Podcasts about DTC

What happens when Steve puts a real app under the microscope?In this episode, Steve did a live app teardown across different app categories, broke down what's working, what's not, and where there are opportunities to improve growth and monetization.From ASO and App Store screenshots to onboarding, paywalls, pricing, and conversion, Steve analyzes the key parts of the app experience and shares practical strategies developers can apply to their own apps.You'll see the same frameworks Steve uses to evaluate apps and identify opportunities to increase downloads, conversions, and revenue.You will discover:✅ ASO opportunities and keyword strategy✅ App Store screenshot improvements✅ Onboarding optimization✅ Paywall and pricing analysis✅ Growth and monetization ideasLearn More:Join the App Founder's Community:https://appfounders.co/

Footwear brand Rothy's, which crossed $211 million in sales last year, is an example of a company that has managed to successfully navigate the volatile direct-to-consumer shoe category, even as competitors like Allbirds have failed. Brands that began as strictly DTC are increasingly looking at what they can do to survive and grow beyond just putting out digital ads. But doing so without burning money is a challenge and requires discipline.  So how has Rothy's not only survived but stayed profitable at a time when many of its DTC-era peers have gone under? By growing its operations intentionally, according to Rothy's CEO & president Dayna Quanbeck, who joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week. Quanbeck said the company's current challenge is to “not be distracted” by all the growth and to practice patience to avoid expanding too soon. It's a trap that other DTC footwear brands have fallen into over the past decade. As such, Rothy's is testing physical retail concepts while balancing them with a sustainable footprint.  This week's podcast episode digs into: The evolving challenges of the direct-to-consumer footwear category. Transitioning from DTC-first to wholesale and physical distribution. Knowing when and where to expand next.

Athan Didaskalou had bet everything on a one-year-old suitcase brand called July. Then Covid wiped out travel and nearly took the business with it. What happened next turned it into a nine-figure global company. Athan came from the agency world and sold out of two businesses to go all in; his co-founder Richard Li brought the manufacturing and supply chain muscle. They chose luggage precisely because it was hard to make and dominated by a single global player. They survived lockdown on drink bottles, kept every team member, and came out the other side with a two-year head start no competitor dared to challenge. Today July has 15 tier-one retail stores in Australia, is the official luggage of the Australian Olympic Team, and is pushing into Asia, the US and beyond. In this interview, Athan breaks down his theory of why founder-led brands beat private-equity ones, the "irrational spend" that built July's brand equity from day one, and the counterintuitive reason physical retail became their cheapest customer acquisition channel. What you'll learn in this interview: • Why July was their "15th race" - and how years of prior businesses made them lethal from day one • The irrational spend theory: why founder-led brands beat PE brands by overspending in emotional areas • How they landed the four-letter July domain and sub-five-letter social handles - and why it signals trust • Why luggage is a trust business - and how brand became their moat against the dominant global player • How drink bottles and personalization kept the wheels turning when Covid wiped out travel overnight • Why the two-year Covid shutdown handed them a head start no competitor was willing to challenge • The investor who wrote a cheque with zero due diligence - after they drove out to fix a customer's lock • Why retail became their cheapest customer acquisition channel - and the rent-to-revenue math behind it • Why the US rewards short-domain, free-returns DTC brands - and why the UK has been so much harder to crack • Why staying deliberately small is getting harder - and the first year they stopped knowing every employee's name If you're building a DTC or consumer brand, trying to compete against a dominant incumbent, or rethinking whether retail belongs in your growth plan, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about brand equity, resilience, and building something people actually trust. SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend using the code FOUNDR50. Start here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠ SAVE 95% ON XERO FOR 6 MONTHS Simplify your business finances with 95% off Xero for your first 6 months. Start here →⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://foundr.com/xero⁠⁠⁠⁠ WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS? Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/operators⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING? → Starting from scratch? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Already have a store? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONNECT WITH ATHAN DIDASKALOU Instagram → ⁠https://www.instagram.com/july/ LinkedIn → ⁠https://au.linkedin.com/in/athand Website → ⁠https://july.com/ FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES YouTube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

Sahra Nguyen is the founder and CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply, the specialty Vietnamese coffee company she started in 2018. On this episode of ITS, Sahra talks about building a market for Vietnamese coffee and robusta in the U.S., working directly with farmers in Vietnam, shifting from DTC beans to retail cans, and how introducing a new product to consumers requires time and intention.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupA brand doing under $50 million a year is putting roughly half of its combined retail media, trade, and shopper marketing budget into retail media. At larger companies that share drops toward 30, 20, then 15 percent. Mike Chiasson works on Keen's models, which cover $45 billion in marketing investment, and his read on where that money comes from is the part worth sitting with. It is mostly net new, sourced out of trade rather than pulled from Meta and Google, which is why so much of it sits with sales teams and never gets measured the way media does.If you run growth at a brand moving into retail: this is the episode about what the retail media line in your budget is actually buying, and which part of it is buying customers you already had.If you own the media budget: Chiasson makes the case that the untapped return in retail media is upper funnel, inside retailers where almost everyone is still only buying search.What he gets into:Where the money comes from, and why trade budgets rather than media budgets explain retail media's growthThe benchmark: about half the retail media, trade, and shopper marketing bucket at brands under $50M, versus 15 to 30 percent at large onesWhy small brands with a narrow distribution footprint default to bottom-funnel search, and what that costs themThe Amazon question: whether retail media spend compounds on a retailer's algorithm the way it does on a listing, and why brick and mortar has no real equivalentRetail media ads that carry no visible association with the retailer at all, and why targeting is the actual productWalmart, Vizio, and streaming video as the moment upper-funnel retail media became buyableRetail media social, which he calls very small and rapidly growing, with returns he thinks reflect how early the curve isThe two flaws in ROAS, and why the return on your next dollar is the only version of the number that helps you planBayesian priors, and how Keen gives a brand a response curve for a retailer it has never advertised withPatience as a budgeting problem rather than a virtue, and why cash-strapped brands structurally cannot buy upper funnelWho this is for: operators whose product is landing on shelves in more places every quarter, and whose retail media invoices are growing faster than their ability to explain them.What to steal: find out which budget your retail media is actually coming from. If it is trade, the people approving it are measuring a retailer relationship and the people spending it are measuring sales. Those are different jobs and almost nobody has reconciled them.Harness the Halo is a six-part series from DTC and Keen about the spend that doesn't pay you back the same day, and the measurement that gives you room to make it. Episode 1 was the market read. Episode 2 was the first brand. This one maps the fastest-growing line in the budget.Timestamps:00:00 Why retail media is becoming a major growth channel04:00 Where retail media investment is growing08:00 Why retail media ROI is outperforming other tactics13:00 The upper-funnel opportunity in retail media17:00 Why marginal ROI matters more than ROASSubscribe 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

The in-house research team has hollowed out, and the LLMs picking up the slack are only delivering their best guesses. Merciv, the agentic brain behind Future Commerce's Signal Reports, has set out to deliver auditable, defensible, and unified reporting solutions — and it's redefining what brands are capable of achieving in-house in the process. Phillip and Alicia welcome Merciv co-founder and CEO Shaia Erlbaum to the show to talk about how brands can read signals in real time, and verify their relevancy. Shaia argues that data itself is commoditizing, but verification is not. The most honest consumer signal lives too deep for surveys to reach, which is why our Signal Reports are looking deeper than stated behaviors and are telling completely new kinds of retail and culture stories.The Toothpaste Doesn't Lie Key takeaways:Insights teams keep shrinking while the C-suite depends on them more than ever.Surveys capture posturing. Forums, reviews, and comment sections capture behavior.Data is commoditizing. Proprietary brand knowledge is the durable moat.The first Signal Report, a collaboration between Future Commerce and Merciv, maps where GLP-1s removed cultural friction – and where friction migrated to."Almost everyone answering a survey question about how many times they brush their teeth in a day will say twice. But if you actually look at those sales figures, they simply don't sell enough toothpaste." — Shaia Erlbaum"These models aren't built to tell you, 'Hey, I don't know.'" — Shaia Erlbaum"There's a world where data's already becoming a commodity… a lot of the real advantage is less rooted in which model's more intelligent, but more so in to what degree can we actually verify the information we're coming across." — Shaia Erlbaum"The office of the CMO is becoming more of an individual contributor role." — Phillip JacksonIn-Show Mentions:Merciv: merciv.com"Frictionless Wellness: GLP-1s and What Comes After the Age of Autonomy" – the first Future Commerce Signal Report, powered by Merciv.LORE, our newest book on who really writes your brand's story. Get it in the Future Commerce shop.Associated Links:Read the first Signal Report, Frictionless Wellness: GLP-1s and What Comes After the Age of AutonomyInsiders 204: The Ozempic Effect: How GLP-1s Rewrote the Gospel of Self-LoveEpisode 435: Predictions 2026: Prepare for the Age of AutonomyEpisode 367: AI Agents Are Here. "Brands" Might Be In Danger.Episode 447: The Agent Has Left the BuildingCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupMost ecommerce brands are paying for every contact in the database, including the tens of thousands they have not mailed in a year. Then they mail them anyway, because they are paying for them. Channing Ferrer argues both halves of that are costing you money, and he has his own company's data to back the second half.Brevo studied its customer base and found the brands sending the least email posted the highest conversion and click-through rates. The heaviest senders were worse on conversion, worse on click-through and worse on opens. Brevo bills by the message sent, so telling customers to send less costs them revenue. They say it anyway.For a retention lead, a lifecycle marketer, or a founder still building the sends themselves, this is a conversation about where the money actually goes in a retention program. Channing spent six years at HubSpot running sales strategy through the run from $200 million to $1.5 billion in revenue, then ran sales at Semrush and led Brandwatch back to growth.Discover More: https://www.brevo.com/solutions/enterprise/?utm_medium=partnership&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_term=enterprise&utm_content=dtc-podcast-0926 What you get in 38 minutes:What changes when you stop paying for stored contacts and start paying for messages sentThe mobile wallet as a retention channel, including how a loyalty card gets pushed a new offer and changes appearance on the lock screenSalomon's use of a wallet pass, and how the same mechanic works for a brand with no physical storesWhat Channing puts on a dashboard for a $20M ecommerce brand, and why send volume belongs near the bottom of itHow Brevo customers run campaigns through Claude and ChatGPT over an MCP connection without opening Brevo at allThe three ways a customer outgrows a pricing tier, and how Brevo handles each oneWhy loyalty points should reward a social post and not only a repeat purchaseWho this is for: retention leads, ecommerce founders, lifecycle marketers, and anyone weighing a move off Klaviyo or Mailchimp.What to steal: pull volume off your primary dashboard and replace it with open rate, click-through rate, bounce rate and revenue per send. Then look at what your platform charges you for and ask whether it is charging for the list or for the work.Timestamps:00:00 Why personalized messaging converts better05:00 How Brevo is using AI agents07:00 Turning mobile wallets into a loyalty channel14:00 Why sending fewer emails can drive better results25:00 Building loyalty through customer advocacySubscribe 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

