DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built

Ariana Farahani is the founder and CEO of Plant Press, a fast-growing functional beverage brand offering a healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks.  In this episode of DTC Pod, Ariana shares her journey of developing Plant Press from a homemade recipe to a nationally distributed product. She discusses the importance of gathering consumer feedback and iterating on the product based on da...

Shri Kanase is the founder of Yoru Marketing, a boutique agency that specializes in Google Ads for e-commerce brands. Prior to this, he successfully scaled his e-commerce brands to over $3.5 million in four years. With extensive first hand experience, Shri has guided 23,000+ store owners via his YouTube channel and established one of the fastest-growing blogs in the e-commerce and PPC space. In th...

Sam Lee is the Vice President of Amazon DSP at Trivium, a full-service Amazon agency. With a background spanning Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Amazon PPC, Sam has developed deep expertise in Amazon DSP and has successfully managed advertising for over 200 brands. In this episode of DTC Pod, Sam provides a comprehensive overview of Amazon DSP, its functionality, and its potential for driving brand...

Aurelian Lis is the CEO of Dermalogica, a global skincare brand rooted in skin treatment expertise. With a background in atomic physics, laser optics, and extensive experience in the cosmetics industry, Aurelian has led Dermalogica to significant growth and innovation since taking the helm post-acquisition by Unilever. In this episode of DTC Pod, Aurelian discusses the strategies that have driven...

Benjamin Witte is the founder and CEO of Recess, a beverage brand focused on creating products that promote relaxation and mental wellness. Inspired by the rise of functional ingredients like CBD, nootropics, and adaptogenic herbs, Benjamin saw an opportunity to pioneer a category of beverages that could help people unwind in a healthy way. In this episode of DTC POD, Benjamin shares his journey o...

Rob Schutz is the co-founder of the unicorn Ro, a healthcare company that initially offered ED medications and later expanded into other products and services for sexual health, weight loss, fertility, hair, and skin. Prior to Ro, Rob was instrumental in the exponential growth of BARK/BarkBox, a now prominent subscription service for dog products. Currently, at Snagged.com, he is focused on helpin...

Mina Elias is a multiple 7-figure seller in the supplement industry, investor, Amazon PPC expert, and founder of Trivium Group, a full-service Amazon agency. With his extensive experience in helping brands thrive on Amazon, Mina brings valuable insights to the conversation around expanding to emerging platforms like TikTok Shop and navigating the evolving e-commerce landscape. In this episode of D...

Michelle Cordeiro Grant is an accomplished entrepreneur with a passion for creating innovative, community-based businesses. In 2016, she founded the intimates brand LIVELY and sold it three years later for $105 million. Following this successful exit, she pivoted to her next venture: GORGIE, a wellness energy drink. In this episode of DTC Pod, Michelle shares valuable insights on building a succes...

Noah Tucker is the founder of Social Snowball, an automated affiliate and referral marketing platform for e-commerce that drives significant revenue for over 2,000 brands, including Solawave, Obvi, and Javy Coffee. In this episode of the DTC POD, Noah shares powerful strategies for brands to supercharge their affiliate programs and drive significant revenue growth. He covers how to find and choose...

Ellen Marie Bennett is the founder and chief brand officer of Hedley & Bennett, a culinary lifestyle brand that started as a B2B company, offering high-quality aprons to professional chefs, and later expanded both its product line (to include other kitchen items) and customer base (now largely DTC). In this episode of DTC Pod, Ellen shares her journey of starting the company while working as a lin...

Josh Piepmeier helps challenger brands outperform their fiercest competitors by targeting the highest-volume, most profitable keywords in their industry. With his company Meriwether, he crafts strategic SEO campaigns that drive immediate profits and build long-term, sustainable growth.  Josh’s SEO approach has successfully gone head-to-head with giants like Amazon, Tiffany’s, and Macy's for compet...

Mina Elias is a multiple 7-figure Amazon FBA seller and renowned PPC expert. He is also the founder of Trivium Group, a company that helps brands navigate and dominate the Amazon marketplace. In this episode of DTC Pod, Mina details a holistic approach to enhancing the presence and profitability of any brand on Amazon, focusing on three pillars: traffic, click-through rate, and conversion rate. He...

