Introduction

IMPORTANT NOTE

Get every resource mentioned in this episode emailed to you for free by visiting www.ajfgrowth.com/prettyboy

EPISODE SUMMARY

Ben and Kevin are best friends, partners, and the founders of PrettyBoy—a men's personal care brand whose first product is a moisturizer that helped Kevin clear up serious skin issues on his face that started when he was in college, playing football at Ohio State.

They launched with big dreams, but also with ads that were losing them money and an untenable supply chain due to the huge lead time they needed on every order. Classic startup problems.

But in 2023, things started to turn around in the ad account, and they made the leap to profitability.

In this Opening The Books episode, Andrew walks with the guys through the 2023 journey to profitability (with plentiful ad account screensharing so you can see how they did it), then talks them through the next steps as they cross seven figures in 2024 and PrettyBoy goes from side gig to the recipient of their full focus.

Watch this episode if you want to see the effects of great creative, switching to manual bidding, understanding your LTV, and solving your supply chain.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• [00:04:56] Skincare for active males.
• [00:06:19] Men's skincare brand growth.
• [00:12:38] Viral single product launch.
• [00:15:19] Hero Product Strategy.
• [00:19:41] Business Growth Journey.
• [00:22:46] UGC Video Success.
• [00:26:27] Agency financial dynamics.
• [00:28:41] Marketing and finance intersection.
• [00:31:54] Creative messaging flexibility.
• [00:34:53] Cost Controls in Advertising
• [00:35:25] Advertising Platform Efficacy
• [00:40:20] UGC Ad Success Story.
• [00:42:16] Content testing strategy.
• [00:45:31] Scaling Up Spend Strategy
• [00:49:24] Cash flow and profitability.
• [00:55:16] Testing cost caps.
• [00:57:38] Probabilistic Forecasting Discussion.
• [01:01:48] The delayed purchase multiplier & attribution
• [01:15:06] Bid optimization strategy.
• [01:19:42] LTV and customer growth.
• [01:30:15] Product improvement feedback.
• [01:33:10] The importance of better payment terms
• [01:36:47] Manufacturing Lead Time Reduction
• [01:38:02] Organic revenue growth.
• [01:41:14] Product strategy

EPISODE SPONSOR

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WATCH MY PREVIOUS OPENING THE BOOKS EPISODES

• "Opening The Books: Mixed By Nasrin": ⁠www.ajfgrowth.com/mixed
• "Opening The Books: Beardbrand": www.ajfgrowth.com/beardbrand

FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW

• Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com
• Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

EPISODE MUSIC

• Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means
• Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means