Podcast
The Free to Grow CFO Podcast
Hosted by Jon Blair · EN
Welcome to The Free to Grow CFO Podcast, where we dive deep into conversations about scaling a profitable DTC brand. Join us as we talk with DTC and Ecommerce experts, operators, and brand founders to uncover the strategies, financial insights, and real-world lessons behind sustainable growth. Whether you’re building toward your first million or scaling beyond eight figures, each episode is packed with practical advice to help you grow smarter and more profitably.
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why Your Marketing Looks Unprofitable (But Isn’t)
3d ago00:27:28Tap to summarizewww.FreeToGrowCFO.com👇 GET A COPY OF OUR FREE DTC DEBT PLAYBOOKhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/debt👇 GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE CASH FLOW 101 COURSEhttps://mailchi.mp/freetogrowcfo.com/ftg-cash-flow-course-sign-up👇 GET A FREE CFO ANALYSIShttps://freetogrowcfo.com/free-cfo-analysis📧 JOIN OUR WEEKLY FREE TO GROW CFO NEWSLETTERhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/newsletter🧔♂️ WHO IS FREE TO GROW CFOOutsourced CFO and Bookkeeping services for profit-focused DTC brands. Scaling a DTC brand is stressful. With messy books and no CFO on your team you run the risk of… -Hiring too quickly -Buying too much inventory -Scaling ad spend unprofitably -Running out of cash And that leads to stressful, sleepless nights. We don’t want that for you. Free to Grow CFO has given hundreds of DTC brands a plan for scaling alongside healthy profit and cash flow. Our plan will work for you too.📈 WANT TO INCREASE PROFIT AND CASH FLOW AS YOU SCALE?Book a Call Now → https://freetogrowcfo.com/book-a-call🤝 CONNECT WITH JON BLAIR ON LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/🎥 FOLLOW FREE TO GROW CFO ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowCFO🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONEpisode SummaryMost eCommerce brands aren’t losing money because of bad marketing.They’re losing money because they’re measuring it wrong.In this episode of the Free to Grow CFO Podcast, Jon sits down with Shinghi Detlefsen (CEO of ExpandFi) to break down one of the most misunderstood problems in eCommerce: how to actually measure marketing profitability across Amazon and Shopify—and why most brands get it wrong.Shinghi shares how he went from breaking Excel trying to understand Amazon LTV to building ExpandFi, a tool designed by operators, for operators. The conversation goes deep into what actually drives profitable growth—and why optimizing for low CAC is often the exact thing holding brands back.If you’re trying to scale profitably, this episode will change how you think about marketing, data, and decision-making.Because at the end of the day, the brands that win aren’t the ones with the lowest CAC—they’re the ones who know exactly how much they can spend to acquire a customer… and have the confidence to do it.Key Takeaways-Understanding customer behavior is key to profitable scaling.-ExpandFi helps brands optimize ad spend through detailed analytics.-Cohort analysis is complex but essential for growth decisions.Episode LinksJon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/Shinghi Detlefsen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/shinghi-detlefsen-5ab3183a/Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.com/Expandfi - expandfi.comTranscript ~~~00:37 From Corporate to Entrepreneurship: Shinghi's Journey03:10 Building Expandify: Solving E-commerce Challenges05:48 Understanding Customer Lifetime Value and Profitability08:29 The Importance of Cohort Analysis in E-commerce11:26 Navigating Amazon's Complexities for E-commerce Success14:06 The Role of Promotions and Incrementality in Sales16:47 Strategic Insights for E-commerce Founders19:26 The Future of E-commerce Analytics and AI24:00 Final Thought
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Mini Episode: Here's Exactly How to Scale a DTC Apparel Brand
1w ago00:05:15Tap to summarizewww.FreeToGrowCFO.com👇 GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE CASH FLOW 101 COURSEhttps://mailchi.mp/freetogrowcfo.com/ftg-cash-flow-course-sign-up👇 GET A FREE CFO ANALYSIShttps://freetogrowcfo.com/free-cfo-analysis📧 JOIN OUR WEEKLY FREE TO GROW CFO NEWSLETTERhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/newsletter🧔♂️ WHO IS FREE TO GROW CFOOutsourced CFO and Bookkeeping services for profit-focused DTC brands. Scaling a DTC brand is stressful. With messy books and no CFO on your team you run the risk of… -Hiring too quickly -Buying too much inventory -Scaling ad spend unprofitably -Running out of cash And that leads to stressful, sleepless nights. We don’t want that for you. Free to Grow CFO has given hundreds of DTC brands a plan for scaling alongside healthy profit and cash flow. Our plan will work for you too.