Will Baumann is the co-founder and CEO of Fourthwall, a company that empowers creators to sell products online without needing to be e-commerce experts. At Fourthwall, they handle sales tax, supply chain, customer support, and more so creators can focus on making content and growing their community. In this episode of DTC Pod, Will shares his insights on the complexities of building a business out...

Colin Flood is the Vice President of Marketing at Unreal Snacks, a better-for-you chocolate brand with widespread distribution across numerous retailers in the United States and an established direct-to-consumer platform.  At Unreal, Colin plays a pivotal role in scaling  e-commerce and D2C operations, as well as in expanding their presence into major retailers like Costco, Target, and Walmart.  I...

David Hoffman and Samir Rayani co-founded Next Big Shop, where they leverage their expertise to analyze and interpret publicly available but hard-to-access e-commerce data for insights into retail success and product trends. As partners, they collaborate on developing data products that inform and guide direct-to-consumer strategies for various brands and industries. In this episode of DTC Pod, Da...

John Morgan is the founder of Pelagic, a unique agency of top tier operators that helps brands tackle supply chain, logistics & operations. Prior to starting Pelagic, he served as VP of Ops at Seed Health where he built the infrastructure behind one of the fastest growing modern health brands. Before getting into DTC he worked on the Falcon 9 rocket team at SpaceX. His expertise spans across optim...

Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar are the co-founders of Good Girl Snacks, a company that has made a name for itself in the snack industry with a focus on creating modern, female-oriented branding, particularly with their product "Hot Girl Pickles."  Leah and Yasaman launched their brand by leveraging social media, especially TikTok, identifying a gap in the pickle market for their niche audience....

Christopher Hunter is a seasoned entrepreneur best known for creating Four Loko, a caffeinated alcoholic beverage that caused a stir across college campuses and beyond. Currently, he serves as the CEO of Koia, a leading plant-based protein drink company that has achieved over $100 million in annual retail sales nationwide.  In this episode of DTC Pod, we uncover tactics for rapid growth in the CPG...

Kellen Roland served as first CEO of JOOPITER alongside Pharrel Williams and VP of Sales of Herschel Supply Co, and brings 18+ years of expertise in the luxury and consumer sectors.  He has a triple role as a founder, investor, and strategic advisor. He fosters business growth through insightful leadership and AI integration, invests in promising businesses like TRUFF, and offers strategic advice...

Loren Castle is an entrepreneur and the founder of Sweet Loren's, a brand specializing in ready-to-bake cookie dough that is plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free, and non-GMO. After being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 22, Loren Castle was motivated to create a line of sweets that aligned with her own desire for healthier, less processed treats made from real food ingredients. Baking...

Emmett Shine is the creative genius behind Pattern, taking the lead in shaping the narratives and aesthetics of its seven brands. He also co-founded a creative agency, Gin Lane, and oversaw its evolution in parallel with the burgeoning startup ecosystem that came to define New York's landscape. In this episode, Emmett discusses Pattern Brands' approach to cultivating a unique identity for each bra...

Our conversation with growth strategist Sabir Semerkant is filled with actionable insights on thriving in the e-commerce landscape. Sabir’s approach to e-commerce growth is holistic. He emphasizes constant improvement and a strong understanding of one's business foundations. His advice invites brands to explore a growth path that's not reliant on temporary fixes but solidifies lasting customer rel...

Jennifer Liao’s journey with MìLà is nothing short of remarkable. From a grassroots project where they collected orders through Google Forms, it evolved into a successful venture that raised $21.5 million in its second round of funding. This episode doesn't just serve up the story behind MìLà’s signature frozen soup dumplings; it provides a feast of insights on the ingredients for business growth,...

In this episode of DTC Pod, Nicolas Beaupré illuminates the strategies that propelled Mateina's growth in the North American market, where the lure of yerba mate was still largely undiscovered. He emphasizes the crucial role of grassroots efforts like word-of-mouth endorsements and community events in building a loyal customer base.  Nicolas shares his journey of self-funding, supplemented later...

In our conversation with Kevin Lavelle, he shares his ingenious approach to building his company, Mizzen+Main, into a fashion industry success. Initially, Kevin recalls the brute force marketing efforts that shaped the early days of the brand, from going door to door to attending events to get the product in people's hands.  As their digital marketing and PR strategies matured, Kevin leveraged the...