Brand Builders: Recent Episodes
Matt Lady & Tom Brown
Each week Tom and Matt will have a catchup and open forum discussion about how our brands & careers are going, what is on our minds, and what we are struggling with lately in hopes to show the ups AND the downs of building a DTC brand.
In this episode, Matt and Richie discuss missed opportunities, potential growth options and how they could have handled older marketing events in the past. They dive into Richieβs plans for 2023 Q1, his customer service systems and the possibility of Birdie having a podcast. Matt also asks Richie about Birdieβs Black Friday strategy, Amazon FBA revenue and their holiday ad spend plus what to do with your evergreen ads during that time. They finish off by going over SUPER underrated apps for your Shopify store such as Recart SMS, Retention.com, Slippy.io and much more.
πCheck out our other podcast Ecommerce Uncovered
Watch or listen to it here!
π Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ecommerce-uncovered/id1632299372
π’ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UnV8gzJxZBffT76l5oWkW?si=52592e8abae54859
πΉ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyLVaExXuY&list=PL0nuPpEjLmzsI_fobg4uqtRRN4wbKePD-
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH RICHIE
π Website: https://www.shesbirdie.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/richmashine
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmashiko/
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/a286-BB0buE
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
In this episode, Matt and Richie discuss Black Friday being around the corner and annual plans for 2023. Matt goes into his annual goals for StumpTown Mattress for 2023, how he plans to spend his marketing budget, his email marketing strategy and secret strategies for increasing customer relationships and engagements using Bonjoro. Matt also goes into more strategies using multiple Shopify apps, methods for partnerships/referrals and possibly having StumpTown Mattress dive into Amazon FBA.
πCheck out our other podcast Ecommerce Uncovered
Watch or listen to it here!
π Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ecommerce-uncovered/id1632299372
π’ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UnV8gzJxZBffT76l5oWkW?si=52592e8abae54859
πΉ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyLVaExXuY&list=PL0nuPpEjLmzsI_fobg4uqtRRN4wbKePD-
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH RICHIE
π Website: https://www.shesbirdie.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/richmashine
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmashiko/
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/54SMajDoTDw
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=899e6385e5404160
In this episode of Brand Builders, Matt Lady and Tom Brown discuss Richieβs text about Matt running ads for his upcoming brand and breakdown how to start the brand itself from getting products to launch date. They also breakdown a competitor's brand that does something similar and how to improve upon what they are doing. On top of that they discuss content strategy & niching down for promotion plus the Shopify apps and process for setting up a new store. They also give advice on how to pre-launch your brand, ordering samples, bundles, discounts, designs and go over how simple it is to create a loyal audience with loyal customers.
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/3IxtE1QRVBQ
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=899e6385e5404160
In this episode, Matt and Richie go over a recent interview they both listened to about OpenStoreβs (aggregator that buys Shopify brands) strategy for growth, Amazonβs second Prime Day results for Richieβs brand Birdie and Matt also dives into potentially setting up StumpTown Mattress on Amazon. They also take the time to talk about Q4 Black Friday 2022 pros and cons & Richieβs Black Friday strategy for BirdiePlus.
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH RICHIE
π Website: https://www.shesbirdie.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/richmashine
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmashiko/
Marcβs Agency: https://tyde.agency/
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=899e6385e5404160
In this episode, Matt and Tom talk discuss a mind blowing ad creative that left them both speechless in how simple but profitable it has been, their thoughts on going back to the basics, the coming shift in what Head of Growth means to a DTC brand, Tomβs thoughts on Shop Cash (Shopifyβs Cash Back Program) and Matt, Tom & Richieβs potential growth consultancy for Brand Builder listeners.
π Special thanks to our sponsor Checkoutlinks.
Go to www.checkoutlinks.com/matt for your DISCOUNT today!
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyFu3AqyAvq58sV7CID9Xrw
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=899e6385e5404160
In this episode, Matt and Richie go through Richieβs background, career, Birdie's creation plus how it works, how he helped turn Birdie into an 8 figure brand as well as how Richie and his team built a SaaS for Birdie in less than a year. Richie also shares his thoughts on packaging, when he knew that Birdie could be a big deal, strategies he used to get it where it is today, how his plans start and adapt over time and also shares the lessons heβs learned along the way.
π Special thanks to our sponsor Checkoutlinks!
Get a your Brand Builders Listener Discount by going to:
checkoutlinks.com/matt
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH RICHIE
π Website: https://www.shesbirdie.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/richmashine
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmashiko/
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=899e6385e5404160
In this episode, Matt and Tom talk discuss Tomβs official Twitter announcement of joining Hutch, his advice on balancing marketing vs sales plus his strategy for both paid and organic growth. They also dive into the benefits of short term growth vs long term growth and how Tom handles all of the processes of running a brand. Matt also goes into the two main things he wished to focus on for StumpTown Mattress and Matt, Tom and Richieβs potential growth consultancy for Brand Builder listeners.
π Special thanks to our sponsor Checkoutlinks.
Go to www.checkoutlinks.com/matt for your DISCOUNT today!
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=899e6385e5404160
In this episode, Matt and Richie discuss recent scandals on Twitter including Santigagoβs faked Klaviyo results and a CROβs thread disaster as well as Shopifyβs new cash back feature, if going into retail is worth it, Shopifyβs attempt to be like Amazon and how different someoneβs ecommerce journey will be if they decide to bootstrap the entire way. All this and more in episode 11 of the Brand Builders Podcast.
