The Brand Building Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with fashion industry veteran Jon Levine, founder of Apparel Advisors, to break down what it really takes to build and scale a fashion brand today. Jonn has been in the apparel industry for decades—building a $40M brand, working with private equity-backed companies, and now advising emerging and established fashion brands. We talk about the biggest mistakes brands make with positioning, why so many companies struggle with identity, and how founders should actually think about brand strategy in today’s DTC landscape. We also dive into how AI is changing content creation, the role of performance marketing in ecommerce, and why storytelling and brand heritage still matter more than ever. ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 Connect with Jon: jlevine@appareladvisors.com Website: appareladvisors.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levinejon/

In this episode, we explore how Eikona is reinventing lifecycle marketing with AI-powered adaptive creative. Imagine emails and ads that change for every single customer — in real time. Nir, Eikona founder, breaks down the future of personalization, the tech behind it, and why this shift will transform how brands grow. ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 Connect with Nir: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nir-zvi-weingarten/ Check out Eikona: https://www.eikona.io/

In this special Thanksgiving episode, I wanted to slow things down and simply say thank you. This is the busiest and most stressful week of the year for anyone in e-commerce and it has been that way for me for almost sixteen straight Black Fridays. It is long nights, constant changes, nonstop pressure, and a level of expectation that only founders, operators, and agency teams truly understand. But Thanksgiving has always been the one moment inside all that chaos where I take a breath and reflect. It is a day grounded in gratitude, presence, and shared meals with the people who matter most. In this episode I share what I am most thankful for this year. My incredible Bread Loaf team who shows up every single day. Our brand partners and clients who trust us during the most important revenue window of their entire year. And my family, especially my wife, whose support makes this crazy season possible. I talk about the reality of working in e-commerce during BFCM, the history of why Black Friday mattered so much for retail, and how every offer, every campaign, every flow, and every late night is done to help brands hit their goals and finish the year strong. This episode is a reminder to pause and acknowledge the people, the opportunities, and the moments that make all of this worth it. I hope it inspires you to take a few minutes today to reflect on what you are thankful for as well. Wishing you and your loved ones a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving.

In this episode, I am sharing something deeply personal and easily the most life changing experience of my entire life. Two weeks ago, my wife and I welcomed our baby girl, Sienna Rose, into the world. It has been emotional, overwhelming, and completely magical, and it happened right in the middle of the busiest season of the year for me, my clients, and my agency. This is not just a new dad update. It is a perspective shift for operators, founders, brand owners, tech partners, and agency leaders everywhere. Because nothing prepares you for how becoming responsible for another human being instantly changes your relationship with time, priorities, and ambition. In this episode I talk through what the final weeks before the birth looked like, what those first forty eight hours in the hospital taught me, and the truth about how much time you truly waste before you have children. I share what cluster feeding looks like during Q4 and how running an agency through it has forced me to operate with a level of focus I did not know I had. Most importantly, I explain how fatherhood has already become the greatest motivator of my life. It is pushing me to level up in business, in my health, in my relationships, and in how I operate each day. There is a different kind of purpose that comes from knowing you are now providing for a little human who depends on you. I recorded this on a quiet Sunday evening while Sienna slept because when your available time becomes limited, your intensity and clarity increase in ways you do not fully understand until it happens. If you are a founder or operator who does not have kids yet, this episode may give you a perspective you did not know you needed. If you already have kids, you will probably relate to every word. This is the most meaningful episode I have ever filmed, and I hope you enjoy it.

Episode Description: In this episode of The Brand Building Podcast, Mark Milutin breaks down one of the biggest updates Klaviyo has rolled out in years - the brand-new Instagram integration powered by Gatsby.ai. For the first time ever, brands can now collect email and SMS subscribers directly from Instagram comments and DMs - no Zapier, no broken APIs, no compliance headaches. Just native, first-party data collection inside Klaviyo. Mark dives deep into: How Klaviyo’s acquisition of Gatsby.ai changes the game for DTC list growth Why traditional pop-ups are losing effectiveness (and what to do instead) The exact flow of how IG comment-to-DM automations work How this unlocks a new “Blue Ocean” for eCommerce brands to grow faster Real stats on why consumers are 3x more likely to engage via DM than the web Why the brands that move first on this integration will win big in 2025 If you’re serious about growing your email and SMS lists, this is the episode you don’t want to miss. 👉 Learn more about Bread Loaf and schedule your Klaviyo audit:https://retention-lab.com/ 👉 Read more about the Klaviyo Gatsby Acquisition: https://www.klaviyo.com/newsroom/gatsby-acquisition

The game has changed — creative alone won’t save your brand in 2025. In this breakdown of Klaviyo’s KBOs 2025 event, I share the biggest takeaways shaping the future of e-commerce and retention marketing. From AI-driven automation and multi-channel orchestration to WhatsApp integrations and real-time data insights — this is where the industry is heading. If you’re a Shopify brand, an agency operator, or just obsessed with growth, this episode is your roadmap to staying ahead. ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 Check out my FREE $4,000 Brand Retention Audit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_tywPkNcqY&t=43s

What if your entire marketing and support team ran on AI? 🤯In this video, I break down Klaviyo’s brand new AI Agents — the Marketing Agent and Customer Agent — and show you how they’re completely redefining what it means to automate your email, SMS, and customer experience. You’ll learn:🚀 How Klaviyo’s AI Agents actually work (and what they can do)💡 Real examples of how brands are using them right now⚠️ The top 3 mistakes people make when turning on AI in Klaviyo🔐 How to safely adopt AI without losing control of your brand voice If you use Klaviyo, you need to understand what’s coming — this update will change how every marketer operates. ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 Check out my FREE $4,000 Brand Retention Audit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_tywPkNcqY