Russell Breuer, founder of Spot & Tango, shares the remarkable journey of building a $100+ million pet food company from a New York studio apartment in just seven years. What makes this story even more impressive? They've remained profitable while operating as a subscription-only, direct-to-consumer brand in the competitive pet food space. Russell reveals the strategic decisions that set them apart—from their innovative "Unkibble" fresh-dry process to building their own 70,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. This conversation is packed with actionable insights on vertical integration, subscription model optimization, and performance marketing excellence.
This episode is essential listening for any D2C founder looking to build sustainable, profitable growth while maintaining premium positioning in their market.
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Chapters:
(00:00) Introducing Spot & Tango: The Value Proposition of Fresh Pet Food
(06:15) The Importance of Vertical Integration
(11:56) Subscription-Only Model: A Strategic Choice
(15:52) Key Lessons for Increasing Conversion Rates
(19:03) The Role of Education in Customer Engagement & Relationships
(23:09) Understanding Return on Invested Capital
(28:58) Growth Levers & Marketing Strategies
(32:29) The Role of AI in Performance Marketing
(35:05) What’s Next for Spot & Tango
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Connect With Brett:
Relevant Links:
- Russell’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-breuer-0b3b57
- Spot & Tango Website: https://spotandtango.com/
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Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, JC Hite, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D’Allessandro, Jeff Oxford, Bryan Porter and more
