About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges and costs associated with scaling a bootstrapped DTC brand, including inventory issues and retail partnerships.

Every episode, Alex and Lee talk about how fast Hulken is growing. This one is about what that growth actually costs. For the first time, they get candid about the messy middle of scaling a bootstrapped, vertically integrated brand: chronically out of stock on their bestsellers, rerouting inventory away from their own website to protect retail relationships, and discovering that the model that built them is now the thing holding them back. They get into why being sold out can be both a brand asset and a real liability, why their lowest reviews have nothing to do with the product, and how they're testing new products outside their own factories to keep the core team focused. It's an honest, mid-sprint debrief on omnichannel growing pains, told from inside the company, with no VC safety net and a Q4 they can't fully announce yet. What you'll take away: - Why "we're always sold out" is a harder problem than it sounds - How they decide which channel gets limited inventory when there isn't enough to go around - Why retail partners now come before their own DTC customers - The real reason great products still get three-star reviews - How tariffs and shipping costs reshaped…

More episodes of Unfinished Business

• How This CPG Founder Went From a Kitchen Experiment to 7,000 Stores · July 14, 2026 · 31 min
• How TUSHY Turned a Taboo Category Into One of DTC's Strongest Brands with Justin Allen · June 16, 2026 · 34 min

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