The Andrew Faris Podcast

Lots of people have strong opinions about how best to price an ad agencies, and I'm one of them. I've seen this from all sides: brand, agency employee, aggregator CEO, and now agency owner. After all that, I'm convinced that charging a percentage of spend is the best model for agency pricing, at least to a certain stage of DTC businesses. In this episode, I make the case for why, then tell you exactly how I price AJF Growth. SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE The Andrew Faris Podcast is now available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at www.youtube.com/@andrewfarispodcast. EPISODE SPONSOR Add supply chain experts to your team at a drastically lower cost than you're expecting by hiring More Fractional Supply Chain, a service of my friends at More Staffing. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.morenow.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use the code AJF20 to get 20% off your first 3 months. REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: "Building The Process For Meta Ads Success" (Spotify, Apple) FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE MUSIC Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means

Wayne Borromeo didn't set out to build a water bottle brand. And he still mostly isn't. But what do you do when TikToks of your product go not just viral, but as viral as something can possibly go? Well, you build your seize the opportunity and get as much inventory as you can as fast as you can. On this bonus episode, Andrew & Wayne talk through how Wondery's water bottle rocketed their business to unexpected heights. EPISODE SPONSOR This bonus episode was sponsored by More Staffing, whom both Andrew and his guest, Wayne, have used to add incredible ecommerce talent to their teams from the Philippines. Learn more at https://morenow.co. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:02:27] Wondery's cool hero product. [00:03:06] Experiential water bottle. [00:07:42] Instagram Reels success. [00:10:13] Creating an awesome product. [00:14:08] An existential crisis in the brand. [00:19:27] LTV of bottles and apparel. [00:21:35] Building brand loyalty and LTV. [00:24:28] Partnership with REI for events. [00:28:34] Adding more team members. [00:31:19] The importance of customer service. [00:34:02] The future of Wondry. [00:36:54] Virtual assistants can be helpful. REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE "With $10M In Revenue And $0 In Ad Spend, Isaac Medeiros Is In A Class Of His Own" (Spotify; Apple) FOLLOW UP WITH WAYNE Visit Wondery's Website: https://www.wonderyoutdoors.com/ Follow Wayne On Instagram: @webborwayne Connect With Wayne On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-borromeo-98341938/ FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE MUSIC Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means

I absolutely loved this conversation. When you "get" ecommerce the way that Dan McCormick does, it only makes sense to start a brand yourself and see how far you can take it. Dan's creatine gummy brand, Create, is growing rapidly and turning the corner to profitability, which isn't surprising given his understanding of the space. What IS surprising is just how transparent he's being about the journey, all the way down to a monthly tweet showing his exact revenue. The combo of that knowledge and that transparency means you'll learn a ton from listening to Dan. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:34] Building in public on Twitter. [00:04:29] Destigmatizing creatine supplementation. [00:07:01] Collagen in retail stores. [00:10:03] DTC as a business model. [00:13:00] Scaling without scaling headcount. [00:18:21] Potential growth in CPG brands. [00:20:07] Room to run before expansion. [00:24:12] Capturing a broad customer base. [00:26:16] Expansion and hero products. [00:29:16] Brand expansion and customer service. [00:32:36] Establishing credibility and trust. [00:37:14] Trust building in supplements. [00:39:07] Fetishization of bootstrapping. [00:44:06] TikTok marketing arbitrage. [00:45:58] The world getting better. [00:49:07] Delivering value to listeners. EPISODE SPONSOR Virtual assistants can be helpful. Virtual professionals can transform your business. Get connected to incredible ecommerce talent from the Philippines with More Staffing by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://morenow.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. FOLLOW UP WITH DAN Visit Create's Website: https://trycreate.co/ Follow Dan On X: https://twitter.com/damccormick13 Subscribe To Not Boring: https://www.notboring.co/ FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE MUSIC Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means

I've come to think of scaling a Meta Ads account as happening in two stages: Stage 1: finding the creative messaging that resonates with your customers. This is primarily a truly "creative" problem. But stage 2 is very different: it's about scaling up that messaging into a never-ending stream of highly diverse creative assets. And this is fundamentally an operational challenge. On today's episode, I'm talking about 8 different kinds of creative assets and helping you with the beginnings of building that operational process. SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE The Andrew Faris Podcast is now available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at www.youtube.com/@andrewfarispodcast. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:32] Quality and quantity both matter.  [00:05:00] Importance of developing both quality and quantity of creative  [00:08:52] Outsource design for ad creation.  [00:17:01] Streamline content creation and distribution. [00:19:09] Invest in creative strategy early. [00:21:51] Operational challenges in video marketing. [00:26:37] Focus on operational execution and scalability. EPISODE SPONSOR Virtual assistants can be helpful. Virtual professionals can transform your business. Get connected to incredible ecommerce talent from the Philippines with More Staffing by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.morenow.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: "Jess Bachman Lights Creative Strategy On Fire" (Spotify, Apple) "Sarah Moret Grew Curie 1000% In One Year And Sold Into Every Walmart" (Spotify, Apple) FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE MUSIC Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means

