Issue 197: the dtc brands that win are FLEXIBLE

+ TOF, MOF and BOF are Marketing 101

June 12, 2025

| THE INTRO

Funny how we all left the 9–5 to “build freedom,” only to chain ourselves to Slack, Google Sheets, and the relentless pursuit of 2% CVR lifts. Somewhere, a monk is laughing.

React Love GIF by Beauty and the Geek Australia

Not that kinda monk. (Australians will get this.)

| TWEET OF THE WEEK

Turns out the DTC brand that wins isn’t the smartest—it’s the one that wants it most.

Karta Ventures breaks down why edge in this game comes from obsession, not IQ.

It’s about faster execution, tighter feedback loops, and hunger that doesn’t sleep.

If you’re tired of being outplayed by someone with worse creative and a smaller budget…

| YOUTUBE UNIVERSITY

Building Systems To Make Banger Ads

| TOGETHER WITH PORTLESS

You waited for tariff relief, but now summer sales are in danger of slipping away.

While your inventory sits in transit, you're not just losing time, you're missing prime selling days, tying up precious capital, and paying tariffs before you've even made a sale.

Portless changes this:

  • 6-day China-to-customer shipping (with a total domestic experience)

  • Tariff deferment (only pay when items sell)

  • 3-5 day restocks on best-selling products

Turn stalled shipments into summer sales and start shipping in as little as a week.

Schedule a risk assessment today and save this season before it’s too late.

| QUICK SHOTS

Fan Bi: Can a skincare brand run like SaaS? Bamboo Earth is making a compelling case.

Jeremy Horowitz: True Classic has THE MOST OPTIMIZED cart I’ve ever seen:

Ash Melwani: Zuckerberg isn’t just upgrading Meta Ads. He plans to eliminate the need for buyers, strategists, and creatives. Completely.

Rok Hladnik: Meta Value Rules are coming to your ad accounts in the next two weeks

Alex Fedotoff: If you’re doing everything yourself, enjoy stagnant and broke business.

| HERE FOR THE MEMES

| AND IN OTHER NEWS…

CMOs increase AI investments: Here’s what the numbers say

Compared to a year ago, more marketers plan to invest at least $10 million in generative artificial intelligence, per Boston Consulting Group’s research.

4 takeaways from the relaunched Stockholm Fashion Week

Stockholm Fashion Week returned this month after a six-year hiatus. We talk to the organisers, brands and Swedish fashion community about what it will take to scale the re-emerging platform.

What Comes After Adidas’ Samba?

The women’s sneaker market is growing alongside rising interest in women’s sports and casualised dress codes that prioritise comfort. Yet there’s more to addressing female sneaker shoppers than just releasing another trendy low-profile silhouette.

Signet Jewelers sales up 2% in Q1 earnings results

Signet Jewelers earnings for Q1 also came with new full-year guidance and an update on the impact from tariffs.

After No Funding For Years, These Startups Recently Scooped Up Big Rounds

In 2021, scores of companies nabbed big rounds at valuations that turned out to be overly optimistic. In the following years many didn’t raise new funding, but in recent months some of the more patient startups finally clinched fresh funds. We take a look.

| GET LINKED

How NOWADAYS created a safe and user-friendly product | Ashvin Melwani posted on the topic | LinkedIn

What happens when you create a product that’s safe and designed with the consumer in mind? You eliminate the fear of a bad experience. NOWADAYS nailed it with their microdose concept, ensuring that new users feel confident and informed. It’s all about driving interest, educating, and letting the product speak for itself.

| RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE & SERVICES

  • Doss is an adaptive ERP that connects your fragmented systems and data into a single source of truth for orders, inventory, procurement, and finance. Skip the lengthy implementations, massive upfront costs, and business disruption of traditional ERPs. Go live in weeks with free implementation and start scaling immediately. Book a demo.

  • "Good enough" can quietly kill your ability to scale. If your influencer program's gaining traction (congrats!), you don't need "good enough"; you need the best.  Enter Modash, the influencer marketing platform built for Shopify brands. It helps you scale recruitment, comms, logistics, and tracking without a bloated price tag. Try for free for 14 days.

  • Your bank wasn’t built for eCom. Highbeam is. Traditional banks offer clunky software, slow support, and zero return on idle cash. Highbeam is for brands doing $500k+ on Shopify, Amazon, and more. No account fees, no wire charges, automated cash tools, yield on idle cash, and smart credit. Everything you need to run a leaner eCom business. Explore Highbeam for Merchants.

| STAT ATTACK

| THE OUTRO

What did we think? Solid gold? Or stinkeroo? Please lodge your comments with the necessary department HERE.

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