How Top VCs Actually Pick Winning CPG Brands - Chris Wilkerson 51 Ventures

We Grew This Brand 5X Without Ads - Pebby Forevee Case Study

Most brands are obsessed with acquisition. Paid ads, influencers, SEO… chasing the next new customer. But what happens when retention becomes the main driver of growth? In this case study, I’m breaking down exactly how we helped a DTC apparel brand grow from 51% to over 82% of total revenue coming from retention marketing — while scaling the business 5X in the process. We’re talking email, SMS, push notifications, and direct mail — all working together as a single system. No theory. No fluff. Just real numbers, real timelines, and the exact playbook behind it. If you’re running an e-commerce brand and your retention program isn’t doing this kind of heavy lifting yet, there’s a lot of revenue sitting on the table. LINK TO PEBBY FOREVEE TAPCART CASE STUDY:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mul1GEM_XEk&t=7s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mul1GEM_XEk&t=7s]  ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com [https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com]  🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 [https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02]

How Top VCs Actually Pick Winning CPG Brands - Chris Wilkerson 51 Ventures

Most founders think raising more money is the goal. It’s not. In this episode, I sit down with Chris to break down what’s actually happening inside CPG right now — from equity deals that don’t make sense anymore, to why smart brands are shifting toward new financing models to scale faster without giving everything away. Chris went from a college athlete with zero experience to building a 7-figure business, stacking advisory equity across dozens of startups, and eventually launching a VC fund investing in the future of health, wellness, and CPG. We get into: Why most founders misunderstand funding What investors actually look for The shift from equity → smarter capital How brands are scaling retail without getting crushed on cash flow And where CPG is heading over the next 5–10 years If you're building a brand, raising capital, or trying to understand how this game really works — this is the conversation you want to hear. Connect with Chris: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswilkerson51/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswilkerson51/]  - chris@51ventures.vc [chris@51ventures.vc]  - https://chriswilkerson.beehiiv.com/p/the-first-time-i-have-ever-written-this [https://chriswilkerson.beehiiv.com/p/the-first-time-i-have-ever-written-this]  - https://51ventures.vc/ [https://51ventures.vc/]  ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com [https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com]  🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 [https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02]

What Happens When Marketers Lose All Their Data? - Justin Cowperthwaite Restore.ai

Most marketers think their ads stopped working. They didn’t. You just lost the data. In this episode, we break down what’s actually happening behind the scenes — how privacy updates, tracking limitations, and browser changes are quietly killing attribution… and what that means for your revenue. If you’re running ecom, using Klaviyo, or relying on paid ads — this isn’t a “nice to know.” This is the reason your numbers don’t make sense anymore. We cover: Why tracking is getting worse every year How much data you’re actually missing (it’s a lot) Why your flows and ROAS are underreporting And who’s really winning because of all this (hint: not small brands) This is one of those conversations that changes how you look at your entire marketing stack. If you care about growth, retention, and not flying blind… watch this. Connect with Justin: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-cowperthwaite-3948b48/ Email: justin@getrestore.ai Website: https://getrestore.ai/ ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02

Peptides Just Got a Green Light — Here's What It Means for Telehealth Marketing

Emergency episode. Today — Thursday, April 16th — RFK Jr. and the FDA announced a major policy shift: 12 peptides are being pulled out of Category 2 and sent to PCAC for formal review starting in July. Names like BPC-157, Epitalon, GHK-Cu, MOTS-c, Semax, and Melanotan II are on the list. This isn't full approval — but it's the clearest signal yet that peptides are moving from the black market into regulated, legitimate clinical pathways. And for Telehealth marketers and operators, this changes everything. In this episode, Mark Milutin breaks down what the shift actually means for growth in the space: why LegitScript certification is about to open up for peptide protocols (and why that's the unlock for paid media on Meta and Google), why ESPs and payment processors will start saying yes instead of no, and why Shopify and other platforms are quietly positioning for this moment. He covers the supply-side explosion coming to Telehealth, the consumer confidence flip that's about to accelerate influencer adoption and soften media narratives, and the branding opportunity for operators who want to build the Nike of longevity instead of another spammy biohacker storefront. Mark also digs into the retention gold mine hiding in this category — why peptides are a repeat-purchase, subscription-native behavior, why lifecycle flows (onboarding, dosage reminders, progress tracking) become the core of the business, and why the savage marketers and operators are going to win this category before traditional healthcare even wakes up. If you caught the earlier episode on why Telehealth brands are getting kicked off Klaviyo, this is the other side of the coin: the platforms are about to open up, the rules are about to get clearer, and the window to move is right now. This feels like e-commerce in 2012 — with 2026 tools. Don't sleep on it. Read the full Press Release: https://www.openpr.com/news/4477253/bread-loaf-s-ceo-mark-milutin-breaks-down-fda-peptide-shift [https://www.openpr.com/news/4477253/bread-loaf-s-ceo-mark-milutin-breaks-down-fda-peptide-shift]

Why Telehealth Brands Are Getting Kicked Off Klaviyo

Telehealth brands are scaling faster than ever — and getting kicked off Klaviyo faster than ever, too. In this episode, host Mark Militant breaks down the compliance gray area that's catching up with fast-growing telehealth startups: Klaviyo (and most ESPs) aren't HIPAA compliant, and once your revenue starts climbing, that target on your back gets a lot bigger. Inspired by a recent post from Daniel Budai about a peptide client's migration headache, Mark walks through why this matters, when it starts to matter, and the three enterprise-grade platforms he's recommending to clients right now: Braze, HubSpot Enterprise, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud. He covers the real cost of compliance (spoiler: $35K/year minimum), why brands like Ro, Hims & Hers, and CVS run on Braze, and the lawsuit risk waiting for any telehealth brand marketing to patients without a BAA in place. If you're building in telehealth — or thinking about it — this one's a must-listen before you send your next campaign.