How does a brand go from something no one understands… to a $1B category leader?

Domonique Brown had a front-row seat. She joined Liquid I.V. as employee #12, when the brand was doing under $20M in revenue. Today, she’s the most tenured employee, having helped scale the company through hypergrowth, acquisition by Unilever, and global expansion.

In this episode, we break down what it actually takes to build and scale a category-defining brand.

We cover:

• What it looked like in the early days (no processes, no playbook)

• How Liquid I.V. built a category from scratch

• The phases of scaling from $20M → $1B+

• Why customer experience is a growth and marketing channel

• How the team continues to experiment and stay ahead

This is a real look at what happens behind the scenes of building a billion-dollar brand.

Most brands are chasing growth the wrong way.

They’re optimizing for quick wins, cheap clicks, and short-term conversions.

But when you’re selling a high price point product, that doesn’t work.

In this episode, Chelsea Schulz (Former Head of Digital Marketing at Lancer Skincare) breaks down growth strategies that actually work for premium brands.

We get into why high-ticket products require longer buying journeys, how to build trust across weeks or even months, and why retention, SMS, and real customer conversations matter more than ever.

We also cover:

• Why brands are overspending on Meta

• The shift away from influencer marketing

• How to think about retention vs acquisition

• Where AI is a “hell yes” vs a hard no

No matter what price point you’re selling at, Chelsea shares practical takeaways every marketer can use.

Most tech accessories are a race to the bottom with cheap materials, copycat products, competing on price. But Nomad Goods took a different approach.

In this episode, CEO and Co-Founder Noah Dentzel breaks down how Nomad built a premium brand in a category flooded with cheap alternatives.

Noah & Liam get into:

• Nomad’s early Kickstarter journey

• Building a product-first culture that actually lasts

• The Apple Watch launch and the moment customers were “really, really mad”

• Why great brands are earned through product, not marketing

If you’re building in ecommerce, this is a masterclass in what it actually takes to win.

Courtney Hawkins has spent 20+ years building and scaling retail at brands like Mejuri, The RealReal, Bath & Body Works, and Gap, and now building her own advisory group, CH Retail Group.

Right now, many DTC brands are moving into physical retail. In this episode, we break down what actually makes retail work and why it’s far more complex than just opening stores.

Courtney and Liam get into:

• Why you can’t “muscle” your way into retail success

• The biggest mistakes brands make when expanding into physical stores

• Why most retail problems aren’t store-level, they’re enterprise-level

• The gap between digital and in-store customer experience

• Why people, not data, are still the biggest driver of performance

If you’re thinking about retail expansion or are already in it, this is a must-listen.

In this episode of Beyond the Now, Liam sits down with Jonathan Shroyer from Linda’s to break down how he scaled a “sleepy” ecommerce business from $2M to $12M in just two years.

Jonathan shares how he identified a $6B market opportunity, and how AI became the unlock for rapid growth, driving 25% of revenue through automated, personalized marketing.

They dive into:

• Why “boring” industries are some of the biggest opportunities today

• How AI is changing ecommerce, retention, and personalization

• The shift from funnels to “learning loops”

• Why most brands are already behind on AI adoption

• The exact playbook Jonathan used to scale Linda’s

If you’re building in ecommerce, retention, or AI, this episode is a must-watch.

Patagonia is one of the most respected brands in the world.

But their approach to growth breaks almost every traditional marketing playbook.

Angela Clark, former VP of Digital at Patagonia, joins the podcast to talk about what it actually means to grow a business when your mission is to reduce consumption, not drive it.

We get into:

• How Patagonia balances revenue growth with sustainability

• Why they avoid traditional “conversion tactics” like discounts and urgency

• What most brands get wrong about retention and customer relationships

• How AI is changing digital teams and what operators should focus on next

• Lessons from Angela’s career across brands like eBay, Levi Strauss, Pottery Barn, Eddie Bauer, and e.l.f. Cosmetics

This episode is for anyone thinking about: How to build a brand that lasts, how to rethink growth beyond short-term revenue, and what the future of digital and eCommerce actually looks like.

Most eCommerce brands don’t fail because of tactics. They fail because they never get clear on who they are.

In this episode, the CEO of Blenders breaks down what actually separates brands that scale from those that stall.

After 13 years at Adidas and now leading Blenders, Jack shares a different perspective on growth, AI, and what it really takes to build a brand that lasts.

We get into:

• Why most brands are chasing trends instead of building identity

• The biggest misconception about scaling a brand today

• How AI is changing eCommerce and why most companies are thinking about it wrong

• The difference between brands that scale to $100M and those that disappear

• Why storytelling and culture matter more than ever
  

If you’re building a brand or thinking about the future of eCommerce, this episode will change how you think about growth.

In this episode, Liam sits down with Max Lishansky, CMO at Cuyana, to talk about what actually drives growth for modern brands.

Max has spent nearly a decade as a CMO across direct-to-consumer companies. Earlier in his career, Max shares insights on aggressive brand growth, how companies can stand out in a crowded DTC landscape, and why many marketing “best practices” no longer work. The discussion also dives into the role AI is beginning to play in marketing and why it’s powerful but not a silver bullet.

Topics covered include:

• How brands find their unique growth edge

• Why breakout growth usually comes from 1–2 outlier tactics

• The importance of brand storytelling and creative differentiation• How AI is changing marketing workflows and experimentation

• Why marketing ultimately comes back to human psychology

This is a rare behind-the-scenes look at how top CMOs are thinking about brand growth, marketing strategy, and the role AI will play in the future.

ANTA is making waves in the U.S., and we go behind the scenes to show how. From signing NBA stars like Kyrie Irving to opening their first Beverly Hills store, ANTA is redefining sports marketing, community engagement, and global expansion.

In this episode, hear from Christian Laursen, ANTA’s U.S. Head of Marketing, as he shares:

* How ANTA went from 0 to 100 in just 90 days in the U.S.

* The strategy behind celebrity partnerships and influencer engagement

* Creating a loyal community that travels to events across cities

* Innovative approaches to marketing, SMS, and AI for growth

* Lessons from working with GOAT, Adidas, and iconic sports moments

Whether you’re in sports, marketing, or business growth, this episode gives a blueprint for bold moves in competitive markets.

Retention marketing is changing faster than most brands realize.In this episode, Liam sits down with Eli Weiss, VP of Retention Advocacy at Yotpo, to talk about how AI is reshaping the future of eCommerce growth. Eli shares why he believes “growth marketing is dead,” why brands may soon never need to log into Klaviyo again, and how AI is transforming personalization, experimentation, and customer loyalty. They also dive into Eli’s experience leading customer experience and retention at brands like Olipop and Jones Road, what actually drives repeat purchases, and why many retention strategies fail when the product itself isn’t strong.

The conversation explores:

-How AI is changing lifecycle marketing

-Why personalization is finally becoming real

-The future of automated retention systems

-Why experimentation will define winning brands

-What marketing teams will look like in an AI-native world