How do you build a multi-million pound ecommerce brand  without white-labelling, without forcing subscriptions, and without a big ad budget?Tariq Kazemi, co-founder of BLD BRO, did it by building a community before he had a product. What started as an Instagram page to change the narrative around hair loss has become a 7-figure skincare brand for bald men, stocked in their own warehouse, funded by the community that asked for it.Check our BLD BRO via https://bldbro.com/This episode of Building The Brand goes beyond inspiration to break down how success is actually built.Want more from Building The Brand? Connect here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletterIn this tactical breakdown, Tariq reveals:How to build a brand community that validates your product before you manufacture (the 90% matte vs shiny test)Why BLD BRO refused to white-label and built a bespoke formula from scratchHow to launch a DTC brand building strategy on a 1,000-unit self-funded first orderThe retention playbook: Why 50% repeat customers beats forced subscriptionsHow a £1K budget Christmas ad ended up being a high-performing TV campaign that drove direct attribution This is a masterclass in brand building strategy, how to build a community around an underserved niche, how to start a business uk  the community-led way and business growth strategy for a physical product brand.Questions answered in this episode: How did Bald Bros build a community-led skincare brand?How a to validate a product idea with your audience before launching?How to build an ecommerce brand without paid advertising?What is a community to commerce strategy for DTC brands?Key Moments: 0:00 - Why This Bald Skincare Brand Became a 7-Figure Community00:18 - How to Build a Brand From Community: The Bald Bros Origin Story 02:22 - From Hair Loss Anxiety to Brand Purpose: Tariq's 10-Year Journey07:40 - Shaving His Head: The Moment That Built Bald Confidence12:48 - The £8 Billion Hair Loss Industry Lie Every Founder Should Know 14:36 - Finding a Market Gap: Why No Skincare Existed for Bald Men18:55 - App vs Physical Product: How to Choose Your First Business Idea20:22 - How to Validate Your Product Idea With Your Community (The 90% Matte Test) 23:29 - Why We Didn't White Label: Building a Bespoke DTC Product34:06 - Launch Day to Sold Out: How to Launch an Ecommerce Brand on 1,000 Units 47:31 - The Content Hire That Scaled Us: Hiring Jake Massey (Ex-LADbible) 53:01 - Bald Fest: How Community Events Build Brand Better Than Ads57:36 - The £1K TV Advert That Drove Real Brand Awareness

He sells vapes with no nicotine. Every ad platform, payment processor, and carrier treats him like Big Tobacco anyway.Conrad Kurth founded Cyclone Pods in 2018 after watching every friend he had get hooked on Juul. Eight years later the brand has grown every year with a 60 percent repeat customer rate, no paid ads, no Shopify Payments, and no USPS. This is what selling on hard mode actually looks like.What you'll learn:Why a product with no addictive ingredient still gets a 60% repeat rateWhere a new customer really comes from when Meta, Google, and TikTok won't run your adsWhy "alternative advertising" on age-restricted sites sent traffic that never convertedThe Sunday morning Shopify Payments shut off with no warning, and the standalone store he keeps ready for next timeHow UPS and FedEx agreed to ship after seeing lab data, and why USPS never willWhether publishing third-party lab results helps SEO (his honest answer: he can't prove it)Why Wisconsin only allows vapes from Philip Morris, Altria, and ReynoldsThe Focus Pouch story: caffeine plus lion's mane, reishi, and cordyceps, two years before caffeine pouches were a categoryVapes for dogs, the leaking device that got pulled, and what he'd tell his 2018 selfHis advice for anyone selling a restricted product: ignore the ad people, do the legwork yourselfGuest: Conrad Kurth, founder and CEO of Cyclone Pods, a nicotine-free vape and nootropic pouch brand based in Santa Monica, California. Former software engineer.Show Links:Cyclone Pods: https://cyclonepods.comEmail Conrad: conrad@cyclonepods.comSPONSORSSwym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & moregetswym.com/kurtCleverific - Smart order editing for Shopifycleverific.com/unofficialZipify - Build high-converting sales funnelszipify.com/KURTWORK WITH KURTApply for Shopify Helpethercycle.com/applySee Our Resultsethercycle.com/workFree Newsletterkurtelster.comThe Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

Join the App Founders Community:https://appfounders.co/What happens when you show users 2 paywalls instead of 1?In this video, I break down a real-world paywall test that helped triple trial starts, from roughly 3% to 7.7%, without a major increase in downloads.You'll see how the strategy works, why different users respond to different offers, and how adding a second paywall can give both ready-to-pay users and trial-driven users a path to subscribe.I'll also break down the pricing strategy, social proof, weekly vs. yearly plans, and the number of paywall views you should aim for before diminishing returns set in.You'll learn:✅ Why 2 paywalls can outperform 1✅ How the first and second paywalls were structured✅ Why social proof matters on your paywall✅ How paywall views can impact revenue✅ The 8 paywall views benchmark for diminishing returns✅ How to think about paywall strategy and user psychologyIf you're working on app monetization, subscriptions, onboarding, or paywall optimization, this test is worth understanding.

Karissa Bodnar had a dream job at L'Oréal when a close friend died from cancer at age 24. It shook her up and made her reassess what she really wanted to do with her life. The answer? Build her own beauty business with a mission of “giving back.”The problem? Nobody seemed to want to carry her products. She pitched Sephora, Nordstrom, Ulta, and others—and kept hearing no.She stuck it out, pouring tens of thousands of dollars of her own savings into it, and worked a full-time job to fund the formulation of new cosmetics.Two years in, another life-changing event. Karissa posted a video of herself teaching make-up application to domestic violence survivors, and it went viral.In this episode Karissa explains why mission alone will never save a bad product, how scarcity helped her build a better company, why she resisted raising too much money, and how she turned a deeply personal loss into one of the most distinctive brands in beauty.What You'll Learn:How Karissa's childhood experimenting with fruits and flowers led her to researching and formulating her own makeupHow Karissa's experiences at Nordstrom and Sephora set her up for a plum job in product developmentThe importance of attracting an influential mentor or guide to career development, as Karissa did at L'OrealHow Karissa developed her unique line — like false eyelashes for people who had lost their natural lashes during cancer treatmentWhy the decision to keep sales DTC and ONLY online can be a great business moveWhy Karissa believes “scarcity drives focus”How to handle operations when sales explodeWhy mission helps customer loyalty — but performance drives the initial and repeat purchasesTimestamps:05:30 – Making makeup in the kitchen at age 10 and Karissa's first steps into research08:55 – Learning the beauty business from the ground up11:22 – How Karissa landed her dream job in product development at L'Oréal14:48 – The career lessons that got Karissa noticed at L'Oréal22:03 – How a tragedy made Karissa leave a dream job to start a company “with purpose”31:36 – The one-person-at-a-time marketing strategy33:01 – The viral moment that changed Thrive Causemetics37:06 – Why failing to raise money became an advantage42:33 – Mission versus product: which really matters?44:34 – Why Thrive Causemetics stayed direct-to-consumerThis episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce with research help from Chris Maccini. Our engineer was Jimmy Keeley.Follow How I Built This:Instagram → @howibuiltthisX → @HowIBuiltThisFacebook → How I Built ThisFollow Guy Raz:Instagram → @guy.razYoutube → guy_razX → @guyrazSubstack → guyraz.substack.comWebsite → guyraz.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Healthcare companies are rethinking their business models as patients gain more control over how they access care and purchase medicine. Our analysts Erin Wright and Terence Flynn unpack this shift and the emerging opportunities.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Erin Wright: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Erin Wright, US Healthcare Services Analyst at Morgan Stanley.Terence Flynn: And I'm Terence Flynn, Morgan Stanley's US BioPharma Analyst.Erin Wright: Today, how the consumer is moving into the driver's seat across healthcare.It's Monday, September 14th at 7:00 AMWe're recording in New York City, where Morgan Stanley's twenty-fourth Annual Healthcare Conference is happening this week. One of the biggest shifts we're seeing across the industry is patients gaining more choice, transparency, and control over how they access care and medicine. You can already see it in everyday behavior. In our AlphaWise survey earlier this year, thirty-four percent of US consumers said that they'd chosen to take a voluntary wellness lab test in the past three years, and roughly two-thirds already own a wearable or plan to buy one.And now we're seeing the same trend reshaping how people buy medicine and choose care. So Terence, let's start with biopharma. For years, direct-to-consumer pharma meant advertising and nudging people to ask your doctor about what particular treatment is best for them. What's different this time around? And what's different in this next wave of direct access?Terence Flynn: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, Erin. So for most of the industry's history, the patient sat at the end of the value chain and had really limited control over the product, the price, or the route through which the drug was obtained.Manufacturers marketed to doctors and consumers, but the transaction was itself intermediated. So we think that's starting to change here. It's no longer simply about more consumer advertising or another cash pay discount. There's a parallel access infrastructure that's building here where the patient can increasingly start the initiation of the treatment journey themselves, obtain a prescription, often digitally through a telehealth provider, and then fill this prescription through other non-traditional channels.And so there really is a shift in the model that we're starting to see here. But again, we're not talking about replacing insurance here; we're talking about areas where friction is high and where a cash pay price is viable.Erin Wright: So Obesity has been the clearest proof point, as we are seeing patients asking providers about GLP-1s. Where else are we seeing this?Terence Flynn: Yeah. So manufacturers are actually already selling over twenty-five branded drugs directly to patients at cash prices. Now, the common features of these drug classes are that they're self-administered, so essentially the patient can start and stay on treatment, and where there's limited in-person infrastructure that's needed, and where, as I mentioned, you have a lower price point or a coverage gap, meaning traditional insurance coverage doesn't exist.Now, we're seeing this in large chronic categories. You mentioned obesity. Another one is, migraine headaches. There are also other areas that are amenable to telehealth, so think oral PCSK9 therapies, topical dermatology, non-opioid pain. So again, we think as more self-administered products launch, you're gonna see the addressable DTC pool expand.Erin Wright: And ultimately what does this reveal about patient demand and gaps in reimbursement?Terence Flynn: Yeah, I think GLP-1s, as you mentioned, Erin, provided the first proof point here that this new DTC model could actually be viable. And really the reason for that is that, the US employer coverage base right now, only about fifty percent cover these obesity medications.And so for the other fifty percent, you have a gap in coverage. And that's really why people are seeking other channels for coverage. And so again, that really created this opening here for this new model. And so again, that's another consideration when you think about other medicines that could go through these channels is you have to think about the insurance coverage situation. And so for some areas like oncology, for example, insurance coverage is gonna be very high, and so those wouldn't be amenable to a DTC approach.Erin Wright: So Terence, your analysis points to roughly twenty-six billion peak US opportunity. What makes a certain therapeutic well-suited for direct-to-consumer, and where is the opportunity most concentrated?Terence Flynn: Yeah. So there are really four variables that we considered. The first is self-administration. So as I mentioned, you have to be able to administer the medicine yourself, meaning you don't have to go into the physician or hospital for an injection, for example. The second is that the diagnosis doesn't need an in-person confirmation. So think of something like a biopsy or something. So you'd have to be able to diagnose, as I said, over a remote telehealth channel. The third would be something that is a lower price point. Obviously, there are, like we mentioned, the GLP-1 medicines are at a different price point versus oncology medicines.And then the last one would be any kind of legal restrictions. So sometimes FDA has a lot of restrictions around who can prescribe a medicine. These are called REMS. And so any medicine that had restrictions like that obviously would not be amenable to DTC. So again, we think through those different variables, and then we ultimately built up this twenty-six billion dollar TAM that represents about three percent of total branded pharmaceutical spend. Of that, about half is driven by the obesity or GLP-1 medications.So Erin, that's a good bridge to healthcare services because consumerism isn't just about paying cash. What does greater consumer control actually look like?Erin Wright: You're right. It's not just about paying out of pocket for healthcare. With now consumers becoming more proactive with their healthcare and preventative care, we are seeing a whole healthcare ecosystem shift, from health insurers now offering lifestyle savings accounts empowering patients with more choice on that front, health systems and hospitals are creating a digital front door and delivery of care twenty-four/seven on that front. And also, we're seeing more direct-to-consumer pharmacies and transparent pharmacies that are gaining traction.Terence Flynn: And what does the Alpha Wise survey data tell us about consumers' willingness to pay out of pocket for care?Erin Wright: So based on our AlphaWise consumer survey, twenty-five percent of consumers report paying entirely out of pocket for at least one healthcare service over the past year. That was actually higher than what we were expecting. Most commonly, this was attributable to behavioral and mental health services, about eight percent of the cohort.Annual spend was about nine hundred and eight dollars, but maximum willingness to spend was about double that. So this suggests consumers are using out-of-pocket services and medications and are willing to spend to do so.Terence Flynn: That's very interesting. How important are digital tools, wearables, and testing in actually accelerating this shift?Erin Wright: So wearables are certainly a piece of the puzzle. What is new though here is that we're seeing wearable data align with actual biological data, where, for example, clinical laboratories are now partnering with these wearable companies and other direct-to-consumer healthcare platforms to offer subscription-based biomarker panels and other testing services. This is where this type of technology becomes more actionable from a healthcare perspective and really, frankly, empowers patients to take matters into their own hands.Terence Flynn: So as consumers take more control, as you discussed, what types of healthcare service models are best positioned to benefit?Erin Wright: There are certainly a host of companies across healthcare that are attacking this from several different angles.But if we think about who in the industry has the most touch points into the consumer, into the patient, it would be your diversified managed care companies and vertically integrated managed care companies where we view that many of these larger insurers are best able to adapt to consumerism in healthcare. We're already starting to see that happen with stepped-up technology investments helping to facilitate greater transparency and access, whether it's across insurance, provider arms, technology, or, um, or pharmacy assets as well.To sum it up, in biopharma, we're seeing a parallel access channel emerge alongside traditional reimbursement. And in healthcare services, consumers are gaining more control over how they choose access and pay for their care. Consumers aren't stepping outside of the healthcare system. They're taking a more proactive and more active role in how they navigate it.Terrence, thank you for taking the time to talk.Terence Flynn: Great speaking with you Erin.Erin Wright: And thanks for listening. If you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share the podcast with a friend or a colleague today.

