On this episode of DTC Pod, We dive into the challenges of building a product that combines traditional accounting, finance, and tax with the progressive world of DTC, and the importance of financial statements, tax-saving opportunities, and inventory management. We also explore the impact of integrating real-time cost of goods sold data, the importance of understanding profit, financing, and cash flow, and the potential of measuring return on net profit. Finally, we talk about ways to identify profitable products and unlock business opportunities, and why focusing on conversion alone may not necessarily lead to profitability. [00:01:34] Real-time ecommerce bookkeeping. Inventory system coming.[00:04:12] Lios background in accounting and law.[00:08:35] Essential financial basics for DTC brands.[00:12:02] Ecommerce-specialized bookkeepers and software.[00:16:02] Finaloop - high-value real-time accounting.[00:23:54] Full ledger with SaaS functions. Investing in R&D.[00:27:47] Integrating inventory management system.[00:31:06] Real-time financial data. Net profit-based ROAS.[00:38:37] Understanding profits, cash flow, and financing is crucial.[00:47:53] Tips: pick up deductions, recognize bad debt, legit deductibles.The Rise of DTC Brands in the Financial Ecosystem: "I just couldn't ignore the big opportunity of combining, I'd say, the traditional word of accounting finance tax into the progressing word of DTC. And this is basically how Finaloop was born."— Lio Pinchevski 4:12Outsourcing Bookkeeping: "Even for these firms, the bookkeeping work is usually a loss making part of the business that is just meant to cross finance the more profitable part of the business, which is the CFO and the taxes."— Lio Pinchevski 16:02Challenges of building a broad MVP: "With us, we're a different animal. We are somewhere between an infrastructure company and a SaaS company. So we built on one side a ledger, a full ledger, and then on the other side, we need to add SAS features to this ledger. This is unique because if you think about bookkeeping, either I do your bookkeeping or I don't do your bookkeeping, and then you need to get a bookkeeper."— Lio Pinchevski 23:54Real-time Business Management: "If we ask 100 brand owners right now how much money in cash and in profit they did yesterday, 100% would tell you that they don't know. They know roughly how the business is doing. They don't know exactly how it's doing. And the difference in 2023 between roughly and exactly is huge." - Finaloop's focus on real-time PNL, balance sheets, and KPIs can revolutionize brand management by providing exact information instead of approximations.— Lio Pinchevski 31:06powered by castmagicEpisode brought to you by Finaloop, the real-time accounting service trusted by hundreds of DTC Brands. Try Finaloop free - no credit card required. Visit finaloop.com/dtcpod and get 14 days free and a 2-month P&L within 24 hours.Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokLio Pinchevski - Founder and CEO of FinaloopRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

Episode brought to you by Trend & Finaloop.On this episode of DTC Pod, Izzy Joins Blaine to lead a masterclass on saving on shipping.1. What are the most common mistakes when negotiating shipping rates?2. What surcharges and hidden fees most commonly drain shipping budget?3. What are the most common overlooked details that make brands lose money on shipping?4. What type of shipping carrier is best for my store?shownotes powered by castmagic 00:04:28 - Shipping costs = 10% of revenue00:09:31 - Create account, leverage resellers00:14:08 - Consult peers, ask for transparency00:18:01 - Use lightweight services, regional carriers00:24:41 - Optionality and reduced rates with regionals00:28:03 - Service, volume, contract negotiation = cost00:31:34 - Know carrier, understand data, negotiate everything00:37:41 - Negotiate discounts; be proactive about rate increases00:42:21 - FedEx EB increasing costs, offer discounts00:46:16 - Negotiate for peak period costs Episode brought to you by Finaloop, the real-time accounting service trusted by hundreds of DTC Brands. Try Finaloop free - no credit card required. Visit finaloop.com/dtcpod and get 14 days free and a 2-month P&L within 24 hours.Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokIzzy Gewirtzman - Founder of ShiplionRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

