The Ecom Scaling Show

Free To Grow CFO & Aplo Group
  • 5.0 (1)
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Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group. Scaling DTC brands isn’t just about growth—it’s about profitable growth. Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder at Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Founding Partner at Aplo Group) as they close the gap between finance and marketing in DTC e-commerce.

  1. How DTC Brands Launch New Products (Without Blowing Up Their Balance Sheet)

    4d ago

    How DTC Brands Launch New Products (Without Blowing Up Their Balance Sheet)

    Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as they break down how DTC brands should strategically plan, size, and budget for new product launches without risking their balance sheets. In Episode 59, Jon and Dylan dive deep into the marketing and financial dynamics of launching new SKUs. They discuss why scaling brands often make the mistake of betting too big on initial purchase orders (POs), and explain how to proactively manage obsolescence and balance sheet risk. They explore the logistics of pre-orders, how to distinguish between acquisition SKUs and retention SKUs, and why high LTV consumables brands often fall into the trap of launching too many flavor variants instead of expanding categories. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:29 - Why Product Strategy is Key to All Scaling Games 1:18 - The Marketing vs. Finance Intersection of Product Launches 2:08 - Common Budgeting Mistakes and Sizing Initial POs 4:14 - Fads vs. Staples: Sizing Based on Category Evolution 6:48 - The Real Logistics of Pre-orders and Soft Testing 8:20 - Investing vs. Speculating: Proactive Product Launches 10:26 - Acquisition SKUs vs. Retention SKUs 12:17 - The Variant Trap for High LTV Consumables Brands 16:01 - Why Every Product Launch Needs a Financial Thesis 17:13 - Exceptions to the Rule: When is it Okay to Place a Large PO? 20:33 - Dylan's Take: Why Brands Need to Take Bigger Product Swings 21:16 - Jon's Take: Documenting, Measuring, and Iterating on Your Launch Thesis Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/ Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/ Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/ #ecommerce #dtc #finance #agency #podcast #shopify #ads #scalingyourbrand #demandplanning #inventory #shopifyplus

    22 min
  2. The Amazon vs. DTC Trap: Why Measuring Channels Separately Is Broken

    Jun 26

    The Amazon vs. DTC Trap: Why Measuring Channels Separately Is Broken

    Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as they break down the critical financial realities of scaling Amazon and Shopify simultaneously. In Episode 58, Jon and Dylan explain the massive financial trap of scaling Amazon and Shopify in silos. They reveal why top-of-funnel Meta ad spend often drives hidden Amazon Subscribe & Save growth, and how looking at Shopify metrics in isolation can trick you into pausing profitable ads. The episode breaks down how to use cohort tools like Expandify to establish a combined multi-channel CAC ceiling, why brands that rely heavily on new customers struggle to transition to DTC due to low gross margins, and why niche apparel brands face an uphill battle on Amazon. If you want to scale across multiple channels without destroying your balance sheet, this episode is your financial playbook. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:40 - Amazon, Shopify, and Cross-Channel Measurement 02:02 - Using Expandify to Measure Cross-Channel Spillover 05:38 - Why You Must Measure Channels Together 08:21 - Uncovering Hidden Amazon Subscription Insights 11:22 - High LTV vs. New Customer Dominant 14:02 - The Nuances of Transitioning from Amazon to DTC 17:00 - Why New Customer Dominant Brands Struggle to Add DTC 19:05 - Why Niche Apparel Brands Struggle on Amazon 21:00 - The Financial Realities: Amazon FBA vs 3PL Inventory 23:43 - The 14-Day Amazon Payout Trap & Inventory Financing 24:27 - Final Thoughts: Plan Your Unit Economics and Cash Flow Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/ Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/ Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/ #ecommerce #dtc #finance #agency #podcast #shopify #ads #scalingyourbrand #demandplanning #inventory #shopifyplus

    26 min
  3. Agency Hiring Mistakes, Attribution Myths & The In-Platform ROAS Trap

