Bryan MacDonald’s Post

This story blew my mind... it's about a brand most of us don't know that went from $0 to $100M+ in revenue in under 18 months. Who here is familiar with Merit Beauty? In the latest episode of Ecommerce on Tap we dive into the brand, its powerhouse founder Katherine Power, and how they scaled so quickly. Below are the cliff notes: 🚀 The Stunning Growth of Merit Beauty Discover how Merit shook the beauty world, boasting a 50% leap in sales and planting its flag in the prestigious aisles of Sephora within a month, a testament to their well-strategized financing and capital endeavors. 👩💼 Katherine's Chronicle Embark on Katherine's entrepreneurial odyssey, from founding numerous successful beauty brands to the sale of her media company for a staggering $127 million. ⚙️ Supply Chain Symbiosis Explore why the right factory match is pivotal for a company's journey—too small, and you might be sidelined; too big, and quality may dwindle. 🛒 Charitable Checkout Mastery & SaaS Analogy Get acquainted with Merit's savvy in creating a fulfilling network and seamless checkout experience, including using charitable donations as a nudge towards free shipping thresholds. 💼 Leadership with Midas Touch Learn about the strategic move of appointing Philippe Pinatel formerly of Mac cosmetics, as CEO to steer Merit towards the dream of becoming a billion-dollar entity. 🔮 The Future of Industry Exits Engage with us as we mull over the potential exit strategies for Merit amid an industry teetering on the edge of explosive growth. This episode was an eye opener. I am in awe of Merit Beauty and their execution. Click the first comment below to tune in or find Ecommerce on Tap on any podcasting platform.

🚀 Unlock Product-Market Fit with the ACP Funnel 🚀 Ever wonder how some startups seem to effortlessly find their groove? 🤔 Meet the ACP Funnel: - **Audience** - **Community** - **Product** Let's break it down with a real-world success story: Gumroad 💡 1️⃣ **Audience**: Sahil Lavingia, Gumroad's founder, has amassed 341K Twitter followers by sharing his entrepreneurial journey openly. That's like filling 4 NFL stadiums! 2️⃣ **Community**: Gumroad nurtures a thriving ecosystem of 25,000+ creators. Imagine the buzzing energy of a small town, all focused on creative success! 3️⃣ **Product**: By listening to this community, Gumroad has sculpted a product that creators love, driving $11 million in annual revenue (2021). That's $30,137 generated every single day! 💰 The secret sauce? Transparency, consistent engagement, and product evolution based on real user needs. 🔥 **Hot Take**: Building in public isn't just a trend, it's a growth engine. For more info - https://lnkd.in/gC3hMFDn Greg Isenberg #StartupGrowth #CommunityFirst #ProductStrategy #BuildInPublic

It's maybe the #1 reason why brands are so underutilized in B2B: There's no playbook. On purpose. To build a brand is to build a unique identity. To be different. Which means, by definition, you can't do what's already been done. That doesn't mean all brands are built from scratch. Learn from winning strategies. Steal creative approaches that worked. Adopt a killer technique that translates well into what your building. Of course. But ultimately, the brand should be something they've never seen, heard, or experienced before. Or else it's not a brand. And that 'wading into the unknown' is scary. But even scarier is 'wading into the same as everyone else.' Long live brand. More on that in my episode on Modern Startup Marketing podcast with Anna Furmanov below.

If I were to ask your leaders or employees what your brand stands for, would they find it easy to answer? Would the answers be clear and consistent across the business? It's important for businesses at any stage, whether they're startups, established or in a growth phase to have a shared understanding of what their brand stands for – the beliefs. These principles will help guide decision-making, such as whether to do one good over another. Below is my conversation about all things brand with the CEO, Head of R&D and Head of Marketing and Communications at Magic Valley, a food tech startup in Melbourne. Connect with me if you'd like to need help with your brand. #brand #alignment #strategy #innovation

Some brands stick. Others fade. Ever pondered this? I recently delved into the topic with Jordan Buckner on his Food Bevy Podcast. We explored the core of brand storytelling within the CPG industry. Beyond having a standout product, forging deeper connections with your audience demands intention, strategy, and heart. Recapping the F.E.E.E.D. Framework at Morel Creative: - Facts - Education - Emotion -Engagement - Differentiation This approach helps brands resonate with their audience intentionally and impactfully. From deciphering your brand’s essence in our Forage Workshop to developing a content strategy that speaks louder than words, our aim is clear: anchor your brand in both the minds and hearts of your audience. A Critical Insight: Emotion trumps logic in driving purchases. It’s less about your product's features and more about fostering a connection that touches your audience personally. Keen on learning how to uplift your brand's narrative to truly engage and captivate? Join our discussion here: https://lnkd.in/g_ETUc8M A heartfelt thank you to Jordan for a stimulating talk, and to everyone out there forging meaningful brand connections. Together, let's redefine the limits of traditional storytelling. 🚀 #BrandStorytelling #CPGBranding #FEEDFramework #MorelCreative