π Special thanks to our sponsor Checkoutlinks!
Get a your Brand Builders Listener Discount by going to:
checkoutlinks.com/matt
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH RICHIE
π Website: https://www.shesbirdie.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/richmashine
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmashiko/
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=899e6385e5404160
In this episode, Matt and Tom talk about Shopifyβs new discount stacking and subscription feature as well as other Shopify subscription service apps, Tom gives a quick update on his role as Head of Growth at Hutch, Matt gives an update on his first 3 weeks at StumpTown Mattress and if their website will be ready in time for Black Friday, his experience with a Google Ads freelancer and with clients in the past along with his meetings with TripleWhale and Northbeam.
π Huge thanks to our sponsor SheerID
Go to http://sheerid.com/shopify for your FREE trial today!
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=be2aaf1e37a14bfb
In this episode, Matt and Richie kick off his introduction discussing some of the tweets making waves in the DTC community including DTC brand founder's opinions and backstories, brand building, how to set yourself up for life with the right strategy, two brands that were recently acquired and what made them so special to be worth $600M+. All this and more in episode 9 of the Brand Builders Podcast.Β
π Special thanks to our sponsor SheerID.Β
Start your FREE trial by going to:Β
sheerid.com/shopify
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH RICHIE
π Website: https://www.shesbirdie.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/richmashine
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmashiko/
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
In this episode, Matt and Tom chat about Mattβs decision to choose between a template or custom built Shopify store, read listener opinions, how to manage your time as a brand founder, how to execute an audit, SEO, influencer seeding and a shocking analysis of StumpTown Mattressβs Google analytics.
π Huge thanks to our sponsor Noowave.Β
Go to noowave.co and USE CODE:Β
POD10 for 10% OFF your order
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
In this episode, Matt and Tom chat about Mattβs Shopify apps/tech stack including Triple Whale, Loox, Fondue, Klaviyo, Refersion, etc and his future strategies for StumpTown Mattress, we also get an update on Tomβs experience selling his brand and his strategy for scaling Hutch.
π Huge thanks to our sponsor Noowave.
Go to noowave.co and USE CODE:
POD10 for 10% OFF your order
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brand-builders/id1645148049
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2WcfSKIKlxbbzKjj71ftzd?si=d1c04735adf147a2
In this episode, Matt and Tom chat about their new roles as both Heads of Growth at Hutch and StumpTown Mattress, the ups and downs starting off, how the recession will impact both brands, shipping times and out of the box methods for acquiring customers.
π Special thanks to our sponsor SheerID.
Start your FREE trial by going to:
sheerid.com/shopify
π Huge thanks to our sponsor Noowave.
Go to noowave.co and USE CODE:
POD10 for 10% OFF your order
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
In this episode, Matt and Tom chat about Tomβs new role as Head of Growth at Hutch after 9 years of working for himself, his meetup in London with others in the DTC space and Mattβs possible Head of Growth position at various potential brands plus an update on Tomβs experience selling his brand.
π Special thanks to our sponsor SheerID.Β
Start your FREE trial by going to:Β
sheerid.com/shopify
π Huge thanks to our sponsor Noowave.Β
Go to noowave.co and USE CODE:Β
POD10 for 10% OFF your order
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
In this episode, Matt and Tom chat about the UK's lower cost to fulfill and ship products in comparison to the US, how to increase your inventory and prepare for Black Friday/Cyber Monday including going viral with your brand, running retargeting Facebook Ads Campaigns, Facebook Advantage Plus as well as how to build the βperfect brandβ.
π Special thanks to our sponsor SheerID.
Start your FREE trial by going to:
sheerid.com/shopify
π Huge thanks to our sponsor Noowave.
Go to noowave.co and USE CODE:
POD10 for 10% OFF your order
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
In this episode, Matt and Tom chat about Mattβs potential Head of Growth position, setting up for Black Friday, Klaviyoβs pricing change, email marketing tactics and an update on Tomβs experience selling his brand.
π Special thanks to our sponsor SheerID.
Start your FREE trial by going to:
sheerid.com/shopify
π Huge thanks to our sponsor Noowave.
Go to noowave.co and USE CODE:
POD10 for 10% OFF your order
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
In this episode, Matt and Tom take on the second episode by finishing their chat on starting a brand in a recession, cutting costs, referral programs, SEO, influencer marketing, and Tomβs experience selling his brand.
Special thanks to our sponsor SheerID.
Start your FREE trial by going to:
sheerid.com/shopify
Huge thanks to our sponsor Noowave.
Go to noowave.co and USE CODE:
POD10 for 10% OFF your order
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify
In this episode, Matt and Tom kick off the first episode by introducing themselves and giving a bit of background on their DTC journey so far including running ads, pricing products and starting a new brand in the recession.
Special thanks to our sponsor SheerID. Start your FREE trial by going to:
sheerid.com/shopify
Thanks to our sponsor Noowave. Go to noowave.co and USE CODE:
POD10 for 10% OFF your order
CONNECT WITH MATT
π Website: https://mattladydigital.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattlady
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmattlady/
ποΈ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/
π΅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattlady
CONNECT WITH TOM
π Website: https://www.brndlabs.com/
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplytom/
πΈ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomwbrown/
ποΈ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thetombrown
*
πΉ Watch this episode on YouTube
π Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
π’ Leave a rating on Spotify