The Andrew Faris Podcast

There's just no one else quite like Isaac Medeiros that I know of in ecommerce. With a team of a ~dozen creators, 16 freelance scriptwriters, multiple YouTube & TikTok accounts, and now a Discord channel, Isaac has taken the content-driven approach to DTC to a whole different level. The result: a fast-growing, profitable DTC brand with a PNL that doesn't look like any others I know of in the space. I chatted with Isaac about what it really takes to build a machine like the one he has–and whether or not other brands should seek to copy his model (on this question, his answer may surprise you). EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [02:01] Isaac gives an overview of Mini Katana [03:17] Overview of Mini Katana's approach to YouTube organic [05:21] Mini Katana’s approach to generating first-party data [07:04] How Isaac got into organic social growth (Exploring his foolproof TikTok model) [09:11] Using Customer feedback to your advantage (iterate & innovate) [10:30] How Isaac solidified his cornerstone strategy for organic reach [13:55] Using TikTok for initial organic growth & pivoting to YouTube [16:30] Orchestrating a successful YouTube launch for your brand [19:53] Isaac shares his high-level tactics for growing on TikTok & YouTube [21:46] Isaac breaks down Mini Katana’s Team [24:28] Why Isaac's strategy isn't feasible for most brands (And what you should do instead) [29:02] What's next for Mini Katana? Places to follow up with Isaac: Follow Isaac on Twitter: www.twitter.com/theisaacmed Visit the Mini Katana Store: https://minikatana.com/ Visit the Mini Katana Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MiniKatanaStore Visit the Mini Katana TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mini.katana Mini Katana's Second TikTok video ever: https://www.tiktok.com/@mini.katana/video/6884345688302357766 Places to follow up with Andrew: Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with me: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

Are you SURE you need that attribution tool you're paying for? I'm not. The closer I've looked at the performance of the brands that I work with, the more convinced I have become that third party attribution tools don't provide incremental insights at best and are overtly misleading at worst. Today on the show I make the case that you should carefully evaluate whether or not your attribution tool is actually providing you any value–and I'll tell you exactly how I do that with my clients. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [2:22] What is an attribution tool?  [4:33] Functions of attribution tools. [6:03] Rise of attribution tool as a result of iOS 14.5. [8:03] How to assign credits to ads. [10:13] You're bad at decision-making; machine learning isn't. [13:43] Why simple media mixes mean you don't need a tool. [16:51] Brands that may need attribution tools. [19:50] The relationship between consideration cycle & attribution. [22:39] 3 places to look instead of an attribution tool. [30:12] Is FB click attribution more accurate than attribution tools? [33:57] Why post-purchase surveys are useless. REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE Taylor Holiday's "Never Turn Off An Ad" video. Twitter thread about attribution tools under-reporting revenue. Guide to UTMs for Meta Ads. Andrew's "Don't Diversify Your Ad Spend" episode: Spotify Andrew's "Don't Diversify Your Ad Spend" episode: Apple Podcasts PLACES TO FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with me: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

Matt Bertulli has seen a lot: he's run a successful agency, raised venture money, and now runs two large and fast-growing ecom brands in Lomi and Pela Case. Which means he's thought a lot about how important it is to do at least one really important thing right: nail your customer experience. Matt joined me for a wide-ranging discussion on how to make sure you do that, how that creates value in your business, and how the visual design of Lomi creates ongoing value for the brand. Follow Matt on Twitter: @mbertulli Check out Lomi & Pela Case. Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with me: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

Let's talk retention, but instead of pure methods and tactics, we're analyzing the "genetic" elements of high-retention brands and products. I've got 6 of them, and I put them in order of most important to least important. The good news? If these factors don't describe your brand or products particularly well, you're the one with the power to change them. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [2:17] The category of your product [4:54] The customer & product experience [8:28] Product subscriptions [11:03] Sales & discounts [12:42] New product [14:40] Email & SMS Places to follow up with Andrew: Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with me: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

Bill D'Alessandro is back! A couple months ago, Bill wrote a post that blew up in the Ecommerce Fuel forums titled "This Is An Intervention: Stop Taking Fixed Fee Loans" where he explained why the quick & easy revenue-based loans from folks like Wayflyer, ClearCo, and Shopify Capital are so much worse than they look. I'll be honest: I myself realized how poorly I had been thinking about this kind of debt, and I knew I needed to have Bill back on the show to explain more to the rest of us, especially after his episode on contribution margin had been one of my most popular ever. Bill is the CEO of Elements Brands, has a finance degree, and has personally borrowed millions of dollars of debt and equity to finance his businesses. He knows what he's talking about and is an incredible guide to revenue-based ("fixed fee") loans, credit cards, asset-based loans, SBA loans, and more. It's a great chance for you to think through the financial stack at the center of your business. Want to take Bill up on his offer to audit your financial stack? Reach out to him by heading to https://billda.com/debt. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [2:44] Bill's e-commerce debt background [3:33] Stop taking predatory, fixed fee loans [8:05] Interest rate calculation [13:35] Bill's opinion on when to take fixed fee loans [15:19] Good finance tech start for businesses [19:46] The importance of the "personal guarantee" [22:52] The pluses & minuses of Parker cards [28:38] Key advice about loans [39:18] Bill's e-commerce plans & vision Read Bill's full article (and work with him on your financial stack!) by clicking here. Follow Bill on Twitter at @BillDA. Listen to Bill's podcast, Acquisitions Anonymous on Apple or Spotify. Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

