It’s go time.
The last thing you need is more “to-dos.”
So, instead … today’s newsletter is entirely different from anything else we’ve sent.
🎁 Katy Mimari on how to not be OOO this holiday season
🏆 Jason Panzer on how to keep things simple with one rule
🤑 Cody Plofker on how to make more money per purchase
Plus, this week’s top-5 headlines in consumer news with links and executive summaries.
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Katy Mimari
Founder & CEO, Caden Lane
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Not OOO: Why & How to Bring Your (Holiday) Work Home
Becoming an adult is realizing your parents were the holiday magic — hanging decorations, baking cookies, creating traditions, staying up late to watch Christmas movies.
It was always them.
As we lean into our busiest time of year, I’m reminded what we do out of office matters far more than what we do within.
The thing is …
Very few of us will be OOO this week or next.
Instead, we’ve been training all year for the days ahead — analyzing, measuring, testing, adjusting, planning, and launching.
My anxiety over Black Friday, Cyber Monday started moments after the last. Next year needs to be bigger, better, more profitable, more spectacular! For 12 months, I piled on the pressure. The best way to describe November is a sprint of daily chaos in every part of my business.
Not even a deep-tissue massage could come close to releasing a fraction of the tension in my body.
Sound about right?
The holidays are stressful enough. Add in the biggest five days of revenue your company will have all year, and no amount of pumpkin pie can take the edge off.
We’re told over and over to “set realistic expectations” or “create boundaries with family and friends.”
That’s much easier to say than do.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll refresh your Shopify store every 10 minutes because it’s a close second high to your wedding day or the birth of your children.
The reality is that it’s our high — not our family’s. And yet, year after year, I’ve been practicing a healthy balance of both.
“How?” you ask. Wine and little sleep.
Since we won’t truly be out of office, let’s bring the best of our holiday work home.
Communication
Our partners can’t read minds. In particular, husbands.
Although we know they are aware of Black Friday, I think it’s important that we communicate what’s happening in our businesses to our families.
The more I share — especially in my excitement — the more my family has learned to love the rush. “Mom, what are your sales at now?” makes my heart jump every time I hear it.
Involve your family. Share the excitement.
This isn’t a job; it’s our passion. And our loved ones will be so happy to see us excited, too!
Gratitude
In this season of thankfulness, joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
So please don’t forget to thank your significant other for handling the stress and preparation that comes along with making your Thanksgiving memorable.
Many of us live in a state of anxiety as we manage the demands + distractions that characterize our fast-paced jobs.
But if you can, steal a few free moments to look around at your family and friends. Take joy in the life you’ve worked so hard to create. Be grateful for the amazing humans in it.
Grace
Give yourself some grace to enjoy the success. Did you ever dream you’d be hitting those numbers?
If your holiday sale flops, give yourself a double dose. I’ve had plenty of those times myself.
Most importantly, remember …
We’re all figuring this stuff out together!
I know as much about running a business as I do about parenting — I’m just trying to be my best version of both.
And if your mother-in-law pipes up because you have to step away, turn on your Shopify notifications before coming back. Let those cha-chings drown her out with the volume coming in.
Katy Mimari is the founder and CEO of Caden Lane — a nine-figure DTC baby brand — a wife, and a mom to five kids. She’s appeared three times on the Operators Podcast.
Her latest episode, She Tore Down Her Brand to Build a $100M+ Empire, was the first in our Operators Titans series.
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Cody Plofker
CEO, Jones Road Beauty
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Earn More From the Checkout You Already Have
I used to think the payment page was untouchable. Change it, and conversions suffer.
Then I tested Rokt Pay+ and saw something rare.
Conversion stayed exactly the same.
But we started earning pure profit on every order.
What is it? Rokt Pay+ adds a simple, native option from wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay.
- No redirects
- No design changes
- Just found money
Jones Road Beauty, Raycon, and MoonBrew earn 15–20 cents in profit per checkout by doing this.
Want to see what your brand could make?
As an Operators-only exclusive, take a meeting with Aftersell by Rokt before Nov 28th … and they’ll give you a $200 gift card!
↑ For US-based Shopify stores with +$5M annual site revenue
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Jason Panzer
President, HexClad
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How to Keep Expansion Simple With One Rule to Follow
I like to keep things simple.
When we’re talking about channel expansion, go where your customers are. What does that mean?
Choose your channels based on the places …
Your business can sell your products to your customers most efficiently.
Every brand is different.
Take Dr. Squatch. Josh Friedman and his team grew it from sub-$10M in 2019, to over $100M in 2020, to a $1.5B acquisition this year. They did it through DTC. They did it through retail. They did it with Facebook ads. They did it with TV ads.
So everyone should grow their business through retail and DTC sales using Facebook and TV advertising, right?
Wrong!
Dr. Squatch sells soap. That’s fundamentally a retail product with high LTV and low shipping costs, making DTC just as viable.