📈 WANT TO INCREASE PROFIT AND CASH FLOW AS YOU SCALE?Book a Call Now → https://freetogrowcfo.com/book-a-call🤝 CONNECT WITH JON BLAIR ON LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/🎥 FOLLOW FREE TO GROW CFO ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowCFO🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONThe apparel scaling playbook most founders follow will quietly kill your cash flow.In this mini episode of The Free to Grow CFO Podcast, Jon Blair breaks down a reality many DTC operators miss: apparel is a different game—and if you treat it like subscription or high-LTV brands, you’ll scale yourself into an inventory problem.Jon walks through the “Apparel Game” framework used at Free to Grow CFO, explaining why aggressive customer acquisition doesn’t work here, and why most of your profit actually comes later—through repeat purchases and product drops.He reframes what “winning” looks like in apparel: staying break-even (or close) on new customers, then driving contribution margin from your existing base.But that model comes with risk.If you don’t manage inventory tightly—seasonality, sell-through, and capital allocation—you’ll end up overstocked, cash-constrained, and stuck waiting months to recover.If you’re scaling an apparel brand and trying to balance growth with cash flow, this episode gives you the framework to do both—without blowing up your balance sheet.Episode LinksJon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.com/Transcript 00:36 Introduction to Winning in Apparel02:22 Break Even on New Customer Acquisition03:43 Managing Inventory and Seasonal Risks04:52 The Role of a CFO in Apparel Brands
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BONUS EPISODE: Ecom Scaling Show: Why More Ad Channels Is NOT Always The Answer (Ep. 13)
2w ago00:41:21Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryWelcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free to Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as we dive into the crucial—yet often missing—link between marketing and finance in DTC e-commerce. In today’s episode, Dylan and Jon chat strategies for DTC brands looking to diversify their advertising mix and grow into new sales channels. They highlight the importance of mastering one core ad platform before expanding and discuss the risks and benefits of new channels like TikTok, Google, YouTube, and TV advertising. The episode also covers the key considerations for expanding sales channels, focusing on the necessity of understanding your market size (TAM) and adjusting strategies based on whether your business is new customer dominant or has high LTV. The conversation emphasizes the need for disciplined testing, setting clear assumptions, and understanding the economic impacts of diversification efforts.Key Takeaways-Channel diversification is a profit tradeoff, not a guaranteed growth unlock.-If you can’t clearly explain why a new channel should work, you shouldn’t be testing it.-New channels fail more often than they work, so treat them like investments, not tactics.00:37 DTC Ads Channels for Meta, Google, Tik Tok, and AppLovin 03:06 Financial Considerations when Scaling 11:04 YouTube and Connected TV Advertising 20:16 Strategic Decision-Making in Ad Channels 29:37 DTC Sales Channel Expansion and TAM 39:45 Final Thoughts on DTC Ad ScalingEpisode LinksFree To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/Jon Blair on Linkedin: / jonathon-albert-blair Dylan Byers on Linkedin: / dylan-byers-046010149
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The Playbook For Scaling Apparel Without Killing Cash Flow
3w ago00:44:47Tap to summarizewww.FreeToGrowCFO.com👇 GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE CASH FLOW 101 COURSEhttps://mailchi.mp/freetogrowcfo.com/ftg-cash-flow-course-sign-up👇 GET A FREE CFO ANALYSIShttps://freetogrowcfo.com/free-cfo-analysis📧 JOIN OUR WEEKLY FREE TO GROW CFO NEWSLETTERhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/newsletter🧔♂️ WHO IS FREE TO GROW CFOOutsourced CFO and Bookkeeping services for profit-focused DTC brands. Scaling a DTC brand is stressful. With messy books and no CFO on your team you run the risk of… -Hiring too quickly -Buying too much inventory -Scaling ad spend unprofitably -Running out of cash And that leads to stressful, sleepless nights. We don’t want that for you. Free to Grow CFO has given hundreds of DTC brands a plan for scaling alongside healthy profit and cash flow. Our plan will work for you too.