DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built
by Ramon Berrios, Blaine Bolus
DTC POD is a podcast about all things direct to consumer. We cover everything for starting, growing, and optimizing eCommerce stores and DTC (or D2C) brands. We talk with founders, marketers, platforms, creators and marketing & growth agencies to cover topics like brand building, social media, influencer marketing, website conversion, paid media, Facebook ads, consumer trends, email marketing, and more.If you're interested in the stories behind your favorite consumer brands, this podcast is for you.
Episodes
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#368 - The Bootstrapper's 9-Figure CPG Playbook: How Azuna Went From DTC to Amazon to Retail With 300% YoY Growth & 2x LTV
Scott Dancy is the founder and CEO of Azuna, a fast-growing brand in the natural air freshener space. With a background in staffing, technology, and several entrepreneurial ventures, Scott started Azuna in Buffalo in 2019, scaling the business from hand-packaging orders to becoming the world’s...
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#367 - The Insider's Guide to Supplements: What Every Founder Needs to Know About Compliance, Claims, and Scale
Graham Rigby is the President and CEO of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the leading trade association for the herbal products industry. With 20 years of experience across startups and industry leadership—including serving as Chief Innovation Officer at Care/of—Graham has helped...
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#366 - 360° Brand Growth: How Premium Brands Crack the UK, Optimize Their Funnel & Scale Profitably
Natalia Chappell is the founder of Natalia Chappell & Co, a UK-based consultancy helping luxury and lifestyle brands scale sustainably. Previously, she led marketing for THG's luxury division, working with brands like Coach and Ralph Lauren across price points from hundreds to thousands of…
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365 - From Clicks to Bricks: How Digitally Native Brands Go Massive in Retail
Martin Forde is the co-founder and partner at Highline Brands, a retail brokerage built for modern CPG and emerging brands. As the first sales hire at Dr. Squatch, he helped lead the brand's Walmart launch—which did over $50M in year one and set the foundation for a $1.5B exit to Unilever. In…
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#364 - Cracking the Code on Retention: Recharge CEO Reveals What Best-in-Class Subscription Brands Do Differently
Oisin O'Connor is the CEO and co-founder of Recharge, the leading subscription management platform powering 75% of all Shopify subscriptions. Under his leadership, Recharge has become a critical infrastructure partner for over 30,000 brands, reaching 100 million subscribers and $100 million ARR.…
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363 - Creating a Category Leader: The Absorption Company's Rise to Erewhon's #1 Functional Health Brand
Zeke Bronfman is the co-founder and CEO of The Absorption Company, a brand pioneering highly bioavailable supplements engineered for optimal nutrient absorption. With a background in health and wellness entrepreneurship—including a previous successful beverage exit—Zeke leads a team on a mission…
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Packaging Like the Pros: The Hidden Process Behind Your Favorite CPG Brands
Danielle Kidney is the founder of The Creative Pack, a Los Angeles-based agency specializing in packaging design for CPG and DTC brands. With over two decades of experience in the industry—including work with Tesco and a diverse portfolio of well-known consumer brands—Danielle brings a wealth of...
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#361 - From Ecuador to Your Table in 24 Hours: How UrbanStems Built a Time-Critical Supply Chain
Meenakshi Lala is the CEO of UrbanStems, an online floral gifting company that designs, sources, and delivers high-quality, curated bouquets and gifts across the U.S. She brings over two decades of operational experience from leading brands in fashion and retail such as Alice + Olivia, Juicy...
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#360 - Supply Chain Lessons from Building Seed, Liquid IV, and Celsius
Natan Bershtel is the Director of Business Development at Pelagic, a fractional supply chain partner for growing brands and CPG companies. Before Pelagic, Natan spent nearly 20 years as a public school teacher before joining and eventually running his family’s contract packaging business—where he...
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#359 - Inside Bullish: Lessons from Backing Major DTC Winners (Peloton, Harry’s, Warby Parker)
Brent Vartan is Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Bullish, a unique hybrid combining a branding agency and a consumer-focused venture fund. With decades of experience in brand strategy, Brent and his team have been early investors and builders behind some of the most iconic DTC and consumer…
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#358 - The AI Ad Strategy Every DTC Brand Needs in 2025 feat. Bestever CEO Apoorva Govind
Apoorva Govind is the founder and CEO of Bestever, a platform focused on helping brands and marketers generate ad creatives powered by real performance data and advanced AI models. With a background spanning technical roles at Apple, Uber, and Nvidia, Apoorva brings unique insights into the...
