Erica Bonelli

Olipop didn't invent a new soda. They invented a solution for the "I know soda is bad for me but I love it" crisis. Their entire marketing focuses on one simple comparison: "The Gut Loving Soda". They don't lead with prebiotics, botanicals, or fiber. They lead with the before and after feeling. The framework: Before (The Problem): "Bloated after drinking soda?" "Sugar crash?" "Feeling guilty?" After (The Solution): "9g of sugar." "The refreshment you crave, without the guilt." "Prebiotics for a happy gut." They took a guilty pleasure and turned it into a virtuous one. They are selling permission to enjoy soda again. How can you reframe your product from a "want" to a "should"? - Is your snack not just "tasty" but "cleanish"? - Is your clothing not just "stylish" but "built to last 5 years"? - Is your software not just "powerful" but "time saving"? Find the negative emotion associated with your category, and position your product as the antidote. Push more on that.

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10 things I learned from Shopify President Harley Finkelstein this week 👇 These are the notes I took whilst listening to his talk: 1) The total addressable market for my product is oxygen Harley once dropped this in an investor meeting. Think bigger than you’re comfortable with. If your ambition doesn’t scare people, it’s too small. 2) Agentic Commerce will change everything  Shopify are building APIs to deliver every single product listed on over 2 million Shopify stores to every LLM. The infrastructure is being built for commerce to happen everywhere, automatically. 3) Everything is now a sales channel From social platforms to newsletters, every touchpoint can drive commerce. The most successful businesses today meet customers wherever they already spend time. 4) The cost of failure is now incredibly low When previous generations failed, they were tied into long leases and had teams of dozens of people. Today's entrepreneurs can test, pivot, and iterate with minimal overhead and maximum learning. 5) If you're building, place a lot of bets Diversify your experiments across ads, email, social content, partnerships, and new channels. The key is having multiple shots at success running simultaneously. 6) More people are starting businesses in the US than any point in the last 20 years We're in a golden age of entrepreneurship in America. It feels like the opposite of whart we are seeing in the UK sadly. 7) Collaborate unequivocally E-commerce isn't zero sum - it's positive sum. Success breeds more success. A thriving ecosystem benefits everyone, which is why collaboration trumps competition in the long run. 8) Tell people all your secrets Share your playbook openly. You're not competing for a slice of the pie - you're trying to bake a bigger pie that benefits everyone. 9) Business is really hard The truth few admit: it’s brutal, messy, and exhausting. Acknowledge it — then get on with it. 10) But unfair advantages are now democratised The tools, platforms, and opportunities that once required massive resources are now accessible to anyone. Business is still hard, but the playing field has never been more level. What resonated most with you? Drop a comment below 👇

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One of my favorite things to do when in NYC is to connect with fellow founders. On this trip, I was lucky to catch one of Post Exit Founders (PEF) lunch events. Great to meet the crew and compare notes on ventures, exits, and what “after” actually feels like. A few takeaways that stuck with me: 1. Success doesn’t look the same for everyone. We celebrate 9-figure headlines, but many of the happiest founders I know had “quiet” wins or are running profitable, durable businesses you’ll never see on TechCrunch or WSJ. 2. The recipe is boring and brutal: pick a real market, give it 100%, don’t quit. “996” isn’t the point (though it can help), but resilience and conviction are. 3. Most successful founders are serial. Company building is a lifestyle, not a one-time lottery ticket. 4. Distribution beats product purity. First-timers obsess features; second-timers obsess GTM, pricing, and repeatable motion. 5. Boring problems pay. Especially in security/compliance. Unsexy + Mission-Critical = Budget. 6. Trust is a feature. Reliability and security from day one open Fortune 100 doors (and keep them open). 7. Community is the ultimate unfair advantage. Founder peers shorten the feedback loop and the recovery time after setbacks. ++ Bonus Lesson: when you in a group picture, triple check with the photographer to make sure you are in the frame. Otherwise you'd look like me here: the half-arm in the low-right corner :D Simon Chan Avishai Sam Bitton Duncan McCall Guy Dvir Jason Patel John Daniels Ron Jacobson Sajag Agarwal Curious: if you’ve sold a company (or walked away from one), how did your definition of “winning” change? #founders #entrepreneurship #nyc #startups #cybersecurity #postexit

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In my time working at Pinterest one thing’s clear—it deserves more credit. Too often, it’s overlooked in social strategies, but the latest insights might just shift that thinking. Measured recently dove into a year’s worth of performance data, covering 70+ incrementality tests, 550 geo experiments, and multiple MMM studies. And the results? Pinterest is proving itself to be a high-performing platform with serious potential. Here’s why: 🔍 People show up with purpose: Pinners actively seek inspiration for various aspects of life, creating a unique opportunity for ads to seamlessly integrate into their browsing experience, offering valuable content rather than disruptions. 🕰️ Content sticks around longer: Unlike content on other platforms, Pinterest posts have a longer lifespan, ensuring prolonged visibility for brands and increased chances to leave a lasting impression. 📊 Smarter targeting & tracking: With powerful tools and deep insights, Pinterest makes precise targeting and smart performance tracking easier. Pinterest isn’t just another social channel—it’s where people go to plan, dream, and shop. And it's where advertisers can meet them early in the journey, far away from the chaos of infinite scrolling. Here is the full article: https://lnkd.in/emURbzdB

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Figs, a DTC medical apparel co, was offered a ONE BILLION dollar buyout in December by Story3 capital They said no, and everyone thought they were crazy. Just 6mo later, Figs reports earnings & rockets past $1B market cap I've been covering Figs for a bit now; & they're clearly executing. Breaking down this quarter's report & why its so important. If you're a DTC operator, take notes ✍ 1/ Revenue FIGS beat on sales with $152.6M (+5.8% YoY) vs consensus at $134.6M That's great - but what really gets me going is the 3x beat on adj. EBITDA - $19.7M v consensus at $6M I mentioned last qtr that the company is making promising progress, and this qtr it showed up in a big way 2/ Gross Margin Here is where I see Figs really shine - a new distribution center is helping generate leverage on selling expenses, reducing 3pts QoQ as a % of revenue. Last qtr I said gross margin would expand with reductions in discounting and sales expenses, and I WAS RIGHT. This gross margin expansion unlocks a WORLD of opportunity for figs. 3/ Contribution Margin Of those 3 points, 2 fell down to the CM line DESPITE marketing increasing as a percent of sales modestly. This is a very powerful signal! 4/ Net Income All of the above leads to a huge uptick in net income and margin for FIGS - YoY net income growth of 545%. Figs has made a step change in profitability and the fundamentals are all there. The business is founder led with strong surrounding management and the market is LIKE SEVENTY BILLION DOLLARS

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