📈 WANT TO INCREASE PROFIT AND CASH FLOW AS YOU SCALE?Book a Call Now → https://freetogrowcfo.com/book-a-call🤝 CONNECT WITH JON BLAIR ON LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/🎥 FOLLOW FREE TO GROW CFO ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowCFO🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONEpisode SummaryMost apparel brands don’t struggle because of bad ads—they struggle because they don’t understand the economics of the game they’re playing. In this episode of The Free to Grow CFO Podcast, Jon Blair sits down with Kyle Hency, co-founder of Chubbies and now CEO of GoodDay, to break down what actually drives profitable growth in apparel. They unpack why acquiring customers at break-even is often the right move, how real profit is made on repeat purchases, and why new product drops are the engine behind your P&L. The conversation goes deep on inventory—how it can quietly drain your cash, why most brands overcommit too early, and how to think about risk when launching new SKUs.They also get into the operational reality of scaling: SKU complexity, seasonality, and what happens when you expand beyond DTC into wholesale, Amazon, and retail. Each layer adds more opportunity—but also more risk, more capital requirements, and more ways to get it wrong. Throughout the episode, the focus stays grounded in one thing: cash flow. Because at the end of the day, the brands that win aren’t the ones with the best marketing—they’re the ones that manage inventory, capital, and decision-making the best.Key Takeaways-SKU and channel complexity compound quickly, and without systems, they will break your operations.-Profitable growth in apparel isn’t about scaling ads—it’s about managing cash, inventory, and risk together.-Inventory is the highest-leverage decision in the business—and the fastest way to destroy cash if you get it wrong.Episode LinksJon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/Kyle Hency- https://www.linkedin.com/in/khency/Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.com/Good Day Software - https://www.gooddaysoftware.com/Transcript ~~~00:00 Intro to The Free to Grow CFO Podcast00:00 Introduction to the Apparel Game03:19 Understanding Customer Acquisition and Retention06:08 Navigating Seasonal Challenges in Apparel08:37 Data-Driven Inventory Management11:21 The Importance of Visual Appeal in Marketing14:20 Balancing New Product Development and Financial Health17:02 Managing Complexity in Sales Channel Expansion21:42 Navigating Multi-Channel Complexity in Apparel24:23 The Shift from Digital to Physical Retail27:23 Leveraging Technology for Operational Efficiency29:37 Harnessing AI for Business Management35:36 Embracing Change: The Future of Brand Operations40:11 Final Thoughts
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Do Your Brand's Financials Feel Wrong? Here's the Fix
Apr 1600:23:06Tap to summarizewww.FreeToGrowCFO.com👇 GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE CASH FLOW 101 COURSEhttps://mailchi.mp/freetogrowcfo.com/ftg-cash-flow-course-sign-up👇 GET A FREE CFO ANALYSIShttps://freetogrowcfo.com/free-cfo-analysis📧 JOIN OUR WEEKLY FREE TO GROW CFO NEWSLETTERhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/newsletter🧔♂️ WHO IS FREE TO GROW CFOOutsourced CFO and Bookkeeping services for profit-focused DTC brands. Scaling a DTC brand is stressful. With messy books and no CFO on your team you run the risk of… -Hiring too quickly -Buying too much inventory -Scaling ad spend unprofitably -Running out of cash And that leads to stressful, sleepless nights. We don’t want that for you. Free to Grow CFO has given hundreds of DTC brands a plan for scaling alongside healthy profit and cash flow. Our plan will work for you too.📈 WANT TO INCREASE PROFIT AND CASH FLOW AS YOU SCALE?Book a Call Now → https://freetogrowcfo.com/book-a-call🤝 CONNECT WITH JON BLAIR ON LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/🎥 FOLLOW FREE TO GROW CFO ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowCFO🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONEpisode SummaryIn this episode of The Free to Grow CFO Podcast, Jon Blair sits down with Free to Grow CFO’s Head of Accounting, Ruben Galindo, to break down one of the most common—and most dangerous—issues in DTC: inaccurate financials that lead to bad decisions.They walk through where most brands go wrong with revenue recognition, including why booking deposits as revenue distorts your P&L and how missing components like refunds, discounts, fees, and sales tax can completely misstate your margins. Jon and Ruben also unpack the complexity behind reconciling multiple payment processors, and why most accounting setups fail to capture the full picture of what’s actually happening to your cash and expenses.The conversation then shifts into the hidden challenges inside merchant accounts like Shopify, PayPal, and Amazon—where fees, ad spend, and vendor payments often get missed or misclassified—creating gaps between reported profit and reality.This episode is a practical look at why accurate financials aren’t about accounting—they’re about having numbers you can trust to make better decisions as you scale.Key Takeaways-If your numbers aren’t accurate at the line-item level, you can’t trust them to guide growth decisions.-If you’re not reconciling payment processors properly, you’re missing real expenses hitting your business.-Booking cash deposits as revenue hides refunds, fees, and timing issues that distort your P&L.Episode LinksJon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/Ruben Galindo- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubengalindo241086/Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.com/Transcript ~~~00:00 Intro to The Free to Grow CFO Podcast00:36 Common E-commerce Accounting Challenges01:40 Common Issues in Revenue Recognition06:05 The Complexity of Payment Reconciliation17:36 Understanding Inventory Accounting21:36 The Importance of E-commerce Expertise in Accounting22:10 Final Thoughts
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Why Your DTC Brand Isn’t Growing — You’re Ignoring This
Apr 900:29:49Tap to summarizewww.FreeToGrowCFO.com👇 GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE CASH FLOW 101 COURSEhttps://mailchi.mp/freetogrowcfo.com/ftg-cash-flow-course-sign-up👇 GET A FREE CFO ANALYSIShttps://freetogrowcfo.com/free-cfo-analysis📧 JOIN OUR WEEKLY FREE TO GROW CFO NEWSLETTERhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/newsletter🧔♂️ WHO IS FREE TO GROW CFOOutsourced CFO and Bookkeeping services for profit-focused DTC brands. Scaling a DTC brand is stressful. With messy books and no CFO on your team you run the risk of… -Hiring too quickly -Buying too much inventory -Scaling ad spend unprofitably -Running out of cash And that leads to stressful, sleepless nights. We don’t want that for you. Free to Grow CFO has given hundreds of DTC brands a plan for scaling alongside healthy profit and cash flow. Our plan will work for you too.📈 WANT TO INCREASE PROFIT AND CASH FLOW AS YOU SCALE?Book a Call Now → https://freetogrowcfo.com/book-a-call🤝 CONNECT WITH JON BLAIR ON LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/🎥 FOLLOW FREE TO GROW CFO ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowCFO🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONIn this episode of The Free to Grow CFO Podcast, Jon Blair sits down with Chris Lang, co-founder of Fresh Chile Co., to break down how organic content and paid media actually work together to drive growth in a DTC brand. They explore why brands that rely solely on ads often struggle to scale—and how content improves marketing efficiency over time.The conversation covers the link between storytelling and conversion, including how content builds trust across multiple touchpoints before a customer buys. Jon and Chris also introduce the concept of “hunting vs. harvesting,” highlighting the difference between short-term sales from ads and long-term growth driven by consistent content.They also get tactical, walking through how to use your product page as a content roadmap and why most founders overthink getting started.This episode is a practical look at why content is a core driver of profitable growth.Key Takeaways-Consistent, high-volume content beats perfect content that never gets published.-The best ad creative often comes from organic content that’s already proven to engage.-Brands that rely only on paid acquisition are “hunting”; the ones that win are also “harvesting” with content.Episode LinksJon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/Chris Lang- https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislangsocial/Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.com/Transcript ~~~00:00 Introduction02:48 Building Community Through Storytelling05:54 The Importance of a Strategic Content Framework08:20 Navigating the Hunter vs. Harvester Mindset11:00 Consistency vs. Quality in Content Creation13:43 The Long Game: Patience in Brand Building19:05 Visualizing Content Strategy20:04 The Power of Storytelling21:36 Financial Considerations in Content Strategy22:48 Creating Content for Multiple Platforms26:04 Final Thoughts
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Don’t Make These Fatal Bookkeeping Mistakes
