The Andrew Faris Podcast

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

Your product didn't just appear out of thin air. It's the result of hundreds of hours of hard work, complete with crucial decisions you made so you could get it just right because you care about serving your customer well and being proud of the product you give them in exchange for their money. But your customer doesn't know any of that. At least they don't if you don't tell them. I'm back to discussing creative strategy on this episode, and the idea here is simple but constantly overlooked: learn to tell people about all the decisions that got made to make your product as good as it is. The more they understand those, the more likely they are to buy it. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:01:03] Ad content: what makes great creative [00:03:45] Developing products with passion [00:06:33] What to look for in customer reviews [00:11:58] Selling products through clear communication [00:13:24] Selling products on Amazon EPISODE SPONSOR: Aronson Creative Level up your brand with creative leadership from Robbie Aronson at Aronson Creative by visiting www.aronsoncreative.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

Kelsey Lehrich is the co-founder and CEO of 365 Holdings, an aggregator that currently has nine brands in their portfolio. Which gives Andrew a chance to revisit one of his favorite questions: is the aggregator model broken, or was Andrew just a poor leader of it at 4x400? Kelcey’s business is very much not broken, and that means there’s lots to explore about what makes it work and what others can learn from it. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [02:34] About 365 Holdings [06:25] Keeping the portfolio vs focusing on just your players [13:12] Selling entities vs individual businesses  [22:51] What percentage of your revenue is in Opex? [26:46] What makes a good e-commerce business?  [29:30] The types of businesses that have ongoing demand [34:47] How to make a good business better FOLLOW UP WITH KELCEY: Follow Kelcey on Twitter: @kelceylehrich Sell Kelcey your business: https://365-holdings.com Go to HoldCo Conf: https://holdcoconf.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

It's the most obvious thing about selling products on the Internet. It's also one of the easiest things to forget. And being conscience of it is the bedrock of great digital communication. What am I talking about? I'm talking about what I call the "digital gap" between your customers and your products. Put simply, it's the fact that your customers can't actually touch, smell, taste, or even REALLY see or hear your products. Just like a Zoom call can't fully replace an in-person conversation, an image or video can't fully replace a customer's experience of your product. In this solo episode, I explain how learning to communicate in a way that bridges the digital gap is right at the center of great, profitable online marketing. THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR: More Staffing Hire incredible virtual professionals from the Philippines at a fraction of the cost of domestic employees with help from More Staffing. Head to ⁠www.morenow.co⁠ to get started. 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

SPONSORED EPISODE. Gregg Carey is the CEO of Section 119 and co-founder of More Staffing. More Staffing helps e-commerce businesses locate, hire, recruit, train, maximize the value of incredible talent in the Philippines, and they're also my current sponsor. I don't usually offer sponsored episodes to my advertising partners, but I'm so compelled by how and why Gregg is working with ecom professionals in the Philippines that I wanted him to explain to my audience how and why they can do the same. So today, we explore the benefits of hiring remote employees in the Philippines–for both your business and those employees. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [03:13] Gregg Carey's background [06:26] Section 119’s first employee (Laura).  [07:32] Experience in hiring employees in the Philippines. [08:45] Approach to hiring in the Philippines. [13:33] Challenges of hiring remote workers. [17:15] Importance of staffing in building a successful e-commerce business. [20:33] Specific areas of hiring for Section 119. [22:55] Section 119’s culture and management of a global workforce. [28:05] Section 119's vision of employment In the Philippines. [32:42] Section 119's staffing and training overview. EPISODE SPONSOR: Hire incredible virtual professionals from the Philippines at a fraction of the cost of domestic employees with help from More Staffing by vising www.morenow.co. FOLLOW UP WITH GREGG/MORE STAFFING Work with More Staffing at www.morenow.co. Explore Gregg's ecommerce brand, Section 119, at www.section119.com. Follow Gregg on Twitter: @greggcarey. FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠@andrewjfaris⁠. Work with Andrew: ⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠. Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com. MUSIC Intro Music: "⁠Holiday" by The Devious Means Outro Music: "⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠" by The Devious Means