In this episode of Read Receipt, Sean sits down with John Scheer, co-founder and chief creative officer of Herman-Scheer, a strategic branding agency focused on healthcare, self-care, and wellbeing since 2010.John traces the 15-year arc from knocking on doors with a duct-taped WordPress site to a 21-person agency that doubled in a year. He gets into the breakthroughs that turned a scrappy shop into a real business: splitting roles with co-founder Chapin Herman, niching down into health and wellness, and bringing in a strategist, Allison, to back the creative work with real data.It's an honest look at getting your process dialed, doing the work before you know how, why you launch a brand to grow into rather than a single product, and giving yourself room to breathe while the business keeps growing.Tune in for a candid conversation on building a branding agency the slow, deliberate way.Chapters:00:00 - Cold open00:39 - Brand self-ID: what Herman-Scheer is01:00 - Moving to Northeast Ohio, going fully remote04:00 - Starting right out of college07:00 - The first video and knocking on doors in LA11:00 - The breakthrough: splitting roles with Chapin14:00 - Niching into health, self-care, and wellbeing17:00 - Adding data and insight, bringing in Allison22:00 - The shape of the team today28:00 - Account directors as the real differentiators33:00 - Clients that come back, and the case-study lag39:00 - The branding process, step by step45:00 - How AI fits into the work48:00 - The longer-term vision for the agency51:00 - Room to breathe while the business grows53:00 - Close

In this episode, we dive into the hidden costs of ecommerce growth and why static product pages are no longer enough to convert shoppers.  Unnikrshnan Kurup, Director of Client Consulting and Strategy at Theorem, shares how video commerce helps brands bridge the customer confidence gap by replacing outdated text descriptions with interactive, decision-focused content.  He also reveals strategies for lowering customer acquisition costs, using AI to scale video creation without expensive shoots, and measuring true conversion metrics instead of vanity views.  Topics discussed in this episode:Why traffic alone no longer drives e-commerce growth. How confidence gaps cause hidden shopper drop-offs. What differentiates video commerce from video assets.  How video bridges product page information gaps. Why video belongs near the buying decision point.   What video metrics matter beyond basic views. How video commerce reduces expensive support costs.   Why AI simplifies scaling existing video content. How testing hero product pages boosts conversions.   What makes video commerce distinct from live selling.   Links & Resources Website: https://theorem.digital/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unni-kurup-breakthrough/X/Twitter: https://x.com/theoremincGet access to more free resources by visiting the show notes at https://tinyurl.com/mrmm9u6n______________________________________________________ Our Sponsors Xero is cloud-based accounting software that helps small businesses, including ecommerce sellers and DTC brands - manage invoicing, cash flow, bank reconciliation, and reporting from one place, on any device. Get 90% off for 6 months. Learn more at https://referrals.xero.com/ecb - T&Cs apply.Bizrate Insights: Star ratings tell you how customers feel. Bizrate Insights reveals what's driving those ratings, helping ecommerce brands create smoother shopping journeys, inspire confident purchases, and build lasting loyalty. Turn verified shopper feedback into clear priorities and better customer experiences. Learn more at bizrateinsights.com/coffee ______________________________________________________LOVE THE SHOW? HERE ARE THE NEXT STEPS!Follow the podcast to get every bonus episode. Tap follow now and don't miss out!  Rate & Review: Help others discover the show by rating the show on Apple Podcasts at https://tinyurl.com/ecb-apple-podcasts   Join our Free Newsletter: https://newsletter.ecommercecoffeebreak.com/   Partner with us: https://ecommercecoffeebreak.com/partner-with-us/

“They have just shown how packaging can be so much of a differentiator.” What does a professional DTC packaging design process look like in practice? Chris Ganz (Senior Creative Director, Trevi) sits down with the Winks team to tackle one of packaging's hardest problems: standing out on a crowded shelf. The group debates naming, mascots, and color palettes before testing real designs on real families. Chris opens with a full competitor audit, sizing up Ollie, Vicks, and Beam. Three distinct concepts turn into five packaging directions, each with its own typography and color story. The team weighs a winking semicolon against a plush sleep monster, and one child's smile carries real weight. Powered By Iris https://www.irisfinance.co/operators Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Omnisend https://www.omnisend.com/9operators Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Runneth https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ 

https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-646&utm_medium=podcastTo Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupnpdigital.comEric told Neil Patel that Pilothouse is now getting about 30% of its inbound from ChatGPT, with higher close rates and bigger deals. Neil's response: "I guarantee your leads are down overall. Would you confirm or disagree with me?"Down about 40%. Revenue up.Neil explains why that pattern is showing up everywhere. Someone used to run a Google search, click six blue links, fill out four forms, sit through screening calls, then pick. Now they ask an LLM, filter down inside the conversation with follow-ups, and go to one website with their mind already made up. Same intent, same buyer, one visit instead of seven.The rest of the episode is what to do about it.What's inside:The real search market: Google at 5 trillion searches a year and 27% share, Instagram at 6.5 billion a day, Amazon and YouTube at 3 billion each. Neil's point is that 73% of search is not Google.Whether Google's ad revenue is actually getting hit by AI Overviews (his answer is more specific than the headlines)GEO and SEO are two different scores. Domain authority carries SEO and means nothing to GEO. GEO looks at the last 30 to 60 days.The single highest-leverage GEO tactic he's seeing for ecom, and it isn't RedditWhy he'd skip Reddit if he ran an ecom brand, and what he'd do insteadHis five-step visibility audit: where you rank now, technical SEO and content freshness, the questions people actually type, review recency, and monthly mention volumeThe trust study across 100 eight-figure businesses, and the gap between what those operators thought built trust and what buyers actually weighedDiscounts versus bundles, and what discounting does to LTVWhy he reversed his position on personal brand after building one of the biggest in marketingThe Zappos story about a guy named Jason, a first date, and a shoe pun that got him two-day shippingHis most expensive mistake, on air, with numbersWho this is for: DTC founders and operators watching organic traffic fall while close rates climb, and anyone trying to work out where GEO actually fits next to their SEO budget.What to steal: audit your review recency this week. If your best reviews are five years old, the LLMs are reading a version of your brand that no longer exists, and a smaller competitor with fresh coverage will get recommended over you.Timestamps:00:00 How AI is changing product discovery04:00 Why ChatGPT leads convert better07:00 Search has multiplied beyond Google15:00 How brands can rank in AI recommendations25:00 SEO vs. GEO for AI visibilitySubscribe 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

