Lock-In by HappyStack 🥞

This week, we sit down with Aimee Connolly, the founder behind Sculpted by Aimee — the Irish makeup brand on track to become Ireland's first billion-dollar beauty business, still 100% owned by its founder.___Follow us across our socials:Twitter: https://x.com/happystackhqLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happystackhqInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/happystackhq___Check out the HappyStack website: https://www.happystack.com/Stack the odds. 🥞

This week, we sit down with Lucie MacLeod, the founder behind HairSyrup the Sunday Times Founder of the Year who built a built a million pound empire after being rejected by all 6 dragons on Dragons Den.Lucie's story is chaos turned into strategy. She started mixing hair oils in mustard bottles in her student kitchen, gave away her formula on TikTok, then deleted her viral account. When thousands of people begged to buy her products, she ignored them. Her parents said absolutely not. She did it anyway.From a £3.99/month website to the Dragon's Den experience that everyone saw on TV to turning rejection by all six Dragons into 22 million profile views and a 66% revenue jump. Why she refuses to chase viral tactics, deliberately runs an 8-10% affiliate model in an industry that does 80-90%, and told her TikTok account manager she'll never make £2m on a live - and doesn't want to.Raw, funny, and packed with lessons you won't find in any startup playbook.

This week, we sit down with Lukas Pakter, the 24-year-old founder behind Haus, Trybe, and Outliers. Lukas has built a personal brand generating millions in revenue, and in this conversation he walks through his actual playbook—why audience quality matters more than size, and how the right mentor helped him scale from £100K a month to £100K a day.We cover his approach to content, the systems he's built to scale beyond himself, and the realities of growing modern ecom businesses. He also gets honest about nearly going bankrupt, taking a deal everyone advised against, and the lessons that shaped how he operates today.Practical, direct, and full of specific insights you can actually use.

Season 3 kicks off with a heavyweight episode.This week, we’re joined by three operators who’ve collectively spent more than £100 million on Meta in the last 18 months - and who sit behind some of the UK’s fastest-growing consumer brands.Jack Rubin, founder of Purdy & Figg, the DTC cleaning brand now generating £50M+ in annual revenue.Olly Hudson, a co-founder of Soar With Us, the UK’s largest DTC growth agency. And returning fan-favourite Matt Kelly, founder of Spacegoods, back after one of our most memorable episodes.This conversation is exactly what brand owners talk about over a pint (or three). We go deep on:The real state of Meta ads right nowHow AI is reshaping acquisitionWhy doubling down on your influencer strategy is no longer optionalWhat it actually takes to scale a modern DTC brand in 2025If you’re looking to sharpen your customer acquisition strategy over the next 12 months, this is the episode you’ll want to binge.

Meet Grace Andrews, the 28-year-old Marketing Director behind the world's biggest podcast - Diary of a CEO. Grace joined Steven Bartlett as DOAC's third employee in 2020 when the podcast had just 8,000 subscribers. Through trial, error, and in Grace's own words 'lots of naivety' she built the marketing playbook that scaled the brand to more than 1 Billion listens in just four years. In our chat with Grace, we deep dive her playbook for building the world's biggest podcast while also diving into the top social media tips and trends for 2025. Not one to be missed!

