Sam Ross

Snag grew their DTC from $0 - Over $30m+ in 3 years. Here’s how they did it: ➤ Problem-Focused Conception While out shopping, Brie realized her tights were slipping down. Growing frustrated, she asked some friends of hers if they experienced something similar. Turns out every single one of her friends had the same issue. This was natural fuel for her to look into things further. ➤ Data = Unfair Advantage Brie didn't have a background in marketing. Instead, her data-oriented mind gave her an advantage by looking at things a little differently. She ran a Google Survey of 3000 women to find out who else struggled to find a pair of tights that fit. The answer? 90% of 3000 people. Bingo. Opportunity validated. The data also showed how: → The market was commoditized → Men made most of the product purchases (Crazy right?) → Most women accepted poor fitting tights as the norm This inspired her to really look into solving this problem, and her search for suppliers began. ➤ Knew the numbers Before launch, Brie’s focus to really get a grip on her numbers really paid off. Since the sales were through DTC, she knew she needed: → 25% of revenue back into marketing → First-order profit → Small seed round to fund initial stock order Armed with the validation from the survey and some strong number-crunching, Snag launched. They cleared £300k/mo in under a year. The emphasis of being profitable from the first order was key to allow her to scale forward and further invest in marketing. ➤ Applied Zero-Party Data & Customer Service This is where Brie’s data-oriented approach really shone a light on how Snag scaled rapidly. The pandemic caused havoc for many brands, including Snag. Over 60% of the business disappeared overnight, and they went into negative. They had Facebook debt that had to be paid. Fast. Or Snag would die. That’s when Brie turned to her customers for answers. Her customers suggested a brilliant offer: 2 tights for the price of one, but the second pair gets sent in 6 months. The offer worked - Snag survived. And eventually thrived. This was a genius idea to help relate to her customers. ➤  Applied the ‘3-Piece’ DTC Law Finally, Brie understood the fundamental law of DTC. → Commitment to customer service → Great product experience → Solve a big problem Since all 3 were checked, the rest was down to semantics, unit economics, and following marketing fundamentals. ➤  Final Thoughts As a data analyst, Brie’s final words of advice were super impactful and really hit home. Yes, data is important, but it’s even more important that each data point is an actual human being, not just a number on a spreadsheet. Combining the importance of data with the understanding that each data point is a human is a brilliant formula for growth. What else would you add?

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Spoke with a prominent legend in the Amazon ecosystem yesterday, and he revealed something fascinating. For the longest time, everyone thought private label selling and DTC brands were where the real money was at. But guess what? Right now, private label isn't printing cash. He shared that PL it is not translating into the market as everyone expected. Feels like private label on Amazon is in the gutter. Death and decay seems to be creeping in on every corner. One of the largest agency Amazon owners just got out of the Amazon game entirely Steven Pope. Now, someone that runs the biggest membership group for big Amazon sellers is selling his brand as even he can't make money on Amazon any longer. Where is the legend that I spoke with seeing the wins? Yeah, I was shocked. He pointed out that resellers on Amazon. 🖐️ They have a better cash conversion cycle. 🖐️ They’re turning over inventory faster and managing cash flow more effectively. Between sinking money into production and dealing with ocean freight costs, private label brands are feeling the pinch. The cash conversion cycles are longer, making it a tighter squeeze on cash. So, while private label seemed like the golden ticket in the past, the reality right now is that resellers are currently in a stronger position. Warren Buffett once said “to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful." And despite this, I remain bullish and see this as an opportunity. This is the time to seize the opportunity and ride the wave. Stay ahead, stay informed, and let's capitalize on this together. --------------------------- Hey there! I'm Chad Rubin Click my name + follow along If you're selling on Amazon and want to increase your profits +10%, visit my website #amazonfba #amazonppc #amazon

