How Matt Orlić Lost It All, Built a Skincare Empire & Found Meaning
OPERATORS
· with Matt Orlic
· March 18, 2026
· 66 min
Summary
Matt Orlic, founder of Kol Skincare, shares his wild journey from losing $5M to building a 9-figure skincare empire. Learn how he leveraged D2C strategies, influencer marketing, and strategic product diversification to achieve massive scale and global recognition, offering invaluable lessons for operators looking to navigate challenges and build impactful brands.
Key takeaways
"You can't connect the dots looking forward, only back." Don't be afraid to take risks and learn from your failures. Matt lost $5M and used that experience as fuel for future success.
Build on your own land: Don't solely rely on platforms like Facebook or Amazon. Diversify your channels and build direct relationships with customers.
Leverage influencer marketing strategically: Matt partnered with Sony Music to get his headphones into video clips, leading to exclusive retail deals. Find creative ways to get your product in front of influential people.
Product diversification can supercharge growth: Kol Skincare's major growth spurt came from expanding into a new product category (from LED masks to water filters, light needling, serums, and hair growth helmets), allowing them to acquire more customers.
Focus on making clinical treatments accessible: Identify underserved needs in your market and offer high-value solutions that were previously out of reach for the average consumer.
You have to create demand for premium products; high AOV products require significant education and brand building.
Themes
brand buildingd2c strategygrowth marketingproduct development
“The difference between authentic money and inauthentic money is that it has some kind of inherent meaning to it.” Sean Frank (CEO of Ridge) and Matt Bertulli (CEO of Pela Case and Lomi) sit down with Matt Orlić — Co-Founder of Qure Skincare and founder of Ecomm Architects. Together, they trace one of the most unconventional paths in ecommerce. From losing 80% of his net worth at 25 to reverse-engineering the habits of successful founders, Orlić’s story is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention. The conversation covers how Qure scaled toward nine figures by building distinctly designed, clinically inspired products and pairing them with a sophisticated influencer strategy. They dig into the “spherical scaling system” Orlić developed for creative angles and awareness-level ad spend, why building on someone else’s land is a risk worth managing rather than avoiding, and how coaching 150 ecommerce brands gave him something money never could. Orlić also unpacks the messy realities of TikTok Shop, bootstrapping globally without access to institutional capital, and why focus — ruthless, unglamorous focus on one thing — was the single biggest unlock in his career. Connect with Matt Orlić https://youtu.be/rX-bqR3deNk?si=bZQXYRYsqvYP8uci www.ecommarchitect.comPowered ByFulfilhttps://bit.ly/3pAp2vuAftersellhttps://9ops.c
"You can't connect the dots looking forward, only back." Don't be afraid to take risks and learn from your failures. Matt lost $5M and used that experience as fuel for future success.
What does this episode say about d2c strategy?
Build on your own land: Don't solely rely on platforms like Facebook or Amazon. Diversify your channels and build direct relationships with customers.
What does this episode say about growth marketing?
Leverage influencer marketing strategically: Matt partnered with Sony Music to get his headphones into video clips, leading to exclusive retail deals. Find creative ways to get your product in front of influential people.
What does this episode say about product development?
Product diversification can supercharge growth: Kol Skincare's major growth spurt came from expanding into a new product category (from LED masks to water filters, light needling, serums, and hair growth helmets), allowing them to acquire more customers.
What does this episode say about brand building?
Focus on making clinical treatments accessible: Identify underserved needs in your market and offer high-value solutions that were previously out of reach for the average consumer.