Most people assume they know their body shape — but assumption is not measurement. Image consultant and stylist Mikara Reid of MIIEN Consultancy defines the circle body shape, also known as the round or apple shape, and breaks down exactly how it presents from the shoulders down. Knowing your body shape is where intentional dressing begins — and it starts with getting your accurate measurements.#CircleBodyShape #AppleBodyShape #RoundBodyShape #WhatIsCircleBodyShape #DressForYourBodyShape #BodyShapeInFashion #KnowYourMeasurements #ImageConsultant #PersonalStylist #GlossaryAtMIIEN #StyleTips #FashionIdentity #DressWithIntention #BodyShapeStyling #fashionbasics

What if you could build and launch an app without spending months worrying about retention, features, or a perfect product?In this episode, we're joined by Chris Bick, founder of Bickster, who has built and launched 20+ apps, including an app generating $800K ARR by syncing Fitbit data with Apple Health.Chris shares his approach to building profitable apps: start with a simple MVP, launch quickly, learn from real users, and optimize what matters most: onboarding, paywalls, pricing, and distribution.We'll also discuss how he approaches app ideas, why developers shouldn't overthink retention too early, and how his experience across multiple apps, including a successful Bible app, has shaped his product and growth philosophy.You will discover :✅ How to validate and launch an app as quickly as possible✅ Why your MVP should be simpler than you think✅ How to approach onboarding and paywall optimization✅ Pricing strategies that can increase app revenue✅ How the Fitbit → Apple Health app reached $800K ARR✅ Lessons from building and launching 20+ appsLearn More:Bickster: https://www.bickster.com/App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fitbit-to-apple-health-sync/id1134998522LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbick/

These days, it is borderline expected that brands will use artificial intelligence in at least some capacity as part of their marketing. But they also have to tread carefully; otherwise, consumers may slam them with “AI slop” allegations. As a result, more companies are creating playbooks for how they approach these tools in consumer-facing campaigns. Some, like Coca-Cola, have doubled down on using AI-generated ads despite initial backlash. On the other end of the spectrum, there's REI, which pulled an AI-generated Facebook ad after consumer backlash, saying the use of AI does not align with the company's sustainability mission.  This episode takes a behind-the-scenes look at one brand's approach to using generative AI in its marketing creatives. Boll & Branch, known for its premium bedding, bath and home essentials, largely sells through its DTC website and stores. The brand has been gradually using AI tools to create imagery and campaign copy for its marketing channels. This week, Kristen Deyko, chief creative officer of Boll & Branch and the person leading the brand's use of AI tools for marketing, joins the Modern Retail Podcast to discuss the playbook. This week's podcast episode digs into: How Boll & Branch created playbook pillars for integrating generative AI content in campaign images and copy. The company's stance on when it does and does not make sense to use AI-generated creative. The dos and don'ts of using these tools to speed up the creative process.

A saving list is not just a finance term — and your wardrobe needs one. Image consultant and stylist Mikara Reid of MIIEN Consultancy defines the saving list as a wardrobe tool, why it is a dedicated part of her consulting process, and how having one ends the cycle of impulsive purchases and the "I have nothing to wear" feeling for good.#MIIENConsultancy #WardrobeSavingList #WhatIsASavingList #WardrobePlanning #IntentionalShopping #ShopWithIntention #WardrobeGoals #PersonalStyle #ImageConsultant #PersonalStylist #GlossaryAtMIIEN #MikaraReid #MIIEN #DressWithIntention #WardrobeManagement #FashionIdentity

Nikita Walia and Elliot Vredenburg of U.N.N.A.M.E.D. Studios took to the VISIONS stage at MoMA last year to enlighten a room of retail executives and brand marketers about the realities of worldbuilding. Their theory: a brand's final form is decided by the public—and the strategist's job is to navigate that story, not control it. And they use Mercator, Buckminster Fuller, Guy Debord, free public Wi-Fi, and an acne sticker to back up their claims.Mapping Meaning Isn't About Being RightKey takeaways:Branding isn't worldbuilding because worldbuilding just imposes another set of rulesA three-hundred-page brand book is obsolete the day it ships, and rebrands every five to ten years are theater for stakeholdersThe public decides a brand's final form, not the guidelines deckRegenerative brands are always rebranding[00:00:25] "Counter to what you've heard today, branding is not, in fact, worldbuilding." — Nikita Walia[00:04:34] "This is sameness being sold to us as a form of consistency." — Nikita Walia[00:15:45] "It's not about being right. It's about being useful, and useful in motion." — Elliot Vredenburg[00:17:09] "A regenerative brand doesn't need to rebrand every five to ten years because it's always rebranding." — Elliot VredenburgIn-Show Mentions:The Mercator projection (1569) and Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion MapSuperstudio, The Continuous MonumentGuy Debord and psychogeographyLinkNYCBurberry, Daniel Lee, Demna's Balenciaga, Pierpaolo PiccioliStarfaceAssociated Links:Read Alicia Esposito's companion essay, The New Meaning of Brand Building: Cartographies of MeaningWatch the original session at VISIONS Summit: Cartographies of MeaningHear Dami Lee's VISIONS session, The Stories Behind Our SpacesListen to Building Culturally Intelligent Brands with Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa GabrielRevisit The Anti-Blands, Existential Brands, and the New DadaismRead Surface Culture: When Brands Mistake Wallpaper for AuthenticityCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Read Receipt, Sean checks back in with Katina Mountanos, founder and ceo of Kosterina, the greek olive oil and wellness brand betting the mediterranean diet belongs in every american pantry. two and a half years after her first appearance, she walks through how Kosterina grew from olive oil and vinegar into olive-oil shots, jarred olives, and a retail footprint across whole foods, target, walmart, sprouts and h-e-b. she gets into the walmart inbound that put their drinkable vinegars in 4,300 doors, why she runs the company on operational excellence, the brutal working-capital math of retail growth, and how she's building a founder brand on tiktok and substack. plus siete as her north star, the polyphenol case for early-harvest olive oil, and why a timeless brand also has to be timely.

https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-645&utm_medium=podcastTo Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signuppilothouse.co"There is absolutely no reason you should touch paid ads until you're doing five to ten million in revenue."That was Codie Sanchez, and the post went wide enough that DTC marketers spent a week arguing about whether they should be doing their jobs at all. Eric came back from vacation, saw it, and used it to launch a format he has wanted to make since the beginning of this show.The Rundown is Pardon the Interruption for DTC. A few topics off the week, three people, everyone gives a take. First panel is Jordan Gordon, who runs post-click and retention at Pilothouse and hosts TWBERP, and Rafael Gi, who works partnerships and client strategy.What you get:Both sides of the Codie Sanchez take. Jordan defends the free traffic position: if twenty percent of your traffic is organic and your total margin is twenty percent, that organic traffic is your profit. Rafael's counter is that paid media is a muscle, and a brand that waits until $10M to build it has to relearn its culture, team, and workflows at exactly the wrong moment.What paid media does: accelerate. Good product grows faster. Bad product fails quicker.The wastage Rafael sees most across ten to fifteen audits a week. Brands paying to reach customers who were buying regardless, the platform taking view-through credit for purchases with no click, and that false signal then deciding which creative gets scaled.Marketing is downstream from business, and business is downstream from markets. Jordan on why your marketing mix is often not your decision to make.Why "evergreen versus campaigns" is the wrong framing past seven figures, and what demand creation looks like next to demand capture."Shift our thinking from tests to bets." Rafael on what changes once you have proof, and why the change is philosophical before it is tactical.Audience hygiene as the precondition for everything. Until existing, engaged, and net new are defined across every channel, none of your tests are valid.Advertising is vertical, email is horizontal. Jordan on campaigns for launches, flows for evergreen, and why someone who re-enters your world nine months later still needs to be sold your core product.Acute versus routine entry points in supplements and beauty, and the cross-sell each one opens.How to spot a brand that has the ratio wrong: growth decelerating quarter over quarter while the new-to-returning revenue ratio inverts. On the email side, campaign-heavy, flow-light, with Klaviyo revenue low against Shopify.Unique opens are brand impressions. The argument for email as an advertising layer sitting just below reach.The IKEA tote bag, and campaigns that exist to buy eyeballs rather than revenue.The car category rule that applies everywhere. If you are not one of the three brands already in someone's consideration set, your revenue and your fame do not matter.Who this is for: founders and operators between seven and nine figures, media buyers, and anyone who owns both the acquisition and retention number.What to steal: the audience definition audit, the growth-versus-new-customer-ratio chart, and the absolutes-not-rates rule for judging new customer work.Timestamps:00:00 Should brands wait until $5M to run paid media?05:00 Building organic traffic alongside paid growth10:00 The hidden problem with scaling paid acquisition13:00 Evergreen marketing vs. campaign moments22:00 Audience targeting and wasted media spendSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF645Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Can anyone tell the staged from the real anymore? On today's After Dark: We're growing increasingly certain that everything is fake now. Amazon drones delivering your package to the deep end of your backyard pool? Curiosity bait. A bunch of Kindergarten moms actually keeping up in a group thread? A Suno commercial. That behind-the-scenes footage? AI-generated – but you watched it, didn't you? PLUS: The minds of Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim have converged to craft what's anticipated to be one of the most compelling documentaries we've ever seen.This episode is exclusive to Future Commerce Plus members. Subscribe to listen at www.futurecommerce.com/plus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bar Bingo is BACK! It's going down Wednesday, September 23rd at Pindustry in DTC from 6pm to 8pm. Registration opens on Monday morning at 8am. Frog is starting a new adventure as a Boy Scout and BJ isn't sure how to feel about it. What was United Airlines thinking with that plan to remember 9/11 tomorrow? Jamie has tips so BJ can continue to LifeMaxx.

