The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

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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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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HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
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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

This is not a growth hack. It is not going to go viral on a Twitter thread. But I genuinely believe it is one of the highest leverage things you can do for your brand right now, and most founders never do it properly because it is not exciting.

Here is what a mentor told me years ago that I keep coming back to: a dollar saved is a dollar earned. And depending on your margins, that dollar saved is probably worth $1.30 or $1.40 on the bottom line.

In this episode, I walk you through a full line by line expense audit covering every major cost area in a typical e-commerce business, the same process we have run at Foundr that has saved us tens of thousands of dollars a month.

Here's what you'll take away:

Why the average growing Shopify store is paying for 15 to 30 apps but actively using only eight of them, and how to fix that fast

How to negotiate your SaaS tools, 3PL rates, merchant fees, and supplier costs in ways most founders never think to try

Why agency retainers are one of the most expensive line items you can cut, and what to build in-house instead

How to use AI and Claude Code to replace tools and creative spend that is quietly draining your budget every month

The Meta ads Net 30 arrangement that can make a significant difference to your cash flow if you are spending at scale

Why businesses waste an average of 26% of their marketing budget on campaigns that are not performing, and where to redirect it

If your margins are tighter than they should be or you have not done a proper audit in the last six months, this episode will show you exactly where to look and what to do about it.

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.

WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS?
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?

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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN

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FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES

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Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

Jay Klein lost $2 million on a gum nobody wanted. He sold the remaining
stock to a pig feed company for $13,000 - then used every cent of it to
launch Pur. Sixteen years later, Pur is the fastest-growing gum in North
America, the #1 selling gum on Amazon, sells in over 50 countries, and
does over $250 million in retail sales annually. All bootstrapped. All
founder-owned. And built in a $20 billion industry controlled by fewer
than ten giants who still haven't managed to take him out.

In this interview, the founder of The Pur Company breaks down how he
discovered his winning product insight for free at 30,000 feet, why he
deliberately ignored Walmart and Tesco to win thousands of tiny
independent stores first, and how he absorbed a brutal 39% tariff -
without raising a dollar or passing a cent to his customers - and still
grew 30% that year.

What you'll learn in this interview:
• How losing $2 million on his first gum brand rewired everything - and
why getting back to zero was his greatest victory
• The airplane focus group: how he discovered the aspartame insight for
free that became the entire Pur thesis
• Why he targeted independent health food stores instead of big
retailers - and the "major league attitude in a minor league setting"
strategy behind it
• How he convinced his manufacturer to extend 30-day credit on a $250K
first order with only $13K to his name
• The "assemble the crumbs to make the cookie" philosophy: why Pur has
never been built on a single big retail relationship
• How duty free airports became his global expansion engine - and why he
treated them like his version of New York City
• Why he turned down the Dragon's Den deal even after it went through -
and what he got out of it anyway
• The 39% Swiss tariff crisis: how he absorbed the full hit rather than
disrupt his retail relationships - and why scale actually amplified the
problem instead of solving it
• Why he keeps the lowest possible balance in his checking account on
purpose - and what it does for his hunger as a founder
• What he looks for now as a Dragon's Den investor: the two things that
matter before any unit economics conversation

If you're building a CPG or retail brand, trying to figure out how to
grow without giving away equity, or looking for the real story behind
what bootstrapped category-building looks like across 16 years and 50
countries, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think
about distribution, resilience, and what it means to outwork the
competition one crumb at a time.

SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started.

WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS?
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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

PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here →
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
→ Already have a store? Apply here →
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

CONNECT WITH JAY KLEIN
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/iamjayklein/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-klein-92b93319/
Website → https://thepurcompany.com/

FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Twitter → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

Dr. Angela Casey spent nearly 15 years treating skin cancer before she had her business idea. She didn't come from entrepreneurship - she came from molecular biology, medical school, residency, and a clinical practice. When the idea hit her, it was so obvious she couldn't believe nobody had done it properly. She searched every major retailer - Ulta, Sephora, Target, Walmart, Macy's - and found nothing worth recommending to her own three daughters. A Macy's assistant tried to sell her 12-year-old an anti-aging eye cream. Bright Girl was the answer to that gap, and it cost her $350,000 and three years to bring it to life.

In this episode, Angela gets completely honest about what it takes to launch a product the right way from scratch - the hundreds of surveys, the thousands of patient conversations, the Covid shipping crisis that sent her costs up six times overnight, and what nearly $120,000 in packaging sitting in a warehouse actually feels like when you're still flying the plane as you build it.

What you'll learn in this interview:

How Angela validated Bright Girl before spending a cent - surveying hundreds of people on SurveyMonkey, questioning thousands of patients over two years, and physically visiting every major beauty retailer to confirm the gap was real

Why she interviewed dozens of cosmetic chemist teams around the world before finding the right fit - and how three years of clinical research meant she only needed three rounds of formula revisions

The real cost of a custom, premium launch: $50K for the first filled run, $120K when you include the 36,000 empty bottles in reserve, and $350K all in when you add branding and design

What it felt like to order 40,000 bottles and jars across four SKUs in 2020 - just as Covid hit and shipping costs multiplied by six

Why she spent the first year of DTC sales proving market fit before ever approaching dermatology practices as a distribution channel - and why that sequencing mattered

The exact moment she knew the product had real credibility: when other dermatologists - notoriously skeptical of new skincare brands - started recommending Bright Girl not just to patients but for their own children

How selling through dermatology practices built the trust that made mass retail possible - and the retailers Bright Girl is now stocked in

Why Amazon, launched just over a year ago, is now growing at 10-20% month over month - and how TikTok Shop became an unpredictable but consistent additional channel

The email marketing lesson from her Founder mentor that unlocked 15-20% of website revenue from a channel she had barely touched

What two full-time jobs actually looks like - five days a week in clinical practice, seven days a week on Bright Girl - and the non-negotiable routines that hold it together

If you're early in your journey and wondering whether your idea is good enough to back with serious money and serious time - Angela's story is a masterclass in what deep validation actually looks like before you commit. She still wants more. She's her own harshest critic. But $40K a month on a brand she built from scratch with zero business experience, while running a full medical practice, is not nothing.

SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
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WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS?
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
→ Already have a store? Apply here →
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH BY DR ANGELA CASEY
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/brightgirlbeauty/
Angela's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/angelacaseymd/
Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://brightgirl.com/

FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Facebook → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Twitter → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