This episode of the Scalability School podcast tackles why traditional e-commerce dashboards often fail and outlines the precise financial and operational metrics required for driving profitable growth in 7- and 8-figure D2C brands.

The Andrew, Zach and Brad argue that dashboard failure stems from unclear metric definitions along with a failure to capture the full scope of business expenses. They advocate for moving beyond simple platform ROAS to focus on holistic metrics like Contribution Margin (CM) and/or Estimated Net Profit (by subtracting an estimate of OpEx).

A major theme that arose during this conversation was the critical need to separate New Customer (NC) metrics (like AMER and CAC) from blended metrics, as high blended performance can mask a dying new customer acquisition engine. They also stress that for non-subscription brands, LTV can sometimes be a misleading vanity metric that offers poor cash flow guidance. The episode concludes with a deep dive into using operational metrics like product sales breakdown and day-of-week sales efficiency to inform daily media buying decisions, introducing the key creative signal: Spend Velocity.

1. How your blended MER target might actually be masking a New Customer Acquisition (NCA) disaster

2. Why dashboards can help ensure your entire team is looking at the same "Revenue" number

3. How to tell if you are wasting budget on the wrong days

4. How to accurately calculat true profitability before the month closes

5. Why this should be your key metric for predicting creative winners within 3 days

6. Why this 1 metric might be hurting your cash flow if you are a non-subscription businesses

This episode is sponsored by Northbeam, the marketing attribution platform that we love here at Scalability School. If you're ready to cut through the noise, stop guessing, and actually see which ads are driving your business, book a demo at northbeam.io/demo, and tell them Scalability School sent you. Join the club.

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

This week's Scalability School is a tactical one answering ALL of your BFCM (Black Friday/Cyber Monday) questions. Andrew, Zach & Brad cover how to pace and budget through the holiday surge, build offers that protect margin while lifting AOV, and line up Meta/Google + Email/SMS into a single MER-driven plan.

You'll hear pragmatic guidance on creative angles, inventory-aware campaigns (and what to do when you're light or heavy on stock), discount frameworks that don't nuke LTV, and practical measurement (MER, CPA, and "sanity check" rules). The guys wrap it up with channel sequencing (what runs when) and a concrete weekly timeline to execute without panic.

Key Takeaways:

• How smart brands set BFCM budget and pacing so they don't blow spend too early.
• The offer types that actually move volume without wrecking margin. -
• How to properly adjust bids, caps, and campaign structure on Meta when auctions heat up. -
• The "MER guardrails" to keep things stable during BFCM (and when it's okay to see a dip). -
• Planning inventory-aware promos (overstock vs. thin stock) without confusing the customer. -
• The creative themes and formats that typically win BIG during BFCM - When to lean into Google (Shopping/Brand Search) vs. Meta for incremental volume. -
• How to measure success when attribution goes sideways. -
• What your backup plan should be if your first offer underperforms on Friday morning.

This episode is sponsored by Northbeam, the marketing attribution platform that we love here at Scalability School. If you're ready to cut through the noise, stop guessing, and actually see which ads are driving your business, book a demo at northbeam.io/demo, and tell them Scalability School sent you. Join the club.

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

In this conversation, Brad discusses strategies for maximizing revenue during Black Friday and the holiday season. He emphasizes the importance of understanding revenue peaks, analyzing advertising costs, and planning effective promotions. The discussion also covers the significance of timing in marketing efforts, particularly around key shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and how to leverage gifting opportunities leading up to Christmas. Finally, Brad highlights the need for brands to adapt their messaging and strategies as they transition into the new year.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding when to expect revenue peaks through BFCM
• How analyzing historical data helps in planning marketing strategies.
• Why your CPM and conversion rates will fluctuate significantly during Q4
• When its best to start promotions to capture initial demand effectively.
• Why gifting messaging should ramp up as Christmas approaches.
• How to ensure your brand is correctly adjusting ad spend through the holidays
• How utilizing this free tool can maximize sales opportunities.
• The Post-Christmas strategies you should focus on to gain new year momentum. To grab the Q4 Calendar head here

This episode is sponsored by Northbeam, the marketing attribution platform that we love here at Scalability School. If you're ready to cut through the noise, stop guessing, and actually see which ads are driving your business, book a demo at northbeam.io/demo, and tell them Scalability sent you. Join the club.

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

We break down ABO vs CBO, budget pacing, offer architectures (sitewide %, tiers, gifts, bundles), landing-page quick wins, and the email/SMS cadence that stacks revenue—plus day-of MER guardrails and intra-day pacing.

#BFCM #Ecommerce #MediaBuying

Key Takeaways

• ABO or CBO: When each campaign structure can win and why
• The simples offer architectures that won't wreck margins
• Pacing budgets so you don't blow learnings (or spend) before the big days
• The landing-page tweaks that move the most revenue during BFCM
• Can a small site-wide + stacked gift be smarter than a deeper discount?
• How shipping cutoffs should be shaping your promo calendar and messaging
• The day-of MER guardrails and hourly checks that will keep you on target

This episode is sponsored by Northbeam, the marketing attribution platform that we love here at Scalability School. If you're ready to cut through the noise, stop guessing, and actually see which ads are driving your business, book a demo at northbeam.io/demo, and tell them Scalability sent you. Join the club.

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

The WI crew dives straight into answering you, our tens of listeners burning questions (Or just the ones folks replied to Zach's tweet with), we look at when (and if) agency folks should spin up their own DTC brand, the hidden costs (time, cash flow, ops, P&L) most marketers underestimate, and a very practical rundown of how to go 0→1 and then scale. We chat through how to avoid the classic trap of riding one "hero" ad too long and you'll hear real budgets, campaign counts, inventory constraints around a holiday push, how to pick lower AOV vs higher AOV for faster learnings and better cash flow. We also get candid on the financial reality for founders (who are often "broke until an exit") and how to think long-term. Key takeaways:

• Should an agency owner actually become a DTC brand owner or is that just shiny-object syndrome?
• What's the true time/capital tax of switching from retainers to inventory + P&L risk?
• How different is cash flow in an agency vs. e-com brand?
• What a clean 0→1 playbook looks like for paid.
• What "real" scale looks like in a Meta account on a holiday week.
• Why you can't we scale past a certain daily spend even when a video "works".
• How many winning ads you actually need to push beyond $1–3k/day (hint: more than one)
• The AOV you should launch with if you need fast learning + sustainable cash flow.
• How category passion + founder advantage will impact messaging and LTV over 1–2 years.
• The uncomfortable founder realities no one says out loud.

This episode is sponsored by Wayflyer, a smarter way to use debt for growth. To learn more about them and how they may be able to help your brand grow head here

This episode is sponsored by ROKU. Did you know Roku integrates with Shopify, allowing you to see marketing spend and performance of your ad campaigns in Shopify? Oh and you can LITERALLY HAVE SOMEONE SHOP ON THEIR TV using Roku. Action ads let Roku viewers purchase products from your online store directly from their TV. To give them a try head here.

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

This episode dives deep into creative strategy as the growth lever for DTC brands, highlighting why under-$10M founders should still lead creative, how one ad can truly unlock growth, and why fresh sourcing of ideas (outside Meta's ad library) is critical. Simon Robert, CEO of Statiq, walks through practical frameworks: for sourcing creative ideas, balancing "on-brand" vs "sales-driving" content, creative testing cadences, and the importance of one winning ad over scaling 100 mediocre ones. He also touches on creative team structures, founder involvement, and the risks of outsourcing strategy too early.

This conversation is especially valuable for media buyers and operators who want to understand:

• When creative becomes the bottleneck.
• How to build a process for consistent winning ads.
• What channels and frameworks to use to source inspiration.
• How to balance branding vs performance in creative.

We also dive into these key takeaways:

• How often should teams be testing new creatives to find the next winner
• The risk of outsourcing creative too early instead of founders leading.
• Why this is the best way to structure internal vs external creative teams for scale
• Why it's better to find one killer ad rather than running 100 average ones

This episode is Sponsored by Statiq. The ad creative agency used by Hollow Socks, Jones Road, Hearth & Soil and many more. Book a call within the next 7 days to get €500 OFF your first month: https://bit.ly/ScalabilitySchoolStatiq

To connect with Simon Robert from Statiq send him a DM at https://x.com/Simon__Rob

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

This episode of Scalability School explores how DTC founders can leverage debt as a strategic growth tool rather than a dangerous crutch. Zach, Brad, and Andrew walk through the math every media buyer should understand before scaling (EPCs, conversion rates, AOVs, margins), highlight why inventory-backed debt can be the smartest use of capital, and break down how to model financials in a way that impresses lenders. The episode blends media buying fundamentals (math, margins, bundling strategy) with financial strategy (when and how to use debt, what lenders look for, and how to avoid financial "fuckups").