What does it take for a married couple to build a $200 million brand together? Betsie Larkin (Founder & CEO, Honeylove) and Igor Lebovic (Co-CEO, Honeylove) sit down with Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela Case & Lomi) and Jason Panzer (President, HexClad). The conversation traces an accidental idea, the crowdfunding math, and the founder instincts that shaped every expansion. Kickstarter only entered the DTC playbook after Betsie proved product market fit on tour. The brand's sculpting body shapers and tummy control styles kept expanding the line. Betsie explains why a Kardashian-backed competitor helped the category instead of hurting it. Matt and Jason press on the mechanics of running a business with your spouse. Powered By Shoplift https://shoplift.ai/operators Shiphero https://9ops.co/shiphero-titans SARAL ⁠https://www.getsaral.com/special-guided-walkthrough-for-operators⁠ AppLovin https://applovin.com/9operators⁠ https://www.9operators.com/paid-growth 

In this episode, we dive into how AI is changing e-commerce apps and online shopping. Garry Egan, founder of Interlinks Development and 25-year software developer, shares why single-task apps are disappearing and how the best apps will become AI wrappers. He reveals strategies for specialized workflows, why deep technical expertise matters for developers, and how AI alters the buyer journey.InterLinks: For Shopify stores, automatically create internal links that increase conversions, boost click-through rates, and drive more page views. Get 500 FREE Extra Keyword Automations here: https://tinyurl.com/538jfhknTopics discussed in this episode:  How AI changes e-commerce software usage.What makes low-hanging single task apps obsolete.Why store owners prefer GUI buttons over prompt lines.How specialized apps evolve into AI wrappers.What types of complex workflows survive AI.Why high-risk compliance stores need custom tools.How LLMs alter the product discovery journey.What store owners need to know about AEO.Why full-stack skills matter more for developers.How expert developers build faster with AI tools.Links & Resources Website: https://getinterlinks.com/Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/interlinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garryeganGet access to more free resources by visiting the show notes at https://tinyurl.com/443tzjyy______________________________________________________ Our Sponsors Xero is cloud-based accounting software that helps small businesses, including ecommerce sellers and DTC brands - manage invoicing, cash flow, bank reconciliation, and reporting from one place, on any device. Get 90% off for 6 months. Learn more at https://referrals.xero.com/ecb - T&Cs apply.Bizrate Insights: Star ratings tell you how customers feel. Bizrate Insights reveals what's driving those ratings, helping ecommerce brands create smoother shopping journeys, inspire confident purchases, and build lasting loyalty. Turn verified shopper feedback into clear priorities and better customer experiences. Learn more at bizrateinsights.com/coffee ______________________________________________________LOVE THE SHOW? HERE ARE THE NEXT STEPS!Follow the podcast to get every bonus episode. Tap follow now and don't miss out!  Rate & Review: Help others discover the show by rating the show on Apple Podcasts at https://tinyurl.com/ecb-apple-podcasts   Join our Free Newsletter: https://newsletter.ecommercecoffeebreak.com/   Partner with us: https://ecommercecoffeebreak.com/partner-with-us/

September 9, 2025 will go down as one of the most impactful days in the history of medical marketing. After months of saber rattling, the Trump administration announced that the FDA would crack down on DTC pharma ads on linear TV and social media.Yet September 9, 2025 wasn't the apocalypse for medical marketing.Sure, there were days that turned into weeks of general unease and worry across the industry, but this is a resilient bunch. By the time we started conducting interviews with medical marketing shops for the 2026 Agency 100, most had gotten a handle on the situation and were baking in these challenges to their media plans and broader business strategies. Following editor-at-large Steve Madden's feature interview with industry veteran Ritesh Patel, we're looking back on the past 365 days. To mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the FDA's pharma ad crackdown, executive editor Jack O'Brien joined by reporter Bella Czajkowski and pharma editor Lecia Bushak to talk about how the heightened regulatory focus has impacted pharma brands and their agency partners. Lecia also recently caught up with 4A's Health Executive Director Jim Potter about what has changed since the crackdown began and where things go from here for the medical marketing community. You'll get to hear some of his insights during the course of our conversation on then, now and what comes next. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode I talk with John "JJ" Julius Naab, assistant winemaker at Matthiasson Wines and founder of Lamitié Wines, about his unconventional path from Chicago brokerage and endurance sports into the wine world. JJ traces his move from finance to Santa Barbara hospitality and DTC sales at Brewer-Clifton and the moment he realized he wanted to make his own wine. We dig into his decision to complete the UC Davis Winemaking Certificate, how that "inch deep, mile wide" technical foundation pairs with on-the-job experience, and what he really learned during his first harvest at Kosta Browne in the middle of COVID and wildfire smoke. We then dive into JJ's Chardonnay-focused Lamitié project: why he chose to be known for one thing, his focus on low alcohol, high-acid chemistry, and what he looks for in vineyards like Charles Heintz (clone 4, cool sites, marine influence). JJ explains his press strategy ("the juice isn't always worth the squeeze"), fermenting Chardonnay in puncheons on full solids, running relatively warm ferments, and then moving the wine to stainless for a second year to tighten texture and enhance reduction in his efforts towards a Burgundy-inspired style that still reflects California fruit. Resources from this Episode L'Amitié Wines Matthiasson Wines   This podcast is sponsored by Wine Compliance Alliance. Are you concerned about your winery's reporting? Do you worry that it's not being done correctly, or being vulnerable to a TTB audit? Help is here! The Winery Compliance Training Academy has custom-designed courses created by industry experts with deep backgrounds working at wineries managing production compliance! Our course, The TTB reports all US Wineries are required to file is designed to walk you through the 3 reports all US wineries are required to submit to the TTB. This course is a fit for all winery staff who are responsible for filing reports or label approvals to the TTB.   Check out the Fundamentals of Winemaking Made Easy video course   The Inside Winemaking Podcast on iTunes Now on Spotify And Amazon Music

Remarkable Retail Episode 311 welcomes guest co-host and longtime friend of the pod Anne Mezzenga, Founder & CEO of Retail Field Report, joining Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc on mic and on camera.Anne opens with her new venture, launched in March as an evolution of the work she built at Omni Talk Retail with co-founder Chris Walton. Retail Field Report takes a journalist's lens rather than an analyst's — working shifts in stores, interviewing executives and walking floors to learn what's actually happening inside retail organizations, not what the headlines claim.The news opens on a shaky macro backdrop: diesel at a four-year high, the priciest Labor Day gas in a year, worse still across Europe, and a Fed narrative that has flipped from cuts to a 62% market-implied probability of at least two hikes by year-end. Michael adds the Canadian view — reciprocal tariffs, shelved US liquor and a tourism reversal after June's 5% bump in cross-border travel. Anne reports from the field: once fuel, healthcare and food are covered, the discretionary spending big-box retailers count on is running dry.On earnings, Steve unpacks Five Below's five straight quarters of double-digit comps, 23% revenue growth, its move past 2,000 stores and a rare guidance raise. Victoria's Secret posts a 9% comp; Anne credits store consistency, omnichannel execution and strength in PINK and beauty, and the pair explore whether GLP-1s — increasingly prescribed alongside hormone replacement therapy — are quietly reshaping apparel and beauty demand. Lululemon disappoints, with comps down 9% and the Americas down 12% as Heidi O'Neill steps in as CEO; Anne argues the brand needs a sharper point of view and less rinse-and-repeat product. At Kohl's, Steve flags a second straight quarter of Sephora underperforming the rest of the store.The centerpiece is Anne's work as a flex retail associate, booking shifts through the Reflex app in cities across the US: point-of-sale systems so intuitive that training is nearly obsolete, twelve strangers running a warehouse sale that moved 3,000 customers in a single shift, and hospitality-only roles at Longchamp in Boston and Sézane in San Francisco, evidence that mid-tier retailers are putting real P&L dollars into the welcome.The trio then debates Anthropic's open-source Claude Commerce Agents — throttled assortments in agentic pilots, returns exposure, and grocery shoppers splitting weekly lists across banners by price. Anne walks Target stores with executives and lands bullish on the Bullseye, while Steve sizes up Shein's Hong Kong listing at roughly $27 billion against its one-time $100 billion valuation.On the radar screens: Quince's rumored raise and brick-and-mortar ambitions (Steve's skeptical the assortment translates), and Michael on JBS, the world's biggest meat processor, Brazilian beef imports, and whether beef can price itself out of the grocery basket for good. Registration is open for a special webinar featuring Steve in conversation with Placer AI's Head of Analytical Research RJ Hottovy. From changing shopping patterns to emerging market opportunities, shifting consumer demand continues to reshape the industry. So don't miss this data-driven session unpacking the most important trends defining today's marketplace and the strategies leading brands are using to win retail's future. It's all brought to you by Placer.AI and It all happens on Tuesday September 29 at 1pm ET..Register here today:https://www.placer.ai/discover-events/discover-shifting-consumer-demand About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Before you spend money on paid social media marketing, make sure your creative is ready to convert.In this video, Steve P. Young breaks down the most important step to take before launching paid ads on Meta, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube: creative research and testing.You'll learn:✅ Why your ad creative can make or break a paid campaign✅ The key metrics to watch, including hook rate and hold rate✅ How to use SocialPeta for competitor ad research✅ How to find trending ad creatives and study winning campaigns✅ How to analyze competitors' ad spend across Meta, YouTube, and other channels✅ How to turn successful ad patterns into new creative ideasIf you're building an app or game and planning to scale with paid ads, this is a framework you can use to research, test, and improve your campaigns before wasting thousands on ads that never had a chance.Have a question about running paid social media campaigns? Leave it in the comments.Planning to scale your app or game globally?SocialPeta provides deep insights into global advertising trends, localized creatives, and competitive strategies, helping growth teams expand into new markets with confidence.Start your data-driven expansion at:https://socialpeta.com/en?utm_source=appmasters&utm_medium=partner-0825

