The Andrew Faris Podcast

I'm convinced most ecommerce brands have a massive cost center that they have no idea exists. In fact, they probably think it's a profit-center. In this episode, I explain how deeply understanding the value each dollar your ads are creating saves you from acquiring mass amounts of unprofitable customers–and how Meta Ads has a tool built perfectly to solve this problem without you ever having to think about it again. IMPORTANT NOTE The Andrew Faris Podcast is now available on YouTube. For episodes like this one that have a screenshare, that's the best place to listen & watch. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:21] Hidden cost center in advertising. [00:05:30] Threshold ROAS determines profitability. [00:10:14] Incremental ROAS is crucial. [00:18:30] Use bid caps for profitability. [00:23:08] Is this the reason your bid caps don't work? 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. 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

Panagiota Hatzis is an HR & team leadership professional, the founder of Kati Kalo consulting, and the former VP of Differentiation (a twist on HR) & partner at Common Thread Collective, where we used to be colleagues. I had Panagiota on a couple months ago to talk through how to scale a team with operational intelligence. Which got me thinking: as I start to add employees, what if I used Panagiota sooner than later to help me build out the operational infrastructure of AJF Growth? Things like how we use our tech stack, what my interview process should look like, what needs to be in my handbook, and how I should onboard. About two weeks into the month-long engagement, I was blown away. I quickly realized that hiring Panagiota as early in my process as I did was some of the best money I could possibly spend as I look towards the future of AJF Growth. So on this episode, I'm telling you why I came to that conclusion by bringing Panagiota back on the pod to show you everything she built for me. Want to understand what makes for great system-building for your team? Watch and learn from Panagiota. IMPORTANT NOTE There is a lot of screensharing in this episode. To get the best experience, watch it on YouTube. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:00] Building a foundation for scaling. [00:04:33] Take care of your people. [00:09:18] Clear expectations prevent misunderstandings. [00:13:34] Importance of clear system use. [00:18:38] Establish clear communication guidelines. [00:24:30] Using Asana for project management. [00:27:37] Onboarding is critical for retention. [00:31:53] Prioritize intentional onboarding for success. [00:36:48] Setting up a solid foundation. [00:41:00] Set clear expectations for success. [00:45:16] Structured hiring process is crucial. [00:52:48] Intent and impact must align. [00:55:21] Build infrastructure and seek coaching. 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. EPISODES REFERENCED IN THIS SHOW "Panagiota Hatzis Knows How To Scale" (Apple, Spotify) FOLLOW UP WITH PANAGIOTA Work With Kati Kalo Consulting: www.katikalo.co Follow Panagiota on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/panagiota-hatzis-ph/ Follow Panagiota on Twitter: www.twitter.com/katikaloco 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

Here's a conversation that everyone in DTC has had too many times: Agency: "What's your ROAS target?" Brand: "Well, what's a good ROAS on Meta?" That conversation is broken on both sides. Great agencies help brands determine that answer; great brands know it isn't as simple as that. In this episode, I'm helping you answer this question the only way you really can: with a hard look at your unit economics and customer lifetime value. IMPORTANT NEWS! The Andrew Faris Podcast is now available on YouTube! If you prefer to watch your podcasts, ⁠click here⁠ or head to www.youtube.com/@andrewfarispodcast to visit the AFP channel and subscribe. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:11] Determining target is crucial. [00:04:33] ROAS target depends on CAC. [00:10:09] Profitable ecommerce: first order profitability. [00:14:06] Focus on first purchase unit economics. [00:18:51] LTV affects target setting strategy. [00:23:51] Forecast LTV for business success. [00:28:04] No takeaway. 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. EPISODES REFERENCED IN THIS SHOW "With $10M In Revenue And $0 In Ad Spend, Isaac Medeiros Is In A Class Of His Own" (⁠Apple⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠) OTHER LINKS FROM THIS SHOW The Lightspeed Ecommerce Forecasting Model 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

There once was a time when being a great media buyer was all about the ability to allocate budget, target customers effectively, and analyze & optimize the performance of each ad in the account. Those days are behind us. Which raises a question: what do media buyers even do anymore? Well, they still do a lot, and Andrew maintains that media buying is actually harder now than it has ever been. In this episode, Andrew explains the foundation of great media buying today by highlighting the #1 skill from which all other skills flow. IMPORTANT NEWS! The Andrew Faris Podcast is now available on YouTube! If you prefer to watch your podcasts, click here or head to www.youtube.com/@andrewfarispodcast to visit the AFP channel and subscribe. EPISODES REFERENCED IN THIS SHOW "The Definitive Case For Cost Controls" (Apple, Spotify) "4 Media Buying Rules Most People Get Wrong On Meta" (Apple, Spotify) 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

