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Mark Rushmore, co-founder of SURI, joins the pod to break down how they built a toothbrush brand people actually love. From selling out 5,000 units in a week to hitting 15,000+ Trustpilot reviews, SURI is proving you can create DTC magic in even the most boring category—if you take the time to get it right.
For DTC founders scaling from $1M to $20M who want to increase retention and earn real customer love.
- Why "low expectations" created the perfect wedge for disruption
- The anti-agency approach to Meta ads that helped them scale profitably
- How they turned 15,000 reviews into a custom GPT to inform product dev
- The real reason they’re dominating Trustpilot (and Amazon)
- Their upcoming launch into 1,900+ Target stores
Who this is for: Brand builders in crowded or low-interest categories, especially if you're post-product-market fit and scaling retention/subscription.
What to steal:
- Reframe a boring utility into a desirable ritual
- Use Trustpilot + Slack API to keep every team member close to customer voice
- Don’t overthink performance creative—fast iteration beats polished production
Timestamps
00:00 Why toothbrushes are a massive but unloved category
02:55 Building a better toothbrush through design and sustainability
05:00 Finding product-market fit and early traction
07:05 Why customers say they love this toothbrush
09:40 How Suri’s ad strategy evolved over time
12:00 Growth mix across ads, email, creators, and retail
15:00 Competing with Oral-B and Philips on shelf
18:00 Using reviews as a growth and product feedback engine
20:00 Retention, subscriptions, and gifting behavior
22:00 Amazon strategy and retail expansion
25:00 Long-term vision for Suri and redefining success
Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #directtoconsumer #ecommerce #dtcbrands #productmarketfit #brandbuilding #consumerproducts #subscriptionbusiness #growthmarketing #metaads #amazonfba #retentionmarketing #founderstory #startuppodcast #physicalproducts
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