JW Wiseman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Curious Elixirs, a booze-free adaptogenic craft cocktail brand with the mission to redefine how people drink socially. In 2015, JW woke up one morning after having 20 drinks in a single night and deciding to radically change his relationship with alcohol. He was inspired to explore his curiosity about life with less booze and started Curious Elixirs. Combined with JW's interests in herbs and adaptogens, Curious Elixirs launched as one of the first brands in America to pioneer the non-alcoholic and sober curious movement. As a fast-growing leader in the N/A space, Wiseman has been able to forge relationships with the best Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning restaurants, nightclubs and hospitality venues, and DTC partners in the world, serving over 10 million bottles and cans of Curious Elixirs since launch.Prior to Curious Elixirs, JW founded the Good Business marketing agency, helping companies that aim to do well and do good in the world. Primarily focused on the food and wellness industries, Good Business jumpstarted brands including Daily Harvest and Chomps. JW is also in the bar and nightlife industry, opening subterranean bar The Whiskey Brooklyn and boutique liquor store The Whiskey Shop, along with investing in Williamsburg's OUTPUT as one of NYC's premiere techno clubs. He is a creative marketer at heart working at companies JackThreads and Thrillist (the third employee). In This Conversation We Discuss:[00:00] Introduction[01:20] The night that changed everything[02:48] Deciding to start Curious Elixirs[03:57] Years of kitchen tinkering[05:10] Launching three elixirs on Kickstarter[05:46] Klaviyo[07:57] Building the Curious Cocktail Club[10:10] Intelligems[12:01] The 24-hour Kickstarter rule[14:28] Who Curious is really for[14:52] Flowium[16:01] Winning press with persistence[18:06] eFulfillment Service[20:31] Building the marketing flywheel[21:51] Why wholesale came later[24:02] The $70,000 mistake[25:21] Keeping overhead low[26:48] Naming the sober curious movement[28:05] Where to try Curious Elixirs[29:38] Final thoughtsResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeAward-Winning Non-Alcoholic Drinks curiouselixirs.com Follow JW Wiseman linkedin.com/in/johnwwiseman Book a demo today at www.intelligems.io Get your free demo klaviyo.com/honest Lower scale costs today eFulfillmentService.com/honestBook a free lifecycle diagnosis call flowium.com If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-644&utm_medium=podcastTo Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupPhillip Jackson has spent 22 years in ecommerce, first building the software, then running agency strategy, and now running Future Commerce (futurecommerce.com), where the operating thesis is that commerce is culture.If you are a founder, brand lead, or growth operator trying to figure out what AI traffic is actually doing to your store, this one is worth the 50 minutes.What's inside:The Future Commerce study: 77% of shoppers want AI to recommend and nothing more. No booking, no buying, no agent acting on their behalfWhat that shopper does when they land: converts about 3x more often, spends about half as much, does zero browsingWhy the fix is counterintuitive. You now have to add friction back into the buying process and tell more brand story on a product pageNike's decline read from someone with a partnership inside the turnaround: streetwear over sport, owned channels over retail partners, and the running category handed to On and Hoka"Ma," the Japanese cinema concept, applied to brand. Nobody wants to hear from you constantly, and the brands that never rest never get a cultural high point eitherProof of work: Dr. Martens selling pre-broken-in secondhand boots at Brewer Street, Levi's repair, $1,200 Pope tees, and why patina is now the productThe agentic reader. Future Commerce stopped treating a human as its primary audience for discoveryCannes Lions and the collision of retail media with the traditional ad ecosystem, plus what that means for creator strategy in 2026Who this is for: DTC founders and operators watching LLM referral traffic show up in their analytics and not knowing what to do about it, plus brand people who want a sharper vocabulary for what is happening to culture.What to steal: rebuild your PDP for answer engine traffic. That visitor arrived pre-sold on one SKU and will not browse unless you give them a reason.Follow Phillip: futurecommerce.comTimestamps:03:00 Why Commerce Is Culture06:00 How Brands Participate in Culture24:00 Why Consumers Can Spot AI Content32:00 How AI Is Changing the Marketing Funnel44:00 The Rise of Consumer SovereigntySubscribe 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

Your calendar is telling you what to wear — but most people are not listening. Image consultant and stylist Mikara Reid of MIIEN Consultancy defines calendar activities and why what you do throughout your week should be the first thing informing your wardrobe decisions, not the last.#CalendarActivities #WardrobePlanning #DressForYourDay #WardrobeManagement #PersonalStyle #ImageConsultant #PersonalStylist #GlossaryAtMIIEN #MikaraReid #MIIEN #DressWithIntention #FashionIdentity #WardrobeEssentials #IntentionalDressing #PlanYourOutfit

What if your biggest growth opportunity isn't another ad campaign, but an entirely different distribution channel?In this live session, we're joined by Jason Mathew, Founder & CEO of LeadMeNot, a digital wellness platform helping people build healthier relationships with technology.Jason will share how LeadMeNot is expanding beyond traditional B2C app growth by selling licenses to universities, colleges, churches, therapists, and other organizations, turning institutional partnerships into a powerful acquisition and distribution channel.We'll discuss the journey of building LeadMeNot, the challenges of B2C growth, and how B2B sales and institutional purchases can help apps reach hundreds or even thousands of users through a single partnership.You will discover:✅ How to build a unique distribution channel for app growth✅ How institutional purchases can drive app adoption✅ How to approach B2B sales as a consumer app founder✅ Strategies for expanding an app beyond traditional paid acquisitionLearn More:Check out: https://www.leadmenot.org/ Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/leadmenotapp/

A matching set does more work than most people give it credit for. Image consultant and stylist Mikara Reid of MIIEN Consultancy defines the matching set and breaks down why the smartest way to wear one is not always together. From travel to workwear to lounging at home, this is one piece of your wardrobe that earns its place across more areas of your life than you think.#WhatIsAMatchingSet #MatchingSet #MatchingSetOutfit #CoordinatedOutfit #TravelOutfit #WorkwearStyle #LoungeWear #PersonalStyle #ImageConsultant #PersonalStylist #GlossaryAtMIIEN #FashionBasics #DressWithIntention #StyleTips #FashionIdentity

One Big Idea 6 - Driving Purpose-Driven Growth: From Identity Alignment and Cellular Health to Executive ResiliencyIn this episode of One Big Idea, host Josh Elledge connects with Carol Pyke, Dr. Paul Barattiero, Emily Lyman, Stewart Heath, Tanny Diep, and Rachel Apfel Glass to break down the operational strategies required to build enduring brands, optimize human performance, and scale multi-faceted enterprises. Carol Pyke, Keynote Speaker & Workshop Facilitator at Words That Deliver, opens the episode by detailing why executive self-identity serves as an irreplaceable differentiator in an AI-driven economy. Dr. Paul Barattiero, CEO and Founder of LumaNova, then explores the physiological impact of molecular hydrogen on cellular energy and executive performance. Next, Branch & Bramble Founder & CEO Emily Lyman breaks down how direct-to-consumer brands can operationalize empathy to boost customer lifetime value. Stewart Heath, Chief Executive Officer of Harvard Grace Corporation, details the mechanics of syndications and tax-advantaged passive real estate investing. Sway Brows Academy & Studio Founder Tanny Diep introduces the prototyping mindset to help creators convert early action into viable business models. Finally, Gloss Lab and OFICINALE Founder Rachel Apfel Glass closes the episode by sharing the strategic advantages, emotional composure, and risk management strategies of second-time founders.Discovering Your True Identity to Become a Better Leader with Carol PykeIn an era where artificial intelligence can quickly replicate strategic frameworks, generate marketing copy, and automate routine workflows, many corporate leaders struggle to articulate their true value proposition. Personal brand strategist Carol Pyke explains that her "one big idea" addresses this exact challenge: core identity is the ultimate, non-replicable foundation of executive leadership. Drawing from her personal experience of overcoming retrograde amnesia following a stroke, Carol illustrates how professionals frequently mistake temporary external roles, job titles, and career achievements for their actual self-worth. Utilizing her "Mrs. Potato Head" analogy—where the underlying potato represents the unchangeable core and external accessories represent transient professional titles—she challenges leaders to discover who they are before deciding what to execute.To build an unshakeable executive presence that eliminates imposter syndrome, leaders must actively separate their internal identity from external metrics. Carol outlines actionable exercises, such as auditing LinkedIn profiles to remove job-title labels and reframing challenging events by separating raw facts from emotional reactions. By shifting away from short-term public validation and committing to deep self-reflection, executives can lead with absolute authenticity. In a volatile business landscape, establishing a clear, grounded identity enables leaders to make confident, value-aligned decisions that build long-term organizational trust.The Natural Antioxidant Your Body Needs for Energy and Immunity with LumaNova's Dr. Paul BarattieroSustained executive performance, mental clarity, and operational endurance depend heavily on underlying cellular health, yet chronic stress and poor lifestyle habits constantly degrade performance. Dr. Paul Barattiero explains that his "one big idea" centers on the therapeutic role of molecular hydrogen in combating systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. While a healthy colon naturally produces hydrogen gas through anaerobic bacterial activity, over 90% of individuals suffer from gut disruption caused by stress, processed diets, and antibiotics. This breakdown diminishes natural hydrogen production, leading to cellular fatigue, brain fog, and weakened immune function.To counteract these physical bottlenecks, Dr. Paul outlines how restoring molecular hydrogen levels can significantly improve cellular energy production and gut microbiome health. Infusing water with molecular hydrogen and a negative electrical potential mimics a healthy gut ecosystem, providing a selective antioxidant that neutralizes harmful free radicals without disrupting beneficial metabolic processes. For busy founders and high-performing executives, incorporating daily hydrogen therapy helps lower recovery times, sharpen cognitive focus, and protect long-term physical vitality.Building Stronger Direct-to-Consumer Brands Through Empathy and AI with Branch & Bramble's Emily LymanAs automated generative tools flood consumer inboxes and social feeds with generic marketing messages, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands face a severe crisis of consumer indifference. Marketing strategist Emily Lyman highlights that her "one big idea" redefines empathy: it is not a soft interpersonal skill, but a measurable, business-critical growth strategy. Because human purchasing decisions are driven primarily by emotional connection rather than feature lists, brands that rely solely on automated, spec-heavy copy fail to build lasting customer relationships. By leveraging AI strictly for data research—mining customer reviews, support tickets, and social sentiment for underlying emotional patterns—marketers can uncover what truly resonates with their audience.To operationalize empathy across multi-channel campaigns, brands must establish structured frameworks to research, score, and scale emotional resonance. Emily emphasizes that while AI can efficiently surface data trends, human strategists must interpret those findings to craft authentic, value-driven brand narratives. Reframing product messaging around customer values—such as positioning safety features around protecting family experiences rather than listing technical specifications—dramatically improves conversion rates and long-term retention. Treating empathy as a core marketing discipline enables DTC companies to cut through digital noise and build enduring brand equity.Everything You Need to Know About Syndications and Passive Investing with Harvard Grace Capital's Stewart HeathMany high-earning professionals remain trapped on the corporate treadmill because their financial growth depends entirely on active, earned income that carries heavy tax burdens. Real estate executive Stewart Heath shares his core thesis: passive real estate syndications provide a reliable, tax-advantaged path to replacing working income and building generational wealth. Commercial real estate offers built-in inflation protection, tangible asset backing, and equity multiplication through conservative leverage. Furthermore, pass-through tax benefits like accelerated depreciation allow investors to offset passive distributions, shielding their cash flow from heavy taxation.Achieving true financial independence through passive real estate requires a disciplined approach to sponsor selection and deal structuring. Stewart advises investors to thoroughly vet real estate sponsors by analyzing their historical track records, operational transparency, risk-management protocols, and alignment of interest through preferred return structures. Investors can also utilize self-directed IRAs or 401(k)s to deploy tax-deferred capital into commercial syndications across multiple property types. By focusing on steady cash-flowing assets and reinvesting refinancing proceeds, passive investors can systematically construct a resilient portfolio that delivers predictable, long-term returns.Turning Early Practice into Real Business Opportunities with Sway Brows Academy & Studio's Tanny DiepA common trap for aspiring entrepreneurs and creative professionals is falling into "analysis paralysis"—spending months over-preparing, conducting endless market research, and perfecting products behind closed doors before ever testing them with real customers. Beauty industry educator and business coach Tanny Diep introduces her "one big idea": actionable business clarity does not exist until you launch and test in the real world. Relying on theory or simulated practice creates a false sense of security, whereas immediate real-world deployment provides the critical feedback needed to refine an offering.To convert concepts into viable business opportunities, founders must adopt a lean, prototyping mindset. Tanny encourages entrepreneurs to simplify their initial offerings down to a minimum viable product (MVP), launch quickly to a target audience, and gather direct market feedback. Overcoming perfectionism requires making an offering exist first before attempting to make it perfect. By pairing immediate execution with fast, iterative refinement, business owners build operational resilience, cultivate genuine client confidence, and establish a distinct competitive edge.The Entrepreneurial Comeback That Proves Patience Pays Off with Rachel GlassLaunching a second or serial venture is a fundamentally different experience than building a first company, primarily due to the emotional composure and perspective gained from past setbacks. Serial entrepreneur Rachel Apfel Glass shares her insights as a second-time founder, presenting her "one big idea": sustainable entrepreneurial growth relies on emotional resilience and protective detachment. While first-time founders often view every vendor mistake or operational hiccup as an existential crisis, experienced founders learn to manage emotional swings, anticipate normal operational friction, and approach problems with a calm, solution-oriented mindset.Navigating second-time entrepreneurship successfully requires transforming hard-won lessons into systematic operational playbooks. Rachel highlights how managing founder anxiety involves normalizing daily business challenges and leaning heavily on an established...

