From $10K Losses a Day to an L Catterton Deal: Zach Stuck’s Full Story
OPERATORS · with Zach Stuck · June 4, 2026 · 89 min
Summary
Zach Stuck, founder of Homestead, shares his journey from early ecommerce hustles to building an 8-figure agency and two 9-figure brands. This episode provides a raw look at the challenges and triumphs of scaling businesses, including the pivotal decision to kill underperforming ventures and the evolution of agency models from revenue share to fixed fees. Essential listening for operators looking for real-world lessons in growth, pivots, and strategic exits.
Key takeaways
Embrace an entrepreneurial mindset from a young age; early hustles, even selling licensed software, build foundational business acumen.
Don't be afraid to pivot or 'kill' a company if it's not meeting goals; this decisive action can free up resources for more promising ventures.
Experiment with agency pricing models like revenue share in the early stages to align incentives and drive rapid growth, but be prepared to shift to fixed fees as brands scale to avoid being perceived as a 'tax.'
Reinvest agency profits aggressively into hiring and team expansion to quickly scale capabilities and client services.
Explore new advertising platforms beyond Meta and Google for scalable customer acquisition, as demonstrated by the success with AppLovin, to diversify channels and reach new audiences.
Operators Titans is brought to you by AppLovin. Get access to the Operators channel expansion playbook, online masterclass, and up to $5k in ad credits here: https://www.9operators.com/paid-growth Or, skip the waitlist and launch your AppLovin ads today with our Operators-exclusive link: https://axon.ai/en/9operators “We’ve never had anyone do four deals in 60 days.” How do you build two nine-figure brands with no outside investors and a Facebook ads background as your only real edge? Zach Stuck, founder of Easy Street Brands and co-founder of Hollow and Mars Men, joins Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela Case & Lomi) and Sean Frank (CEO, Ridge) to break down how he turned an agency into an eight-figure exit and cold-started two nine-figure brands in opposite categories. Closing four deals in 60 days and an L Catterton round, Zach’s brand building decisions are laid on the table. He walks through nearly losing Homestead keeping Hollow alive, and lays out the ecommerce strategy for building from zero. He closes on what the holdco model requires to work and why most operators get it wrong.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Embrace an entrepreneurial mindset from a young age; early hustles, even selling licensed software, build foundational business acumen.
What does this episode say about paid acquisition?
Don't be afraid to pivot or 'kill' a company if it's not meeting goals; this decisive action can free up resources for more promising ventures.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Experiment with agency pricing models like revenue share in the early stages to align incentives and drive rapid growth, but be prepared to shift to fixed fees as brands scale to avoid being perceived as a 'tax.'
What does this episode say about finance & fundraising?
Reinvest agency profits aggressively into hiring and team expansion to quickly scale capabilities and client services.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Explore new advertising platforms beyond Meta and Google for scalable customer acquisition, as demonstrated by the success with AppLovin, to diversify channels and reach new audiences.
