OPERATORS

“I’m building memories, not sales.” What if everything you thought you knew about creating a consumer brand was wrong?Matt Bertulli and Sean Frank sit down with Sean Riley, Co-Founder and Chief DUDE (CEO) of DUDE Wipes, to discuss how he and his co-founders grew to hundreds of millions in revenue — without relying on traditional ads.From going viral through gorilla marketing to landing a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank to being students of culture, Sean reveals why doing what’s fun can be your competitive advantage.Brought to you by Fulfil, the only cloud ERP designed to efficiently scale 8–9 figure DTC brands: https://bit.ly/3pAp2vu

“What do you do when you stop winning?”In this episode, Sean and Matt drop the highlight reel and talk candidly about what it actually feels like when a once high-flying brand stalls, hits flat revenue, or even starts shrinking.They unpack why every business has a “natural size,” why top-line obsession is the laziest definition of winning, and how to think more clearly about margin compression, momentum, and your own financial security as a founder.From redefining success beyond horsepower-style revenue numbers, to product, channel, and positioning pivots, to doing the brutal “Fog of War” cuts instead of slow bleeding out, this is a tactical, psychologically honest roadmap for operators trying to diagnose stalled growth and decide whether to push for the next level or intentionally right-size the business and finally take money off the table.Chapters00:00 – Cold open: what it feels like when winning stops02:20 – Why this episode matters: growth stalls, failure, and the messy middle04:06 – Defining “winning”: growth vs profit, lifestyle, and the natural size of a business07:18 – Survival first: financial security, changing goals, and evolving definitions of success12:51 – Diagnosing stalled growth: macro forces, misalignment, and internal blind spots17:42 – Tactical vs strategic stalls: product, category limits, and being in the wrong vehicle23:48 – Playing by the rules of the game: CAC, channels, and market realities33:13 – Diversification as defense: why building on rented land is dangerous39:00 – When winning tactics stop working: SEO hits, waves crashing, and preparing for stall-outs44:00 – Operating paranoid: assuming stalls, diversifying early, and the tradeoff of leaving money on the table50:00 – Changing the business: adding new product lines, multiple business units, and hedging inside your own brand56:00 – Rented land warning: Facebook media, platform dependency, and why omnichannel is non-negotiablePowered ByFulfil.iohttps://bit.ly/3pAp2vuThe Only Cloud ERP Designed to Efficiently Scale 8 and 9-Figure Brands.Northbeamhttps://www.northbeam.io/Richpanelhttps://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=9O&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdescSarashttps://bit.ly/9OP-YtdescRivohttps://www.rivo.io/operatorsSubscribeSubscribe to The Marketing Operators Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingOperatorsSubscribe to The Finance Operators:https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPS — Sign up to the 9 Operators newsletter:https://9operators.com/

How do you build one of the top-five Amazon businesses in the world? Matt and Mike sit down with Jabran Niaz, co-founder of Utopia Deals and Utopia Industries. From packing boxes by hand for less than $15 an hour to running a global manufacturing operation with $770M in annual revenue and +15k employees, all without outside capital or taking on debt.This is the largest brand we’ve ever had on the show. They get into the early days of Amazon, why Utopia focused on value instead of premium pricing, how product design and packaging became a competitive edge, and what it takes to keep growing when competition never stops. Jabran also explains why brand matters in some categories but counts for nothing in others.Brought to you by Richpanel.https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=9O&utm_medium=podcast

“You make your money on the customer, not the acquisition.” In this episode, Sean sits down with Jordan, the media-buyer-turned-founder behind Instant Hydration, to unpack how he went from affiliate marketer—only eating what he killed—to helping scale multiple 8‑figure CPG brands into 9‑figure powerhouses using Meta ads, tight payback models, and a true growth engine mindset. They talk about why red‑ocean markets like electrolytes are actually a signal of demand, how to think about LTV, subscriptions and time-to-second-purchase, what really happens when a founder tries to steal your team, and the wild IP and trademark journey that led to the Instant Hydration brand.Chapters:00:00 – Cold open: “You make your money on the customer, not the acquisition”02:40 – Jordan’s story: from almost-lawyer to Facebook affiliate marketer15:30 – Scaling 8‑figure CPG brands to 9‑figures with Meta ads28:10 – Why consumables, LTV and payback periods win over “one-and-done” products41:45 – The Instant Hydration origin story and trademark/IP battle55:20 – Building a true growth engine: subscriptions, email/SMS, and sending it on ad spendPowered By:Fulfil.io.https://bit.ly/3pAp2vuThe Only Cloud ERP Designed to Efficiently Scale 8 and 9-Figure Brands. Northbeam.https://www.northbeam.io/Richpanel.https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=9O&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdescSaras.https://bit.ly/9OP-YtdescRivo.https://www.rivo.io/operatorsSubscribe to The Marketing Operators Podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingOperatorsSubscribe to The Finance Operators here: https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPS Sign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here: https://9operators.com/

The operators discuss the critical balance between executing a high-stakes Q4 and planning for the upcoming fiscal year. They debate structured versus unstructured planning methodologies, with Sean and Matt favoring quarterly rocks and 18-month outlooks, while Jason relies on continuous, fluid strategic discussions driven by financial models. The conversation covers the specific role of the CEO during peak season, moving from the field to the budget office, and how to identify non-obvious growth levers like sweepstakes or wholesale expansion to diversify revenue. Finally, they compare internal communication frameworks, specifically contrasting Ridge's unique company-wide daily standups with more traditional departmental leadership cadences.Chapters:00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:17 - Managing Q4 Anxiety00:16:05 - Annual Planning Timelines00:27:12 - Prioritizing Strategic Bets00:38:09 - Choosing Growth Levers00:52:34 - Meeting Rhythms & StandupsPowered By:Fulfil.io.https://bit.ly/3pAp2vuThe Only Cloud ERP Designed to Efficiently Scale 8 and 9-Figure Brands. Northbeam.https://www.northbeam.io/Richpanel.https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=9O&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdescSaras.https://bit.ly/9OP-YtdescRivo.https://www.rivo.io/operatorsSubscribe to The Marketing Operators Podcast here:https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingOperatorsSubscribe to The Finance Operators here:https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPSSign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here:https://9operators.com/