In this episode of the Podcast, Richard and Luke break down the uncomfortable truth most brands ignore: your marketing calendar not your spreadsheet—is the real driver of revenue. We walk through why forecasts consistently miss, how spending power actually shifts month to month, and the system top DTC brands use to tie marketing actions directly...

In this episode, Taylor and Joy break down the real 2026 playbook for 7-figure ecommerce brands, and why copying 9-figure operators is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Coming off BFCM, they unpack what actually happened for small brands and what it signals heading into the new year. You’ll learn: How to create...

How do high-performing ecommerce brands turn campaigns into predictable cash flow? In this episode, we break down the exact forecasting process we use at Common Thread Collective to consistently land within 0–10% of goal across dozens of brands. Growth Strategy Manager Brian Sakansky joins Richard to unpack how CTC builds forecasts, operationalizes them, and uses...

In this episode of the Podcast, we break down the real story of BFCM 2025—from forecasting accuracy to media buying chaos, offer pivots, AppLovin’s breakout performance, and what this year’s results say about the broader consumer economy. Richard and Taylor walk through: The full BFCM data recap: +7% total revenue, +10% new customers, +13% contribution...

Black Friday is three days away but there’s still time to tighten your strategy and avoid costly mistakes. In this episode of the podcast, the CTC team breaks down the 5 essential last-minute BFCM fixes every brand needs before the biggest weekend of the year. Whether you’re behind on creative, unsure about spend pacing, or...

In our first CFO Summit Taylor breaks down the Board, Budget, Bonus forecasting framework—CTC’s core system for building a clear, defensible, and aligned financial plan for 2026.This replay walks you through how high-performing ecommerce brands create scenario models that serve their board, their finance team, and their operators… all without losing focus during the busy...

Meta’s new creative ranking systems are changing everything, and most brands have no idea how much it’s affecting their performance. In this episode, we break down exactly how Meta’s Black Box evaluates your ads, why your creatives are being grouped together, and why small variations (like hook swaps) no longer matter the way you think...

How do you set the right ROAS target on Meta heading into Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Most brands either guess… or use last month’s numbers and hope they hold. But BFCM behaves nothing like a normal period and the attribution windows prove it. In this episode, Tony and Steve walk through the real data...

Most ecommerce brands build one forecast — and that’s why most forecasts are wrong. In this episode of the Podcast, Richard and Luke break down the 3-forecast model that every high-performing brand should use when planning for 2026: Board. Budget. Bonus. You’ll learn: Why every brand needs three forecasts, not one How to balance short-term...

Most brands are building their 2026 plan all wrong. In this episode, Taylor breaks down why you can’t walk into the new year with one financial forecast — and why the smartest brands plan three: Board, Budget, and Bonus. You’ll learn how to: Build scenario plans that align finance and marketing Forecast existing and new...