Ian Wynne

Struggling with DTC cash flow? The real problem isn’t ads or inventory. It’s your retention. Here’s why For most DTC founders, cash is stuck in two places: - Acquisition - You pay upfront for ads. - Inventory - You pay upfront for stock. And retention impacts both. Most brands barely break even on the first purchase. Even if you do, there’s nothing left to reinvest. So you keep spending more on acquisition… …but the cash coming in never catches up. It’s the same with inventory. Without predictable repeat demand, you’re either: Overstocked or understocked With your existing customers, your marketing costs are negligible (not zero, but close) And when repeat customers reorder, your inventory turnover speeds up, your cash cycle shortens, and your growth compounds. For CPG brands, anything less than a 40% 90-day repeat purchase rate means you are bleeding cash. Most CPG brands don’t even break even on the first purchase. So without retention, you’ll always struggle with cash flow. Ads take cash out. Retention brings cash back. Want to fix your repeat purchase rate? reach out in DM

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Want to get your own local backlinks? Here’s EXACTLY how I’d do it if I ran a roofing company in Boca Raton, FL: Identify top-tier local publications:  → Sun-Sentinel  → Boca Raton Tribune  → South Florida Business Journal Reach out and ask about sponsored content  → You’re not buying an ad—you’re buying a backlink  → Expect $150–$500 for placement 💡 Reality check: Most local newspapers & blogs are dying breeds they’re starving for revenue. That means they’re more willing than ever to say yes. The goal:  ✓ Do-follow backlink  ✓ Anchor like “roofing contractor in Boca Raton”  ✓ Link in the article body—not in a weak author bio Article angle matters:  → “5 Signs Your Roof Won’t Survive a Florida Hurricane”  → Make it local, helpful, and newsworthy  → Mention recent storms or code changes Once it’s live:  → Share it in Facebook groups & HOA newsletters  → Use it in Google Ads remarketing  → Add “As Seen In” credibility to your homepage 🧠 This isn’t just SEO. It’s local brand building. It’s authority. It’s long-term leverage for $300. You’re not “paying for links.” You’re buying DIGITAL REAL ESTATE 💪

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IF a DTC founder acted like an affiliate, they'd have 3x more cash. IF a service-based founder acted like a DTC operator, they'd have more leads then they could handle. IF a high-ticket program founder acted like a service based biz, they'd have referrals & never get sued. I've done all 3. The answers to your problems already exist. You just need to do the right actions.

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Here’s my go to market plan for a hemp Bev company wanting to scale DTC today - Tech & Brand Foundation - Shopify website; simple theme - Klaviyo for retention - Product photography & 3D renders - Clear voice & tone guidelines; what’s the story. Don’t just say it’s a lemonade to not get a hangover. This matters more than the look & feel at this point - Setup pixels on your website for Meta, Reddit etc - Setup Social Snowball for affiliates & influencers - Google Search Console / Bing Webmaster & SEMRush to track your SEO. - Triple Whale for attribution - Elevar to enhance data to send more flows to new customers. - Recharge for subscriptions - JudgeMe for reviews. - Wholesale Groilla if you want to do B2B as well (without upgrading to Shopify +) Yes Shopify is the death by as thousand apps ($300-400 easy) GTM - Seed 50-100 people with product. Choose 2-4 unique angles / hooks. Generate ton of UGC to test later & get early social proof - Choose 1-2 strategic towns to focus on. Provide drinks to key influencers in these towns; based on your market demo & encourage social sharing etc. - Do popups at venues that allow & align - Win retail in small areas - Begin top of funnel media campaigns focused on driving consumers to store. Offer an incentive. Capture email along funnel. - Call every customer you can, record all the calls, dig into things that matter (flavor, brand, messaging etc) & build a database to help tweak. - create localized category / location pages to help with SEO. - Know your margins & numbers. It’s likely you’ll lose money on first sale; so track LTV closely & really understand who is your VIP customer & why. - Laucnh small campaigns on Meta & Reddit to test the ads you built. Understand how it works & doesn’t work yourself. Media buying isn’t hard anymore; it’s the creative process that is. But it can be hard to pay someone to figure it out bc may take a while & could get expensive. - Install Microsoft Clairty to get user journey data on the site. Take initial conversion rate after 3-6 months of data & find a conversion rate specialist & have them spend a few hours auditing & offering ideas. Then slowly test them. - Segment audience best you can for emailing as list grows. VIP customers get one message. New customers get a different. Etc - Offer a sampler pack for a reduced rate to encourage early adoption. Try and win ever customer back thru email & outreach. Do what doesn’t scale early to scale. Focusing on smaller / specific geographical areas will improve chances of winning & then use it as a case study to go win more local areas.

