You're Paying People to Buy Your Product. Here's How Rita Zahir Found Out

1 Million Downloads. Zero Ad Spend. Aja Beckett on Building the #1 GLP1 App From a Reddit Post.

Aja Beckett [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aja-beckett/], CEO and founder of Shotsy [https://www.shotsyapp.com], didn't set out to build a company. She got prescribed a GLP1 medication, found herself completely unsupported after leaving the doctor's office, and built the companion app she needed. Two years later, Shotsy is the #1 companion app for GLP1 users — 1 million+ downloads, 100,000+ paying subscribers, 25,000 five-star reviews, available in 185 territories across 18 languages, with zero paid advertising and no data sales. In this episode, Aja shares how a Reddit post became her launch strategy, why her 7th app was the one that finally worked, the business model that lets her answer only to her users, and why she has made a deliberate decision to keep AI entirely out of the Shotsy user experience — even as she uses it aggressively to ship faster on the development side.   Topics Discussed * Aja's background: iOS engineer, independent app developer with 6 prior apps before Shotsy * Her personal GLP1 journey: prescribed medication, life-changing results, no support infrastructure left her on her own * Building the companion app she needed — and discovering it was what everyone else needed too * Shotsy's growth: #1 GLP1 companion app, 1M+ downloads, 100K+ paying subscribers, 25K 5-star App Store reviews * Global reach: iOS and Android, 18 languages, paying customers in 185 territories * The broader benefits of GLP1 medications beyond weight loss: blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep apnea, mental health, reductions in cravings for alcohol, cigarettes, compulsive behaviors * Regulation and health data: brought in Chief Science Officer Eric Praxis, formerly Chief Science Officer for Informatics at the FDA * Privacy-first business model: no ads, no data sales, freemium with premium subscriptions as the only revenue model * Launch strategy: authentic Reddit community participation, beta tester recruitment, organic word-of-mouth from day one * App Store expertise: keywords, screenshots, purchase screen, title — got it right on day one and didn't need to touch it * Pre-seed venture capital raised in year one to resource growth and maintain the #1 position * Team: 5 full-time + 4 contractors, 100% remote, US-based, no one in the same city * AI in development: faster code reviews, quicker feature shipping, reduced bottlenecks for a small team * AI deliberately kept OUT of user-facing experience: health context, privacy concerns, accuracy risk, no unsolicited medical-adjacent advice * 2026 goals: maintain #1, expand pill support for oral GLP1s, more data charts and medication level curve visualization, community and social connection features

30 People. 1,300 Stores. Every Sport Imaginable. Inside the Marketing Machine at Lids.

Adam Herstig [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-herstig-7b36a619/], SVP of Marketing & Partnerships at Lids [https://lids.com/], brings two decades of sports licensing experience to one of retail's most recognizable brands - nearly 1,300 stores globally, the NBA and NHL store operations, college bookstore businesses, and a growing lineup of categories from trading cards to in-store customization. In this episode, Adam breaks down what it actually means to market a brand that is simultaneously a licensed retailer, a destination experience, and a cultural institution in the sports world. He talks about when sports marketing sells itself (World Series, anyone?) and when it needs a real push, why media diversification is the only honest way to measure attribution, and how a team of just 30 people manages campaigns across dozens of leagues, hundreds of teams, and thousands of SKUs. He also gives his honest read on AI in consumer-facing marketing - cautious, deliberate, and smarter than most.   Topics Discussed * Adam's career arc: American Eagle, Reebok, Adidas, Mitchell & Ness, kids licensed apparel in Asia Pacific, Snipes, Foot Locker, and now Lids * The full scope of Lids Inc: ~1,300 Lids stores, Lids Locker Rooms, NBA stores, NHL stores, college bookstore businesses * Hot markets vs. new categories: when sport demand does the marketing for you, and when you need to actually push * Customization as Lids' in-store superpower — patching, curving, embroidery, jewelry — and how it's been featured in every campaign * Trading cards: a year and a half old at Lids, now a real and growing category * Access Pass Premium loyalty program: $10/year, up to 20% off hats, birthday gifts, VIP perks at events * HQ in Indianapolis, 5 days in office, small NYC office for branding/PR/collaborations * Marketing team of 30 managing campaigns across leagues, teams, and thousands of SKUs * The pace of Lids: testing, iterating, embracing the chaos — what makes the company culture remarkable * Media diversification philosophy: TV, radio, out-of-home, coupons, bag filler — diversify to keep channels honest * AI approach: backend efficiency yes, consumer-facing campaigns — baby steps only; copy and content versioning are the practical wins * MLB as synonymous with hat culture; F1 growing; WWE entering the lineup; World Cup 2026 as a major test * Experiential marketing at Super Bowls, All-Stars, Fanatics Fest — RIP to Rep trading card event * International presence: Canada, Mexico, Australia; 2026 World Cup as an opportunity to capture new customers * 2026 goals: drive store traffic, grow loyalty membership, acquire new customers via World Cup, nail holiday