Everything was going great for Bobbie Baby Co: the venture-backed startup disrupted a duopoly in the super-highly regulated category of baby formula and exploded to over $100m in revenue in two years, due in part to the leadership of this episode's super talented guest, Bobbie's VP of Growth (and former Director of Strategy at Common Thread Collective), Cherene Aubert. But then the baby formula shortage happened, and as she likes to joke, Cherene's job pivoted to being the VP of "Slowth." Customer acquisition had to cease. Existing subscribers were taken care of first. And everyone waited for the supply chain to recover. On today episode, Andrew and Cherene talk about what makes Bobbie such a great business, how to think about LTV and intelligent cohort forecasting, and why Bobbie should consider influencer deals with Elon Musk and Nick Cannon. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:02:35] Infant formula industry pivot.  [00:03:37] Supply chain challenges.  [00:08:03] Prioritizing existing customers.  [00:11:29] Marketing to communities with more babies.  [00:14:23] DTC growth strategies. [00:19:02] European vs US formula regulations. [00:21:26] Authenticity and differentiation in branding.  [00:24:36] Retention and product quality.  [00:29:25] LTV to CAC metric.  [00:30:39] Forecasting on a three-year timeline.  [00:34:49] Growth tactics for success.  [00:39:01] Customer journey and marketing.  [00:41:00] SEO beyond article writing.  [00:44:40] Testing pricing and shipping.  [00:47:58] Four P's of growth.  EPISODE SPONSOR Visit Settle at ⁠www.settle.com/andrewfaris⁠ for a complete platform to manage Bill Pay/AP with fast access to extended payment terms at competitive rates and no personal guarantee. PREVIOUS EPISODE MENTIONED IN THIS SHOW BFCM 5: Cherene Aubert From Bobbie Baby (Apple, Spotify) FOLLOW UP WITH CHERENE Book Cherene on MentorPass Follow Cherene On Twitter: @ChereneAubert 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 tweeted a version of that episode title not long ago. It's nonsense: there is, of course, such a thing as revenue. But in DTC, revenue is also one of the metrics I reference the least often. Instead, I'm constantly breaking it down into two smaller metrics, both of which tell me a lot more: New Customer Revenue and Returning Customer Revenue. In fact, those are the first two things I look at when I analyze a business. In this episode I'll not only explain how I do that, but why I believe developing that same instinct is at the foundation of good growth thinking for every ecommerce brand. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:09] New vs. Returning Customer Revenue.  [00:04:25] Returning customer revenue.  [00:06:11] High LTV customers. [00:09:27] Customer movement and strategy. [00:12:02] Forecasting ad spend and revenue.  [00:15:01] Forecasting DTC Business.  [00:19:38] CAC and LTV importance.  [00:20:47] Customer Revenue and Profit. [00:24:26] High LTV Brands. EPISODE SPONSOR Visit Settle at ⁠⁠www.settle.com/andrewfaris⁠⁠ for a complete platform to manage Bill Pay/AP with fast access to extended payment terms at competitive rates and no personal guarantee. OTHER EPISODES REFERENCED IN THIS SHOW "What To Do When You Have Great LTV" (Apple, Spotify) 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

If you aren't a baseball fan, you might not realize that we're living through a revolution. And Driveline Baseball is right at the center of it. The data-driven baseball training company has trained thousands of high school and college baseball players, well over a hundred MLB players (including MVPs, Cy Young winners, and All-Stars), and overhauled the way teams across pro sports think about turning analytical insights into player development plans. It's an extraordinary feat, and as the acceptance of their methodology has grown over the last ~15 years, so has their business. Driveline is also one of my clients, so today on the show I talk with Driveline's CEO, Mike Rathwell, about what they're accomplished, what drives their business, where they're going from here, and the incredible opportunities you have to come work alongside me, Mike, and the best baseball players in the world. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:02:10] Performance training for baseball players. [00:03:23] Driveline's athlete training breakthrough. [00:08:28] Revolutionary sports coaching methods. [00:10:25] Coaching process vs. results. [00:16:15] Moneyball 2.0 approach. [00:18:11] Defining the North Star. [00:22:38] Weighted baseball methodology. [00:25:36] Financing for E-commerce growth. [00:28:52] Building demand for new products. [00:33:52] Chasing simplicity in complexity. [00:36:07] Developing baseball players' skill sets. [00:40:23] Driveline's lack of business plan. [00:44:38] Expanding business beyond core product. [00:48:06] Technical marketing challenges. [00:49:45] Technically excellent marketing chops. [00:53:06] Strategizing and scheduling content. [00:57:00] Job opportunities at Driveline. EPISODE SPONSOR Visit Settle at ⁠www.settle.com/andrewfaris⁠ for a complete platform to manage Bill Pay/AP with fast access to extended payment terms at competitive rates and no personal guarantee. FOLLOW UP WITH THE DRIVELINE JOB OPPORTUNITIES Visit Driveline Baseball's Website: www.drivelinebaseball.com Apply to be Driveline's Director of Growth: LinkedIn Job Posting Email Andrew to learn about the Email Contractor help at podcast@ajfgrowth.com. Follow Mike on Twitter: @mike_rathwell Follow Driveline on Twitter: @DrivelineBB 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