    Jun 19

    Agency Hiring Mistakes, Attribution Myths & The In-Platform ROAS Trap

    Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as they break down the common traits of the most successful, highly profitable DTC brands they've ever worked with. In Episode 57, Jon and Dylan debunk the myth of "perfect attribution" and explain why chasing the ultimate ROAS tracker is often a waste of time. Instead, they reveal why your true financial reality is always your P&L, not your in-platform metrics. Jon and Dylan break down why attribution tools should only be used to allocate budget rather than decide it, why click-only attribution is vital for paid social, and the massive financial trap of hiring different siloed agencies to run different ad platforms. If you want to stop getting lost in analysis paralysis and align your media buying directly with true business outcomes, this episode delivers the exact P&L-first attribution playbook. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:37 - The Do's and Don'ts of Attribution 1:25 - Debunking the "Perfect Attribution" Tech Myth 3:06 - Two Golden Rules for Assessing Media Spend 5:22 - Why Paid Social Needs Click-Only Attribution 6:55 - In-Platform ROAS vs. Your Actual P&L 9:53 - How to Actually Use Third-Party Attribution Tools 13:10 - The Trap of Analysis Paralysis 15:34 - The Danger of Comparing Ad Platforms 16:56 - Why Splitting Ad Agencies Doesn't Make Sense 20:19 - How to Correctly Structure Your Media Buying Team 23:04 - Final Takeaway: Measure Contribution Margin Dollars Free To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/ Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/ Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/ Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/ #ecommerce #dtc #finance #agency #podcast #shopify #ads #scalingyourbrand #demandplanning #inventory #shopifyplus

    24 min
  4. Is MER A Bad Metric? Why Most Brands Are Measuring The Wrong Thing

    Jun 12

    Is MER A Bad Metric? Why Most Brands Are Measuring The Wrong Thing

    Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as they break down the exact process for calculating customer profitability and how it impacts your ad scaling strategy. In Episode 56, Jon and Dylan explain why optimizing your ad spend based purely on blended MER or full-funnel ROAS is a dangerous game that could hide massive inefficiencies or missed opportunities for scale. They dive into the trap of letting returning customer margin dollars mask unprofitable new customer acquisition. If you want to stop leaving money on the table and confidently scale your ad account, this episode gives you the essential P&L guardrails. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:33 - New vs. Returning Customer Profitability 01:57 - Why the Blended MER / Full-Funnel ROAS Model is Broken 04:57 - The Trap: Masking Unprofitability with Returning Customers 07:46 - Why All Ad Spend Should Be Attributed to New Customers 10:08 - The Formula for Calculating Separate Contribution Margins 11:48 - Why Everything Boils Down to CAC to LTV 15:16 - Using These Metrics as Financial Guardrails 17:55 - How the "New Customer Dominant" Game Still Relies on LTV 19:40 - Final Takeaway: Grow Your New Customer Base or Shrink Free To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/ Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/ Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/ Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/ #ecommerce #dtc #finance #agency #podcast #shopify #ads #scalingyourbrand #demandplanning #inventory #shopifyplus

    21 min
  5. Cost vs. Value and How to Build a Real Brand

    Jun 5

    Cost vs. Value and How to Build a Real Brand

    Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as they break down where e-commerce brands should invest in top-tier quality and where they can safely afford to go cheap. In Episode 55, Jon and Dylan explain why trying to replace your strategic marketing and finance roles with AI automation or cheap labor will ultimately keep your brand stuck at the status quo. They also dive into the importance of hiring operators who have successfully scaled past your current revenue ceiling, the dangers of relying on the "AI trap" for strategic decisions, and why positioning your product's pricing in the "middle" of the market is incredibly difficult to win. If you want to scale fast and profitably, this episode provides a blueprint on exactly where to allocate your capital for maximum leverage. 
 Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:30 - Where to Go Cheap vs. Quality 01:43 - The Danger of Cheaping Out on Media Buying 04:39 - Why You Need Human Strategists for Automated Tools 07:36 - The Real Value of Paying for Experienced Operators 11:40 - The "AI Trap" in Marketing and Finance 15:21 - Can a DTC Brand Survive With a Cheap Product? 16:20 - Why the "Middle" Price Point is the Worst Place to Be 19:02 - Why the DTC Channel is Built for Premium Storytelling 21:05 - Final Takeaways Free To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/ Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/ Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/ Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/
 
#ecommerce #dtc #finance #agency #podcast #shopify #ads #scalingyourbrand #demandplanning #inventory #shopifyplus

    23 min
  6. Why “Good” LTV Is Not Enough To Win In DTC

    May 29

    Why “Good” LTV Is Not Enough To Win In DTC

    Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as they break down the common traits of the most successful, highly profitable DTC brands they've ever worked with. In Episode 54, Jon and Dylan explain why relying solely on a high LTV will not protect your brand long-term. Instead, true business durability requires building layered "mini-moats". Your ultimate goal is not to indefinitely lower your CAC, but to build a financial model where you can afford to pay a higher CAC than anyone else in your market. Jon and Dylan break down the built-in seasonal moats and network effects of the apparel game, the urgency for one-time purchase brands to secure IP or expand into omnichannel, and why easily replicated products inevitably get competed down to zero. If you are building an e-commerce brand designed to outlast short-term trends, this episode provides a CFO-level playbook for making your business impossible to replicate. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:35 - The Uncomfortable Truth About Brand Growth 01:48 - The Only E-Com Metric That Actually Matters 03:30 - The Pure DTC Trap: Why You Need True IP 04:27 - How Amazon & Retail Save Low-LTV Brands 06:44 - The $75M Playbook: Stacking "Mini-Moats" 10:14 - Why Copycat Products Go to Zero 11:45 - The Dark Side of E-com: Selling Before the Math Breaks 15:31 - Why Apparel Brands Have a Hidden Advantage 20:25 - The New Customer Survival Guide 22:00 - Supply Chain & Vertical Integration 24:15 - The True Endgame: Outspending Your Competitors Free To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/ Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/ Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/ Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/ #ecommerce #dtc #finance #agency #podcast #shopify #ads #scalingyourbrand #demandplanning #inventory #shopifyplus