Bio.George Kruis and Dom Day aren’t your average founders, they’re former international rugby stars who went from scrums and stadiums to supplements and Sainsbury’s. As ex-Saracens teammates, their journey from elite athletes to co-founders of wellness brand ‘FourFive’ is full of unexpected pivots, hard-won lessons, and big wins in both the worlds of e-commerce and retail.In this episode, George and Dom get real about the moment they knew they had something special with FourFive, how they tackled the transition from rugby to retail, and the mindset shift that came with life after sport. From leveraging their athlete networks to landing shelf space in major retailers, they unpack how they found their “unfair advantage” and built a trusted name in the crowded wellness space. Including the challenges of scaling and building a brand around a highly regulated product, CBD.They talk Shopify, subscriptions, investor relationships, and even the science (or lack of) behind whether FourFive can really cure a hangover. We say it can.If you're a founder, athlete, or someone in between, this one’s packed with energy, insight, and inspiration. And a good load of laughs too.Timestamps0:00 Trailer01:30 The Back Heel Conversion02:56 The Aha Moment for FourFive/ The Idea for FourFive05:10 Transitioning from Rugby to Entrepreneurship07:55 Finding the Right People and Support09:15 Lessons in Communication09:52 Preparing for Life After Rugby/ Tapping into your Network14:18 Lean into your Skillset/ Finding your Unfair Advantage17:17 Getting into retail/ Sainsbury's20:43 The Ecom Pivot22.06 The Parallels between Sports Teams and Businesses29:35 Goal Setting31:49 Is FourFive a Hangover Remedy?36:53 Challenges of being in the CBD Space40:17 Shopify + Subscriptions43:38 Influencers and Investors46:15 Jack's POV

Some know Spencer Matthews as a Reality TV Star. Others know him as a World-Record Holder. But beyond the public eye, Spencer's journey over the last few years from overcoming addiction through to founding 'clean alcohol' brand CleanCo is one fit for a movie. Spencer is the latest guest into the pub, and this one is (quite literally at times) barking mad. Sharing stories from his early struggles with alcohol and the inception of CleanCo, through to his extreme physical challenges and family life, this is definitely our most inspiring episode yet.

Yanni Hufnagel isn’t your typical founder. He’s a former basketball coach that brings energy and motivation to the business world in a way we haven’t seen before. Yanni found his niche with the refreshing lemon water drink, Lemon Perfect, now the fastest growing enhanced water brand in the US. From seeing his product stocked in major chains like Whole Foods and CVS, to bringing Beyonce on board as an investor, Lemon Perfect has taken the beverage market by storm. Having crossed more than $100mn in revenue, Yanni is now pushing towards a billion dollar valuation. He sat down to chat with us about his early journey, the importance of relationships in building a retail brand, and the impact of bringing major celebrities like Beyonce on board when scaling. ____Timestamps:00:00 Trailer01:35 The Initial Idea for Lemon Perfect05:34 Fractional Resources: Running a Brand as a Solo Founder08:47 Why Athletes Make Great Entrepreneurs12:00 Wins & Losses in Year 1: The Pivot Away from Refrigerated15:50 Tips for Getting Into Retail21:27 The Impact of Celebrity Endorsements24:34 Why Building a Beverage Company is a Streetfight26:22 How Beyonce Became an Investor29:06 The Next 24 Months___Follow us across our socials:- Twitter: https://x.com/happystackhq- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happystackhq/- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happystackhq___Check out the HappyStack website: https://www.happystack.com/We connect the world's best DTC brands with the software they need to scale efficiently.___Check out Yanni & Lemon Perfect:https://www.linkedin.com/in/yhufnagel/https://www.instagram.com/yanni/https://x.com/yhufnagel___#ecommerce #podcast #founder #business #makemoneyonline #lemonperfect Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

