The Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Small Business Deep Dives with Entrepreneurs “That’ll Never Work” — Now It’s a $270M Brand (w/ True Classic CEO)⏐Ep. #218
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Sep 8, 2025 Ryan Bartlett, the founder and CEO of True Classic, shares his impressive journey of transforming a $3,000 investment into a $270 million t-shirt business without venture funding. He reveals the secrets behind his product-market fit success and innovative marketing strategies, including using humor in ads to create memorable brand moments. Bartlett discusses the importance of testing multiple product ideas, negotiating deals, and how inventory innovation will shape the future of e-commerce. He even hints at business ideas he has no time to pursue, inviting listeners to seize the opportunities.
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Let Ads Reveal The Real Problem
- Test many creative value-proposition angles and let the data decide which problem resonates most.
- Double down on the ad themes that drive clicks and repeat purchases quickly.
You're Selling Confidence, Not Fabric
- Reviews told True Classic they were buying confidence, not just shirts.
- Framing the product as a confidence boost widened the brand beyond apparel.
Turn Free Gifts Into Growth Engines
- Use gift-with-purchase to push customers into new categories and raise average order value.
- Give genuinely good items as freebies to convert recipients into repeat buyers.