https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-643&utm_medium=podcastTo Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signuppilothouse.coIn 2020, Amazon's fees ran about 26% of your product cost. Today they run 34 to 40%, and once you add advertising most brands are at 50 to 60% before they reinvest a dollar. For the first time in years, the number of sellers on Amazon is shrinking.Tyler, head of Amazon at Pilothouse, is back to explain what he calls the Amazon paradox: you can't afford to be on Amazon, and you can't afford not to be.If you sell on Amazon, buy Amazon ads, or keep putting off the decision to launch there, this is the operator's version of the math.What you get:Where the 40% actually goes, and which parts of it you can still fightThe hidden fee stack (long-term storage, inbound, freight, returns, chargebacks) that quietly takes another 5 to 8% of margin, one fraction of a percent at a timeReimbursements: Amazon loses and damages inventory and wrongly charges you for it, and will pay it back if you dispute it. Most brands never doAGL / AWD, shipping straight from your manufacturer into Amazon's fulfillment network, and the 2 to 5% freight savings that comes with itWhy the April 15 change (Amazon pulling ad spend out of your disbursement instead of your credit card) is a cash flow problem, not an ad problemThe death of the middle: half of Amazon's GMV now sits with roughly 8,000 sellers, down from 15,000, and what changed in the algorithm to cause itCosmo and what comes after A9: why external traffic into your listing now reads to Amazon as brand authorityNike showed up. What happens to the small sellers who used to feast on big brands' unconverted branded searchTACoS as a vanity metric, and the three-report method (SQP, Helium 10 rank, ad spend) that shows whether your ads are driving incremental sales or paying for organic ones you already hadRufus is now Alexa for Shopping, most people use it on the product page rather than in search, and what that means for your listing copyWhat Tyler expects out of Amazon Accelerate 2026Who this is for: Amazon sellers, DTC founders weighing the channel, and anyone managing Amazon ad spend.What to steal: the reimbursement audit, the AGL freight move, and the zero-sale keyword sweep on your last quarter of ad spend.Timestamps:00:00 The Amazon Paradox04:00 Why Amazon Is Getting More Expensive10:00 Hidden Amazon Fees Hurting Margins15:00 Why Brands Still Need Amazon21:00 How to Make Amazon Ad Spend More ProfitableSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF643Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Four childhood friends pooled $30,000 in a Chicago apartment to make wet wipes for men. Everyone told them dudes would never use them. Thirteen years later, Dude Wipes does close to $220 million in retail sales, runs on a team of just over 20 people, and is Mark Cuban's best-ever Shark Tank investment. They bootstrapped almost the entire way, none of them had retail experience, and they built a nine-figure business in a category the legacy players weren't even watching. In this interview, Ryan Meegan breaks down how they carried a business to $40 million with just three people, the guerrilla news-jacking playbook that made Dude Wipes a worldwide Twitter trend for pennies, and why brand marketing they never tried to measure was the smartest bet they made. What you'll learn in this interview: • Why four founders with different skill sets and zero egos never clashed in 15 years • How they got their first national retail deal with Kroger through pure cold-calling hustle • The Shark Tank bidding war that landed Mark Cuban's check - and why he calls it his best investment • Why going viral and trending #3 worldwide on Twitter barely moved sales - and why they kept doing it anyway • The Isaiah Crowell NFL moment: how a $3,500 deal turned into ESPN, Howard Stern, and national press • The Amex float strategy: how putting every PO on a credit card funded growth without big raises • Why they refused the VC and Shopify-loan path most DTC brands take - and how they built bank credibility instead • The line-extension trap: why deodorant and body wash failed, and how Covid refocused them on flushable wipes • How three people ran the business to $40M before hiring 15 more • Why they took private equity from TSG while keeping control - and the billion-dollar goal behind it If you're bootstrapping a CPG brand, trying to build awareness without a war chest, or wrestling with whether to chase line extensions or go deeper in your core category, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about brand, capital efficiency, and staying in the game long enough to win. SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend using the code FOUNDR50. Start here → ⁠⁠⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠ SAVE 95% ON XERO FOR 6 MONTHS Simplify your business finances with 95% off Xero for your first 6 months. Start here →⁠⁠⁠ https://foundr.com/xero⁠⁠⁠ WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS? Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/operators⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING? → Starting from scratch? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Already have a store? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONNECT WITH DUDE WIPES Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/dudewipes/ Website → https://dudewipes.com/ Ryan's LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-meegan-07971859/ FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES YouTube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

Siblings, the refillable candle brand from a brother-sister duo, is rooted in a simple idea: a candle worth keeping forever. Six years in with hundreds of thousands of candles sold, the brand is proving that slow, bootstrapped growth might be the smartest kind. Cofounder David Bronkie shares how they've built a loyal customer base and earned a spot on premium retail shelves. For more on Siblings and show notes click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

CPG disruptors have entered just about every legacy category over the past few years in hopes of capturing bored consumers looking for more interesting everyday products.  We've seen this play out across dandruff shampoo, toothpaste and mouth wash, supplements, sunscreen, and, most recently, the allergy aisle.  “We did a ton of consumer work up front, probably too much, pulling research reports, data and our own survey of 600 consumers, and what we realized was that there is a huge experience and efficacy gap,” Loren Lucree, the CEO and founder of 9-month-old allergy-care brand Wizard Wellness, told Glossy. “[We found that] only 7% were loyal to their current solutions, which is bananas. … [The] lesson is nobody's writing love letters to Flonase or Zyrtec.”  Lucree is a beauty industry veteran formulator and executive. His CV includes Unilever and Estée Lauder brands. “One morning I woke up and told my poor husband, ‘I have to do this,' … because somebody else will do it if I don't,” Lucree said. “[I thought], ‘I have this amazing beauty network around me, and now's the time'.” Lucree secured $7 million in funding from True Beauty Ventures, G9 Ventures, Able Partners and The Venture Collective to launch Wizard Wellness via a DTC model in January. The brand is built on a beauty industry playbook, including cleaner ingredients, clear positioning, clinical testing, a dynamic OOH advertising funnel and social-first marketing. Now, just nine months post-launch, Wizard Wellness has entered CVS, Walmart and, as of Monday, Target stores.  Glossy West Coast correspondent Lexy Lebsack sat down with Lucree to learn firsthand how he took on allergy incumbents and what it'll take to become a leader in the space.

What if the real key to winning Q4 has nothing to do with discounts, and everything to do with routine? This week is another throwback from the Ecom Founders Q4 Summit, featuring the one of the most popular talks from the event: Jen Gray, formerly SVP of Marketing at Recharge, digs into the psychology of routine. Jen breaks down why the old school ideal customer profile misses the point, how millennials and Gen Z actually spend differently, and how brands like Casper, Tushy, and Barefaced turned one time purchases into daily habits through product diversification. She also covers product positioning and subscription strategy, plus a stat worth remembering going into BFCM: subscribers can be worth seven times more in LTV than one time buyers. This one's got a lot of visual data, so consider checking this one out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@limitedsupply) after listening. --- Nik will be hosting the upcoming 2026 Ecom Founders Q4 Summit, taking place on September 24th in New York City. To learn more about the event, check out: ⁠https://ecomfounders.com/q4⁠ --- Want more DTC advice? Check out the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Limited Supply YouTube page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more insider tips. And if you're looking for an instant stream of on-demand DTC gold, check out the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Limited Supply Slack Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for Nik's most unfiltered, uncensored thoughts. Check out the Nik's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DTC newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Nik on Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/mrsharma⁠

The next big advertising opportunity is here. The audio systems in Dollar General's 21,000 stores connect shoppers with advertisers and drive loyalty. Austin Leonard, VP and GM of Dollar General Media Network (DGMN), sits down with Phillip and Alicia to explain why the retailer has doubled down on audio and the role that non-endemic advertisers play in his long-term vision. “The Cocktail Party Effect” Key takeaways: In-store audio is getting programmatic optimization so DG's sponsors can serve ads at the best time of day and in the best-suited markets. Non-endemic only works in-store if it clears the near-endemic bar: shopper relevance. Dollar General's 21,000 stores across suburban, urban, and rural markets are often the only stores in town, making its ad inventory a community utility. The Yellow Glasses Project pairs brand partners with the DG Literacy Foundation via iHeartRadio. [00:18:10] Phillip: "This is the power that I think audio has that nothing else has; it can catch your attention even when you're focused on something else." [00:32:40] Austin Leonard: "I call that the last mile of eCommerce for the last mile of America." [00:36:15] Austin Leonard: "The next era of retail media is really about accountability and also telling our story for our unique audiences." In-Show Mentions: Find Austin Leonard on LinkedIn More about DG Media Network Yellow Glasses Project iHeartMedia, DG Literacy Foundation partnership featuring Bobby Bones Listen to Future Commerce's episode with Collin Colburn of IAB Associated Links: More retail media coverage on Future Commerce retail media hub Read: Insiders 237: “Vertical Dramas” and the New Era of Commerce Media Listen: LIVE from Shoptalk Spring: Retail Media Confessions, Hype Cycles, and the Creator Reckoning Read: Ad Infinitum: Retail Media is The Final Boss VISIONS Summit at MoMA, New York City: Join us on November 3 Watch: Future Commerce on YouTube Join Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Read Receipt, Sean sits down with Cayla O'Connell Davis, co-founder and CEO of Subset, the organic cotton underwear brand rethinking what goes into your most-worn layer.Cayla bootstrapped Subset in one of the toughest categories to fund, buying inventory five to six months ahead and launching with just four styles. One of them, the high-rise brief, got written up by Vogue and became a cult favorite that carried the brand out of the gate.She gets into the scrappy, human side of growth: a first-of-its-kind program that takes back and recycles your old underwear, handing out free undies on the streets of New York, Galentine's Day roses with a buyback card, and why she markets an unseen product more like a perfume brand. Along the way she shares hard-won lessons on doing the unscalable things on purpose, and protecting time to stay creative several years in.Tune in for an honest look at building a mission-driven brand through organic cotton, grassroots marketing, and a refusal to grow the easy way!For 20% off Subset, use code READRECEIPT. Chapters:00:00 - Cold open00:36 - What Subset is01:00 - The family-run factory in India03:00 - Bootstrapping an expensive category04:24 - Launching with four styles and the Vogue high-rise brief07:26 - The first 16,000-unit order09:02 - Would she launch with PR today?10:40 - The take-back recycling program13:35 - Recycling as acquisition, then Trashie and SuperCircle16:40 - What's driving new growth now17:30 - Giving away underwear on the streets of New York18:00 - Cotton vs synthetics: the health case22:06 - The "ask me about my underwear" sign28:32 - Galentine's roses and being a fun brand31:30 - World-building for a product you can't see33:33 - Getting flagged as adult content in paid ads34:56 - New-media marketing: just be yourself39:14 - Protecting time to stay creative42:34 - Close

