Ep 566: What to Fix First: Growth Metrics Every 7-Figure Brand Needs to Track with Sarah Carusona

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupWhen Sarah Carusona showed up to a DTC event last year, she didn’t know it would spark her first client. That client’s still with her. Today she runs BA Commerce, where her team drops into brands and drives growth from the inside.For DTC founders scaling from $5M to $20M who need strategy and execution in one package.What you’ll learn:Why fractional CMOs often fall short and what brands really need insteadHow to drop in a trained operator who owns growth from top to bottomThe key metrics Sarah watches before touching a budget: contribution margin, AMER, LTV, and the “organic ratio”Why most influencer budgets are broken and what happens when you tie pay to performanceHow to focus your team’s time when there’s no room for fluffWho this is for:Founders and growth leads who are tired of hiring gaps, agency fluff, and shiny-object distractionsWhat to steal:Rebuild your org chart around execution, not job titlesStructure your influencer deals like paid media, not PRGet obsessed with contribution margin and work backward from thereTimestamps00:00 Why micro-iterations waste ad spend02:00 Sarah’s global move and early consulting leap04:00 Building BA Commerce and the growth operator model09:00 How Sarah evaluates brands and sets growth metrics12:00 Creative fatigue, Andromeda, and persona-driven ads15:00 Creator partnerships and a tiered influencer program17:00 Why organic content still drives the biggest wins19:00 Modern Meta account structure and testing philosophy21:00 The biggest mistakes high-growth brands make23:00 Why product quality drives everything in growth25:00 Attribution, incrementality, and Sarah’s forecasting model27:00 How Sarah uses AI and where she draws the lineHashtags#dtcpodcast #ecommerce #dtcbrands #mediabuying #growthmarketing #metaads #ugcads #influencermarketing #digitalstrategy #founderstories #shopifybrands #emailmarketing #smsmarketing #marketingpodcast #directtoconsumer Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video