thought would feel life-changing… only to find yourself wondering why it suddenly feels heavier, more confusing, or even a little anticlimactic? In this episode, I'm joined by operations and growth mentor Michelle M. Ghassemi, who brings her signature no-fluff clarity to what really happens after you reach big goals and why success can be just as emotionally complex as the climb. Michelle shares the mindset gaps founders don't anticipate, the data habits that build true confidence, and the micro-pivots that keep your business moving without burning everything down. We talk about what shifts between 100K and 500K, why “what got you here won't get you there,” and how to use your numbers to make aligned decisions instead of reactive ones. If you've been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure what your next step should be, this conversation will help you reconnect with your power, simplify your strategy, and lead from a grounded CEO mindset, not fear or guesswork. Today you'll hear:03:19 – What a life-first business looks like for Michelle right now, and the non-negotiables that keep her grounded04:59 – The moment Michelle realized that hitting six and seven figures felt different than expected and why success can feel disconnected07:58 – Why what got you to a milestone won't get you beyond it, and the shift from going wide to going deep11:00 – The core metrics every entrepreneur should track, starting with cost of goods (COGS) and understanding your baseline12:48 – How often to review your numbers and why building the habit early prevents major problems later17:48 – What “micro-pivots” really look like: small adjustments in pricing, messaging, keywords, or systems that make a measurable impact20:48 – Why fear keeps many women from looking at their numbers and how data helps you take back control22:48 – Why fast results are unrealistic, why your data needs time to show patterns, and how to build sustainable growth25:36 – Why founders hit a wall between 100K–500K and how identifying “what's missing” determines your next strategic hire28:59 – The simple tools Michelle uses to stay organized, manage decisions, and stop busywork before it starts30:09 – How Michelle uses AI for ideation, content creation, and training development CONNECT WITH MICHELLE:Instagram: @opsandgrowthmentorFREE 30 min biz assessment calls: https://calendly.com/michelle-ghassemi/bizassessmentcall

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! " There's lots of places in the world you can gamify." Emma Rochon and Melissa Eapen were young game masters working at a local escape room company over 12 years ago. They loved this "new" genre of entertainment, and asked the owners how they could get more involved in growing the business or designing new rooms. The owners replied with "There's no growth in [escape rooms]. Also though, if you try to make your own company, I'll sue you". These famous last words spurred Improbable Escapes co-founders Emma Rochon and Melissa Eapen to quit and start their own company. While looking for locations, they mapped out all the known escape rooms in Canada at the time, and settled on the charming city of Kingston. They chose it primarily for its qualities as an escape room wasteland, because it didn't have any notable existing escape rooms. Today, they've certainly built out enough games to put Kingston, Ontario, Canada on the map of any escape room enthusiast. They have built and designed over forty different games and experiences, including escape rooms, outdoor escape rooms, large event "podium games," and even a board game café. They also started a sister company called Visual Menace Creative that builds sets, props, and immersive activations for brands, film, television and music videos. Emma Rochon joins us on REPOD to share her escape room journey in the industry. I was simply mind-blown by these two young women who built an escape room empire out of nothing but sheer determination and passion. I love stories where someone is told "no" and they proceed to prove nay-sayers wrong in the most epic way possible. If you enjoyed this episode and you want to hear more from Emma, she will be speaking at this year's Reality Escape Convention about deconstructing escape rooms, and how to literally think outside the box when it comes to designing interactive puzzle games.   Full Show Notes   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

"One of the highlights of the Finnish larp is heavy, hard emotions. Crying is very much associated with Nordic style and Finnish style larping." Have you ever wanted to trauma bond with a hundred strangers aboard a spaceship while fleeing an alien threat? Do you want to be emotionally devastated while making hard choices about love, sacrifice, and humanity? Then Finnish larp is for you! Laura Kröger is the lead producer and narrative director of Odysseus, a large-scale sci-fi larp run in Helsinki, Finland in 2019 and 2024, in both Finnish and English. Built for 104 players, it's set in an original science fiction universe inspired by classics such as Battlestar Galactica. Each participant has a pre-written role with past relationships, loyalties, secrets and fears, but the choices and emotional journeys are in the hands of the players. Beyond the script, the set of Odysseus is mind-blowingly realistic, considering it was built into an elementary school as a temporary installation during summer break. Laura talks to us about all the logistics of running such a massively complex larp, including how food and lodging is handled, costuming, and emotional support. I especially enjoyed hearing about how battles and "injuries" are handled. There is even a medical bay with some very graphic special effects "injuries" where "surgeons" are operating. (You can see more photos of Odysseus here). Odysseus is currently running an Indiegogo campaign because they are trying to build a permanent installation so they can run Odysseus continuously without having to constantly build it and tear it down. If you're interested in experiencing this yourself, consider supporting their campaign for a chance to attend.   Full Show Notes   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht