D2C Diaries

In this episode of D2C Diaries, Loukas is joined by Ash Melwani, CMO and co-founder of Obvi, one of the most transparent and battle-tested operators in DTC.

Ash breaks down the exact Meta strategy that took Obvi to $1M/month in revenue, and the moment it all fell apart.

You’ll learn:
- The Meta playbook Obvi used to scale with static ads
- Why Meta performance collapsed overnight (and what they missed)
- How Andromeda and health category crackdowns hit hard
- Their pivot to creative volume, video-first strategies, and cross-channel diversification
- What’s working right now and why you can’t rely on Meta alone anymore

From $50M in spend to platform restrictions and a creative overhaul, Ash shares the raw lessons and tactical pivots every brand needs to hear in 2025.

00:00 Obvi’s origin story and early creative focus
02:50 Why Ash shares everything publicly
05:30 The 2024 strategy that drove $1M/month in spend
08:00 Business manager restrictions
10:15 Diversifying content and channels
12:00 Meta over-reliance
14:15 Building an organic foundation before running paid
15:16 TikTok for awareness + testing
23:55 Learnings from retail
32:00 IRL events = retention + golden cohort
36:25 Full creative mix
40:00 AI content should look intentionally AI
42:45 Strategic volume on Meta
45:11 Why engagement matters more than ever
49:50 Ash’s tech stack & tools he uses weekly
54:12 His thoughts on exit
55:10 What Ash would build next if he started over

Follow  @AshvinMelwani :
https://x.com/ashvinmelwani
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashvinmelwani/

Follow  @myobvi  
https://myobvi.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myObvi/
https://www.instagram.com/obvi
https://www.tiktok.com/@obvi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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In this episode, we sit down with Sam Matanle, co-founder of Batch LDN, the made-to-order menswear brand disrupting fashion’s broken model. Sam breaks down how Batch scaled 2.2x YoY, with 75% of revenue from one physical store and zero reliance on paid media or held stock.


We cover:
1. Why fast fashion is financially broken and what works instead
2. The decision to bet big on retail instead of performance marketing
3. What happened when their Covent Garden store got robbed at 5am
4. Why 70% of fittings convert and 25% of customers repurchase within a year
5. How Batch London is rewiring the buying journey and turning a suit into a lifestyle

This one’s packed with founder truths, sustainable growth insights, and proof that product + experience OVER flashy funnels.

00:00 Background + early years
07:00 Starting Batch LDN with co-founder
13:55 Early product development
18:00 Why fast fashion is broken
23:19 Managing customer expectations
27:01 Post-purchase journey, behind-the-scenes content
28:40 Maintaining focus on made-to-order model
31:00 Acquisition drivers + retail strategy
34:10 Events strategy + brand community
42:50 Website traffic down but revenue up
45:22 Content strategy (organic storytelling)
48:50 Store break-in + how they turned it into a viral campaign
55:20 Hardest part of running a business + burnout
59:50 Using journaling and tracking burnout signals

Follow Sam:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-matanle/
https://www.instagram.com/samuelmatanle/

Follow By Batch LDN
https://www.instagram.com/batch.ldn/
https://www.tiktok.com/@batch.ldn

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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How do you handle it when your kitchen-table beauty brand suddenly pulls in £60K before lunch — and you’re still counting stock by hand?

In this episode of D2C Diaries, we sit down with Ellie Carlile, the unstoppable founder behind By Ellie, the brand born from a personal skin struggle, a £2,000 investment, and a makeshift label operation in her mum’s garage. 

Ellie shares the raw, real journey of building a beauty brand that now sells every 10 minutes, is stocked in Sephora, and runs multi-market TikTok Shop operations across the UK and EU.

We unpack:
- How she turned product reviews into a content engine
- The 30M-view TikTok that changed everything
- Why staying founder-led was the secret to community-led growth
- The chaos (and learnings) behind overselling thousands of units in one hour
- The frameworks she uses to scale with focus, from TED values to product simplicity

This is one for any founder navigating content overwhelm, platform changes, and the pressure to scale while staying true to their brand.

00:00 Starting the business
03:57 First launch mistakes
06:18 Growth strategy
08:40 Why raw content wins
11:20 Bottlenecks in the business
12:30 Handling virality
14:45 Entering paid media
17:37 Building a brand beyond the founder
22:20 The reality of scaling a team
24:50 Core values in the team
27:05 Staying focused while scaling
28:10 Landing Sephora
32:50 TikTok Shop strategy
37:40 The US Tariff crisis
40:40 Being transparent with customers
42:45 Working with TikTok affiliates
47:40 Growing as a founder

Follow Ellie:
https://www.instagram.com/elliecarlile_/
https://www.tiktok.com/@ellie.n.c

Follow By Ellie Beauty
https://www.instagram.com/byelliebeauty/
https://www.tiktok.com/@byelliebeauty

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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Kristian Hansen (AKA, The Jeans Guy) didn’t plan to build a fashion brand. But after accidentally buying a pair of women’s jeans, he posted a TikTok asking, “Is this really what women deal with every day?” and woke up to 3 million views. 

Welcome to the story behind slø, a custom denim brand that’s rewriting every rule in DTC fashion.

In this episode of DTC Diaries, Kristian takes us behind the scenes of a business that:
- Offers 1170 sizes and manages over 900,000 SKUs
- Sold $400,000 worth of jeans in its first hour, completely organically
- Grew a waitlist of over 200,000 customers from TikTok and community alone
- Built a factory from scratch in Turkey after every supplier failed to deliver
- Runs a 1.5% return rate in one of the highest-return industries on earth
- Ships custom-fit jeans in under 21 days with a factory-powered SaaS stack

Kristian doesn’t just talk about product or performance, he shows what it takes to build a real moat in DTC: full control, radical transparency, and obsession with customer experience.

If you’re a founder, operator, or marketer trying to scale without shortcuts, this episode is for you. 

00:00 The viral TikTok that started it all
03:00 The $400k launch that went wrong
05:00 Supply chain failures + learning curve
10:45 Why they chose accessibility over premium pricing
12:30 Customer commitment 
16:00 Complexity of SKUs & 1.5% return rate
21:50 Building a supply chain SaaS
24:07 Custom built business model
29:18 Being "The Jeans Guy"
31:30 Community building and customer service
40:00 Slo’s product roadmap
42:00 Future vision
44:40 Lessons learned & what the future holds

Follow Kristian
https://www.slo.co/
https://www.tiktok.com/@thejeansguy

Follow Joe on socials:
Linkedn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-marston/
Twitter: https://x.com/JoeJMarston

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Levinger, one of the most sought-after minds in consumer insights and behavioural strategy, to unpack the mental models behind performance creative. From understanding generational buying behaviour to why storytelling is outperforming old frameworks, Sarah shares a fresh perspective on what today’s top-performing DTC brands are doing differently.

We cover:
- Why “hook, body, CTA” is losing effectiveness
- The 4 ad types every brand should be running (but most aren’t)
- How AI is changing static ad creation and why psychology matters more than ever
- Using emotional insights to improve ad resonance and attribution
- What’s coming next for DTC brands in the next 12–18 months

Whether you’re a founder, CMO, or performance lead, this one’s packed with insights that’ll challenge how you think about creative.

00:00 – Intro
05:45 – The death of hook-body-CTA
08:30 – Brand vs performance: finding the balance
13:12 – What actually drives people to buy
17:46 – Why top-of-funnel strategy is broken
22:51 – The power of brand voice from day one
26:20 – Speaking like your customer (without losing your voice)
31:45 – Why your post-purchase surveys are lying
35:38 – Gen Z vs Gen X: how different audiences respond
40:15 – Creative testing in 2025: less iteration, more impact
44:02 – Sarah’s creative audit process
47:33 – What’s next for DTC

Follow Sarah:
tetherinsights.io
https://x.com/SarahLevinger
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

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Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

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What do snoods, Amazon, and Sunday League football have in common?

They were the unlikely start of Frankie Thorogood’s DTC journey, one that turned a £100 Alibaba order into a 7-figure exit.

In this episode, Frankie breaks down how he built not one, but THREE brands from the ground up, including Pott’d, now an 8-figure business. 

We dive into what most founders get wrong about scaling, the power of Amazon, how to build a brand around your life (not the other way around), and why most “marketing advice” online is complete noise.

This one’s packed with brutal honesty, underrated strategies, and founder-first perspective you won’t hear anywhere else.

If you’re building in the trenches, listen to this before your next product launch.

00:00 The Snood Guy
08:45 The First Big Brand: TCA
13:42 Starting Pott’d
20: 28 Amazon vs DTC
22:45 Pott’d Growth: Hitting 8 Figures
24:10 Delegation, Hiring & Letting Go
34:50 Great Products First
37:20 Cutting Through The Noise
39:33 Perfection Kills Progress
42:00 The future of Pott'd
44:15 The Product Development Advantage
46:30 Building a Community
49:25 Exit goals + Becoming a Household Name
51:30 Ecom Predicitons

Follow Frankie:
www.linkedin.com/in/frankiethorogood/
https://www.instagram.com/theurbanartist/
https://www.instagram.com/frankiethorogood/
https://www.frankie.co.uk/

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
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D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Triple Whale.

Triple Whale is our north star when it comes to data-driven decisions. Whether you're just starting out or running a 9-figure brand, this is the tool that will help you and your team see around corners and move faster.

Visit www.triplewhale.com/d2cdiaries to learn more.

What does it really take to build a 6-figure TikTok Live? 

In this episode, we're joined by Daisy, founder of Glow For It, a brand that’s become one of the biggest breakout successes on TikTok Shop.

Daisy breaks down the exact strategy behind their record-breaking 6-figure live stream, how she built a cult-like community from a personal story, and why TikTok isn’t just a social platform, it’s a full-blown sales engine. From raw founder realities to structured launch playbooks, we go deep on everything from affiliate creators, to why TikTok Live is still one of the most underused channels in DTC.

If you’re a founder, marketer, or creator looking to unlock scale on TikTok, this is the blueprint you’ve been waiting for.

We cover:
- The behind-the-scenes of Glow For It’s 6-figure live stream
- Turning personal pain into brand purpose (and loyal customers)
- TikTok Shop affiliate strategies that actually drive volume
- How Daisy went from packing orders in her mum’s kitchen to landing in Boots
- Launch tactics: teasing, timing, and flooding the algorithm

This is one of the most actionable TikTok deep dives we’ve ever recorded.

00:00 Daisy’s Backstory
08:35 Spotting the Market Gap
10:01 Laying the Early Brand Foundations
13:16 The Viral Video That Changed Everything
14:33 Getting Over Fear
18:50 Advice For Founders 
21:10 Transitioning From Founder-led to Team-led Brand Presence
22:46 Treating TikTok as a Primary Sales Channel
26:47 Launch Playbook on TikTok
32:49 Deep Dive into the 12-hour Live that did 6-Figures
42:58  What’s next: retail growth, US expansion, and new hero SKUs
46:56 Daisy’s TikTok predictions for the next 12–24 months

Follow Glow For It on Socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@glowforitshop 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowforitshop/

Follow Daisy:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisy-kelly-ba2085231
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisymaykelly_/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Triple Whale.

Triple Whale is our north star when it comes to data-driven decisions. Whether you're just starting out or running a 9-figure brand, this is the tool that will help you and your team see around corners and move faster.

Visit www.triplewhale.com/d2cdiaries to learn more.

Rejected by all 6 Dragons, then hit £4.5M in sales.

Lucie Macleod walked into the Dragon’s Den asking for £190k.
She left with zero offers… and the internet on her side.

In this episode, the founder of Hair Syrup breaks down how she turned a side hustle into a multi-channel beauty brand, why she leaned into public rejection on Dragon’s Den, and how she continues to dominate TikTok without relying on affiliates.

She unpacks:
▫️The brutal reality of pitching for 3.5 hours with cameras rolling
▫️How she used the rejection to fuel record-breaking sales
▫️What most founders get wrong about visibility, brand story, and virality
▫️Her playbook for converting TikTok attention into long-term customers
▫️The content system she uses to publish daily, without a big team
▫️And the unfiltered truth of running a fast-growing brand at 24

This one’s for every founder who's been underestimated and made it work anyway.

00:00 Viral Brand Origin & Early Growth
04:30 Authentic Founders Story
05:49 Re-defining Natural Haircare
07:50 Lucie’s Entrepreneurial Traits
11:50 Starting on TikTok
18:35 Content Strategy
31:33 Dragon’s Den: The Full Story
37:45 Struggles Within The Business
39:41 BTS of Dragons Den
44:35 The Controversial Offer
54:28 Impact & Strategic Execution
01:02:40 The Downside of Personal Branding.

Follow Hair Syrup on Socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hairsyrup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hairsyrup/

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

D2C Diaries is proudly sponsored by Triple Whale.

Triple Whale is our north star when it comes to data-driven decisions. Whether you're just starting out or running a 9-figure brand, this is the tool that will help you and your team see around corners and move faster.

Visit www.triplewhale.com/d2cdiaries to learn more.

In this episode, Olly and Loukas break down the exact AI systems they’re using across creative, strategy, operations, and personal systems designed to reduce cognitive load, streamline decision-making, and drive compounding returns across strategy, operations, and execution.

You’ll learn:
* Why most brands fail with AI (and how to fix it)
* How Loukas built a CFO bot to analyse P&Ls and spot overspend in seconds
* Using AI for SOP creation, meeting notes, personal CRM, and even calendar audits
* The tools they’re using for deep research, content repurposing, and performance feedback loops (e.g. Fixer, Lindy, Poppy, Claude, Triple Whale agents)

This is practical, not theoretical.
If you're still prompting ChatGPT like it’s Google, this episode will change the game.

Ideal for: Brand operators, marketers, and growth leads who want to use AI for impact, not just efficiency.

00:00 Intro
03:53 Feeding GPT Personal/Business Data
08:50 SOP’s
13:45 Fixer + Airtable: A Personal CRM
17:00 LindyAI: Multi-Agent Workflows
20:52 Chat-GPT Deep Research
22:55 Lindy AI: Calendar Audit Agents
24:35 Shopify x ChatGPT Checkout Integration 
26:20 Triple Whale AI Agents
30:00 Full Creative Tech Stack

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/

In this solo deep-dive, Olly and Loukas unpack the full launch strategy behind IM8, David Beckham’s new wellness brand, and break down why it’s one of the most intentional DTC rollouts they’ve seen in a while.

From aggressive “us vs them” positioning to a hyper-consistent funnel experience, IM8 is throwing punches directly at AG1 and doing a lot right in the process. But not everything’s perfect.

They cover:
- The full IM8 funnel breakdown (from unaware ads to hyper-targeted landing pages).
- How brand consistency builds trust and drives conversions
- Where Beckham’s founder content falls flat (and how to fix it)
- Why nostalgia is an underrated lever in performance creative
- How IM8 uses third-party experts, credibility stacking, and strategic whitelisting
-The creative formats that should be next for them

If you’re running paid media or building a DTC brand, this is a clinic in strategic funnel execution, brand building, and where even elite brands leave opportunity on the table.

🚨 Comment on our Youtube video "IM8" and we'll send you the full whimsical board breakdown🚨

Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi

Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson

Follow D2C Diaries on socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@d2c.diaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2c_diaries/