If you're launching and no one's buying, maybe you're not launching long enough. Sara Blakely, creator of Spanx, just had the longest launch in the history of launches for her brand-new mystery product (that launches today!) From what I can tell, she started her launch in March. Every time she posts, she reminisces about how she started Spanx, which isn't something she typically posts about. I knew something was up. Was she writing a memoir? Leaving Spanx for good? Or some other life-changing event? It had to be big. Everyone else has been guessing too. And the tension has been building. Then just last week, she finally announced that she's launching a new mystery product. And the comment section went wild. "All of us are dying to see!" "I can't wait to find out what this is! The hype is real!" "When do we find out?" "Please tell me it's comfortable heels!" "If you made it, I'm buying it!" And on and on. Fast forward to today, launch day, August 20th, and Sara Blakely's launch has lasted about five months! 😯 This is how launches are supposed to be. Let them bake. Take your time. Have a theme. Build the excitement. If you're a coach and your launches haven't been successful, use Sara Blakely as inspiration to try something different. She's worth $1B. Yet still took five months to launch. And so can you. Make sure your audience sees your message again and again for as long as it takes. Then you'll see the return you're looking for. Did you see her big announcement? What do you think? Need help launching? Send me a message and let's brainstorm your content together. It'll be so much fun! 🎉

YouTube has more than 38,000,000 channels. Most are weird vlogs, TV show montages, music videos, and memes. But if you're interested in defining your brand identity, these tips will teach you more than a 4-year college degree: - Understand your audience - Create a unique value proposition - Maintain consistency across all channels Book a call for a personalized creative strategy consultation at www.deniselanorias.com. #creativestrategy #startup #businessdevelopment #creativemarketing #businessgrowth

INSIGHT |  Mid-Day Squares has just sold its 40th million chocolate bar in North America! 🎉 In a recent piece, The Marketing Society Member Ruth Fittock speaks with co-founder Nick Saltarelli about their journey to becoming a $100M brand. Here are some highlights: 💡 Authenticity Matters: They invite fans to join their journey, embracing vulnerability to foster connection. 💡 Transparency is Key: Inspired by Elon Musk and Dragon’s Den, they share their growth story openly. 💡 Innovative Marketing: Using music industry strategies, they build genuine brand fans through personal touches. 💡 Fearlessness is Crucial: Pushing boundaries and cultivating a bold culture are essential to their success. Check out Ruth's insightful article for more details—and don’t miss the podcast episode linked within! https://lnkd.in/eGBbaNwP #Marketing #BusinessStrategy #MidDaySquares #Podcast

⭐ "A brand transcends functional benefits." ⭐ This definition from Mike Cessario, the founder of Liquid Death, captures the essence of what a brand can truly represent. If you haven't already listened to the Uncensored CMO episode with Mike Cessario, then I highly suggest you do. As a brand leader, interviewing potential team members, I often pose a challenging scenario: You're at the helm of a new water brand. Plain water, no frills. Your task? Make it stand out. I asked this question to explore a candidate’s creative thinking and their appraoch to leveraging brand. Typical responses echo familiar tactics - packaging, traditional, functional benefits. Not incorrect, but anticipated. They tread the well-worn path defined by other established brands, adhering to industry norms. Yet, Mike's journey with Liquid Death ventured far beyond what the industry might define as best practice, shattering conventional boundaries. His audacious approach redefined norms, turning a simple product into a cultural phenomenon. Imagine posing that scenario to Mike. Would his unprecedented strategy have struck a chord, or would it have seemed too far-fetched? I'm not sure if I would have seen his genius idea. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone interested in branding, marketing, or entrepreneurship, especially in challenging and disrupting established markets with what could be described as breaking every rule in the book, yet is the true definition of how to build a strong brand with fans, not just users. #enterpreneurship #branding #marketing

You're never going to be bored listening to the man whom Forbes called a marketing genius. I've been following Liquid Death for a few years now, thanks to a couple of mutual connections and because I'm a big admirer of a company that's trodden it's own path and stands out in the sea of sameness. Here's what was floating my boat about this conversation: ☠ Take a stale category and be a force for change: Mike mentioned that he'd drawn inspiration from Richard Branson in this regard. It’s interesting to me as in the B2B space where the benchmark of success for many companies appears to be ‘sameness’. The desire to replicate what others are doing because that confers legitimacy. ☠ Brand building: Mike highlighted how "business people with MBAs" establish a brand using a graphic designer to lay the groundwork, then typically reverse engineer everything else later on when they can partner with agencies. I think this reflects a common challenge - the under appreciation and lack of investment in 'brand’. And these days, regardless of the scale of your business, It can be challenging to get time or support, let alone money, to do great creative work. ☠ Brand isn't about selling functions: I see a so many businesses who are so caught up in themselves and their product and that's what they talk about out in the market. As Mike pointed out, you can't own functional benefits. Companies struggle to grow just by increasing product use or frequency of purchase . Especially when people are seeking value and an experience way beyond a product these days. Liquid Death have built real fans and a community around the business. Thanks for an enjoyable conversation, Jon Evans, Mike Cessario One of the best? I think so. 👍