For HexClad, there aren’t a lot of retailers willing to stock a 20-pound cookware box.
Customers + Product Reality = Channels
HexClad started in Costco doing roadshows.
Why? Because we have a highly demonstrable product where the value proposition really needed to be explained.
That’s marketing-sales-channel fit.
You know where else you can demonstrate products effectively?
In an unskippable AppLovin ad, TV ad, or YouTube ad. Also, in Meta ads and on TikTok, if the content is compelling.
When we went online, we were Meta first. Then Google, because it’s low-hanging fruit. Eventually, we rolled out TikTok and X. We’re all over YouTube.
Now, we’re everywhere.
We have a huge budget. We’re doing podcasts, out-of-home, direct mail, TV, all those places.
However, from a sales channel perspective … we are still DTC and Amazon.
Everyone is going to Amazon. The debate about whether or not to sell on Amazon is hopefully dead. There’s no question that if you’re a DTC brand, you need to be on Amazon.
If you can’t make the margins work, you have a bigger problem.
There’s been a trend of brands going to retail because their DTC efficiency was declining. That’s not a good strategy.
You’re not going to solve a margin problem by giving half of it away to a retailer.
Efficiency & One Question
In terms of marketing and advertising, you want to be everywhere your customers are … if you can do it efficiently.
You also have to scale your business smart.
There’s only so much that you and your team can handle.
New channels — there’s a lot of talk about TikTok Shop. Who is it going to work for? Is it going to work for your brand?
No matter who you are, no matter what your brand is, you are different. You have to look at what everyone else is doing and start by asking …
“Why is this wrong for me?”
Don’t ask yourself why it might be right. Ask why it could be wrong.
Go where your customers are.
Not where everyone else’s customers are. Not where everyone else is talking about.
The Future Is Members-Only Fashion Brands With Jon Buscemi
AI & the Future of CX: Lean Teams, Better Workflows & New Revenue Levers With Richpanel’s Amit RG
Evolving Creative for Meta’s Andromeda and the Opportunity of Mobile Game Ads (Bonus Episode)
Curated by the editor of CPG Wire, this week’s biggest headlines in consumer news.
1. TRIP Valuation Jumps to $300M: PR Newswire
TRIP, a fast-growing player in the relaxation beverage category, secured $40M in funding as the company’s valuation hit $300M. Coefficient Capital led the round while a number of celebs like Joe Jonas, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paul Wesley also participated. Led by co-founder & CEO Olivia Ferdi, TRIP is on pace to deliver $100M in annual revenue this year.
Another relaxation beverage brand, Recess, raised $30M from CAVU in October.
2. Manna Tree Backs Plant People: PR Newswire
Colorado-based private equity firm Manna Tree made a significant minority investment in Plant People, a clean gummy supplements brand. Founded in 2018, Plant People recently launched nationwide at Target and annual revenue jumped 95% year-over-year. For Manna Tree, this is their earliest revenue-stage investment. Other investments include Good Culture, Vital Farms, and New Primal.
3. Estee Lauder Backs Mexican Fragrance Brand: The Industry
Estee Lauder announced a minority investment in XINÚ, a Mexican luxury fragrance brand that launched in 2017. Lately, Estee Lauder has been investing in emerging fragrance brands from around the world, including Vyrao in the UK and Melt Season from China. Other fragrance brands like Amouage, Documents, Bibbi, and The 7 Virtues also received backing from strategic beauty players like L’Oreal and Natura & Co.
4. Edgewell Sells Feminine Care Biz for $340M: Reuters
Edgewell, the owner of Schick, Edge, and Billie, is selling its feminine care unit for $340M. The buyer is Essity AB, a Swedish conumer health giant with operations in 150 countries. Brands included in the transaction are Playtex, Stayfree, Carefree, and O.B. Edgewell is divesting the unit in order to focus on personal care and cosmetics.
5. Lucky Energy Raises More Funding: Athletech News
Lucky Energy raised another $25M in funding, bringing its total funding to over $60M in two years. Richard Laver, who previously co-founded and sold Kate Farms, launched Lucky Energy in the summer of 2023. Paine Schwartz Partners led the round while Joyance Partners, Sequel, and a handful of strategic angels followed on. Lucky Energy is gearing up to launch at Walmart, Sheetz, and Cumberland Farms in December.
BIG THANKS
To everyone who supported the launch of our Operator Guide to Channel Expansion on social …
I cannot express my profound gratitude.
You have no idea how hard I have to work just to get a fraction of the engagement Sean Frank generates by whipping out a few (heartfelt) memes 😂
If you’ve downloaded the guide and found it helpful, don’t hesitate to say nice things.
With thanks and anticipation,
Aaron Orendorff 🤓
Chief Content Officer
Disclaimer: Special thanks to Aftersell by Rokt for sponsoring today’s newsletter.