I've never done an episode like this ever before. Nate Lagos's tweet outlining his exact 10 keys to growing Original Grain was so good that I immediately DMed him and said, "Let's talk more about all of these." So that's what we did: from 1-10, we went piece by piece through each of the points on the list and kicked them around. This episode is good because Nate is right about so much. Calls to stop touching your ad account, spend money no matter what, and, of course, make sure you've got that dog in you–they're various levels of wise and counterintuitive. Nate is currently the Head of Marketing at Original Grain and formerly ran growth at Dugout Mugs. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:27] Nate's tweet about success. [00:06:32] Change in mentality in 2022. [00:13:14] Having a steady hand. [00:15:11] Mental health and morale. [00:18:03] Spending more money on ads. [00:21:00] Cutting the marketing department's fixed costs. [00:24:58] We raised our prices. [00:27:09] Premium product and customer value. [00:31:02] Banger product strategy over marketing. [00:33:09] Launching products for new audiences. [00:36:21] Resisting shiny object syndrome. [00:39:22] Focus on generating contribution margin. [00:43:09] Recognizing significant tailwinds. [00:45:31] Real growth happens in the trenches. EPISODE SPONSOR Virtual assistants can be helpful. Virtual professionals can transform your business. Get connected to incredible ecommerce talent from the Philippines with More Staffing by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.morenow.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. FOLLOW UP WITH NATE Read The Original Tweet: https://twitter.com/natelagos/status/1692219115266585024 Follow Nate On X: ⁠@NateLagos⁠ FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE MUSIC Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means

AOV is either the most overrated or underrated metric in ecommerce, depending on who you ask. So I'm here to answer the question once and for all: does AOV even really matter? It depends. Let me explain. SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE The Andrew Faris Podcast is now available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at www.youtube.com/@andrewfarispodcast. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:02:11] AOV is not necessarily as good as you think. [00:03:58] Increasing AOV and conversion rate. [00:08:00] Low AOV + large market. [00:11:39] Slow purchase accumulation. [00:14:41] Nonlinear trade-off between AOV and conversion rate. [00:16:09] AOV and shipping efficiency. [00:20:00] AOV and gross margin. [00:22:13] AOV and profit considerations. EPISODE SPONSOR Virtual assistants can be helpful. Virtual professionals can transform your business. Get connected to incredible ecommerce talent from the Philippines with More Staffing by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.morenow.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE: "Bryan Porter Didn't Get To $100M On Amazon With Just Tips & Tricks" (Spotify, Apple) FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE MUSIC Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means

It's arguably the wildest ride I've ever been on in ecommerce: since beginning to work with Sarah Moret and ⁠Curie⁠ in January of this year (2023), we've seen massive, rapid growth–and it's been profitable from the start. Oh also: part of that included selling into every Walmart in the US. Just nuts. Sarah is a killer operator and entrepreneur. With a background in both Accounting & VC, she brings a serious financial skillset to the table that has made her quick to turn her rapid growth into disciplined, smart management. Tune in to this episode if you want to hear about how the peaks and valleys of entrepreneurship and learn how we've seen such an explosion this year. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:03:55] Sarah Moret founded Curie after working in venture capital. [00:05:30] Entrepreneurship is for everyone. [00:12:04] Ups and downs of business. [00:17:29] Value proposition is customer-focused. [00:24:37] Transition from lumpy to managed growth. [00:29:02] Exceeding growth expectations through collaboration. [00:29:58] Rapid growth and Walmart partnership. [00:35:07] Different risk assessments in business. [00:43:53] Retail expansion requires careful planning. [00:47:52] Manage growth with financial forecasting. [00:48:20] Cash flow forecast is crucial. [00:56:16] Patience is key for success. EPISODE SPONSOR Virtual assistants can be helpful. Virtual professionals can transform your business. Get connected to incredible ecommerce talent from the Philippines with More Staffing by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.morenow.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. RESOURCES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE "Opening The Books: Mixed By Nasrin" AFP Episode: www.ajfgrowth.com/mixed "Your Ecom Store Should Use A Quiz" AFP Episode (YT, Spotify, Apple) Curie's Quiz 13-Week Cashflow Guide Cohort Model Forecast FOLLOW UP WITH SARAH Follow Sarah On Twitter: @thats_a_moret FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE MUSIC Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means

Learn about the importance of the message in creating successful ads. Find out the 4 crucial steps to generate impactful ad creative. Explore the significance of testing hooks and capturing attention. Get guidance on creating effective advertisements and communicating product benefits.

About a year ago, I released the first interview I ever recorded for The Andrew Faris Podcast: an interview with Patrick Coddou after he'd officially sold Supply. Selling Supply was a big moment, not just because every exit is a big movement, but because Patrick had become a core member of the ecommerce community, regularly offering up both help and questions as he built along the way. So a year later, we caught up: what's Patrick been doing since selling? What's life really like after the exit? Did he have seller's remorse? Is he just going to sit on the beach forever, and if so, is "retirement" all its cracked up to be. The conversation ended up being a wide-ranging exploration on business, wealth, faith, family, and priorities. I, for one, thought Patrick came full of insights. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:01:21] Life after selling a business. [00:09:20] Taking time for self-reflection. [00:09:28] Entrepreneurs often neglect rest. [00:15:04] Weight of business ownership. [00:22:20] Prioritize intentional rest for well-being. [00:25:18] Strong relationships lead to happiness. [00:31:29] Intentionally structure your post-exit life. [00:33:40] Set boundaries for work-life balance. [00:41:20] Intentional rest re-centers identity. [00:43:04] Rest is essential for productivity. EPISODE SPONSOR Virtual assistants can be helpful. Virtual professionals can transform your business. Get connected to incredible ecommerce talent from the Philippines with More Staffing by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.morenow.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. RESOURCES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE Patrick's Previous Episode: "Patrick Coddou Sold Supply" (Spotify, Apple) The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry Book The Good Life Book "Work And Rest" Sermon By Dr. Timothy Keller FOLLOW UP WITH PATRICK Follow Patrick On Twitter: @SoundsLikeCanoe Email Patrick For Consulting: patrick.coddou@gmail.com FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE MUSIC Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means

The podcast discusses the importance of focus in achieving business goals. It highlights narrowing focus for better productivity and emphasizes focusing on core strengths. The speaker shares their journey of starting their own business and the transformational effects of focusing on the highest value parts of their work.