Episode brought to you by Trend & Finaloop.On this episode of DTC Pod, Athan joins Blaine for a deep dive in what it takes to launch one of the fastest growing travel brands. Here's a few of the questions we answer on the show:1. How did July create the world's lightest carry-on luggage?2. How did they find market validation before even talking to one customer?3. What is July's biggest secret to rapid growth?4. How is retail driving the brand forward in 2023?5. How many product iterations have they gone through in 4 years?0:00 - 1:30 - Introduction to July00:02:32 - Partnered to enter mobile market dominated by Samsonite.00:05:39 - Entered luggage market, opened store, faced 2020 slowdown.00:12:57 - Founders Club presold products, leather tags popular, containers sold quickly.00:21:11 - Started with no 3PL, shipped product ourselves, nurtured early stages.00:22:51- Customer feedback key, world's lightest double wheel created.00:29:04 - Investment in physical retail, China launch during COVID, lux & lightweight luggage.00:36:42 - Two new polycarbonates created for US and Australian, expanding to Europe.00:41:00 - Richard helped company sell in China, built international personalization engine.00:47:23 - Remote US launch, UK launch with physical presence from day one.00:53:15 - UK launch, experimenting with new products, creatively fulfilling category.Shownotes powered by Castmagic Episode brought to you by Finaloop, the real-time accounting service trusted by hundreds of DTC Brands. Try Finaloop free - no credit card required. Visit finaloop.com/dtcpod and get 14 days free and a 2-month P&L within 24 hours.Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokAthan Didaskalou - Founder of JulyRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

Episode brought to you by Trend & Finaloop.On this episode of DTC POD, we delve into the world of product development and supply chain management. We look at the success story of Canopy, a company that created a beauty-focused category-defining humidifier. We also cover the challenges faced in bringing new products to market, the value of validating demand, and the importance of a shored-up supply chain.Here's 5 key questions we'll answer on this episode:1. What is the pain point with traditional ultrasonic humidifiers, and how did Canopy solve it?2. How did Canopy successfully promote their product with a limited budget?3. What are the pitfalls to avoid when building a new product and brand from scratch?4. How did Canopy position their humidifier as a beauty tool and what experts did they bring in to do so?5. What are the key differences between starting from scratch and building a custom product, versus starting with an existing product and customizing it for your needs?Timestamps:[00:03:36] Working & Factories In Asia[00:08:07] DorisDev for startups: supply chain & branding.[00:12:24] Validate demand before investing.[00:17:06] Two paths: custom or off-the-shelf.[00:19:35] Incubating products: humidifiers for beauty.[00:24:42] Canopy solves "white dust" problem.[00:27:18] Product positioned as beauty tool.[00:32:17] Limited budget, invested in beauty media.[00:36:37] Supply chain software manages quality control.[00:42:17] Factored quality platform for single solution QC. Shownotes powered by castmagic Episode brought to you by Finaloop, the real-time accounting service trusted by hundreds of DTC Brands. Try Finaloop free - no credit card required. Visit finaloop.com/dtcpod and get 14 days free and a 2-month P&L within 24 hours.Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokJustin Seidenfeld - Founder of Doris DevRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

Episode brought to you by Trend & Finaloop.On this episode of DTC POD, Marshall joins Blaine to dive into the world of affiliate marketing. Here's what you'll learn:Strategies in setting up an effective affiliate program, including identifying target customers, partners, and commission rates and networking options.Common mistakes made in affiliate marketing, the right partner mix, and low-value publishers who can negatively impact the program.The role of influencers in affiliate marketing, how to find them, and how they can drive interest and promote brands.How affiliate marketing has evolved over the years, from being deal and coupon-focused to including content production and influencers, and how tech has expanded its reach.How affiliate marketing is a cost-effective and performance-based way for brands to connect with third-party partners and drive sales, & how multiple affiliates can influence a single sale.Creating an Effective Affiliate Strategy:"We want to try to get in those articles because if you're looking for maybe best betting and you type in what is the best betting to Google, that first article is going to get a lot of traffic. And if you are able to be in that article, you're going to get a lot of traffic to your site in return." — Marhsall Nyman 00:10:09Performance PR: Forging Relationships and Getting Editors Interested:"It really takes a lot more than just setting it up in the platform. I think that's probably the biggest misconception that I get from people when I talk to them that have an affiliate program. We set it up, nothing's happening. Yeah, nothing's happening because you haven't gone out and done anything. You have to go out, you have to forge relationships with these publishers and get them interested and excited about your brand." — Marhsall Nyman 00:15:09Shownotes powered by castmagic Episode brought to you by Finaloop, the real-time accounting service trusted by hundreds of DTC Brands. Try Finaloop free - no credit card required. Visit finaloop.com/dtcpod and get 14 days free and a 2-month P&L within 24 hours. Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokMarshall Nyman - Founder of NYMO & Co.Ramon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

