DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built

Entrepreneur Loren Castle shares how her battle with cancer led to founding Sweet Loren's cookie dough brand. Topics include scaling production, product line expansion, navigating retail market challenges, and launching new products. Learn how Sweet Loren's became the #1 natural cookie dough brand in the US.

Emmett Shine, creative genius behind Pattern, discusses cultivating unique brand identities, talent recruitment, timeless design principles, and scaling a brand family. He emphasizes the balance between creative and operational mindsets, challenges in DTC branding, and personal growth in entrepreneurship.

Growth strategist Sabir Semerkant shares his 8D method and emphasizes e-commerce success dimensions, customer-centricity, and strategic pricing. He highlights the risks of relying on paid ads, discounting, and the importance of brand-building. Discusses mobile optimization, storytelling in marketing, and e-commerce platform optimization.

Jennifer Liao’s journey with MìLà is nothing short of remarkable. From a grassroots project where they collected orders through Google Forms, it evolved into a successful venture that raised $21.5 million in its second round of funding.This episode doesn't just serve up the story behind MìLà’s signature frozen soup dumplings; it provides a feast of insights on the ingredients for business growth, fundraising, and the power of community-driven marketing.Episode brought to you by More StaffingJoin 15k founders and marketers & get our pod highlights delivered directly to your inbox with the DTC Pod Newsletter!On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. Fundraising Strategies and Investor Relationships2. Navigating Logistics for Frozen Food Distribution3. Product-Market Fit Testing4. Branding and Content Strategy Development5. Scaling Manufacturing 6. Leveraging E-commerce PlatformsTimestamps03:37 Experimenting with frozen soup dumplings06:17 How testing and running ad campaigns on Meta led to MìLà’s rapid growth14:59 Product-market fit testing, team expansion20:43 Establishing a team for content and branding28:00 Getting funded, setting realistic goals, and scaling for success35:52 The supply chain side of frozen, perishable goods37:22 Building infrastructure for proactive outreach38:46 Product innovation, retail expansionShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok  -----Jennifer Liao - Co-Founder of MìLàBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic

Nicolas Beaupré discusses Mateina's success story in the North American market, emphasizing grassroots marketing, self-funding, and innovative product development. Topics include yerba mate as a coffee alternative, DTC revenue strategy, product sourcing, and educational marketing. Exciting future plans for Mateina's expansion and retail partnerships are also highlighted.

In our conversation with Kevin Lavelle, he shares his ingenious approach to building his company, Mizzen+Main, into a fashion industry success. Initially, Kevin recalls the brute force marketing efforts that shaped the early days of the brand, from going door to door to attending events to get the product in people's hands. As their digital marketing and PR strategies matured, Kevin leveraged the power of strategic partnerships and influencer collaborations. Specifically, he cites the company's visibility boost through sponsorship deals, like the one with Tim Ferriss's podcast, and endorsement deals, like with athlete J.J. Watt.Looking into the future with his new venture, Harbor, Kevin discusses the strategies his team is taking to enter the market of baby monitors and pediatric telehealth.Episode brought to you by More StaffingJoin 15k founders and marketers & get our pod highlights delivered directly to your inbox with the DTC Pod Newsletter!On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. Influential Partnerships for Brand Growth2. Sustainable Growth Strategies3. Influencer and Celebrity Collaborations4. The Tim Ferriss Effect5.  Retail Strategy Insights6. Prelaunch Strategies and Inventory ManagementTimestamps02:13 Transitioning from Mizzen+Main to Harbor07:20 Lessons from building a customer base for Mizzen+Main12:42 The Tim Ferriss Effect, how a podcast propelled Mizzen+Main14:15 Signing an endorsement deal with J.J. Watt16:36 The necessity of authenticity and passion in successful partnerships20:06 Making personal connections for business success26:00 Creating technically complex, life-critical electronics29:03 Growing Harbor by creating valuable content for parents32:36 Wholesalers and their impact on business growth37:11 Preparing for the pre-launch of Harbor38:45 Building a waitlist with a refundable deposit to gauge demand42:17 Harbor’s vision to transform sleep and wellness for parentsShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok  -----Kevin Lavelle - CoFounder and CEO at Harbor, Founder and Chairman of the Board at Mizzen+MainBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic

Ben Acott, the CMO behind Feastables, discusses the strategic partnership with Mr. Beast to boost product reach and engage a loyal audience. He highlights the power of influencer marketing and smart collaborations in building strong brands. The podcast covers branding with Mr. Beast, analyzing product success, scaling DTC brands, and building brand loyalty through content.

Mina Elias shares Amazon SEO strategy emphasizing keyword optimization and advertising flexibility. Discussed topics include driving traffic to Amazon, product detail page optimization, and the impact of click-through rates. Insights on leveraging external traffic, improving conversion rates, and navigating Amazon's competitive landscape.

Episode brought to you by More StaffingJoin 15k founders and marketers & get our pod highlights delivered directly to your inbox with the DTC Pod Newsletter!Juan Meisel is the Founder and CEO at Grip Shipping, a pioneering Direct-to-Consumer eCommerce for perishable products. After serving as the Head of Logistics of Buterbox, he launched Grip which has since processed over a billion dollars' worth of perishable goods through their innovative platform, and now offers comprehensive fulfillment services, reducing shipping costs by an impressive 30%.On this episode, we'll cover everything about perishable logistics, how Butcherbox solved for these challenges at scale, and how brands can tap into the same infrastructure through Grip with low minimum volume requirements for fast growing perishable goods brands.On this episode of DTC pod we cover:1. Optimizing perishable goods shipping2. Cutting shipping costs significantly3. Scaling fulfillment network strategy4. Unique challenges in perishable logistics5. Importance of data-driven decision making6. Evolving market for online perishables7. Building versus partnering in logisticsTimestamps00:00 Early team member bootstrapped Butcherbox, now scaling Grip.05:49 Shipping perishable goods quickly causes many challenges.09:18 Fragmented warehousing systems, leading to shipping issues.14:18 Challenges with dynamic shipping and manual processes.16:10 Early companies failed due to profit challenges.19:40 Identified shipping needs, led to market connection.22:21 Understanding problems, team support, and evolving markets.27:44 Optimizing perishable shipping for increased profitability.29:08 Software innovation drives substantial reduction in shipping costs.35:16 Focus on defending and scaling company culture. Shownotes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more. Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here and our Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok ---Juan Meisel - Founder and CEO at Grip ShippingBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic

Josh Durham, founder of Aligned Growth, shares insights on scaling influencer programs for 7 & 8 figure DTC brands. Topics include prioritizing paid social, negotiating consistency with creators, testing budgets, sourcing 100-200 creators weekly, and optimizing influencer content. Strategies for influencer marketing, building relationships in niche markets, and utilizing tech stack effectively are discussed.