Playing for Keeps

Eric Bandholz bootstrapped Beardbrand from the very beginning all the way to their current place at the top of the male styling market. How? Well, for one thing, by creating a brand that focuses on storytelling and individual connections.

Kristen and Eric dig deep into BB’s new SMS channel, how they've built word of mouth to nearly one fifth of acquisitions, and some amazing customer stories.

Val and Kristen are exploring the questions that we’re all asking right now. How can DTC brands handle the current crisis? Should we communicate more? Less? How do we approach selling with tact and delicacy in tough times?

It’s a pretty wide-ranging conversation, with examples and advice pulled from great operators in the community.

Obviously, no one has the answers right now. This episode is a chance to talk through, explore, and knowledge-share while we collectively take stock and figure out our approach moving forward.

Check out the show notes for more resources.

Glossier is a monolith in the online beauty business, and they’ve gotten there by building incredibly personalized connections with their customers. This episode of Playing for Keeps is all about the ways that brands can scale authentic relationships over time.

Erin Miller, head of customer experience at Glossier, talks about great micro-interactions, taking a customer’s perspective in communication channels, and the connection between employee retention and customer retention. Plus: how to keep personalization from getting creepy.

What does long-term growth look like for DTC brands? How can businesses focus on profitability beyond the initial sale and into the next 3, 6, or even 9 months? It’s not always easy for cash-hungry startups, but it’s vital for sustainable scaling.

Kohlman Verheyen’s work with Bambu Earth is a great case study for combining metrics with genuine customer connections. Kohlman digs into their founder-first approach, the success they’ve had with product bundles, and the communication plan they use to grow their base of fanatical brand loyalists.

As a managing partner at Common Thread Collective, Taylor Holiday builds and consults for a huge range of successful brands. CTC has figured out a game-changing equation to help brands manage their cash flow.

This week’s episode is loaded with hard-hitting tactics from one of the top agencies in the DTC space. It’s a deep dive on the metrics that brands can use to better understand and serve their customers. Kristen and Taylor talk sustainable growth, parsing data, maximizing ad returns, and a data-driven approach to the customer journey.

The first thing most people notice about Manscaped is the brand’s amazing sense of humor. It didn’t come out of nowhere. They’ve built their business by making taboo topics feel comfortable and approachable, with some pretty astounding results.

They’re also a fantastic example of subscription eCommerce done right. Kristen talks to Senior VP of Growth, Ben Acott, about the strategies they use to grow and sustain a subscription-first model. They also explore exclusivity as a sales driver, product iteration, and talk a whole lot about balls.

Eco-conscious business is a hot topic right now, but what does that really mean for DTC brands? How do businesses adopt sustainable practices and remain competitive in the market?

As a writer and researcher for BigCommerce, Corinne Watson is all about understanding the ways that brands build sustainability into their processes. She and Kristen talk about the larger cultural and economic trends shaping the conversation right now, as well as simple, actionable steps brands can take to lower their footprint.

Bonus: what changing demographics mean for the DTC space.

The supplement market is a bustling space, with players ranging from enormous corporations to smaller DTC brands. Form Nutrition has found their place by putting the mission dead center: helping customers realize the greatest version of themselves while being mindful of others.

This mission is built into every aspect of the business and it has a ton of implications for customer relationships and retention. Kristen talks with co-founder Damian Soong about everything from marketing attribution to turning customers with a bad initial impression of the product into ambassadors for the brand.

Growing a brand is about more than just great products. It’s about finding your customers and building your business around their needs and hopes and individual stories. It’s about genuinely caring more than the store in the next tab over.

So how do you make community priority #1 online? Kristen talks about building connections with influencers, harnessing email for retention, and a lot more with Karen Young from Oui the People.

Bonus: how to survive a massive rebranding.

Season 2 of Playing for Keeps is officially here! Join Kristen as she tells the story of Playing for Keeps, how we got here, what it means to her, and where this season is headed. Big announcement enclosed-- you don't want to miss this one.