This is a Linkedin post by Jesse Pujji. Jessi a serial entrepreneur that lives in the US. He has:
- Bootstrapped to an 8-figure exist with his previous startup, Ampush
- Is currently building GatewayX, a venture studio that he plans to bootstrap to $1B+
- Executive Chairman & Founder of GrowthAssistant.com
- ex-McKinsey Consultant
Guest Author: Jesse Pujji
Back in 2021, I launched my first DTC brand. I put my name, $, and reputation on the line. It was an utter failure.
Here is the story and what I learned 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
After ~10 years of running Ampush as CEO, I stepped into the chairman seat.
Ampush had helped countless brands build and scale customer acquisition including: Dollar Shave Club, Birchbox, Stitch Fix, and many others.
I had the obvious idea: why don’t I start a brand?
I was eager to get back to “early days entrepreneurship.”
I spent 2020 both decompressing and anxiously thinking “what’s next”
Investing? Another company? Something else?
I love the process of building businesses so I went for my dream: A venture studio.
But now what?
After going in circles towards the end of 2020, the new year started.
I realized: I have to stop thinking.
I have to start DOING.
I’d build the venture studio from the ground up. So now, I needed an idea.
I have seen so many brands grow from obscurity into huge success.
What I wanted to learn:
+ How cheap/fast can I stand up a store
+ What does it take to get a supplier?
+ How do 3PLs work?
+ Will my expertise in growth help me win?
I brainstormed ideas with my wife…
I wanted something >60% margins, subscription, that solves a real problem and would crush on FB/IG.
She jokingly said: “you are always calling your uncle (a GI Doctor) about your digestive issues, why don’t you look in that space?”
I laughed but then…
I started researching.
Digestive medicine and supplements are a ~$10BN industry growing at 8-9% per year.
The “grandma” brands like metamucil, benefiber, align are all 9+ figures with 30%+ EBITDA margins.
There is NO “clear winner” brand in probiotics, but many doing well.
I called my uncle, the GI Dr
Me: “whats the miracle drug to solve digestive issues?”
His response: no drug, there’s a bodily function.
Me: ???
Him: Pooping.
As long as you keep the conveyor belt moving, acid reflux, bloating, hemorrhoids, you name it, it’s solved.
My mind raced.
“OK, so then what’s the happy meal for pooping regularly?”
“The best thing is a balanced diet etc etc but most don’t do that, so I recommend a mix of: soluble fiber, magnesium and a probiotic with these strands”
BOOM – I had my products.
Now I needed a name.
After a few hours of late night internet scrolling, I stumbled upon a term to describe a real feeling.
A feeling when you take a certain type of number 2, a feeling we all know and love, a feeling so special doctors made up a word for it…
Poophoria. Poop + EuphoriaI had a name, an angle and a product.
I was ready.
…the rest of the story is too long for LI 😓, but if you wanna hear how:
+ I found my first supplier
+ Nik Sharma told me I was a fool
+ Our first ad creatives looked
add your email here: https://lnkd.in/gMX2Nyqr and I’ll send the full story to your inbox!