Early adopters convert easily — which is exactly why founders get blindsided when mainstream traffic plateaus.Law 6 is removing every friction point between visitor and buyer so you convert at scale, not just with your fans.About the book:The 7 Laws of Scaling by Jim Huffman is the operating system that separates seven-figure companies from eight-figure ones. Fewer than 5% of businesses ever cross $1M in revenue; less than 0.4% hit $10M. This book maps the seven sequential, compounding laws that decide whether a company scales or stalls — with a diagnostic worksheet in every chapter to pinpoint exactly which law you're breaking first.

Try AstroASO:https://tryastro.app?aff=nWj08Which ASO tool actually has the most accurate keyword data?In this video, Steve P. Young compares Mobile Action, AppTweak, App Radar, and Astro using real data from a newly launched app to assess their keyword popularity, difficulty, and ranking scores.You'll also see the exact ASO workflow we use at App Masters, from finding keywords with ASO Mobile, validating traffic and competition, choosing keywords for your title and subtitle, and ultimately targeting the keywords most likely to drive downloads and revenue.You'll discover:✅ Which ASO tool has the most accurate data✅ How Mobile Action, AppTweak, App Radar, and Astro compare✅ How to identify low-competition keywords✅ How to choose keywords for your App Store title and subtitle✅ Why ranking #1 matters for downloads and sales✅ The ASO workflow App Masters uses for its own appsIf you're serious about App Store Optimization (ASO) and growing your app organically, this video will help you choose the right tools and build a more data-driven keyword strategy.Join the App Founders Community:https://appfounders.co/

Send us Fan MailAre your customers actually coming back after their first purchase? In this episode of The Unstoppable Marketer®, Mark Goldhart and Trevor Crump break down why customer retention and brand loyalty are getting harder for DTC brands—from declining organic reach and crowded email inboxes to rising acquisition costs and changing consumer behavior. More importantly, they explain what brands can do about it: increase AOV while customers are buying, rethink retargeting, maximize high-attention touchpoints like checkout and order confirmations, and create offers that give customers a compelling reason to buy again. The big takeaway? Stop assuming customers will come back later and start maximizing the moments when you know you have their attention.Connect with The Unstoppable Marketer® on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and YouTube @unstoppablemarketerpodcast, and let us know how you're telling your brand story this year!00:00 — Is Brand Loyalty Dying?03:23 — Why Retention Is Harder06:24 — Email Reach Is Collapsing09:14 — Are Customers Still Loyal?15:00 — Stop Waiting for Repeat Buyers20:23 — Maximize Customer Attention

Subscribe to Throwing Fits on Patreon. Our interview with Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne can only mean one thing: We are so back. Dao-Yi and Maxwell—the co-founders and designers of Public School New York—have quite the story to tell, starting with what was exactly going through their minds as they stood on the precipice of their big comeback, living in the present, in the past they might've moved too fast and pandered a bit, Thom Browne's advice, 2026's luxury pivot, designing with fabric and textile first, how they negotiate ideas amongst themselves, seeing yourself in other great duos throughout history, cleaning house and getting back to your roots, it was always not if but when, it's NYC afterall it's not easy, finding a healthy balance between DTC and wholesale, it's not just about the product anymore, are you the messenger or the message, and much more on Dao-Yi and Maxwell Osborne's interview with The Only Podcast That Matters™.

In this episode, with host, Nichel, as this month of August wraps up her summer break check-ins she shares in what her overall summer insight of wisdom, as well as what things she additionally learned and enjoyed. Nichel discusses her outlook for her 10th return to podcasting formulating her network broadcasting and excited for the season ahead. She as well shared her insights by answering questions posed regarding her show, the journey of projects of MOLIAE and beyond. Tune in to get the scoop and get ready for the Premiere Return of Podcast Show on Sept 21, 2026 for the 10th year! Be apart of this momentous celebration! Thank you to all followers-supporters-listeners!

Mark Young is the CEO of Ryze Agency, where he helps brands scale through world-class marketing, sharp product positioning, and operational clarity. Mark has built multiple successful businesses and has become a trusted advisor for founders looking to break through plateaus and expand into new markets.  He has recently published a series of 5 books titled the Ecommerce Brand Guide to the Galaxy with Benjamin Hardy.Highlight Bullets> Here's a glimpse of what you would learn…. Differences between selling on Amazon and Shopify, focusing on intent-based versus cold traffic marketing.Common misconceptions brands have about marketing metrics, particularly the focus on ROAS.Importance of understanding customer acquisition cost (CAC), lifetime value (LTV), and average order value (AOV) for sustainable growth.Strategies for increasing average order value through upsells and bundles.The significance of customer experience and retention marketing on Shopify compared to Amazon.The role of storytelling and brand identity in engaging customers on Shopify.Examples of successful and unsuccessful brand strategies in e-commerce.Actionable takeaways for brands looking to scale on Shopify.The impact of brand loyalty and customer relationships on long-term success.Recommendations for influential books and tools in the e-commerce space.In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley speaks with Mark Young, CEO of Ryze Agency, about scaling DTC brands on Shopify. Mark explains the fundamental differences between Amazon's intent-based selling and Shopify's cold traffic environment, emphasizing the need for brand storytelling. He challenges the common obsession with ROAS, introducing the "holy trinity" of metrics: Customer Acquisition Cost, Lifetime Value, and Average Order Value. Mark also highlights the importance of retention marketing and authentic customer relationships, sharing real success and failure stories to illustrate how strategy, not tactics, drives sustainable e-commerce growth.Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:Shift from “conversion” to “connection” Stop treating Shopify like Amazon. Build demand through storytelling, content, and brand experience—optimize for trust and engagement before expecting conversions.Scale with the right metrics (not ROAS) Track and optimize your CAC:LTV:AOV triangle. Aim for a 1:3 CAC:LTV ratio, and be willing to accept lower short-term ROAS to acquire high-value customers.Increase AOV + retention to unlock profit Bundle products, upsell, and improve post-purchase experience. Focus on repeat buyers (email/SMS, loyalty, CX) to maximize LTV and make your paid acquisition sustainable.Timestamps:00:00:38 Introduction to the E-comm Breakthrough PodcastThe announcer introduces the podcast, aimed at helping seven-figure e-commerce business owners unlock their full potential and growth.00:00:52 Host's Introduction and Guest WelcomeHost Josh Hadley introduces himself and the episode's guest, Mark Young, CEO of Ryze Agency and author.00:02:12 The Challenge of Scaling from Amazon to ShopifyMark discusses why brands successful on Amazon often struggle on Shopify, highlighting the fundamental differences between the platforms.00:04:15 Amazon vs. Shopify: Intent vs. Cold TrafficA breakdown of how Amazon is an intent-based platform, while Shopify requires cold traffic marketing and brand storytelling.00:05:57 Common Misconceptions Brands Have with AgenciesMark explains the two types of clients he encounters: startups who think they know everything and brands with agency trauma.00:08:20 The Problem with Over-relying on ROASMark details why Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is a "fool's metric" and how agencies can manipulate it.00:11:02 The Holy Trinity of E-commerce MetricsMark explains the three core KPIs brands should focus on: Lifetime Value (LTV), Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and Average Order Value (AOV).00:18:24 The Importance of Average Order Value (AOV)Discussion on why an AOV of at least $50-$100 is crucial for profitability due to shipping costs and consumer psychology.00:21:09 Focusing on Customer Experience and RetentionMark argues that brands focus too much on acquisition and not enough on creating an impressive backend customer experience.00:24:49 The Mindset Shift from Amazon to ShopifyBrands moving from Amazon must learn to focus on customer experience and brand storytelling, which Amazon handles for them.00:28:11 Building a Relational BrandThe importance of creating a personal, relational brand on Shopify, as opposed to Amazon's transactional nature. People buy from people.00:33:19 Be the Guide, Not the HeroUsing the "StoryBrand" framework, Mark explains that brands should act as the guide (Gandalf) for their customer (Frodo).00:35:09 Case Study: A Successful Skincare BrandA brand succeeded by understanding its brand voice, embracing omnichannel marketing, and defining clear goals for its agency partnership.00:38:00 Case Study: A Failed BrandA brand failed due to a reactive CEO, a singular focus on top-line revenue, and training customers to expect constant discounts.00:41:38 Three Actionable TakeawaysJosh Hadley summarizes the key lessons: understand your brand story, focus on LTV over ROAS, and prioritize customer retention.00:44:03 Mark's Most Influential BooksMark shares his favorite and most influential books, including works by Donald Miller, Will Guidara, and Stephen Covey.00:45:12 Leveraging AI in BusinessMark discusses how his agency uses AI, specifically "Claude bots," to imagine a new kind of business, not just automate tasks.00:48:08 Who to Follow in the E-comm SpaceMark recommends following Alex Hormozi and Donald Miller and emphasizes the value of nano and micro-influencers over macro-influencers.00:49:16 How to Connect with Mark YoungMark shares where listeners can find him, his books, and his agency, and discusses his passion for helping entrepreneurs.Resources mentioned in this episode:Josh Hadley on LinkedIneComm Breakthrough ConsultingeComm Breakthrough PodcastEmail Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.comTools and Websites  "Ryze Agency": "00:02:01"  "Shopify": "00:02:55"  "