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Who says fast-track expansion has to be difficult? 🚀 When Oats Overnight needed a larger facility for its rapidly growing DTC brand, they weren’t sure how to time the investment. Should they spend more today to unlock better margins or wait until real estate costs come down? They used Drivepoint to pinpoint the perfect moment to capitalize on the opportunity for a bigger space. And the results? 📈 $4M EBITDA increase 📈 $20M Series A 📈 98% forecast accuracy Check out how Oats Overnight unlocked this growth in the full case study: https://lnkd.in/gPhbxHHD

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I’ve never really told you all what I actually do for a living, so here you go Pisgah Peaks Ventures builds & manages fractional marketing team for SMBs that are doing under 10-15 M ARR. The teams could be anywhere from 2 to 20+ individuals. Hiring for PT marketing roles can be a big drain on small businesses. They're unsure of who to hire, how to train, and they def don't want to manage them. This keeps costs in check (no office space here!) + avoids costly benefits / W2 wages. Perfect clients for us? B2B companies with 1-2 internal marketing team members Dispensaries with 2-5 locations. Soloprenuers who are scaling from 6 > 7 figures. A few years ago we started investing into other small businesses & at this point have equity in a handful of other SMBs. The goal? By 45; be able to live off the proceeds of our portfolio and golf 4X a week. To my network.... Tell us What do you do? Why do you do it? Post in the comments!

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⚠️ Real post warning ⚠️ Aisle is updating our pricing model *gasp* Over the next 30 days, we'll be transitioning from per signup ➡️ per redemption. Our mission, vision and values are centered around making sure every brand, pre-seed to public, win in retail. This pricing change allows to ✨ live our values ✨ 1️⃣ It aligns our pricing <> company values <> creation of brand value (we only get that bag when you get that bag) 2️⃣ We are in the early aisles of this in-store engagement space. We need our brand partners to innovate for us - testing new channels, new flows, etc. Now brands won't be penalized / charged for innovating. 3️⃣ It'll actually make your aisle flows even more cost efficient allowing a brand budget to go even further (heck - we are giving cash back to both brands and users now huh?!?!) Current brand? Your brand strategist will be reaching out over the next week to let you know! Not a brand yet? Let's chat! https://gotoaisle.com/ xoxo tiffin

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Why Collectibles on Chain Are the Future 🐝 Collectibles have always been about ownership, rarity, and authenticity. But in today’s world, proving these things can be challenging—especially as markets grow more global and digital. This is where blockchain steps in. By putting collectibles on chain, we unlock transparent, verifiable receipts of ownership that are immutable. Whether it’s a rare trading card, limited-edition sneakers, or vintage comics, blockchain provides proof of authenticity that no traditional system can rival. No more disputes over the legitimacy of a collectible—every transaction is stored forever. In a world where counterfeiting and misrepresentation have caused so many issues, blockchain adds trust. And it doesn’t stop there. The ability to trade globally without worrying about borders or intermediaries will open doors for resellers and collectors alike. This is the next evolution of collectibles. At Beezie, we’re excited to be at the forefront, offering collectors and resellers an easy way to bring their prized items on chain and into global markets. The future is digital, and blockchain is the new ledger. Stay informed about Beezie here: 👉https://beezie.io/ 👉 https://buff.ly/3TQ2Id0 👉 https://buff.ly/3TqqkoK #Blockchain #Collectibles #DigitalOwnership #OnChainCollectibles #BeezieCollects #NFTs #Crypto #FutureOfCollectibles #TrustlessMarkets #BlockchainTechnology #startup #techstars #techstartup

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Shopify isn't going all in with marketing the SHOP app, instead, they're going slow and figuring out the product-market fit. They don’t need to rush because they have millions of merchants directly connected to the SHOP app through Shopify integration. It would take years for anyone else to build something similar. I think this is going to be massive in a few years. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. . . . . . #Ecommerce #Shopify #SHOPApp #D2C #DigitalMarketing #StartupFounders #ShopifyMerchants #RetailInnovation #DirectToConsumer #IndianStartups #OnlineRetail