    26 min
  7. The CFO Playbook for Fixing Your Cash Conversion Cycle

    May 22

    The CFO Playbook for Fixing Your Cash Conversion Cycle

    Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as they break down the exact strategies you need to defend your margins and improve cash flow through continuous vendor negotiation.
 In Episode 53, Jon and Dylan break down why your starting unit economics will inevitably break due to changing macro factors and how you must continuously negotiate with vendors to protect your margins. They explain the fundamental differences between negotiating variable costs versus fixed costs, why pushing for the rock-bottom price can actually cost you more in product quality, and how to negotiate better payment terms to fix your cash conversion cycle. The conversation also covers a CFO-level pro-tip on splitting the cost of safety stock for long-lead-time materials, why high-SKU brands need to prioritize terms over price, and when it is time to stop negotiating with a service provider and simply upgrade to a firm built for the $10M+ scaling stage. Tthis episode provides a clear playbook for leveraging relationships to open up more gross margin dollars so you can afford to scale. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:35 - The Continuous Game of Negotiation 01:38 - The Biggest Margin Opportunity: Cost of Goods Sold 02:44 - Defending Your Economics Against Macro Shocks 04:58 - Negotiating Price vs. Terms 05:41 - How to Negotiate with Fixed-Cost Vendors 07:51 - Negotiating Scope and Output Instead of Price 10:16 - The Danger of Lowest Price: Quality Swaps and Hidden Costs 12:47 - Why Relationships Drive Leverage 15:54 - How Improving COGS Unlocks Your Ability to Pay Higher CAC 17:11 - High SKU Brands: Why Terms Matter More Than Price 17:54 - How to Negotiate Safety Stock for Long Lead Times 21:00 - Upgrading Vendors: When to Hire for the $10M+ Stage 23:19 - Stop Haggling Over $2K (Focus on Value Instead) 24:48 - Final Thoughts: Relationships, Relationships, Relationships Free To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/ Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/ Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/ Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/ 

#ecommerce #dtc #finance #agency #podcast #shopify #ads #scalingyourbrand #demandplanning #inventory #shopifyplus

    26 min
  8. Stuck at $10M? Stop Testing Ads and Do This Instead

    May 15

    Stuck at $10M? Stop Testing Ads and Do This Instead

    Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as they celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the podcast by breaking down exactly what to do when your brand's growth stalls. In Episode 52, Jon and Dylan explain why hitting a growth ceiling usually happens when your CAC to LTV ratio caps out, why the common advice to "just test ad nauseam" is actually a trap, and why getting unstuck requires knowing exactly which "marketing game" you are playing. The conversation covers the hidden leverage in improving Subscribe & Save take rates for consumable brands, and how to measure attribution when scaling onto Amazon. This episode provides a CFO-level playbook for finding the highest leverage levers to get your momentum back. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:35 - Why Brands Get Stuck 02:10 - The CAC to LTV Trap: When You Can't Spend Another Dollar 03:24 - The Marketing Game Framework 05:00 - Getting Unstuck: The First-Time Customer Dominant Game 07:03 - The High LTV Game: Finding Leverage in Retention 08:36 - The Danger of Doing Too Much 11:16 - Why Sales Channel Expansion Beats New Products 14:00 - Omnichannel Measurement 16:38 - The Apparel Game: High LTV, But Slow Velocity 19:39 - The Underappreciated Dollar Leverage in Retention Programs 22:16 - Why "Test Ad Nauseam" is a Lie 24:11 - Building a Durable Compounding Machine Free To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/ Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/ Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/ Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/ #ecommerce #dtc #finance #agency #podcast #shopify #ads #scalingyourbrand #demandplanning #inventory #shopifyplus

    25 min
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About

Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group. Scaling DTC brands isn’t just about growth—it’s about profitable growth. Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder at Free To Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Founding Partner at Aplo Group) as they close the gap between finance and marketing in DTC e-commerce.

Information

  • Creator
    Free To Grow CFO & Aplo Group
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61