Michael Kleinmann is the Founder and CEO of Michael Kleinmann Consulting, a bespoke consultancy helping DTC e-commerce and subscription brands grow. He is also the Founder and CEO of Underwear Expert, a men's underwear platform that evolved from a digital media brand into a leading curated subscription service. As a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur, Michael spent a decade as the President of Freshpair, where he helped build one of the largest online retailers in the underwear category. With over two decades of experience scaling e-commerce and subscription brands, he focuses on brand building, subscriptions, operations, marketing, technology, and customer experience. In this episode… When growth stalls, most brands immediately reach for a new agency, a better campaign, or a larger ad budget. Before pouring more money into an acquisition, leaders have to ask themselves, is the business actually built to scale? The answer is to diagnose the foundation before trying to scale what sits on top of it. E-commerce operations and subscription expert Michael Kleinmann advises brands to validate their data, focus on gross profit over ROAS alone, and audit their systems for issues with sizing, product structure, COGS, and inventory forecasting. He suggests fixing low-hanging operational problems first, not training customers to expect deep discounts, using 3PLs when fulfillment distracts from growth, and ensuring subscription models have the right infrastructure before launching. Sustainable growth comes from strengthening the systems that support marketing, not simply spending more on acquisition. In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris sits down with Michael Kleinmann, Founder and CEO of Michael Kleinmann Consulting and Underwear Expert, to discuss fixing the hidden cracks that stop DTC brands from scaling. Michael shares lessons from early e-commerce, subscription complexity, AI opportunities, inventory forecasting, 3PLs, discounting mistakes, and operational audits.