You didn't become an entrepreneur because you think, "Nothing will work out and I won't even try." Quite the opposite. But if you're the CEO of your company now, it's your job to flip that instinct around and start asking, "How will this go wrong?" For optimists like many of us, that's not intuitive. But it's necessary. In this episode I'll explain why. TIMESTAMPS [00:34]: Andrew’s "CEO's should be pessimistic" advice [03:33]: Planning for the worst case scenario in a business [04:54]: Challenges in an e-commerce business [06:21]: Inventory problems [06:46]: Losing a team member [09:05]: A CEO’s job [09:58]: The 13 week cash flow forecast Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

If you gave me a list of 100 businesses and asked me to rank which ones were most likely to die in the next 5 years, I'd be shocked if you found me 5 I'd rank higher than the national retailer I'm talking about in this episode. But here's the thing: I'd be wrong. Not only is this business still around; it's growing. And the story is full of great lessons even for those of us running very different types of businesses. Today we're talking about the basics of how customers interact with products, and how getting that right goes a long, long, long way for your success. TIMESTAMPS [0:48]: The surprising turnaround of a national brick-and-mortar retailer [05:27]: James Daunt's business implementations [07:30]: James Daunt’s books discount theory [08:30]: What do you really need to have a good business? [09:29]: Born Primitive LTV strategy [10:24]: Customers & products [11:58]: The reason your business isn't working Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

Bear Handlon isn't on Twitter, and if you aren't a CrossFitter you might not have heard much about Born Primitive. But I've seen them up close for years now and I can tell you for certain: it's one of the best ecommerce businesses you don't know. BP is a mid-8-figure brand, punctuated by putting up $1.2M in two hours to kickoff BFCM. Bear is a remarkable guy who started BP with his then-wife, Mallory, while being active duty in the Navy. Oh: and he's only now getting to Amazon and brick-and-mortar retail. So there's lots of growth left. Bear joined the podcast to breakdown the journey with me, including what he attributes BP's success to, the true driver of LTV, and how they think about the centrality of brand-building in apparel in particular. You WILL learn a lot from this episode. Give it a look, then go buy yourself the most comfortable activewear in the game.  TIMESTAMPS [02:02]: The journey and highlights of Born Primitive [06:24]: The scope of Born Primitive in 2022 [08:22]: Mechanisms for a profitable business [15:42]: Differences in Born Primitive's target customer [19:08]: How to scale your business [21:27]: Born Primitive success growth process [24:39]: Business and supporting community [29:23]: Born Primitive Product development for acquisition of retention [38:15]: Next year’s goals and visions Visit Born Primitive at www.bornprimitive.com. Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

It's the "very special episode" time of year and I'm doing my part. To round out 2022, I joined up with The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast for a colab episode where Taylor Holiday (CEO of Common Thread Collective), Richard Gaffin (Senior Copywriter & Podcast Cohost at CTC) and I reflected on the unique ability of failure to form us and teach us for the long term. Whether it's been a great or terrible year for you in 2022, there's something here for you to chew on. Places to follow up with Taylor, Richard, CTC, & The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast: Listen to The Ecommerce Playbook. Explore working with CTC. Follow Taylor on Twitter: @taylorholiday Follow Richard on Twitter: @richardgaffin Places to follow up with me: Follow me on Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email me: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with me: www.ajfgrowth.com Intro Music: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Outro Music: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means

There's one really simple way to make certain that your DTC business simply cannot be successful at scale: lacking any organic revenue. In this episode, I'll walk through the foudnational design of a scalable ecommerce business, including the two main ways to generate organic revenue on the back of your paid acquisition. TIMESTAMPS [01:10]: Importance of growing organic revenue [06:26]: Ways of growing organic revenue [15:51]: The word of mouth effect [23:22]: Overstated fact about product quality [25:02]: Ways that customers can relate to your next products [25:44]: The underrated element called sales Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewjfaris Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work with Andrew: www.ajfgrowth.com Music Intro: "Tell Me Mama" by The Devious Means Music Outro: "Rusty Little Scissors" by The Devious Means