Intro

MOVE SUPPLY CHAIN

Pay less for COGS, get shorter lead times, and improve payment terms in your supply chain with help from Move Supply Chain at https://⁠movesupplychain.com⁠.

INTELLIGEMS

Intelligems brings A/B testing to business decisions beyond copy and design. Test your pricing, shipping charges, free shipping thresholds, offers, SaaS tools, and more by clicking here: https://bit.ly/42DcmFl. Get 20% off the first 3 months with code FARIS20.

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Drew Fallon is the founder and CEO of Iris. Learn more about Iris at www.irisfinance.co and follow Drew on X at https://x.com/drewfallon12.

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Raising money has become almost taboo in the DTC and eCommerce world—but is that mindset actually holding brands back?

In this episode, Andrew sits down with Drew Fallon, CEO of Iris, fresh off a $6.2M seed round. They unpack the hard truths about fundraising, margins, forecasting, and why certain categories (like supplements and gummies) are scaling at lightning speed. Drew brings unique insight from inside the financials of 100+ eCommerce brands, offering perspective few operators ever get to see.

You’ll hear a candid discussion about:

- When raising capital creates real advantage (and when it kills your optionality)

- Why high gross margin is the ultimate cheat code for scale

- The long, overlooked sales cycle for B2B SaaS in eCommerce

- How forecasting and inventory planning can make or break growth

- The capital markets correction and what it means for CPG founders now

If you’re facing margin pressure, considering outside investment, or just want a sharper financial lens on your business, this episode is a masterclass in understanding the numbers that matter.

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CHAPTER TITLES:

00:01:15 - Raising Money

00:03:43 - Influencer Marketing In DTC

00:07:40 - Drew’s Onboarding Sales Cycle

00:10:11 - Hiring For Head of Marketing

00:11:17 - The Future Of Iris

00:16:45 - The Up Trend For E-Commerce Brands

00:18:40 - These ARE The Brands That Win

00:27:52 - Drew’s Bucket Analogy

00:31:46 - Make Your Subscription Valuable To Customers

00:37:59 - Make The Case For Fundraising

00:47:27 - Early Growth Equity Funds

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ADMISSION

Get the best media buying training on the Internet + a free coaching call with Common Thread Collective's media buyers when you sign up for ADmission here: ⁠⁠https://www.youradmission.co/andrew-faris-podcast

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FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW

X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/andrewjfaris ⁠

Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.com

Work with Andrew: ⁠https://ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