If You Can Take a Two-Week Vacation and Not Open Your Laptop, the Company Is Working

Pascal Hanle [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-h%C3%A4nle-451aa3180/], Chief Operating Officer of Pets Deli [https://www.petsdeli.de], tells one of the more unusual origin stories in German DTC: a pet food company that went bankrupt, was bought out of insolvency, and was handed to its most tenacious early employee to rebuild from scratch — beginning with Pascal literally sawing frozen meat blocks with a bow saw in the office kitchen to test new suppliers. Now in his 10th year at the company, with 135 FTEs, a warehouse that grew from 3,000 to 11,000 square meters, B2B accounts at Rewe and Edeka, and a target of €100M by 2030, Pascal shares what it actually takes to build durable unit economics, why ownership is the only metric that matters beyond revenue, and why the real sign of a healthy company is whether its CEO can spend two weeks in Egypt without opening a laptop.   Topics Discussed * How Pascal joined Pets Deli 1, survived the insolvency, and became the first real employee of Pets Deli 2 after an asset deal * The rebuild of 2017-2018: completely changed product portfolio, took over supply chain and logistics internally * The bow saw moment: sourcing new meat suppliers and sawing frozen meat blocks in the office kitchen to test quality * Why the original business model (frozen pet food, outsourced supply chain) had structurally terrible unit economics * The core lesson: good margins don't come from economies of scale — they come from meticulous, unglamorous supplier renegotiations * The Brexit overstock mistake: overpreparing for supply disruption led to €200-300K of dry food running into best-before dates * The vacation health test: two weeks in Egypt, laptop never opened — that's when you know the company is working * Current company: 135 FTEs across HQ (65-70), 5 physical stores, and a 45-person warehouse in Frankenberg * Warehouse expansion: 3,000 sqm → 11,000 sqm, all logistics now fully in-house * B2B growth: Rewe, Edeka as major retail partners; ~1,000 Rewe POS locations; targeting 50%+ B2B revenue growth * D2C vs. B2B operational challenge: D2C has predictable repeat behavior for forecasting; B2B is erratic and fast-moving * Ownership philosophy: real ownership requires letting people make decisions — even the wrong ones — or ownership dies * The 4:30am warehouse story: shift lead showed up independently to recount audit items; now manages half the warehouse * From startup to company: the first 20 employees are gone; processes replaced personal relationships; culture requires deliberate maintenance * 2030 goal: €100M revenue; expanding German footprint and potentially entering new markets