Apr 200:19:13Tap to summarizewww.FreeToGrowCFO.com👇 GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE CASH FLOW 101 COURSEhttps://mailchi.mp/freetogrowcfo.com/ftg-cash-flow-course-sign-up👇 GET A FREE CFO ANALYSIShttps://freetogrowcfo.com/free-cfo-analysis📧 JOIN OUR WEEKLY FREE TO GROW CFO NEWSLETTERhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/newsletter🧔♂️ WHO IS FREE TO GROW CFOOutsourced CFO and Bookkeeping services for profit-focused DTC brands. Scaling a DTC brand is stressful. With messy books and no CFO on your team you run the risk of… -Hiring too quickly -Buying too much inventory -Scaling ad spend unprofitably -Running out of cash And that leads to stressful, sleepless nights. We don’t want that for you. Free to Grow CFO has given hundreds of DTC brands a plan for scaling alongside healthy profit and cash flow. Our plan will work for you too.📈 WANT TO INCREASE PROFIT AND CASH FLOW AS YOU SCALE?Book a Call Now → https://freetogrowcfo.com/book-a-call🤝 CONNECT WITH JON BLAIR ON LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/🎥 FOLLOW FREE TO GROW CFO ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowCFO🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONIn this episode of The Free to Grow CFO Podcast, Jon Blair sits down with Free to Grow CFO team member Prabhu Shrotre to break down some of the most common issues we see when taking over a new client’s books. They walk through why many DTC brands rely on cash basis accounting and how it leads to misleading financials, poor visibility into performance, and ultimately bad decision-making.The conversation covers three key areas where things typically go wrong: revenue recognition, cost of goods sold, and operating expenses. Jon and Prabhu explain how recording revenue based on cash deposits distorts true sales, why expensing inventory upfront creates inaccurate margins, and how delayed expense recognition—especially with ad spend and credit cards—disconnects financials from actual performance. This episode provides a practical look at what’s actually broken in most DTC financials—and why getting the fundamentals right is critical if you want to scale profitably.Key Takeaways-Most brands don’t have a growth problem—they have a visibility problem.-When revenue, COGS, and expenses are recognized in different periods, your P&L stops being a decision-making tool and becomes noise-If you’re not accounting for liabilities like sales tax, your “cash” balance is overstated—and you may not actually have the money you think you do.Episode LinksJon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/Prabhu Shrotre- https://www.linkedin.com/in/prabhanjan-shrotre-0b27903a9/Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.comTranscript ~~~00:00 Introduction to Prabhu and Free to Grow CFO07:42 Challenges with Cost of Goods Sold Accounting11:45 Operating Expenses and Their Impact on Financial Analysis17:08 Culture and Work Environment at Free to Grow CFO18:00 Final Thoughts
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Measuring Marketing Profitability Across Amazon and Shopify
Mar 2600:27:50Tap to summarizewww.FreeToGrowCFO.com👇 GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE CASH FLOW 101 COURSEhttps://mailchi.mp/freetogrowcfo.com/ftg-cash-flow-course-sign-up👇 GET A FREE CFO ANALYSIShttps://freetogrowcfo.com/free-cfo-analysis📧 JOIN OUR WEEKLY FREE TO GROW CFO NEWSLETTERhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/newsletter🧔♂️ WHO IS FREE TO GROW CFOOutsourced CFO and Bookkeeping services for profit-focused DTC brands. Scaling a DTC brand is stressful. With messy books and no CFO on your team you run the risk of… -Hiring too quickly -Buying too much inventory -Scaling ad spend unprofitably -Running out of cash And that leads to stressful, sleepless nights. We don’t want that for you. Free to Grow CFO has given hundreds of DTC brands a plan for scaling alongside healthy profit and cash flow. Our plan will work for you too.📈 WANT TO INCREASE PROFIT AND CASH FLOW AS YOU SCALE?Book a Call Now → https://freetogrowcfo.com/book-a-call🤝 CONNECT WITH JON BLAIR ON LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/🎥 FOLLOW FREE TO GROW CFO ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowCFO🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONIn this episode of The Free to Grow CFO Podcast, Jon Blair sits down with one of Free to Grow CFO’s in-house eCommerce CFOs, Kevin Jornlin, to break down how brands should think about measuring marketing performance when selling across both Shopify and Amazon. They discuss why traditional channel-level metrics often lead to incorrect conclusions, how paid media creates a halo effect across platforms, and why Shopify can appear unprofitable while Amazon looks artificially strong. The conversation dives into blended new customer ROAS, the importance of accurately understanding LTV across channels, and how cohort data can reveal meaningful differences in customer behavior between Shopify and Amazon. Jon and Kevin also share a practical framework for determining appropriate ad spend based on contribution margin and profitability, helping founders make better decisions without relying on perfect attribution.Key Takeaways-Channel-level ROAS is misleading and often causes brands to cut or misallocate ad spend.-Incorrect LTV assumptions can lead to under-scaling or over-spending on acquisition.-The goal isn’t perfect attribution—it’s understanding financial impact on contribution margin.Episode LinksJon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/Kevin Jornlin- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-jornlin-cfa-650a40b/Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.comTranscript ~~~00:00 Introduction to the Free to Grow CFO Podcast04:23 Understanding New vs. Returning Customer Profitability11:07 The Complexity of Amazon and Shopify Integration16:57 Insights from Cohort Models and Retention Rates22:56 Final Thoughts and Practical Advice for Brands
