The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

I have never said this directly on the show before, but shiny object syndrome did not cost me months. It cost me years. Entire years where the Foundr team was spread across five or six initiatives instead of going deep on one or two. And the worst part is it never felt like a mistake. It felt like being smart because I kept seeing opportunities everywhere.

Here is the problem: every new thing you chase takes focus away from the thing that is already working. And the most dangerous shiny objects are not the bad ideas. They are the good ones that just are not the right ones for right now.

In this episode, I share the three question decision making matrix I use now before committing to anything new at Foundr, two real examples of it in action, and why the founders running billion dollar companies almost always do one or two things exceptionally well rather than chasing everything.

Here's what you'll take away:

The three question matrix: ease of execution, financial impact, and customer impact, and how to score any new idea honestly before you commit

How we used the matrix to greenlight Foundr's sponsorship arm and turn a cost centre into a high margin revenue stream with one person managing it

Why the Kickstarter coffee table book that raised $200,000 was still the wrong decision, and what eight months of lost focus actually cost

Why good ideas are more dangerous than bad ones when it comes to shiny object syndrome

Alex Hormozi's concept of pushing through the depths of despair rather than jumping to the next thing when something gets hard

What Steve Jobs did when he came back to Apple and why doing fewer things at the highest level is still the most boring and most powerful strategy in business

If you are spread across too many initiatives right now or about to chase something new because it feels exciting, this episode will give you a clear filter for making that call before it costs you time you are not getting back.

If you're loving this solo series, I'd love to hear your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it.

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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN

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FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES

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Sandra Oh Lin walked away from running eBay's fashion business in 2011 to pack craft boxes in her garage. She raised just $11 million in total - and never needed another dollar. KiwiCo has now shipped over 50 million crates, crossed $1 billion in lifetime revenue, runs profitably since 2016, and operates with a team of under 150.

The standard DTC playbook says outsource fulfillment, buy every customer with paid ads, and burn cash until you exit. Sandra broke all three rules and built one of the most capital-efficient consumer subscription businesses ever created.

In this interview, the founder and CEO of KiwiCo breaks down the two-word churn survey answer that unlocked profitability, why she's run her own warehouse for 14 years instead of using a 3PL, and how 70% of her traffic costs almost nothing.

What you'll learn in this interview:
• How she went from 19 crates taking five people all day - to 50 million shipped
• Why she ran her own warehouse for 14 years instead of outsourcing - and why it crushed competitors every Christmas
• The two words buried in churn surveys that led to launching three new subscription lines at once
• How all three new lines sold out at the 2014 holiday launch - and drew a direct line to their first profitable month
• Why 70% of KiwiCo's traffic costs almost nothing - and what those channels actually are
• How a website going horribly wrong led her to recruit the first engineer at YouTube as co-founder
• The motivation spreadsheet: why every team member distributes 100 points across what actually drives them
• How the "graduation" mechanic turns developmental churn into a moment of delight
• Why she raised less than $11 million total while building a nine-figure business
• How she's revamping four subscription lines, expanding into retail, and launching internationally for the first time

If you're building a subscription brand, trying to grow a capital-efficient DTC business without burning through VC cash, or looking for the playbook behind what 14 years of relentless operational discipline actually looks like, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about retention, fulfillment, and what it means to build a business that doesn't need to be sold.

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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH SANDRA OH LIN
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/kiwico_inc/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandralin/
Website → https://www.kiwico.com/

FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
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Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

Claire Wolfson got her first dachshund at 20, became completely obsessed, and watched him get paralysed by the spinal condition that affects almost every sausage dog. The original plan was to design a supportive harness. That didn't work out. So her husband Chris drew a simple wiener dog silhouette, they slapped it on some beanies, and Bean Goods was born. That was 2011. Thirteen years, one capsule tee collection, two designers, and zero business education later - they're doing $140,000 to $150,000 a month.

In this episode, Claire is refreshingly honest about what 13 years of slow, scrappy building actually looks like - the years of winging it on pricing and margins, the decade of running Instagram solo, the agency experiments that never paid off, and what finally shifted when she stopped doing it all alone.