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Before you launch a CPG brand with any sort of DTC strategy, make sure you do this… I promise it will take you 15 minutes or less. I see brands going straight into product development and selling without checking a crucial detail: Will the economics actually work if launched as a DTC brand? So many founders dive in because they’re excited about their product. But if they don’t understand the full payback period, they risk serious financial setbacks down the road. We created a simple 15-minute tool to help founders calculate if their DTC model is sustainable. Here’s why it’s worth it: - It considers real margins - It factors in customer acquisition costs - It gives you clarity before you commit Instead of risking time, money, and sanity, get a quick gut check. Spend those 15 minutes and see if your numbers add up. Starting strong is better than starting over. Download the free template below (link in the comments👇).

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🚨 Deal Alert, Folks! 🚨 Costco is now offering $100 Instacart gift cards for just $80! 🛒💸 If you use Instacart, this is a perfect chance to save. Have any great Instacart shopping tips? Drop them in the comments below! 👇 Let's make the most of this deal together! #CostcoFinds #InstacartDeal #ShoppingSavings

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Why did Stitch partner with Talon.One? Three main reasons... 1️⃣ In working with Braze customers, we've seen an incredible amount of pain with their existing loyalty platforms (looking at you, Punchh & CrowdTwist, Inc.). 2️⃣ The platform is 👌. The response time and the ability to customize workflows is elite. 3️⃣ The combination of Braze + Talon.One is a marketer's dream. Scale, capability and efficiency bridging marketing & loyalty together.

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Packed house for #ATSL24 and a great discussion between Jeff Green, CEO of The Trade Desk and our own Ciarán O'Kane of FPC and ExchangeWire. The discussion touched on the lack of VC participation in AdTech (despite being a $1 Trillion addressable market). “Generalist VCs avoided AdTech because it’s complex. They often don’t understand why they’d win or lose”. This summed up exactly why FirstPartyCapital exists. A $1T+ complex sector needs specialists to fund innovation, provide deeper DD, illuminating context, access to networks and relevant portfolio support. Over time we hope this provides a stronger signal to generalist VCs and PEs. Look out for Rich Ashton Jack Tunney Alex Powell Mike Follett Mark Giblin Dan Jones Rafael Michelucci Ed French Shane Shevlin Lumen Research LightBox TV Contxt Media Bedrock Platform Exiber Pixels AI

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Today marks Recharge’s 10th anniversary. There’s a lot to celebrate with this moment, and 2024 was a banner year, surpassing $100 million in ARR, powering 20,000 merchants and topping 100 million subscribers served by our platform. But I also want to be real for a second. The last ten years haven’t been easy but two things have kept me focused and made the highs even better, and pushed me to persevere during the lows. 1. “From humble beginnings come great things.” This quote has been with us since the earliest days of Recharge and it’s with us today. We never lose sight of the fact that we are always at the beginning of something great, and bigger than we know. 2. Focusing on helping the lives of merchants. Our mission of making the lives of everyone that we serve at Recharge better is why I get up in the morning ready to solve new problems. There’s no doubt that our merchant-first mission has enabled us to scale and hit those exciting milestones. We started Recharge because we saw an opportunity and a need in the ecommerce space. Looking back, I don’t think we could have predicted how much growth, change, and excitement would come over the course of a decade. I’m grateful to everyone who’s been part of the Recharge journey. We could not have made it to year 10 without the hard work of our team, the trust of the brands we work with, and the collaboration from our ecosystem partners. Reflecting on the past 10 years is what energizes me to plan for the next 10. So, here’s to tomorrow.

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Most DTC brand growth stagnation today is due to a strategic misdirection over the last several years... Focusing on acquiring the cheapest customer, instead of the most valuable.