60% of marketers say influencer marketing delivers a higher ROI than traditional channels.Not only does creator marketing work - it’s essential for building a profitable, sustainable brand. The challenge? It’s overwhelming for marketers without experience, and the landscape is always changing. That’s where today’s episode comes in.Andy Cloyd and Anders Bill, the brains behind Superfiliate, help the world’s top DTC brands craft influencer campaigns that actually win. From Chamberlain Coffee and Dr. Squatch to MUD\WTR and Graza, they’ve seen firsthand how hundreds of 7 and 8-figure brands run influencer, affiliate, and referral campaigns.In this episode, they break down their playbook for success in word-of-mouth marketing—from sourcing the right influencers to measuring campaign impact. Whether you’re an influencer pro or launching your first campaign, this one’s for you!___Timestamps:00:00 Trailer01:00 Intro02:48 Should every brand be working with influencers?05:50 Product Creator Fit: Working with creators pre-launch10:29 Micro-Mentions: Design your product to be shareable12:11 How to approach your first creator campaign15:03 Sourcing the right influencers for your brand17:43 Affiliate, Up-Front or Equity: Structuring influencer deals22:07 Nailing Discovery: Get to know your creators27:25 How involved should brands be with content creation?28:46 Is pay-per-post a risky approach?30:50 Negotiating paid media deals37:01 Measuring success with influencer campaigns44:03 Future of the Creator Economy: What 2025 has in store48:43 What role will AI play in the creator space?52:31 Are social platforms facilitating creator/brand relationships?___Check out the HappyStack website: https://www.happystack.com/We connect the world's best DTC brands with the software they need to scale efficiently.___Follow us across our socials:- Twitter: https://x.com/happystackhq- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happystackhq/- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happystackhq Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Nugent is no stranger to the world of building brands. Back in 2017, fresh off the birth of their first child, he founded Ambr Eyewear alongside his wife Sacha. The couple built the blue light eyewear brand to 7 figures from their kitchen, winning a host of awards and sealing some lucrative retail partnerships along the way. The Post-Covid ecom collapse left Ambr Eyewear in turmoil, like so many others in the DTC space. After pausing to reassess the business and mistakes made along the way, Dan relaunched the brand as Everambr, a performance-focused eyewear brand in 2024. In our chat, Dan dives into some hilarious stories from his time building Ambr, from ‘almost’ getting sued by Specsavers, through to his son Theo’s birth on Black Friday as they experienced their biggest ever 24 hours. The learnings he’s taking into his new journey with Everambr are immensely valuable to anybody building a DTC business in 2025.Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:00 When Customer Support Goes Wrong03:55 Lightbulb Moment: Starting Ambr From The Couch07:18 Retail Brings Credibility: How Ambr Got Into Brown Thomas10:00 How Jack Met Dan12:39 Approach Pricing With Retail In Mind From Day One15:05 'Almost' Sued By Specsavers18:11 Lessons From Failure: Importance Of Product Diversification24:10 Everambr: Moving From Eyewear Towards Performance28:40 Know Your Financials!!32:41 Growth Tactics: Gifting Works36:00 UGC Is Essential In 202537:48 Marketing Failures: Avoid TV Ads40:25 How AI Is Changing The Content Game45:36 Authenticity Is Key When Building A Brand47:50 The Appetite To Go Again Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here we go, Episode One of Lock-In - and it's a cracker! Our guest this week is Matt Kelly, the founder of Spacegoods - Europe's fastest growing all-in-one Mushroom Coffee blend. His journey through e-commerce has been an absolute rollercoaster, from dropshipping ripped jeans, to building two 8-figure brands before both ultimately entered administration in 2021. It's the learnings he took from these that have helped him build Spacegoods into one of the UK's fastest growing food brands.Our conversation with Matt is raw and honest. You'll hear everything from his thoughts on VC funding vs bootstrapping, through to his ongoing struggles with hiring. Matt's a marketing genius, and today he dives into his playbook for success, sharing real insight into what's working and what isn't for Spacegoods.Timestamps:00:00: Intro00:45: How Matt Stumbled Into Entrepreneurship06:30: From Bedroom Brand to $50m - Simple Shit Scales15:25: Moving Into Retail - Does It Move The Dial For Brands?17:35: Building A Team - You Should Be Able To Do £20M Per Year With 20 People21:28: Should DTC Brands Raise VC Money?25:57: Building A Process When Raising Money29:45: Good Angels Add More Value Than VC's31:55: What Are The Biggest Challenges Spacegood's Faces?35:55: Starting A Business With An Influencer - The Key To Fast Growth40:12: When Influencer Marketing Goes Wrong42:27: Learning From Failure - What Went Wrong With Neon Beach50:53: What Do The Next 12 Months Look Like For Spacegoods?54:24: What's The Biggest Opportunity In E-Commerce Right Now? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.