Embracing Initiative in Entrepreneurship

Aaron Nosbisch is the founder and CEO of BRĒZ, a cannabis social tonic beverage designed as an alcohol alternative that offers a euphoric, feel-good effect without the downsides of alcohol. He built his expertise in e-commerce from an early age, launching multiple internet brands and scaling previous ventures like MONQ (portable aromatherapy diffuser, 0 to $15 million in three years as CMO), and running Lucyd Media, the world’s largest cannabis social advertising agency, which run 80% of meta ads for the cannabis space.

In this episode, Aaron and Blaine explore how BRĒZ identified untapped demand, iterated their product to solve a genuine founder problem, and brought it to market with precision: leveraging lean startup methodology, subscription-first landing pages, micro-batch production, effective founder-led UGC creative, and meticulous customer service. They discuss cash flow realities, funding first runs, the role of retention in beverage DTC, and how direct-to-consumer momentum powers retail expansion and shelf velocity. Aaron also shares transparent insights on ad spend, internal ops, and the principles that fuel brand growth.

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On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:
1. Pillars of a Successful DTC Brand
2. Challenges of Scaling Beverages DTC
3. Early Stage Funding and Resources Management
4. Supply Chain Processes in Product Launches
5. Team Building, Finding the Right Partners
6. Pre-Launch and Launch Strategies
7. Testing and Iterating Ad Campaigns
8. Founder-Led Content in Advertising 
9. Guerrilla Strategies for Audience and List Building
10. Media Buying, Optimizing CAC, and Scaling Spend
11. Building AOV, Subscription, and Retention
12. Customer Feedback and Iteration Cycles
13. Importance of Timing and Market Readiness

Timestamps
00:00 Introducing Aaron and BRĒZ
05:06 The “alcohol alternative” white space and product vision
13:21 Launching a DTC beverage: initial capital and inventory
20:32 Validating demand, managing resource constraints
25:44 First ads and sales: founder content, guerilla tactics
34:07 Early CACs, ad budgets, and optimizing for LTV
38:22 E-commerce vs retail: channel mix and growth phases
46:50 Key takeaways & where to follow Aaron and BRĒZ

Show notes powered by Castmagic

Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  

Additional episodes you might like:

• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth

• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content

• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views

• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands

• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook

• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands

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Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:
DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internet
Olivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplement
Castmagic - AI Workspace for Content

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Aaron Nosbisch - Founder and CEO of BRĒZ
Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic