Overview

We build e-commerce businesses that make money from transaction #1. No venture capital. No cash-burning customer acquisition. Just profitable unit economics, smart inventory decisions, and systematic growth.

Our portfolio includes both direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands and B2B/B2C marketplaces. We focus on niches with strong margins, repeat purchase behavior, and defensible competitive advantages.

What We Build

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Brands

Shopify-powered online stores selling curated products in specific categories. We handle everything from product sourcing to fulfillment to paid acquisition.

Models:

  • Private label products (our brand, white-label manufacturers)
  • Curated retail (aggregating best-in-class products)
  • Print-on-demand and made-to-order
  • Subscription boxes and recurring revenue

B2B Marketplaces

Platforms connecting suppliers with business buyers. These typically have:

  • Higher average order values ($500-$50K+)
  • Longer sales cycles but higher LTV
  • Repeat purchase rates of 60-80%
  • Enterprise procurement integrations

B2C Marketplaces

Multi-vendor platforms where we take commission on transactions:

  • Niche product categories (outdoor gear, professional tools, craft supplies)
  • Service marketplaces (freelancers, local services)
  • Peer-to-peer commerce (used goods, rentals)
  • Digital product stores (templates, courses, plugins)

Vertical SaaS + Commerce Hybrid

Platforms that combine software with transaction revenue:

  • Inventory management + supplier marketplace
  • Appointment booking + payment processing
  • Project management + freelancer marketplace
  • CRM + integrated purchasing

Why This Works: Two revenue streams (SaaS + GMV) with lower customer acquisition costs than pure commerce.

Our E-Commerce Philosophy

Product-Market Fit Over Hype

We don’t chase trends. We build in categories with:

  • Proven demand (existing market size $50M+)
  • Fragmented competition (no Amazon dominance)
  • High repurchase rates (consumables, replaceable goods)
  • Healthy margins (40%+ after fulfillment)
  • Passionate audiences (communities, hobbies, professions)

Unit Economics Before Scale

Every product we sell must be profitable on order #1. We calculate:

  • Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Ad spend ÷ orders
  • Average Order Value (AOV): Revenue ÷ orders
  • Contribution Margin: (AOV – COGS – shipping – fees) ÷ AOV
  • LTV: AOV × purchase frequency × customer lifespan
  • LTV:CAC Ratio: Must be >3:1 on first purchase, >5:1 with repeats

If the math doesn’t work, we pivot before spending on inventory.

Operational Excellence

E-commerce lives and dies on execution:

  • 2-day shipping standard (3PL with multiple warehouses)
  • <1% order error rate
  • <2% return rate (strict quality control)
  • Real-time inventory sync across channels
  • Proactive customer service (chatbots + human escalation)

We obsess over operational metrics because 1% improvements compound into massive margin gains.

Diversified Traffic Acquisition

Relying on one channel is suicide. We build multi-channel strategies:

  • Paid Search (Google Shopping, search ads): 30-40%
  • Paid Social (Meta, TikTok, Pinterest): 30-40%
  • SEO + Content: 15-25%
  • Email + SMS: 10-15%
  • Affiliates + Partnerships: 5-10%

Goal: No single channel represents >50% of revenue.

Technology Stack

E-Commerce Platforms

DTC Stores:

  • Shopify Plus (advanced features, API access, wholesale channel)
  • BigCommerce (complex catalogs, multi-storefront)
  • WooCommerce (custom requirements, full control)

Marketplaces:

  • Sharetribe (turnkey marketplace platform)
  • Arcadier (feature-rich, white-label)
  • Custom Rails/Node.js (unique requirements)

Essential Integrations

Fulfillment:

  • ShipStation (order management across channels)
  • ShipBob / Fulfillment.com (3PL warehousing)
  • Shopify Fulfillment Network
  • Amazon FBA (for multi-channel fulfillment)

Inventory Management:

  • Cin7 / Linnworks (multi-channel inventory)
  • TradeGecko / Unleashed (B2B + retail)
  • SkuVault (warehouse management)

Marketing & CRM:

  • Klaviyo (email + SMS marketing)
  • Attentive (SMS campaigns)
  • Gorgias (customer service)
  • Yotpo / Judge.me (reviews)

Analytics & Attribution:

  • Google Analytics 4 + GA360
  • Segment (customer data platform)
  • Triple Whale / Lifetimes (attribution)
  • Glew / Daasity (BI dashboards)

Payments:

  • Shopify Payments (lowest fees on Shopify)
  • Stripe (more control, international)
  • PayPal (captures checkout abandoners)
  • Klarna / Afterpay (buy now, pay later)

Revenue Models We Execute

Standard Retail Markup

Formula: Retail price = COGS × 2.5-4x

Example:

  • Product cost: $20
  • Retail price: $60-$80
  • Gross margin: 65-75%

After Fulfillment:

  • Shipping: $6
  • Transaction fees: $2.40 (4%)
  • Packaging: $1.50
  • Contribution margin: 55-65%

Subscription Commerce

Models:

  • Replenishment (30-90 day consumables)
  • Curated boxes (monthly discovery)
  • Membership access (free shipping, discounts)

Example Metrics:

  • Subscription AOV: $45/month
  • Retention rate: 65% monthly (35% churn)
  • LTV: $45 × (1/0.35) = $129

Revenue Predictability: MRR × 0.65 is next month’s baseline.

Marketplace Commission

Rate: 10-25% of GMV (gross merchandise value)

Example:

  • Monthly GMV: $500K
  • Commission rate: 15%
  • Platform revenue: $75K
  • Payment processing: $15K (3%)
  • Net revenue: $60K (12% of GMV)

Why It Works: No inventory risk, scales with transaction volume, software-like margins.

Hybrid: SaaS + Transaction Fees

Model: $99/month software fee + 2% of transactions

Example (contractor marketplace):

  • 200 contractors @ $99/month = $19.8K MRR
  • Monthly GMV: $2M
  • Transaction fee (2%): $40K
  • Total monthly revenue: $59.8K

Advantage: Predictable SaaS base + upside from GMV growth.

Growth Strategies

Paid Acquisition That Scales

We structure campaigns for profitability at scale:

Google Shopping:

  • ROAS target: 4:1 minimum
  • Priority bidding on high-margin products
  • Smart Shopping with $150+ AOV products
  • Negative keyword mining weekly

Meta Ads (Facebook + Instagram):

  • Broad audience testing first 30 days
  • Lookalike stacking (1%, 3%, 5%)
  • Dynamic product ads for retargeting
  • UGC creative testing (20+ variants/month)

TikTok Ads:

  • Spark Ads from organic viral content
  • Influencer whitelisting for paid boost
  • Creative testing budget (50% of spend)
  • Rapid iteration (new creatives every 3 days)

CAC Benchmarks by Channel:

  • Google Shopping: $25-$40
  • Meta: $30-$50
  • TikTok: $35-$60
  • Pinterest: $20-$35

SEO for Long-Tail Conversions

We rank for buying intent keywords:

Product Pages:

  • Optimized for “[product type] for [use case]”
  • Schema markup for reviews, pricing, availability
  • User-generated content (Q&A, reviews)

Category Pages:

  • “Best [product category] for [audience]”
  • Comparison tables with filters
  • Buying guides with internal links

Blog Content:

  • How-to guides featuring products
  • Product roundups and gift guides
  • Seasonal content timed for peaks

Results: SEO drives 20-30% of revenue with 0% CAC.

Email & SMS Automation

We monetize the list aggressively but smartly:

Welcome Series (5 emails over 10 days):

  • Email 1: Discount code (10% off)
  • Email 2: Best-sellers showcase
  • Email 3: Customer reviews + social proof
  • Email 4: Brand story + values
  • Email 5: Last chance discount reminder

Conversion: 18-25% of new subscribers

Abandoned Cart (3 emails + 2 SMS over 48 hours):

  • 1 hour: “You left something behind” (email)
  • 6 hours: 10% off cart items (SMS)
  • 24 hours: Reviews + urgency (email)
  • 36 hours: Final reminder (SMS)
  • 48 hours: Last chance (email)

Recovery: 35-45% of abandoned carts

Post-Purchase:

  • Order confirmation + upsell
  • Shipping notification + cross-sell
  • Delivery confirmation + review request
  • 30-day repurchase reminder
  • 90-day win-back campaign

Repeat Purchase Lift: +40% from automation

Conversion Rate Optimization

Small wins compound:

  • Product page A/B tests (images, copy, CTAs)
  • Checkout optimization (one-page, guest allowed, trust badges)
  • Upsell/cross-sell placement testing
  • Free shipping threshold testing
  • Urgency and scarcity messaging

Baseline: 2% site-wide conversion rate
After 6 months CRO: 3.2% conversion rate
Revenue Impact: +60% from same traffic

Logistics & Operations

3PL vs. Self-Fulfillment

When to use 3PL:

  • >100 orders/day
  • Multi-channel selling (DTC + Amazon + wholesale)
  • Complex kitting or bundling
  • International expansion

When to self-fulfill:

  • <50 orders/day
  • High-touch custom packaging
  • Made-to-order products
  • Testing product-market fit

Our Pick: 3PL after month 3 for most brands.

Inventory Management

We forecast demand using:

  • Historical sales data (seasonality, trends)
  • Ad spend projections
  • Lead times from suppliers
  • Safety stock calculations

Formula: Order quantity = (avg daily sales × lead time) + safety stock

Tools: Inventory Planner, Forecastly, or custom models

Goal: 30-60 days of stock on hand, <5% stockouts

Returns & Customer Service

Return Policy: 30-day money-back guarantee

Approval Rate: 98% auto-approved (fraud filters for high-risk)

Return Rate Targets:

  • Apparel: <15%
  • Electronics: <8%
  • Home goods: <5%

CS Response Time: <2 hours during business hours, 24-hour SLA

Satisfaction: NPS >50, CSAT >85%

Investment & Returns

Launch Costs (Month 1-3)

DTC Brand:

  • Shopify setup + apps: $3K
  • Initial inventory (500-1,000 units): $10K-$30K
  • Product photography: $2K-$5K
  • Brand development (logo, packaging): $5K-$10K
  • Website development: $10K-$20K
  • Total: $30K-$68K

Marketplace Platform:

  • Platform development (Sharetribe customization): $40K-$80K
  • Payment integrations: $5K
  • Vendor onboarding tools: $10K
  • Marketing site: $10K
  • Total: $65K-$105K

Operating Costs (Monthly)

DTC Brand:

  • Inventory replenishment: $15K-$40K
  • Ad spend: $20K-$60K
  • 3PL fees: $3K-$8K (pick, pack, ship)
  • Software/tools: $1K-$2K
  • Total: $39K-$110K

Marketplace:

  • Platform hosting: $1K-$3K
  • Payment processing (% of GMV): $10K-$30K
  • Marketing: $5K-$20K
  • Support: $3K-$8K
  • Total: $19K-$61K

Revenue Milestones

DTC Brand:

  • Month 3: $30K-$60K (testing channels)
  • Month 6: $80K-$150K (optimized acquisition)
  • Month 12: $200K-$400K (scaled channels + SEO)
  • Month 24: $500K-$1M (brand equity + diversified traffic)

Marketplace:

  • Month 6: $50K GMV, $7.5K revenue (15% commission)
  • Month 12: $300K GMV, $45K revenue
  • Month 24: $1M GMV, $150K revenue
  • Month 36: $3M GMV, $450K revenue

Exit Multiples

DTC Brands: 2.5-4x annual profit (SDE)

Marketplaces: 4-7x annual profit (higher multiples for software-like businesses)

Buyers: Aggregators (Thrasio, Heyday), private equity, strategic acquirers

Who We Work With

Product Inventors: You have a product idea or patent; we’ll build the business.

Industry Experts: You know a market’s pain points; we’ll create products that solve them.

E-Commerce Operators: You want to launch additional brands with our capital and systems.

Marketplace Founders: You have the vision for a category marketplace; we build and operate it.

Why Partner With Us

We’ve Scaled This: Our team has launched 8+ e-commerce brands to 7-figures.

Capital + Execution: We invest our own money and our team’s time.

Full-Stack: You don’t need separate agencies for dev, marketing, logistics.

Transparent Reporting: Weekly dashboards with every metric that matters.

Ready to build an e-commerce business?

Step 1: Product/Market Validation (3 weeks)

We’ll analyze:

  • Market size and competition
  • Margin potential and supplier options
  • Traffic acquisition cost estimates
  • 12-month P&L projections

Investment: $5,000 (credited if we proceed)

Step 2: MVP Launch (8-12 weeks)

We’ll build:

  • Shopify store or marketplace platform
  • Initial product catalog
  • Fulfillment setup
  • Marketing campaigns

Investment: $50K-$150K (depends on inventory and platform complexity)

Step 3: Scale (Month 6+)

We’ll optimize:

  • Channel mix for profitability
  • Repeat purchase rate
  • Product line expansion
  • Operational efficiency

Ongoing: Revenue share or monthly retainer

Our Promise: If we can’t project a path to profitability in the validation phase, we’ll tell you. Better to pivot early than bleed cash for 12 months.