When experienced operators launch new brands, the playbook shifts dramatically from scaling established companies. Cody Plofker (Winks) and Connor MacDonald (Ridge Gut Culture) share six critical lessons from their early-stage ventures, focusing on lean teams, building credibility, offer testing, subscription economics, and managing high ad costs. This episode provides a raw, honest look at the real challenges and strategies required to get a new DTC brand off the ground in a competitive market.
Key takeaways
Build with a lean team, as resources are scarce and agility is key in the early days of a new brand.
Focus on earning credibility from scratch, as established brand recognition is absent for new launches.
Prioritize testing offers and messaging to find what resonates and drives clicks, even before data is conclusive.
Develop a robust strategy for subscription economics early on to ensure long-term viability and customer retention.
Prepare for and strategically manage high ad costs, as initial customer acquisition can be expensive without existing brand equity.
“There’s so much that I took for granted. It’s such a different playbook.” What happens when two operators who’ve helped build nine-figure brands start again at zero? Connor MacDonald (CMO, Ridge) and Cody Plofker (advisor and former CEO, Jones Road) compare notes on two new launches: Ridge’s Gut Culture and Cody’s Winks. They get into six hard lessons from the early days. (1) Building with a lean team. (2) Earning credibility when nobody knows the brand. (3) Finding a message that gets clicks. (4) Testing offers before the data is conclusive. (5) Making subscription economics work. (6) Dealing with high ad costs. Cody shares what’s happening at Winks just weeks after launch; Connor explains what Ridge learned from six months of building Gut Culture. Powered By Motion https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel-mops Proppel https://www.weareproppel.com/operators Aftersell https://9ops.co/aftersell-mops Haus https://www.haus.io/operators NeonPixel https://9ops.co/neonpixel Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/