Episode brought to you by Trend & Finaloop.On this episode of DTC POD, Celia Lewis and Stephanie Kimmel discuss how they identified a market gap in the cannabis industry and built a brand around their innovative product that preserves and locks cannabis in a home decor piece. They reveal how they launched their product with a grassroots approach due to limited funds for marketing and discuss their successful product launch strategy. They touch on the challenges they faced due to federal regulations around cannabis and how they continue to adapt and grow.3:00 - Stephanie and Celia Background7:45 - The story behind Tulip's founding12:50 - Branding and identity for Tulip16:30 - Launch strategy and early traction23:15 - Unique color strategy for Tulip28:45 - Fulfillment and inventory management32:30 - Adapting to sudden increase in demand37:40 - Partnership with manufacturer43:00 - Navigating federal regulations around cannabis48:20 - Social media strategy for TikTok and Instagram54:00 - Two-way dialog with customers59:30 - Upcoming content series from TulipHere's some questions we answer on the show1. How did the founders of Tulip identify a market gap in the cannabis industry, and what inspired them to create a product that preserves cannabis and also doubles as home decor?2. What was the process behind developing the Tulip product, and what were some of the challenges faced along the way?3. How did the founders build the Tulip brand around the authentic nature of how they got started with the product for personal use?4. What were some of the early traction and product-market fit indicators that helped drive growth for Tulip in its early days?5. What was the launch strategy for Tulip, and how did the company leverage personal networks to drive initial sales?6. How has the company adapted to sudden increases in demand, such as those caused by viral social media videos?7. How does Tulip approach manufacturing and production, and what role do personal relationships play in these processes?8. What challenges has Tulip faced with marketing and social media due to federal regulations around cannabis, and how has the company adapted its content strategy?9. What are the content pillars and upcoming content series for Tulip, and how does the company value customer feedback and participation?10. How does Tulip's mission involve social change and awareness around the injustices that still exist today, and how does the company seek to destigmatize cannabis use?Shownotes powered by CastmagicEpisode brought to you by Finaloop, the real-time accounting service trusted by hundreds of DTC Brands. Try Finaloop free - no credit card required. Visit finaloop.com/dtcpod and get 14 days free and a 2-month P&L within 24 hours. Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokCelia Lewis - Cofounder of TulipStephanie Kimmel - Cofounder of TulipRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

Episode brought to you by Trend & Finaloop.On this episode of DTC Pod, Jonathan joins blaine to talk about Automating fulfillment process with 3PL, Specialized Shopify developers, Starting a Shopify store, Balancing presence on, Shopify and Amazon, Customizing Shopify apps, Local delivery/pickup, Customizing Shopify Plus, Headless Shopify, Shopify's features, and more.[00:03:09] Start Shopify store with no code; buy theme, get product design on Fiverr; focus on sales and marketing.[00:05:19] Automate fulfillment process with 3PL (Third Party Logistics).[00:08:33] Brand owners fear Amazon taking their business, so they are balancing presence on Shopify and Amazon to avoid being cannibalized.[00:12:03] Customizing Shopify apps requires cost analysis and potential development for desired automation, branding and functionality.[00:14:43] Specialized Shopify developers understand the ecosystem and can avoid costly custom development.[00:18:31] Shopify allows customization of themes and blocks to make it look unique, but headless is not typically the best option because it requires custom technical work and breaks data tracking.[00:26:04] Apps to help businesses run local delivery/pickup for physical items.[00:27:36] Local businesses thriving in Miami due to increased support from customers.[00:32:07] Shopify releases new features quarterly or every six months, similar to "hype drops", including AI-generated product descriptions.[00:35:35] Shopify Plus now allows customizing and adding blocks to Checkout, increasing options for merchants to increase conversions and create apps in the Checkout ecosystem.\Shownotes powered by castmagic Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokJohnathan Solorzano - Founder & CEO of Solo Media GroupRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

