This episode dives deep into creative strategy as the growth lever for DTC brands, highlighting why under-$10M founders should still lead creative, how one ad can truly unlock growth, and why fresh sourcing of ideas (outside Meta’s ad library) is critical. Simon Robert, CEO of Statiq, walks through practical frameworks: for sourcing creative ideas, balancing “on-brand” vs “sales-driving” content, creative testing cadences, and the importance of one winning ad over scaling 100 mediocre ones. He also touches on creative team structures, founder involvement, and the risks of outsourcing strategy too early.

This conversation is especially valuable for media buyers and operators who want to understand:

• When creative becomes the bottleneck.
• How to build a process for consistent winning ads.
• What channels and frameworks to use to source inspiration.
• How to balance branding vs performance in creative.

We also dive into these key takeaways:

• How often should teams be testing new creatives to find the next winner
• The risk of outsourcing creative too early instead of founders leading.
• Why this is the best way to structure internal vs external creative teams for scale
• Why it's better to find one killer ad rather than running 100 average ones

This episode is Sponsored by Statiq. The ad creative agency used by Hollow Socks, Jones Road, Hearth & Soil and many more. Book a call within the next 7 days to get €500 OFF your first month: https://bit.ly/ScalabilitySchoolStatiq

To connect with Simon Robert from Statiq send him a DM at https://x.com/Simon__Rob

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email Andrew@foxwelldigital.com

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/

This episode of Scalability School explores how DTC founders can leverage debt as a strategic growth tool rather than a dangerous crutch. Zach, Brad, and Andrew walk through the math every media buyer should understand before scaling (EPCs, conversion rates, AOVs, margins), highlight why inventory-backed debt can be the smartest use of capital, and break down how to model financials in a way that impresses lenders. The episode blends media buying fundamentals (math, margins, bundling strategy) with financial strategy (when and how to use debt, what lenders look for, and how to avoid financial “fuckups”).

Key Takeaways:

• The math (CPCs, CVRs, AOVs) you need to know before spending a single dollar on Facebook ads

• Understanding the hidden costs that will erode your true margins and must be worked into your modeling

• The importance of negotiating everything to improve margins before raising prices?

• How building out this team offshore can be one of the highest-ROI scaling moves for your brand

• The one thing that convinced Hollow’s founders that debt was a better option than raising equity

• How to you convince lenders to fund a young, $1M brand (and the data they really want to see).

• The big reason robust financial models essential even for early-stage brands

• Are you using debt this way? 3 of the most dangerous ways brands misuse debt

• The #1 rule when working with lenders

This episode is sponsored by Wayflyer, a smarter way to use debt for growth. To learn more about them and how they may be able to help your brand grow head here to learn more.

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email Andrew@foxwelldigital.com

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM.

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community head here to learn more.

Episode 9 speed-runs the biggest retention levers brands can pull to increase revenue growth and improve order volume. They debunk deliverability myths (image–text ratios, why adding real text helps), along with comparing the differences of plain-text vs image-heavy emails. Jacob Sappington also clarifies Klaviyo vs GA vs ad platform attribution and how Klaviyo’s new active-profile enforcement curbs old billing “hacks."

Key Takeaways:

• The single change to a pop-up that can spike opt-ins and orders immediately
• Why you should change the pop-up and not your flows first
• Offer vs build vs creative: how should you weight each for mobile pop-ups
• Why this one thing is likely killing your Landing Page's performance to convert.
• How your traffic source may be affecting your conversion rate
• The easy setup mistakes that are likely throttling the performance of your email flows
• The magic number of how often 7- and 8-figure brands should email and text without burning the list
• Are third-party identity tools worth the risk and which safer paths exist

To learn more about the Scalability School Podcast or listen to other episodes head to https://scalabilityschool.com

To Connect with Jacob Sappington send him a DM at https://x.com/jsappington

To connect with Andrew Foxwell send an email Andrew@foxwelldigital.com

To connect with Brad Ploch send him a DM at https://x.com/brad_ploch

To connect with Zach Stuck send him a DM at https://x.com/zachmstuck

Learn More about the Foxwell Founders Community at https://foxwellfounders.com/