You're Paying People to Buy Your Product. Here's How Rita Zahir Found Out

Rita Zahir [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritazahir/], VP of Marketing and E-Commerce at Unique Vintage [http://www.unique-vintage.com], delivers a data-dense masterclass on the one metric most e-commerce brands are still getting wrong: the difference between revenue and profit. With 20 years across Shoes.com, Famous Footwear, Polaris, and now a female-owned vintage-inspired brand, Rita breaks down why "let the algorithm handle it" is the most dangerous phrase in modern performance marketing — and how a combination of custom behavioral segmentation and contribution-margin-level analytics helped her team beat Meta Advantage+ ROAS by 30% during the most volatile periods of the calendar. This is a rare, practitioner-level conversation about the infrastructure behind profitable e-commerce growth.   Topics Discussed * Rita's 20-year e-commerce career: Shoes.com, Famous Footwear, luxury fashion, software, Polaris (Trans American Auto Parts), early-stage startups * Current role: VP of Marketing and E-Commerce at Unique Vintage (2 years), plus concurrent consulting for luxury accessory startups * Marketing philosophy: structured metrics (LTV:CAC, contribution margin) as the foundation for moving fast with brand equity intact * The shift from ROAS and blended MER to profit on ad spend (POAS) and contribution margin as the real performance north star * The algorithm's blind spots: contribution margins, inventory turns, return rates, and products that lose money after ad costs * Dynamic product ads on Meta, Google Shopping, Pinterest, and Reddit — and why surrendering your data feed to the algorithm is a profitability trap * Meta's Andromeda/Advantage+: why "feed it everything and let the algorithm decide" misses your highest-LTV customer segments * Partner Genius AI: behavioral modeling and customer segmentation layering third-party data for years * Partner Barkai: contribution margin per view/impression — a tool that calculates actual profit generated per ad exposure and flags products where every sale loses money * Custom segmentation beating Meta Advantage+ ROAS by 30% during high-volatility periods * One of five companies globally selected for Meta's Voice AI Beta * "Bestsellers" that are secretly unprofitable when fully loaded with ad costs, conversion rates, and return handling * Team building philosophy: "coach of the A team" — hire and develop people you're actively learning from * Scaled a brand from under $5M to $16M revenue in under two years * Hybrid work as the preferred model; global talent outsourcing for lean e-commerce teams * 2026 goal: profitable, repeatable scale — a growth engine that can be systematized and replicated

Less Mustache, More Grown Up: How Lyft Rebranded Without Losing Its Soul

Cass Zawadowski [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cass-zawadowski/], Executive Creative Director at Lyft [https://www.lyft.com/], takes us inside the most significant transformation in Lyft's 14-year history — a year-long rebrand that touched everything from color palette and logo to photography, brand strategy, and brand archetype. She walks through what it actually takes to evolve a beloved brand without losing the soul that made it iconic, how Lyft launched its first major brand campaign post-rebrand targeting young working adults in New York and San Francisco, and how an entire marketing org moved from AI skepticism to daily creative practice through a CMO-led "ground zero" approach. From the three pillars of brand longevity to the tension between cultural creativity and boardroom-measurable impact, this is a rare behind-the-scenes view of creative leadership at one of North America's most recognized consumer platforms. Topics Discussed * Lyft as a global mobility platform: rideshare, Citi Bike (NYC), Divvy (Chicago), scooters, and the FreeNow acquisition expanding into Europe * Cass's career arc: ad school in Toronto, agency work in Toronto, New York, Germany, and Seoul, then the move to brand-side * The year-long Lyft rebrand (2024): "evolution not revolution" — new color palette, logo, photography, and brand strategy * Brand purpose: "serve and connect"; value proposition: "expect more from every journey" * New brand archetype and the shift from "less mustache to more grown up" * Design agency partner: Koto (New York) for visual identity * First post-rebrand brand campaign: Q4, young working adults (mid-20s to mid-30s), NYC and SF, "you have options — you're not on autopilot" * The three pillars of brand longevity: stable purpose, flexible expression, evolving with culture * Levi's as the benchmark example of brand longevity done right * Hybrid work structure: Mon/Wed/Thu in office; offices in San Francisco (HQ), New York, Toronto, Montreal, Mexico City, and Europe * Toronto as a fast-growing hub — new headquarters opening August 2026 * Lyft Urban Solutions (LUST) team in Montreal: bikes and scooters division * CMO Brian Irving's org-wide AI adoption: "ground zero, start fresh together" * Driver AI tool: input available hours and earning goals → AI generates optimized daily route * Creative Studio AI sprint (10-12 weeks, October): brainstorming, rapid prototyping, concept pressure-testing, A/B testing * AI tool chaining workflow: Weavy → Figma → Google Docs * 2026 goals: brand strength tied to business impact; scaling creative excellence across the entire marketing org