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#357 - Product First, Creator Second: How 1Up Candy Hit $10M in 10 Months feat. VOID CEO Chris Koch
Chris Koch is the founder and CEO of VO/D, a venture studio that partners with massive talent celebrities to build enduring CPG brands across DTC, e-commerce, and retail. With a background in sports, investment banking, and talent management, Chris brings deep experience in identifying consumer...
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#356 - 0 to $50M in 24 Months: The Explosive Growth Story of BRĒZ feat. CEO Aaron Nosbisch
Aaron Nosbisch is the founder and CEO of BRĒZ, a cannabis social tonic beverage designed as an alcohol alternative that offers a euphoric, feel-good effect without the downsides of alcohol. He built his expertise in e-commerce from an early age, launching multiple internet brands and scaling...
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#355 - The Truth About Scaling on Facebook: Lessons from $150M in Ad Spend
Marin Ištvanić is a partner at Inspire Brands, a boutique agency focused on paid social ads, primarily on Facebook and Instagram. He has personally spent over $150 million on Facebook ads for clients and internal brands, successfully scaling Inspire's own brand to $30 million in revenue by their...
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#354 - Tariffs, Duty Drawbacks, and Building a Bulletproof Supply Chain Strategy feat. Justin Sherlock
Justin Sherlock is the co-founder and CEO of Caspian, an AI-native duty drawback platform designed to help brands navigate complex global trade and tariff environments. Prior to Caspian, Justin gained deep experience in finance and logistics at Flexport, where he led Flexport Capital, and...
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#353 - Meta Ad Secrets: How Top DTC Brands Spend $300K/Month Profitably
Peter Czepiga is the founder of Flighted, an agency that helps DTC brands profitably scale their advertising on platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Google. He also runs his own brand, Ando. Flighted has worked with some of the most popular DTC brands spending between $50-300k per month on ads. In…
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#352 - Building a Profitable Timeless Brand: 20 Years, 8 Figures, 100% Bootstrapped with Parker Thatch
Irene Chen and Matthew Grenby are the co-founders of Parker Thatch, a luxury handbag and accessories brand they bootstrapped to 8-figures over the course of 20 years. Matt’s expertise spans tech, design, and marketing, while Irene brings deep fashion industry knowledge from working with…
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#351 - The Content Strategy That Took Nectar Hard Seltzer to $5M+ in Revenue
Caleb Alvarez is the founder of Shadow Light Studios, an agency specializing in high-converting paid and organic content. He has worked with major consumer brands like Monster Energy, Snapchat, and Samsung, as well as influencers like Tony Hawk, Logan Paul, Ice Cube, and many more. In this…
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#350 - Inside Night Ventures: The Fund Behind Internet’s Top 1% Creators (Mr Beast, Kai Cenat, Hasan Piker)
Ben Matthews is a general partner at Night Ventures, an early-stage consumer VC fund, focused on culture, community, and creators. They have partnered with some of the most famous people on the internet including Mr. Beast, Kai Cenat, and Hasan Piker. In this episode of DTC Pod, Ben and Blaine...
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#349 - Between Trends and Timelessness: The Antara Approach to Building Strong Brands from the Outside In
Isabel Mendez is the founder and design director at Antara Studio, an award-winning full-service design partner for purpose-driven brands. With a focus on brand, content, and design, Isabel and her team help companies create cohesive and emotionally resonant identities across all touchpoints. In...
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#348 - Storytelling Across Screens: The New Rules of Brand Building
John Sampogna is the co-founder and CEO of Wondersauce, a modern advertising agency that specializes in brand storytelling, paid media, e-commerce, and digital experiences. In this episode of DTC Pod, John discusses brand storytelling strategies across all sorts of media channels. He shares...
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#347 - Shading the Future: Inside Everhem’s Rise in Custom Window Treatments
Haley Weidenbaum is the CEO and co-founder of Everhem, a DTC company specializing in custom window treatments, including shades and drapery. In this episode of DTC Pod, Haley discusses the strategies that have helped Everhem grow and differentiate itself in the market. She discusses the…
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#346 - Scaling Sourdough: How Wildgrain Baked Up 80K+ Subscribers
Ismail Salhi is the co-founder and CEO of Wildgrain, a fast-growing DTC subscription service that delivers artisanal breads, pastries, and pasta directly to customers' doorsteps. In this episode of DTC Pod, Ismail shares his journey of rapidly scaling Wildgrain to over 80,000 subscribers since...
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#345 - Financial Foundations for DTC Success: What E-commerce Founders Need to Know About Tax and Accounting
Christian Rivera is the founder of The Ecommerce Accountants, a firm that specializes in tax, accounting, and business structuring for e-commerce companies. Their clients include social media marketing agencies, dropshippers, digital marketers, Amazon automation, Amazon FBA, and internet...
