Don't VLOOKUP

Meet Jerel - Head of Growth at TUSHY. We dive into scaling a high-AOV, education-heavy category, measuring brand like performance, and navigating Amazon + AI search in 2026.TakeawaysEducation is the primary growth constraint. Most consumers don’t understand bidets, so TUSHY invests heavily in reducing friction (installation, features, bowl types) before pushing conversion.Brand activations are measured, not hoped for. Their OOH “Asshole Trucks” use geo-fencing, exposed vs. control testing, and retargeting to quantify lift and downstream impact.Channel interplay matters. Top-of-funnel drives halo to Amazon, and budget flexes toward high-intent capture when margins tighten.LLM visibility is the new SEO battleground. TUSHY actively monitors rankings in ChatGPT and Gemini and builds content to defend or win query share.Contribution margin is the true operating KPI. With a durable product and low repeat rate, LTV ≈ first order — so daily contribution margin and incrementality guide spend decisions.

Meet Morry Mitrani - ex-Bumble, BPN and now @ BelliWelli. We dive into the interplay between different sales channels, the impact of TikTok Shop, and the role of affiliates in testing creative. TakeawaysConsumer subscription is a key focus for Morry, and he emphasizes the importance of optimizing for subscription at first purchase.The interplay between different sales channels, such as DTC, Amazon, and TikTok Shop, is a crucial consideration for growth marketing strategies. Brand influence is crucial for effective marketing strategies.Finance alignment is essential for effective budget allocation and performance evaluation.Human storytelling remains a strong growth lever in marketing strategies.Subscription is a significant Northstar KPI for retention and habit formation.

Wyatt Lowe, VP of Growth at MaryRuth Organics, unpacks how to build a high-output, omni-channel growth engine. From revamping media mix models to measuring the halo effect of TikTok and Meta on retail, Wyatt shares the data-first tactics fueling their nine-figure brand.

Kristin Swarek, CFO and COO of Caden Lane, shares how she bridges finance, operations, and marketing to build a profitable and scalable DTC brand. From leveraging contribution margin to inform marketing decisions to ensuring operational efficiency at scale, Kristin offers a unique perspective on running a nine-figure eCommerce business.

Steph Liu, founder and CEO of Levitate Foundry, shares how she built the largest female-founded Shopify Plus agency in North America. She breaks down performance marketing trends, TikTok Shop strategies, and why profitability is the most critical North Star for brands today.

Ankur Goyal, VP of Growth at Coterie, discusses scaling a high-retention subscription business, optimizing customer acquisition through data-driven insights, and refining messaging to drive brand awareness and long-term customer value.

Christina Blaisdell Oyler⁠, GM of DTC and VP of eCommerce at Hero Bread, shares insights on scaling a CPG brand, navigating direct-to-consumer growth, and using data to refine branding, pricing, and retail expansion strategies

Ovadia tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on how to run a profitable DTC business from the get go. From a clever working capital setup with their suppliers to free up operating cash to setting ROAS targets through well calculated unit economics down to contribution margin, Ovadia and team have been able to scale TPJ to a much larger opportunity than they even expected. All the while keeping the brand lighthearted and staying away from mass opinions in the DTC twitter fray.

Taylor talks to Bar and Will about how she went from healthcare to selling truck beds, AI's role in Walled Garden advertising, how to excel in eComm without sales or discounting, and so much more...

Before CommerceNext week, Teddy talks to Calvin Lammers about organizing omnichannel data, the role of creators in the personal care space, and how KPIs evolve as you invest in retail.

Sarah sat down with Will and Teddy to talk about how DTC brands can build confidence in testing TV, how to measure media mix without a tool, and more.

David Baker sits down with us to talk about how his start in politics led him down the path of the digital ecosystem, the differences in maturity for enterprise omnichannel brands vs. DTC brands, and how the 2024 election year impacts the ads market. Subscribe for more in depth writeup here: https://dontvlookup.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PHkwaWg3mT

We sit down with first-time founder, Sam Cox to chat through her journey from pre-launch, to raising capital and most recently being featured on Shark Tanks Season 15 finale. Some highlights: 7:05 - Bulletproof de-risk launch strategy so you don't lose all your money 17:07 price testing and how to use psychology to drive higher pricing.   19:49 how to drive higher subscription rates by decreasing the subscription quantity  22:17 how to leverage surveys to learn from your customers and drive product adoption 26:15 How to measure Amazon 32:13 North Star - Contribution margin.  37:07 CX as a sales channel 

Simon Wool sits down with us LIVE at DTSki Aspen to talk about his experience as a Fractional CMO for eCommerce brands. Subscribe for more in depth writeup here: https://dontvlookup.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PHkwaWg3mT

Connor Dault sits down with us to talk about how Caraway’s growth team is leaning in to (or moving around) the latest trends in the industry. For more in depth writeup and insights subscribe here: https://dontvlookup.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PHkwaWg3mT

We sit down with Joe to chat about how the finance functions helps to build operational efficiency and scale within organizations ranging from $50M - $2 billion in sales. Subscribe to https://dontvlookup.beehiiv.com/ to read more about our featured guests.

How many former management consultants do you know went to business school (many actually), but then ended up at a hyper-growth crochet kits for beginners eComm brand (rare, very rare). 24/7 finance and consulting people this one is a treat as Audrey Cao, Head of Marketing @ The Woobles, highlights the freedoms of working in a startup culture that can also still be extremely growth and data-driven. Yet Audrey hasn’t lost her consulting roots as she provides some very tactical advice around survey design that directly leads to customer actions and tangible ROI.

We sit down with Jon to chat about all things TikTok Shops, how practicing medicine and e-commerce are actually very similar and common pitfalls he sees amongst brands

Will and Teddy sat down with Cherene to discuss how her past career stops have informed her current leadership approach at ILIA Beauty, as well as the skills and traits she looks for in great eComm operators.

Celina Wong is the current CEO of data consultancy Data Culture, and previously the Head of Data for 3 consumer startups, 2 of which were acquired, including TULA Skincare by P&G. She discusses how to build high-performing data teams & cultures, including breaking down the barriers between various functions.

We dive into the exact financial framework and reporting Connor uses to scale Hexclad into a 9-figure buisness.

Mike tells us how the Canopy team's mastery of quantitative and qualitative data analysis led to "not just another" humidifier, and chats through putting data at the heart of product design

Don Pawlowski is the VP of Engineering & Digital Product for Sundays for Dogs, a hyper-growth human-grade dog food business. In this edition of Don't V*LOOKUP, he tells us how an agile digital product team serves as a competitive advantage.

Ben sat down with us to chat about how marketers can team up with P&L-minded peers to better optimize their marketing efforts, and so much more.

Kyle joins the Don't V*LOOKUP crew to discuss a range of alternative channels that have been critical to BYLT Basics' top-of-funnel growth and pathway to new, high-LTV customers.

How SMS became a core channel for @Chomps and tips from Zoe Kahn on overcoming data literacy hurdles.

How Brumate leverages Meta's GeoLift tool to test the effectiveness of frequency and reach campaigns across online and offline sales channels.

What is a Wall Street word doing in eComm? Mike Mallazzo of Forum Brands tells us how it may be a DTC operator's next unlock.

Stephen Racano is the Head of Growth at Geologie, a personalized skin, hair & body care brand. In this edition of Don't V*LOOKUP, he tells us why data accuracy and integrity is at the heart of making good decisions to grow an eComm business.