When she and her colleague Melissa Duren Conner hit a crossroads in their careers, they decided to join forces and create their own agency, Jennifer Bett Communications (JBC). Jennifer and Melissa wanted to create an agency that approached media relations in a strategic and creative way, focusing on meaningful storytelling and more intellectual PR. Since then, JBC has helped launch some of the top names in consumer brands, including Parachute, Magic Spoon, Recess, Cuyana, Andie, Knix, July, M.Gemi, Cuup, and more just to name a few.[00:00:41] Two friends start PR agency after realizing traditional agencies were ill-equipped for the shift in media landscape.[00:08:21] PR is essential for brand launch; many options and partners available to fit any budget.[00:15:55] PR should not be an afterthought; time should be invested to ensure messaging is communicated across all platforms and that the PR partner understands the brand.[00:21:24] Positioning Ben for success in food and beverage beyond CBD.[00:23:10] Helping brands reach their goals over time with targeted press.[00:27:27] Empowering women in healthcare, particularly in fertility, is important to Melissa and the agency. Nodal is an example of a brand doing this.[00:30:23] Food & beverage division works with innovative brands in climate tech and sustainability, particularly small, independently owned brands, with increasing presence of women.[00:33:06] Passionate founders, mission-oriented brands, and innovation.[00:35:02] Innovation and fresh ideas excite people and make them want to be involved.[00:38:44] Launched affiliate division and executive speaking division, hiring experienced talent, launching brands in various industries.PR Is Essential for Brand Launches: "I can't stress the importance of PR. I think there's a lot of brands that we've talked to and they'll come to us and they're like, listen, we decided to just launch with influencer, or we're just launching with digital marketing. And they come back three months later and they're like, Shit, we needed PR."— Jennifer Bett"The Power of PR: "We firmly believe that it is the most scalable investment you can make in your brand 100%. Because the stories that are told exist in real time, all the time. It is truly something you can repurpose for paid media. It impacts how hard or easy it is to work with influencers. It makes it much easier when you want to work with other brands for strategic partnerships. It helps with investors."— Melissa ConnerShownotes powered by Castmagic Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokJennifer Meyer - Founder of Jennifer Bett Communications (JBC)Melissa Duren Conner - Co-Founder of Jennifer Bett Communications (JBC)Ramon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

On this episode of DTC Pod, Nathan joins Blaine to talk about how to work with manufacturing partners to bring a product to life. They cover lessons from working with over 1000s of factories in several countries, avoiding the biggest pitfalls of manufacturing, building software to streamline the process, moving from CEO to the board, frameworks for building companies, new projects he's excited about, AI and it's application to CX, finding scale, and more.Timestamps:[00:03:01] Bringing a product to life requires many details; choosing the right factory is essential for successful ecommerce.[00:05:59] COVID has prevented travel to Asia, alibaba is pay to play, communication via WeChat, verify factory capacity and history, specs detailed in tech pack, test production run, third party inspection.[00:11:03] Factories typically produce same products in same city; forecasting and transparency important; visit factory to understand how product is made; consider potential defect areas.[00:14:15] Few ask how product costs are determined.[00:16:03] Started in 2016 with flat fee product sourcing, raised seed round, built software, SaaS revenue plus commission on production, saved customers 10% of unit costs, worked with/outgrown by customers, new deal with isba, hired CEO, reinvest in technology/team/customers.[00:20:05] Building relationships with suppliers and expanding sourcing team to source globally for better terms and pricing.[00:23:28] China remains the world's manufacturing hub due to low cost of labor, electricity and nuclear energy. America is providing incentives to bring manufacturing back to the US, but it is difficult to compete with China.[00:26:54] Never be single-sourced; have backup supplier; consider cost and lead time when exploring outside of China.[00:29:38] AI used for faster iteration in marketing and customer service with Caffeinated CX for improved efficiency.[00:32:19] Using AI to increase brand impressions by clipping and reposting ads on YouTube Shorts, TikToks, etc., and looking at blended ROAS for success."Bringing Products to Life: "There's so many nuances to it, even this hat, there's so many different materials that go into a simple hat like this. A lot of people come to us and say, hey, we want to produce a T shirt, right? But there's so many cuts and trims and fabrics that go into a shirt that you really have to dial in exactly what you want."— Nathan Resnick 03:01"Third-Party Inspections: "When you receive product and it's not what you expected, it's a horrible position to be in - so get third-party inspections done, even at the scale of sourceify, we always do them, because it's just insurance for your product."— Nathan Resnick 05:59Shownotes powered by Castmagic Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokNathan Resnick - Founder of SourcifyRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