From his early ecommerce days of enterprise level Google Ads arbitrage to his just-ended run as President of Kuru Footwear (a mid 8-figure DTC shoe brand), Sean McGinnis has seen a lot. And his professional throughline is his ability to build and manage teams. In this wide-ranging conversation, Sean talks through the growth of DTC across his time in the industry, how he hires well and leads effectively, and what's next for him as he leaves Kuru. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:48] Scaling e-commerce team management [00:02:58] Kuru footwear's unique technology [00:06:01] Catalog Business Growth [00:09:59] Call tracking technology [00:13:44] Results at Kuru [00:15:33] Rebuilding and scaling a business [00:17:51] Paid Search and Content Campaigns [00:22:01] Wasted Google Spend [00:24:17] Trusting experts for growth [00:27:38] Hands-free and waterproof shoes [00:32:46] Hiring based on company values [00:34:00] Company values and job descriptions [00:37:04] Building your professional network[00:41:43] Screening employees based on values [00:43:12] Screening for organizational values [00:47:53] EOS for organizational growth [00:48:49] Implementing EOS for businesses [00:52:04] Two types of revenue. EPISODE SPONSOR Visit Settle at www.settle.com/andrewfaris for a complete platform to manage Bill Pay/AP with fast access to extended payment terms at competitive rates and no personal guarantee. FOLLOW UP WITH SEAN Get coaching from Sean by emailing sean@ecomadvisor.co Follow Sean on Twitter: @SeanMcGinnis 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 the most philosophical I've ever gotten on the podcast, and it's all around this question: why are you actually doing what you're doing in business? What's the point? And is it creating the kind of joy deep contentedness that you're longing for at the core of who you are? This is an easier question to ask than to answer, but as my own business has filled up its capacity and my earning has exceeded my expectations, I'm working through it myself. On this episode, I'm asking these questions and telling you my answers. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:19] What are you building for? [00:04:52] Selling your business. [00:05:36] Business Valuation and Acquisition. [00:08:18] Success and Moving Goalposts. [00:11:24] Uncertain goals and values. [00:16:33] The problem with financial goalposts. [00:17:13] Pursuing contentedness. [00:20:11] Maximizing joy in life. [00:23:21] Pursuing joy in decision-making. [00:26:20] Leading a company well. OTHER EPISODES REFERENCED IN THIS SHOW: "Andrew Youderian Surveys The Ecommerce Landscape" (Spotify, Apple) "Andrew's Quitting The Pod" - The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast (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

There's no one I've met who knows Amazon like Bryan Porter, the Chief Ecommerce Operator at Simple Modern. Simple Modern will do over $100M on Amazon ALONE in 2023, and it's not an accident. It's the downstream affect of intelligent strategies that stretch all the way back to when Bryan and his two co-founders were testing which products to go to market on Amazon with in the first place. If you're trying to scale a business (or just a portion of your business) on Amazon, you'll need to go beyond listing optimizations and ad strategies. What does that "beyond" look like? Let Bryan Porter tell you. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:02:21] Starting an Amazon business. [00:05:28] Simple Modern as D2C [00:08:08] Drinkware as a fashion statement [00:10:09] Developing unique in-house products [00:13:21] Creating a valuable Amazon listing [00:17:39] Building a brand through content [00:22:38] Dropping price to increase sales [00:23:32] Amazon Pricing Strategy [00:27:06] Amazon Advertising Strategy [00:30:42] Amazon's Branded Terms Strategy [00:34:16] Amazon listing optimization [00:39:18] Differentiating website from competitors.  [00:42:03] DTC business strategies [00:43:30] DTC vs Amazon flexibility Listen to Bryan's previous pod appearance, "Simple Modern Is An Omnichannel Monster" on Apple or Spotify. FOLLOW UP WITH BRYAN Follow Bryan on Twitter: @jbryanporter Visit Simple Modern's website: www.simplemodern.com. Visit Simple Modern's Amazon store 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