• The math (CPCs, CVRs, AOVs) you need to know before spending a single dollar on Facebook ads

• Understanding the hidden costs that will erode your true margins and must be worked into your modeling

• The importance of negotiating everything to improve margins before raising prices?

• How building out this team offshore can be one of the highest-ROI scaling moves for your brand

• The one thing that convinced Hollow's founders that debt was a better option than raising equity

• How to you convince lenders to fund a young, $1M brand (and the data they really want to see).

• The big reason robust financial models essential even for early-stage brands

• Are you using debt this way? 3 of the most dangerous ways brands misuse debt

• The #1 rule when working with lenders

This episode is sponsored by Wayflyer, a smarter way to use debt for growth. To learn more about them and how they may be able to help your brand grow head here to learn more.

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM.

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community head here to learn more.

Episode 9 speed-runs the biggest retention levers brands can pull to increase revenue growth and improve order volume. They debunk deliverability myths (image–text ratios, why adding real text helps), along with comparing the differences of plain-text vs image-heavy emails. Jacob Sappington also clarifies Klaviyo vs GA vs ad platform attribution and how Klaviyo's new active-profile enforcement curbs old billing "hacks."

Key Takeaways:

• The single change to a pop-up that can spike opt-ins and orders immediately
• Why you should change the pop-up and not your flows first
• Offer vs build vs creative: how should you weight each for mobile pop-ups
• Why this one thing is likely killing your Landing Page's performance to convert.
• How your traffic source may be affecting your conversion rate
• The easy setup mistakes that are likely throttling the performance of your email flows
• The magic number of how often 7- and 8-figure brands should email and text without burning the list
• Are third-party identity tools worth the risk and which safer paths exist

To learn more about the Scalability School Podcast or listen to other episodes head to https://scalabilityschool.com

To Connect with Jacob Sappington send him a DM at https://x.com/jsappington

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

This episode breaks down actionable strategies and growth frameworks used by successful e-commerce brands to scale from zero to eight figures in revenue. It dives into high-impact marketing tactics, team building for growth, and the mindset shifts required to operate at scale. The conversation highlights key levers for media buyers, including creative testing, audience segmentation, and ROI optimization, alongside operational insights for e-commerce operators on process, culture, and technology that support scaling effectively.

• How media buyers optimize creative testing to scale faster.

• Why audience segmentation strategies hve proven to deliver the highest ROI at scale.

• The KPIs that are critical for measuring success beyond just ROAS during rapid growth.

• How organizational culture plays into sustaining e-commerce scale and growth.

• They key ways operators balance automation with personalization in customer experience.

• The number 1 pitfall brands face when scaling paid media, and how it can be avoided

• How team structure evolves as an e-commerce brand grows from startup to multi-million dollar revenue.

Learn more about the Scalability School Podcast or listen to other episodes head to https://scalabilityschool.com

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

This bonus episode dives deep into creative performance, offer testing, team structure, landing page iteration, and mental health as a founder/operator. Andrew, Brad and Zach share actionable insights from their experiences scaling brands past $40M, along with real-world examples of what's currently working in ad accounts — and what's not.

Key Takeaways:

• Why you might be relying too much on video from your influencer whitelisting
• The most underrated ad creative that's dominating accounts right now
• How founder videos can act as multi-hook powerhouses
• Why increasing your prices may be your biggest conversion unlock
• How to tell if your landing pages are stagnating
• How do you avoid the "hero content" trap that can tank performance long-term
• The best mindset to have when hiring team members (Especially early on)
• How mental clarity can become your unfair advantage as a founder

Learn more about the Scalability School Podcast or listen to other episodes head to https://scalabilityschool.com

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email [email protected]

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at http://foxwelldigital.com/membership