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𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗽, 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗣 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟰 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀. Tomorrow's board meeting looms. They want to know why DTC revenue is down 18%. They don't want to hear about your 500 unqualified applicants or the two "perfect fits" who ghosted after round three. You put on the confident face. "We're handling it internally while we find the right leader." But internally? You're drowning. 🔻 The freelancer you hired last month just increased their rate 🔻 Your team is burned out 🔻 That recruiter who promised "top-tier talent" sent you someone who thinks Shopify Plus is a subscription box This isn't just about missing revenue. It's about you working 70-hour weeks while your kids ask why you missed another dinner. It's about wondering if leadership is one bad quarter away from "restructuring" your role. It's about carrying the weight of that last bad hire who cost you $200K and six months of momentum. You're not failing. The system is. Post-and-pray recruiting doesn't work for transformational roles. Neither does hoping the perfect candidate stumbles across your LinkedIn job post between 200 others. What actually works: 🔹 Building targeted pipelines before you need them 🔹 Embedding interim talent Day 1 while you hire right 🔹 Using scorecards that predict performance, not pedigree You didn't get to your level by doing things halfway. Stop recruiting that way. What's keeping you working past midnight – missing targets or missing talent?

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The 4 types of affiliate partners every B2B SaaS should have (Part 1): I think a lot of ppl make the mistake of just going all in one review sites, or YouTubers, and it puts you at a lot of risk, and means you’re not EVERYWHERE in the buying process. But if you want your affiliate program to scale SUSTAINABLY and dominate every channel and stage of buyer awarenesss - you need em ALL. The 4 main types of partners every SaaS should have: 1. Community Leaders / Course Owners So underrated, and just because they’re harder to win and need more salesmanship to onboard than review sites, lazy people don’t work these leads enough. These are the affiliates with TRUST. Skool communities crush. Discords, newsletters + Substacks, Circle groups, and especially courses where the audience is learning what to do in B2B and will follow their every recommendation also crush. Every impression is worth literally 100x the value of some other types of traffic. What they need to convert: ✅ A long-term relationship, not a one-off deal - and a LOT more time to put these deals together. These are PROPER collaborations, not just sponsored one-off posts. ✅ Custom assets or training materials for their students/community ✅ If you can do a webinar for their community then you’re $$$. Works best if you’re involved as the founder as the knowledge of the product + specifics you know convert better. Give them a time-limited, community-specific benefit that they have to take within 3 days to get the deal. 2. Review Sites These can cover every step of the buying process from TOFU to BOFU, depending on the keywords they’re ranking for. These are the affiliates that help you win buyer-intent searches. In SaaS, these are keywords like “{Your competitor} alternatives” or “Best {Your niche} software.” Or higher in the funnel, they’re “How to do cold email”, or “How to put your sales CRM together”. What they need to convert: ✅ Clear data (pricing, features, screenshots) they can use in their content ✅ A super-high target landing page conversion rate, so your EPC crushes your competitors (or just massive sponsorship budgets) ✅ Assets if they’re willing to put a banner on homepage/sidebar or general creatives + screenshots they can add in the blog post Manually searching for these review sites is really boring and slow though. I recommend using AffiliateFinder.ai to find all the publishers ranking for all your industry’s main keywords, as well as the top YouTubers and IG creators in your niche. ...Basically, the best affiliate programs aren’t built on one partner type. Balance them like an investment portfolio… a mix of creators, reviewers, and evangelists who all drive growth from different angles and all the way through the stages of awareness for your SaaS :) (Will cover part 2 in tomorrow's post as I exceeded the maximum Linkedin character limit with the original post lol)

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I just watched BlueTex Insulations go from $33K to $137K monthly with one launch strategy most sellers get completely wrong. No giveaways. No external traffic tricks. No "hacks." Just a systematic PPC approach that most agencies overcomplicate into oblivion. Here's the truth about Amazon launches: everyone obsesses over campaign structures while ignoring what actually drives velocity. The 4-part system that separates winning launches from expensive experiments: Part #1: Get data before you scale Start lean with multiple targeting types across Sponsored Products, Brands, and Display. The goal isn't immediate profit - it's finding what converts. Sales velocity + conversion signals = ranking momentum. Part #2: Fix your click-through rate first Low CTR equals wasted spend and zero rankings. Use Brand Analytics to find your CTR benchmark, then test primary images until you're above it. One image test nearly doubled our CTR and spiked daily sales instantly. Part #3: Launch with layers, not single campaigns Forget the old advice about single-keyword exact match at top-of-search. We layer: - Broad match campaigns for scalable, cheaper wins - Auto campaigns for keyword discovery   - Sponsored Brand Video for low-CPC rank pushes - Product targeting to win on weaker listings - Brand defense to block competitors You're not building one campaign - you're building a system. Part #4: Daily optimization is non-negotiable Your first 30-45 days determine everything. Tweak bids. Cut losers. Feed winners. Adjust listing creative as new data flows in. The early phase feels volatile but done right, it smooths into sustainable scale. Most launches fail because sellers follow outdated playbooks or chase the latest "hack." This worked because we built a campaign system, not a tactic stack. Ready to build a launch system that actually works? DM me "Gigabrands Growth Engine" and I'll show you what's missing from your approach. #Amazon #AmazonPPC #Ecommerce