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#344 - David Protein’s $1,000,000 Week Launch with Cofounder Zach Ranen
Zach Ranen is the co-founder of David, a protein bar brand which disrupted the market with 50% more calories from protein than any other bar and a groundbreaking dollar-to-protein ratio. In this episode of the DTC POD, Zach shares David's pre-launch and launch strategies, leading to 1M+ dollars…
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#343 - The ‘Clean Caffeine’ Revolution: How Plant Press is Energizing the Beverage Aisle
Ariana Farahani is the founder and CEO of Plant Press, a fast-growing functional beverage brand offering a healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks. In this episode of DTC Pod, Ariana shares her journey of developing Plant Press from a homemade recipe to a nationally distributed…
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#342 - Google Ads for Growth: How to Build, Test, and Scale Campaigns
Shri Kanase is the founder of Yoru Marketing, a boutique agency that specializes in Google Ads for e-commerce brands. Prior to this, he successfully scaled his e-commerce brands to over $3.5 million in four years. With extensive first hand experience, Shri has guided 23,000+ store owners via his...
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#341 - Amazon DSP Advertising: What Every Brand Needs to Know
Sam Lee is the Vice President of Amazon DSP at Trivium, a full-service Amazon agency. With a background spanning Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Amazon PPC, Sam has developed deep expertise in Amazon DSP and has successfully managed advertising for over 200 brands. In this episode of DTC Pod, Sam...
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#340 - AI Meets Skincare: Unicorn Beauty Powerhouse Dermalogica’s Formula for Global Success
Aurelian Lis is the CEO of Dermalogica, a global skincare brand rooted in skin treatment expertise. With a background in atomic physics, laser optics, and extensive experience in the cosmetics industry, Aurelian has led Dermalogica to significant growth and innovation since taking the helm...
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#339 - The Zen of Branding and Growth: How Recess Became the Chill Generation’s Go-To Beverage
Benjamin Witte is the founder and CEO of Recess, a beverage brand focused on creating products that promote relaxation and mental wellness. Inspired by the rise of functional ingredients like CBD, nootropics, and adaptogenic herbs, Benjamin saw an opportunity to pioneer a category of beverages…
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#338 - Growth Strategies from Co-founder of Unicorn Ro
Rob Schutz is the co-founder of the unicorn Ro, a healthcare company that initially offered ED medications and later expanded into other products and services for sexual health, weight loss, fertility, hair, and skin. Prior to Ro, Rob was instrumental in the exponential growth of BARK/BarkBox, a...
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#337 - From Amazon to TikTok: Navigating the Next E-Commerce Frontier
Mina Elias is a multiple 7-figure seller in the supplement industry, investor, Amazon PPC expert, and founder of Trivium Group, a full-service Amazon agency. With his extensive experience in helping brands thrive on Amazon, Mina brings valuable insights to the conversation around expanding to...
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#336 - Crowdsource Everything: How GORGIE Built a Brand with Community Power
Michelle Cordeiro Grant is an accomplished entrepreneur with a passion for creating innovative, community-based businesses. In 2016, she founded the intimates brand LIVELY and sold it three years later for $105 million. Following this successful exit, she pivoted to her next venture: GORGIE, a...
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#335 - Affiliate Marketing 2.0: Trends, Tools, and Tactics for E-commerce Success
Noah Tucker is the founder of Social Snowball, an automated affiliate and referral marketing platform for e-commerce that drives significant revenue for over 2,000 brands, including Solawave, Obvi, and Javy Coffee. In this episode of the DTC POD, Noah shares powerful strategies for brands to...
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#334 - The Fabric of a Brand: Hedley & Bennett’s Founder on Community, Finance, and Growth
Ellen Marie Bennett is the founder and chief brand officer of Hedley & Bennett, a culinary lifestyle brand that started as a B2B company, offering high-quality aprons to professional chefs, and later expanded both its product line (to include other kitchen items) and customer base (now largely...
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#333 - Investing in Organic Growth: Why, When & How with SEO Expert Josh Piepmeier
Josh Piepmeier helps challenger brands outperform their fiercest competitors by targeting the highest-volume, most profitable keywords in their industry. With his company Meriwether, he crafts strategic SEO campaigns that drive immediate profits and build long-term, sustainable growth. Josh’s SEO...