On this episode of DTC POD, Ramon & Jenn dive into the ins and outs of content creation. They discuss the categories and pillars of content creation, common mistakes brands make when creating a brief and how to provide specific instructions to avoid frustration. They also cover revisions, the cost of additional assets and how to handle it.Timestamps[00:01:13] California native transitions from healthcare to creating content for CPG brands, using Trend for UGC content.[00:05:17] Filming weddings is unpredictable and requires flexibility and creativity to create beautiful content.[00:14:30] Create brand brief by analyzing content performance and consider environment, lighting, aesthetic, and clothing.[00:18:01] Creative instructions needed for different platforms; content, technical, audio, clothing and lighting details; hook ideas, features, benefits and CTA.[00:21:10] Provide creators with voiceover clips to prevent frustration and save time.[00:25:15] Evaluate content usage, quality, and brand consistency.[00:27:31] Cost depends on level of effort.[00:29:58] Rates for photo assets range from $50 to $200, video assets from $100-$250+, additional fees for props and set design.[00:35:06] Creating content for brands streamlined with Trend, less time spent in pre-production, brands come to creators ready to work.Adaptability in Creative Situations: "I think that was like the best first experience as a creative because I got to kind of just get thrown into the craziest lighting situations, location situations, timeline situations, too. Sometimes you're running from one place to the other. And so I think that's what kind of gave me that foundation to be super flexible, that I can look at any environment and say, okay, I know I'm going to shoot this. I know I'm going to set the lighting. I know how I'm going to put my angles, like, exactly how I want it to look that kind of gave me that foundation to be able to do that."— Jenn Jennings 00:05:17-00:06:22The Power of Content Creation: "It's really what it takes is spending some time understanding what it is that you want as a brand and why. And that is like taking a really hard look at your current content and what's performing. Because sometimes the things that do really well are not things that seem that obvious to someone who maybe doesn't come from a creative background."— Jenn Jennings 00:14:30-00:16:43The Power of Specificity: "I like very specific instructions and I would think most people probably do appreciate that. So I kind of like to have a breakdown of, number one, where's this content going? Is it going to be on TikTok, Instagram? Is it going to be for paid ads?"— Jenn Jennings 00:18:0100:19:52Setting Expectations for Content Creation "The best thing you can do is really share examples of what you're thinking so that they can look at that and say, okay, how long is this going to take me? Do I need to purchase any props? Do I need to travel? What is that going to look like? Because they can then give you a proposal that's going to make sense to them for the level of effort that it's going to take."— Jenn Jennings 00:27:31-00:29:09Streamlining the Content Creation Process: "I want to create, I want to get a product, I want to get a brief, and I want to go execute on that. And so the fact that it is sort of taken out that beginning portion and you guys are basically doing all the pitching for us right at Trend. And I love that."— Jenn Jennings 00:35:06-00:36:52Shownotes powered by Castmagic Past 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 hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokJenn Jennings - Creative director of Nosh MediaRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated