For many innovators in digital commerce, the dream is building a brand from scratch that grows to a scale where some larger company wants to pay a LOT of money for it. Then, you buy an island. These days the path to that dream is a bit more rocky and more complex, but with the right fundamentals in place, a vibrant DTC brand can still drive a lot of value. Like in Coca Cola’s 5.6 billion dollar acquisition of BodyArmor sports drinks late in 2021. Ryan Lewendon, Partner at law firm Giannuzzi LewENdon LLC, helped negotiate that deal but also worked with body armor and tons of other D2C companies throughout their lifecycle. Ryan joined Rob and Peter to lay out the necessary elements for a DTC growth path that will return maximum, and lasting, value.