DTC Podcast

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Fan Bi is the founder of The Hedgehog Company, where he acquires distressed DTC brands and helps get them profitable fast. He’s also the creator of In the Money, a must-follow podcast and content brand unpacking the capital side of consumer.

For DTC founders navigating exits, plateaus, or profitability hell...
What most founders still get wrong about valuations
How the buyer landscape has shifted post-Unilever & Walmart
Signs your bridge round is a bridge to nowhere
The trenches of sub-$20M exits, explained with examples
Why switching costs matter more than ever

Who this is for: Founders, operators, and investors trying to understand today’s DTC M&A landscape

What to steal:
20%+ post-marketing contribution as a key health metric
The 3-week test to know if your exit has traction
Realistic comps on $3M, $10M, $30M brand valuations

Timestamps
00:00 Real math behind DTC exits in today’s market
02:15 Why 3–5x revenue exits no longer exist
05:00 The real state of DTC profitability and acquisition costs
07:00 What makes a distressed DTC brand worth buying
09:00 Turning around Baboon to the Moon and fixing fundamentals
11:00 DTC exit trenches from $1M to $100M+ brands
15:00 What kills DTC acquisition deals fastest
17:00 Why bridge rounds often fail
19:00 DTC vs software and AI from an investor lens
22:00 Product market fit vs product channel fit
24:00 Categories that still work for DTC exits
26:00 What it takes to build a winning DTC brand today

Hashtags
#DTC #DirectToConsumer #DTCExits #Ecommerce #EcommercePodcast #StartupExits #MergersAndAcquisitions #BrandAcquisition #DTCBrands #EcommerceGrowth #FounderAdvice #ConsumerBrands #PrivateEquity #ShopifyBrands #BusinessPodcast

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In this episode, Pilothouse's Taylor Cain and Aves break down how to merge creative strategy with merchandising to win Q1. This is the planning season where smart brands lock in the building blocks for scalable growth—and avoid wasting paid budget.

For DTC marketers planning evergreen creative and site strategy in Q1...
Why Q1 is the time to de-risk creative investments
How to connect merch and creative across the entire funnel
What emotional truths are, and why they drive action
How to create merchandising that aligns with user intent (without sounding like a pitch deck)
The subtle difference between price-based and identity-based offers

Who this is for: Media buyers, growth leads, and brand-side marketers aiming to improve conversion and site experience

What to steal:
The linear structure Taylor uses to build conversion flows
Aves' 3-step audit for understanding persona behavior online
Why great PDPs start with emotion, not features

Timestamps:
00:00 Merchandising in ecommerce and cognitive competition
02:45 Why shoppers visit multiple brands before buying
05:10 Bringing the in-store experience into digital creative
07:20 Funnel congruency and full-funnel merchandising
09:40 Merchandising on social feeds beyond direct competitors
12:10 Information architecture and emotional storytelling on PDPs
14:05 Selling identity and ritual instead of product features
18:30 How Meta optimization and Andromeda affect merchandising
20:40 Practical merchandising spot checks for brands

Hashtags:
#ecommercemarketing #digitalmerchandising #dtcbrands #paidmedia #creativestrategy #conversionoptimization #brandstrategy #marketingfunnels #metamarketing #shopifybrands #performancecreative

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Thomas Robinson has helped build full‑funnel growth engines for brands like Tiege Henley and now Breath Death — where he’s turning chaotic traction into scalable funnels and converting creator buzz into sustainable growth.

For growth leaders scaling DTC with low‑AOV products.

In this episode, Thomas breaks down:
How YouTube influencer authenticity became a systematic funnel driver (not a one‑hit wonder).
Why TikTok Shop is the top strategic revenue channel — and how it boosts Amazon performance.
The three‑part funnel framework: Hook → Integration → CTA + cohesive landing page.
Why psychographics beat demographics in creative.
Omni‑channel retention: SMS, email, DM automations, WhatsApp.

Who this is for: D2C marketers scaling early‑growth brands, content and performance teams, founders wrestling with low‑AOV CAC.

What to steal:
Turn creator moments into evergreen assets for Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.
Build landing pages that mirror ad intent (don’t lose momentum).
Segment email/SMS flows by customer psychographic intent.