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Most affiliates are making a critical mistake in Pay-Per-Call. They're chasing volume instead of quality. But here's what top performers know... Quality inbound calls are the foundation of sustainable PPC revenue. We're seeing the best results in: → Debt services → Medicare enrollment → Home improvement Why these verticals work: • High intent callers • Better conversion rates • Longer customer lifetime value • Increased payout potential The affiliates' crushing it focus on: 1. Clean traffic sources 2. Inbound-only campaigns 3. Zero transfers 4. Compliance-first approach This isn't about quick wins. It's about building legitimate, scalable systems that last. Our network is actively seeking partners who understand this philosophy. Real businesses. Real callers. Real results. That's what sustainable Pay-Per-Call is built on. #PayPerCall #LeadGeneration #AffiliateMarketing #DirectResponse

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Most affiliate programs don’t fail because affiliates ignore them. They fail because the program launches unfinished. Low commissions, weak conversion, unclear positioning, and no plan for partner mix create a program no serious partner wants to touch. Coupon sites apply because they are the only ones who can make it work. Affiliate marketing is not broken. Program readiness is.

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If you're running DTC Growth you better know what your CAC should be during BFCM.   And no, it isn't be the same as your "normal" CAC target.   Why? Because you need to take into account a lower Gross Margin to account for discounts and GWPs.   Simple math 👇  I have a $100 product. My cost of delivery (COD) that includes COGs, shipping & fulfillment is $30.   My normal GM is 70% (100-30/100).   My CAC is $50 so all-in I make $20 on my first purchase (100-30-50) and my first purchase contribution margin is 20%.   If I now discount that product by 20% my product price dropped to $80 but my COD didn't change. It still costs me $30 to produce and ship the product.   So now my GM is 62.5% (80-30/80) and I'm making $0 after CAC.   If I had just applied the 70% GM to the $80 price point, I would have been doing the math wrong and assuming I still make money with the same CAC.   And if you're like most businesses, the LTV of the BFCM consumer is going to be lower than the non-BFCM consumer. And although the volume of this cohort is huge in comparison, you probably don't want to lose money on it.   Want a quick calculator and how-to video that helps you do this? Comment "BFCM" below and I'll shoot it your way! 

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Same sale, recorded twice. It’s a common problem (and it’s hurting your books). If you’re selling on Shopify and collecting payments through PayPal or Stripe chances are your accounting system might be double-booking revenue. We see this all the time. Two systems reporting the same sale, and suddenly your revenue is inflated, your books are off, and your financial reports aren’t telling the real story. The fix? Set up an Inter-App Clearing Account to track each transaction cleanly and avoid overstating your numbers. We break down how it works in our blog (link in comments). Think you have this issue? We can run a quick and free audit of your accounting platform for you. Just send me a DM. #Ecommerce #AccountingTips #ShopifyAccounting #RevenueRecognition #Bookkeep

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These Product Hunt Launches FLOPPED (Pitch Them ASAP) Startups overcomplicate spend months of prep, waste thousands on details, and still completely flop on Product Hunt... ending up embarrassed, desperate, and anxious to fix it fast. Here's how you capitalize on their panic (step-by-step): 1. Grab Fresh Product Hunt Launches Connect directly to the Product Hunt API to pull a daily list of all new product launches. Automate this using n8n (a no-code workflow automation tool), so it runs every morning without your input. 2. Identify Recently Funded Companies Take each startup from your daily Product Hunt list and search funding news via Serper (Google API). Use simple queries like: "[Company Name]" raises funding site:techcrunch.com OR site:prnewswire.com Let ChatGPT (OpenAI API) parse and confirm these funding announcements to make sure leads are worth your time. 3. Generate Outreach-Ready Leads Keep only confirmed recently-funded companies, ensuring they're qualified, eager leads. Run these leads through a lead enrichment tool (Findymail) to instantly gather verified contact information (CEO, founder, marketing lead). Export this fully enriched list straight into your existing outbound email or CRM system. Now you've built a system that consistently surfaces high-ticket opportunities: well-funded startups desperate for someone to save their failed launches. But here’s the real play: When you join AB Mastermind, you get this for free. Here's the video:

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Your email and SMS aren’t the problem... ↳ Your website is. A DTC founder asked me: “How do we get more revenue from email and SMS?” They had: → Campaigns running → Flows set up → Best practices in place Still, performance was flat. So we looked under the hood. Their site conversion rate? 0.3%. That means: → 50,000 monthly visitors → 150 orders → Thousands left on the table Now imagine a 1% CR: → 500 orders → 3x the revenue → Zero changes to email Here’s the truth most ignore: Email and SMS drive clicks. But if your site doesn’t convert, retention won’t save you. Fixing email isn’t the answer. Fixing your funnel is. This is why retention doesn’t work in a silo. Your acquisition, website, and lifecycle strategy must work together. That’s exactly how we do it at Everboost.

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