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#332 - Amazon Growth Tips from a Multi 7-Figure Seller: How to Increase Traffic, Clicks, and Conversions
Mina Elias is a multiple 7-figure Amazon FBA seller and renowned PPC expert. He is also the founder of Trivium Group, a company that helps brands navigate and dominate the Amazon marketplace. In this episode of DTC Pod, Mina details a holistic approach to enhancing the presence and profitability…
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#331 - Reimagining Creator Commerce with Fourthwall's Will Baumann
Will Baumann is the co-founder and CEO of Fourthwall, a company that empowers creators to sell products online without needing to be e-commerce experts. At Fourthwall, they handle sales tax, supply chain, customer support, and more so creators can focus on making content and growing their...
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The Ultimate Marketing Mix: An Omnichannel Approach to Winning Both Shelves and Screens
Colin Flood is the Vice President of Marketing at Unreal Snacks, a better-for-you chocolate brand with widespread distribution across numerous retailers in the United States and an established direct-to-consumer platform. At Unreal, Colin plays a pivotal role in scaling e-commerce and D2C...
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#329 - The Crystal Ball of Commerce: Predicting Trends with Next Big Shop’s Founders
David Hoffman and Samir Rayani co-founded Next Big Shop, where they leverage their expertise to analyze and interpret publicly available but hard-to-access e-commerce data for insights into retail success and product trends. As partners, they collaborate on developing data products that inform…
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#328 - The Mastermind Behind Seed’s Supply Chain & How to Design DTC Ops for Hypergrowth
John Morgan is the founder of Pelagic, a unique agency of top tier operators that helps brands tackle supply chain, logistics & operations. Prior to starting Pelagic, he served as VP of Ops at Seed Health where he built the infrastructure behind one of the fastest growing modern health brands....
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#327 - How Good Girl Snacks Captured Gen Z’s Heart (and Stomach) with Hot Girl Pickles
Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar are the co-founders of Good Girl Snacks, a company that has made a name for itself in the snack industry with a focus on creating modern, female-oriented branding, particularly with their product "Hot Girl Pickles." Leah and Yasaman launched their brand by...
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#326 - Disruptive Sips: Building Iconic Beverage Brands from Scratch with Christopher Hunter
Christopher Hunter is a seasoned entrepreneur best known for creating Four Loko, a caffeinated alcoholic beverage that caused a stir across college campuses and beyond. Currently, he serves as the CEO of Koia, a leading plant-based protein drink company that has achieved over $100 million in…
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#325 - The Art of Modern Retail: Kellen Roland on Strategy, AI, and Mentorship
Kellen Roland served as first CEO of JOOPITER alongside Pharrel Williams and VP of Sales of Herschel Supply Co, and brings 18+ years of expertise in the luxury and consumer sectors. He has a triple role as a founder, investor, and strategic advisor. He fosters business growth through insightful...
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From 1 Kitchen to 25,000 Supermarkets: How Loren Castle's Cookie Dough Recipe Became a US Household Brand
Loren Castle is an entrepreneur and the founder of Sweet Loren's, a brand specializing in ready-to-bake cookie dough that is plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free, and non-GMO. After being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 22, Loren Castle was motivated to create a line of sweets that...
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#323 - The Brand Whisperer: Revealing the Tactics behind Your Favorite DTC Brands with Emmett Shine
Emmett Shine is the creative genius behind Pattern, taking the lead in shaping the narratives and aesthetics of its seven brands. He also co-founded a creative agency, Gin Lane, and oversaw its evolution in parallel with the burgeoning startup ecosystem that came to define New York's landscape.…
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#322 - 8 Simple Frameworks to Grow a Massively Profitable Consumer Brand with Sabir Semerkant
Our conversation with growth strategist Sabir Semerkant is filled with actionable insights on thriving in the e-commerce landscape. Sabir’s approach to e-commerce growth is holistic. He emphasizes constant improvement and a strong understanding of one's business foundations. His advice invites...
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#321 - How Mila Nailed Success: The 20 Million Dumplings Club
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...
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#320 - Sipping Success: How Andrew Huberman Is Crafting a Healthier Caffeine Fix with Nicolas Beaupré
In this episode of DTC Pod, Nicolas Beaupré illuminates the strategies that propelled Mateina's growth in the North American market, where the lure of yerba mate was still largely undiscovered. He emphasizes the crucial role of grassroots efforts like word-of-mouth endorsements and community...
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#319 - From Building a 9-Figure Menswear Brand to Redefining Baby Monitors
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…
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About this show
DTC POD is a podcast about all things direct to consumer. We cover everything for starting, growing, and optimizing eCommerce stores and DTC (or D2C) brands. We talk with founders, marketers, platforms, creators and marketing & growth agencies to cover topics like brand building, social media, influencer marketing, website conversion, paid media, Facebook ads, consumer trends, email marketing, and more.If you're interested in the stories behind your favorite consumer brands, this podcast is for you.
Hosted by
Ramon Berrios, Blaine Bolus
Categories