Ep 547: Highland’s $10M Playbook: Lean Team, 2 SKUs, and Obsessing Over Unit Economics & CAC Payback

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On this episode, we speak with Boone & Ben, co‑founders of Highland Style Co., a clean‑ingredient men’s grooming brand that grew from kitchen‑experiments to eight figures in revenue. We dig into their growth journey: how they built performance products, retained customers, and scaled unit economics without losing the values that launched them.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to validate product performance early via professional channels (barbershops/salons) to build credibility.
• The importance of embedding unit economics (margins, payback period, LTV/CAC) from day one to ensure scalable growth.
• Three content pillars that moved the needle for Highland: founder storytelling, expert endorsements, and aspirational user content.
• Real tactics for retention: packaging, post‑purchase experience, SMS/email flows, and repeat products.
• Why staying lean in team & operations matters, and how to hire/contract strategically to keep agility.
• How clean beauty standards (ingredients, packaging) can coexist with performance and profitability.

Timestamps

00:00 The origins of Highland and solving a personal problem

02:00 Early product development and validation with barbershops

07:00 Bootstrapping, fundraising, and focus on profitability

10:00 Building strong unit economics and targeting 80% margins

12:00 Meta ads and founder-led storytelling that drove growth

15:00 Evolving content strategy and leveraging industry experts

18:00 Scaling to eight figures with only two SKUs

21:00 Staying lean with a four-person team and efficient operations

25:00 Merging marketing with finance and building a payback workbook

28:00 Retention tactics and post-purchase experience

31:00 Expanding to Amazon and why it was a growth unlock

32:00 Scrappy press tactics and winning grooming awards

35:00 Building relationships with creators and affiliate partners

36:00 Future goals, brand vision, and plans for expansion

Hashtags

#DTCpodcast #HighlandHair #EcommerceGrowth #Bootstrapping #StartupStory #UnitEconomics #FounderJourney #ContentStrategy #RetentionMarketing #AmazonGrowth #HaircareBrand #DigitalMarketing #BrandBuilding #BusinessPodcast #ScalingBrands

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