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BONUS EPISODE: Ecom Scaling Show: How Should You Pay Your Team As A DTC Operator? (Ep. 12)
Mar 1900:33:57Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryWelcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free to Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as we dive into the crucial—yet often missing—link between marketing and finance in DTC e-commerce. In this episode, Jon and Dylan dive into the various compensation structures and incentives in DTC eCommerce. While contribution margin dollars can serve as a key incentive metric, it doesn’t universally apply. The discussion explores multiple factors influencing comp packages, highlighting strategic objectives, profitability, and cash flow. The conversation examines different incentive structures for various roles, particularly senior executives, and navigates the nuances of focusing on contribution margin dollars, especially for high LTV brands and those in a hyper-growth phase.Key Takeaways-There is no perfect comp plan—balance, flexibility, and context matter more than precision.-Contribution margin is usually the best north star for growth roles, not revenue.-Profit sharing drives better alignment than equity for most DTC teams.00:00 Introduction to Incentive Compensation 00:38 Structuring Incentive and Compensation in DTC eCommerce 01:07 Key Factors in Compensation Strategy 04:11 Contribution Margin Dollars Explained 06:35 Best Practices for Non-Marketing Functions 07:21 Balancing Strategic Objectives and Incentives 10:26 Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Incentive Compensation 15:40 Time Horizon and Flexibility in Bonuses 27:13 Equity Incentives vs. Profit Sharing 33:14 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsEpisode LinksFree To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/Jon Blair on Linkedin: / jonathon-albert-blair Dylan Byers on Linkedin: / dylan-byers-046010149
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Mini Episode: The Tried and True Formula For Building Wealth With Your Brand
Mar 1200:04:18Tap to summarizewww.FreeToGrowCFO.com👇 GET ACCESS TO OUR FREE CASH FLOW 101 COURSEhttps://mailchi.mp/freetogrowcfo.com/ftg-cash-flow-course-sign-up👇 GET A FREE CFO ANALYSIShttps://freetogrowcfo.com/free-cfo-analysis📧 JOIN OUR WEEKLY FREE TO GROW CFO NEWSLETTERhttps://freetogrowcfo.com/newsletter🧔♂️ WHO IS FREE TO GROW CFOOutsourced CFO and Bookkeeping services for profit-focused DTC brands. Scaling a DTC brand is stressful. With messy books and no CFO on your team you run the risk of… -Hiring too quickly -Buying too much inventory -Scaling ad spend unprofitably -Running out of cash And that leads to stressful, sleepless nights. We don’t want that for you. Free to Grow CFO has given hundreds of DTC brands a plan for scaling alongside healthy profit and cash flow. Our plan will work for you too.📈 WANT TO INCREASE PROFIT AND CASH FLOW AS YOU SCALE?Book a Call Now → https://freetogrowcfo.com/book-a-call🤝 CONNECT WITH JON BLAIR ON LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/🎥 FOLLOW FREE TO GROW CFO ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@FreetoGrowCFO🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONThe DTC gold rush is over — and a lot of founders are still operating like it’s 2021.In this mini episode, Jon Blair breaks down a reality many brand owners don’t want to hear: building a successful DTC brand is not a quick flip. It’s a long, gritty process that requires disciplined financial thinking and a focus on real profitability.Jon challenges the “exit-at-all-costs” narrative pushed across social media and explains why relying on a big acquisition as your wealth strategy is dangerous. Instead, he shares the five-step wealth-building formula that has worked across businesses for decades — including DTC brands.If you want to build a brand that actually creates wealth (not just revenue), this episode lays out the framework.Key Takeaways:-The DTC “gold rush” mindset is over-Profit isn’t enough—cash flow matters-Real wealth comes from distributing and investing cashEpisode LinksJon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.com/Transcript 00:00 Introduction to DTC Brand Challenges02:26 The Reality of Building a DTC Brand04:05 Wealth Building Formula for DTC Brands
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