What you'll learn in this interview:

How Bean Goods started with beanies, a logo, and no manufacturing experience - and why a capsule collection of 3 to 5 graphic tees in 2013 was the moment Claire knew it could be a real business

Why starting on Instagram in 2012 - the year the platform launched - gave Bean Goods an early mover advantage in the dachshund community that still pays off today

How Claire grew the brand's Instagram solo for nearly a decade with no social media strategy background, and what "consistency" actually looked like before it became a buzzword

The pricing and margins reality of those early years: blanks at $3.50 to $8.50, one-colour screen prints, and absolutely no idea what a healthy margin looked like

How they hit their first six-figure year around 2013 to 2014 using only organic Instagram and email marketing - and why MailChimp lasted for years before Klaviyo

What eight years of just Claire and Chris doing everything actually cost them - and how getting their first intern in 2019 started to change the shape of the business

The meta ads journey from 2017 onwards: a Facebook ads course built for service businesses, a short agency stint, and why she kept coming back to running them herself

How Bean Goods went from inconsistent $68K to $80K months to consistently hitting $140K to $150K - and the specific ad account changes that drove it

Why bundling is brand new territory for a 13-year-old brand - and what it says about how much room there still is to grow even when you think you know your business

What it takes to build a team and a warehouse operation that can run for three weeks while you're in Europe - and why that, more than any revenue milestone, is the win Claire talks about most

If you're building slowly and wondering whether the grind is ever going to compound into something real - Claire's story is the answer. Bean Goods didn't go viral. It didn't have a moment. It just kept going, kept learning, and kept showing up for a community of people who are, against all odds, extremely passionate about sausage dogs.

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HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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→ Starting from scratch? Apply here →
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→ Already have a store? Apply here →
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CONNECT WITH BY CLAIRE WOLFSON
Instagram →⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/beangoods/
LinkedIn → ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-wolfson-599b47a/
Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beangoods.com/

FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
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Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

A few years ago I lost half a million dollars in 30 days. Not in crypto, not in a speculative bet. In the business I built from my parents' basement and launched on $3,000 from a credit card. And the part that still gets me is that the loss itself was not the dangerous part. The dangerous part was everything that led up to it.

Here is the thing nobody warns you about: your most vulnerable moment as a founder is not when things are falling apart. It is when everything is working, people are telling you everything you touch turns to gold, and you start to believe it.

In this episode, I share the full story publicly for the first time, what actually caused it, how I got through it, and the two lessons that came out of it and completely changed how I build now.

Here's what you'll take away:

Why success is the moment you need to be most paranoid, not most relaxed, and what stops most founders from seeing it that way

How spending $1 million a month on ads with no back end system or unit economics in place set up the fall before it happened

The ego shift that happens when you stop questioning, stop running worst case scenarios, and start thinking the machine will just keep running

Ray Dalio's principle of pain plus reflection equals progress, and why most founders feel the pain and skip the part that actually matters

Why being in the repeat business is the first thing I focus on now when building anything

What Drew Houston means when he says founders must be learning machines, and how I stopped being one right when it mattered most

If you are in a season right now where something has gone wrong, or you are riding a wave and quietly getting comfortable, this episode is for you. The reflection is where the progress lives.

If you're loving this solo series, I'd love to hear your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it.

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Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/operators⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER

Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+

Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?

→ Starting from scratch? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN

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FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES

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Yasmina Elmerkaoui had one shot - use the house deposit to buy a home, or bet it all on a hair gel she'd spent two years formulating. She chose the hair gel. On launch night she packed orders until 5am, drove them to the post office herself, and woke up to find all 20,000 units - what she thought was a year's worth of stock - completely gone in 24 hours. Macao is now on track for eight figures in its third year, built on 90,000 Instagram followers, zero outside funding at launch, and a pre-launch call to her manufacturer that saved everything.

In this interview, Yasmina breaks down the exact pre-launch move that meant stock was already in production when she sold out overnight, how she turned copycats into a celebration, and the investor email she kept deleting because she thought it was a scam.

What you'll learn in this interview:

Why she bet the house deposit on a hair gel - and the mentor conversation that pushed her over the line

How nearly $10,000 in sampling and a $30,000 first run taught her what building a real product actually costs

The pre-launch gut call - why she paid a deposit to start production before launch, and how it saved the business when everything sold out in 24 hours

Why she started signing customer service emails under a male alias - and why it actually worked

How she used UGC creators from day one to fill the feed with different faces, ethnicities, and hair types so the brand didn't rely on just her

The Black Friday disaster that made a year's revenue in one week - then nearly broke her entire operation

Why she kept deleting the investor email from Capital Influence because she thought it was a Facebook scam

What finally convinced her to give up equity - and why it was about experience, not money

The "create your own bundle" feature that raised average order value without a single extra product

Why she celebrates copycats - and the mindset that keeps her focused on what's next instead of what's being copied

If you're an early stage DTC founder, a content creator thinking about launching your own product, or trying to figure out how to turn a loyal audience into actual sales without burning the trust you've built, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about community, launch strategy, and what it really takes to go from house deposit to eight figures.

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→ Starting from scratch? Apply here →
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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH YASMINA ELMERKAOIU
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/mrs.yasmina/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmina-elmerkaoui-191b69262/
Website → https://merkaou.com/

FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
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Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