Timestamps
00:00 — Turning creator buzz into scalable growth
02:00 — Why Breath Death chose TikTok Shop as a core channel
04:00 — Gen Z targeting, nostalgia, and early audience signals
06:00 — Learning from Liquid Death’s polarizing brand strategy
08:00 — Turning influencer moments into evergreen funnels
10:00 — Structuring ads with hooks, integrations, and CTAs
12:00 — TikTok Shop, Amazon halo effects, and channel synergy
14:00 — Affiliate strategy from nano creators to macro partners
16:00 — Why YouTube influencers compound better than paid ads
18:00 — SEO, Reddit, and authority in AI-driven search
20:00 — Scaling low-AOV products on Meta ads
22:00 — Psychographics, motivations, and creative archetypes
26:00 — Q4 growth, LTV focus, and retention strategy
28:00 — Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and DM automation
31:00 — Long-term brand storytelling vs direct response
34:00 — Personalized landing pages and post-click experience

Hashtags
#dtcpodcast #dtcbrands #ecommercegrowth #tiktokshop #influencermarketing #creatorcommerce #brandstrategy #performanceads #youtubeinfluencers #affiliatemarketing #consumerbrands #foundermarketing #growthmarketing #directtoconsumer

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Eric sits down with Dougie, Pilothouse's Google Lead, to dig into why content targeting—specifically with YouTube Select—is outperforming audience-based targeting, even at premium CPMs. If you’ve been running low-cost YouTube campaigns with underwhelming results, this is the mindset shift you need.

For DTC brands tired of wasting money on passive YouTube impressions.
What YouTube Select actually is (and why it matters for performance)
How to think about placements vs. audiences
Why content congruence improves funnel performance
Scaling tips: what kind of brands can go big with Select
How to build creatives that match the content being watched

Who this is for: Brands spending serious dollars on YouTube, or considering a shift from Meta to a broader channel mix.

What to steal:
Align creative to content before launch
Use Google reps to identify top indexed channels by persona
Treat YouTube Select like TV: flight-based, not daily budget-driven

Timestamps
00:00 Content vs interest targeting
02:01 Why content alignment converts
04:02 YouTube Select explained
06:02 Why low quality inventory fails
08:04 How content based creative works
10:03 Google and YouTube strategy shift
12:02 Aligning creative to placements
14:02 Meta and Google funnel synergy
16:01 Scaling with YouTube Select

Hashtags
#YouTubeSelect #GoogleAds #ContentTargeting #MediaBuying #DigitalAdvertising #PerformanceMarketing #BrandStrategy #YouTubeAds #PaidMedia #MarketingPodcast #DTCMarketing #AdStrategy #AudienceTargeting #CreativeStrategy #Pilothouse

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Albert Chow built Silk & Snow in the shadow of the DTC mattress wars—but instead of racing to burn VC cash, he played the long game. Today, Silk & Snow has grown into a full home brand with 10 retail stores, a thriving Canadian customer base, and a strong U.S. expansion roadmap.

For DTC founders scaling from $5M to $50M...
Why they skipped the mattress arms race and leaned into vertical integration
How bundling less (and planting trees instead) saved $1.3M
What they learned scaling from 1 to 10 retail stores in a year
The metrics they track now that ROAS is irrelevant
Why launching a sofa was more about customer affinity than furniture

Who this is for: Operators scaling past one SKU or one channel—and looking for a sustainable path to growth.

What to steal:
Bundling with purpose (optional tree planting vs. free stuff)
Bottom-up brand building: low-funnel mastery first
How to use DTC data to drive brick-and-mortar strategy

Timestamps
00:00 Organic growth and surviving the DTC mattress crash
02:00 Entering the crowded mattress market in 2017
04:00 Why Silk and Snow became a full home brand
06:00 Factory-first supply chain and Canadian manufacturing
08:00 Launching with Kickstarter and early traction
10:00 The 2019 DTC apocalypse and sustainable growth
12:00 Expanding beyond mattresses into sleep accessories
14:00 Functional vs aspirational buying in home goods
16:00 Becoming a multi-channel retailer
18:00 Using customer data to choose store locations
20:00 Canada vs US growth strategy
22:00 Building brand from the bottom of the funnel
24:00 Replacing bundles with tree planting
26:00 Performance marketing roots and early Google
28:00 Shifting into awareness and brand media
30:00 Why ROAS isn’t the real growth signal
32:00 Retail partnerships and staying DTC
34:00 Black Friday for big-ticket home products
36:00 Fulfillment, returns, and sustainability
38:00 Repeat customers and long-term LTV
40:00 Sleep Country acquisition and retail scale
42:00 Vancouver store and physical retail strategy

Hashtags
#DTC #EcommercePodcast #SilkAndSnow #AlbertChow #DTCBrands #HomeGoods #MattressIndustry #BrandBuilding #RetailStrategy #DirectToConsumer #EcommerceGrowth #StartupPodcast #FounderStory #CanadianBrands #PerformanceMarketing #Omnichannel #RetailExpansion #DTCpodcast

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