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DTC brands are about to waste $1,000,000+ this BFCM. And on one channel: SMS. Here’s the common mistake I see brands making every year: “It’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday, so let’s send messages to EVERY SMS subscriber!” They think this maximizes revenue, right? Not quite. Take a closer look at your SMS engagement data: A large percentage have never clicked on a message. Many signed up months ago but have never made a purchase. The truth is, adding everyone to your BFCM SMS sends won’t give you the lift you’re hoping for. In reality, you’re more likely just adding to your SMS costs without a meaningful ROI boost. Be smart with your segmentation this season: → Target those who’ve recently engaged. → Focus on customers who’ve shown buying interest. → Leave out the ones who haven’t clicked in months. Don’t let SMS become an overpriced BFCM expense. A little segmentation goes a long way—and it’ll save you a lot of cash in the process.

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Squarespace announced today that they are going private, in an all-cash $6.9B transaction with the private equity firm Permira. For those in the Shopify ecosystem, this will be interesting to watch. Squarespace was one of the many “second place” e-commerce platforms working to make selling online easier than ever. Their core strength is easy website building; by adding e-commerce capabilities to their feature set they opened up their potential market include some of the same customers as Shopify. The Squarespace stock price YTD prior to this announcement had grown at about twice the rate of the S&P500, although it is now up about 30% this morning on the news to reflect the offer premium. Even before 2024, the stock price was holding well when compared against major indexes. It will be interesting to watch how Permira manages Squarespace. Will they follow the standard private equity playbook and work to extract all the value possible to recover their $6.9B? Given the recent financials for Squarespace this seems challenging without changes to their operating approach - does it mean price increases for Squarespace products are coming or that product improvements will slow or stop? Permira does not hold a large number of DTC brands that could take advantage of an in-house platform. They hold a number of e-commerce and e-commerce adjacent portfolio companies such as Klarna, Allegro, GoCardless and Magneto, - but it does not appear that there are many synergies available. While this will be interesting to watch, it does not appear to have any large, immediate impact worth considering for Shopify, or their merchants and developers.

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If you were offered a loan at 23% interest with daily repayment terms, would you take it? I did. In the early years of building Tease, we did our first $500k in revenue with a $1k secured visa. Sound impressive? It was actually a logistical nightmare. Juggling payments, inventory, and everything else that comes with trying to get a business off the ground with limited cash flow held our growth back substantially. Because no other banks would lend to me at that time, I took that 12 month, 23% loan as a calculated risk. After all, as any CPG brand founder can attest to, you absolutely need to spend money to make money if you want to grow. Thousands in interest later, I paid it back months ahead of schedule once it served its purpose feeling so much relief. I knew for my business, I didn't want to raise $ from VC's and angels or dilute equity. If I wanted to keep bootstrapping my way up and retain 100% ownership, I'd have to get more savvy about taking on future debt. Then just a few months afterward, and having built better relationships with traditional banks, I took out a 6 figure loan with better terms that allowed me save 10% on our product costs, and make our business incredibly profitable that year 👀 In this interview with Beauty Independent, I uncover some of my top considerations for any Founder who is considering taking out loans - especially in todays economic climate. There are so many great takeaways from other founders in the CPG space too, well worth the read. I love when publications take a moment to spark conversation about the under the hood, financial realities and risks independently owned businesses are making every single day. It's not glamorous, but it's the arena we are in, the weight we carry, and the heavy decisions we consider all in the name of continuing to keep our dream and vision alive.

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SB Single vs. Multiple Custom Image Campaigns: Surprising Results! My team recently ran a test to see how single custom image campaigns stack up against multiple-image (slideshow) campaigns for Sponsored Brands. The results were not what we expected! Conventional wisdom suggests that multiple images would tell a better story, engage shoppers more effectively, and ultimately drive better performance. But the data told a different story: single custom image campaigns consistently outperformed multiple-image campaigns. This test gave us a deeper understanding of what resonates with Amazon shoppers—and it might challenge how we think about ad creatives moving forward. 📊 If you're looking to refine your ad strategy, check this out: https://lnkd.in/g6-8naKy. To all my LinkedIn connections: if you’re running Sponsored Brands campaigns, you might want to give this strategy a closer look! Let me know your thoughts or if you’ve seen similar trends. #amazon #amazonadvertising #amazonads #itsalwaysdayone

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