Justin Mecham

Chatted with Todd Penegor for this week's podcast and he did not remotely disappoint. In this clip he talks about the benefit of using third-party delivery aggregators, which has helped extend the brand's reach, and its relationship with first-party delivery. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gJ5547J2

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The truth isn’t always pretty. But it’s always useful. I’m working with a brand right now. Their team do something I admire deeply. Every single day, without fail, they send a report to all stakeholders: 📊 Sales (YoY) 📊 Conversions (CR) 📊 AOV 📊 Orders 📊 Traffic It’s a discipline. It keeps everyone in sync. It keeps the pulse of the business alive. But there’s a trap in reporting too—when we don’t zoom out or ask the right context questions. Case in point: We kicked off their summer sale recently, and Day 1 numbers looked phenomenal on the daily report. +400% in sales. Cue the virtual high-fives. 🥳 But something felt off. So I asked: “Can we compare Day 1 of this summer sale to Day 1 of last summer’s sale instead of just the same date YoY?” Turns out... we're actually down. Not what anyone wanted to hear. But exactly what we needed to know. Because once we faced that truth, we could: ✅ Identify the reasons ✅ Adjust in real time ✅ Start fixing, fast Here’s the takeaway: Data can be manipulated. Truth cannot. So make truth your North Star—not vanity metrics. It might sting. But it’s also your clearest path to real improvement. #DataDriven #Leadership #GrowthMindset #eCommerce #MarketingStrategy

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Daniel Temm at Puresport isn’t just building a brand, he’s building a team that’ll outpace 90% of DTC competitors this year. Why? Because there’s only one thing separating the brands that scale in 2025 from the ones that stall.... It’s how they use AI. We’re in a new operating system for growth. The brands that win are the ones who embed AI into how they think, test, iterate and scale. That’s exactly what this training with the Puresport team was about. On Friday I went into their offices to run a session on how the best DTC brands are using AI to outperform this year. And what separates the best from the rest? - Creative operations that fuel consistent growth through paid ads. - Strong economics through high gross margin and/or strong LTV. - Lean OPEX that unlocks the highest allowable CAC. 🚨AI creates operating leverage It’s what allows brands to move faster, make sharper decisions, and get more out of every pound spent. The ones who wire it into their system will build an edge that compounds. The ones who don’t will fall behind. Here’s what we covered in the session: 1️⃣ AI for deep customer insight → Using Claude and DeepResearch to mine reviews, ad comments, and survey data for emotional triggers that fuel UGC scripts, landing page copy and paid ads. 2️⃣ Creative analysis with Gemini → Uploading winning and losing creatives to uncover patterns and messaging frameworks. Simple three-line summaries that turn into three-month content strategies. 3️⃣ Veo + Arcads + custom GPTs → Leveraging AI video tools and UGC platforms to speed up ideation and feedback loops. Not replacing creators, but making their output 10x more strategic. 4️⃣ AI agents & org design → Mapping the future team structure: Prompt Engineers, UGC Strategists, AI Analysts working hand-in-hand with Creative Strategists and Editors. The big takeaway? The unlock isn’t in the tools. It’s in the system you build around them. One that drives stronger execution, better decisions, more time and more margin back into the business. Big thanks to the Puresport team for having me.

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🚀 The "Great Lock-In": What Fast Company Missed About the Future of Growth As Eve Upton-Clark's recent article in Fast Company highlights, "The Great Lock-In" is the latest viral wellness trend pushing Gen Z to embrace a "months-long grind" of self-improvement. The piece rightly captures the discipline and momentum of this movement, but it only tells half the story. What's missing is a crucial question for every professional and business leader: How can we apply this same hyper-focused mindset to our own growth and avoid the overwhelming pressure that the trend's participants often face? The answer lies not just in a disciplined grind, but in smart, data-driven automation. The traditional "Lock-In" is a blunt instrument. It's about sheer effort and willpower. But in the business world, a relentless grind without a clear, automated strategy leads to burnout and wasted resources. This is where we can learn from this trend and then evolve it. A business's version of "The Great Lock-In" shouldn't be about working harder but working smarter. 👉 From Brute Force to AI-Driven Focus Instead of setting vague, January-like resolutions, a true business Lock-In means identifying one or two critical growth metrics and using AI to streamline your efforts. For example, a business can "lock in" on improving customer lifetime value (LTV). An AI-powered tool can analyze user behavior to pinpoint which campaigns, content, or product features are most effectively driving long-term value. This shifts the focus from a scattershot "try everything" approach to a surgical "double-down on what works" strategy. It's the difference between a Gen Z's endless workout routine and an elite athlete's data-optimized training plan. This principle extends to professional development, too. Instead of trying to master a dozen skills, an individual can "lock in" on one or two key areas. Use AI tools to automate your email management or content scheduling, freeing up time to dedicate to mastering that one crucial skill. This turns the "months-long grind" into a highly efficient and rewarding sprint. The "Great Lock-In" is a powerful signal that the next generation values intentional, consistent action. For us in the professional world, it’s a wake-up call to replace our frantic, unfocused efforts with a strategic, AI-powered approach. By leveraging data and automation, we can achieve true momentum, not just by finishing the year strong, but by building a foundation for sustainable, long-term growth. How is your team using data or AI to focus on what truly matters? Share your experience below. https://lnkd.in/gAQpnMJq #TheGreatLockIn #AI #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #GenZ #GrowthMindset #Management #Careers Megan McDonough

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Franchise Marketers are getting smart about this one strategy on the consumer side of the house: Important context: Last week I joined a unique meeting with Voxie. It was not a normal webinar. It was a "product roadmap brainstorm" with prospects, clients and fans. HUGE fan of this transparency and format. Voxie is built different. My big takeaway from the call was this Marketers have long been trained on the “Paid, Earned, Owned” framework. But in 2025 (and beyond) the order appears to be flipping - Owned, Earned, Paid is becoming a BIG play that serious marketers are digging in on. - Paid is expensive. Costs are up. Scale and consistency are down. Paid is still crucial, but you must work with the best partners and brightest minds. - Social media has gone from “social graph” to “interest graph.” It’s the “TikTokification” of feeds. Platforms push content people will engage with, whether they follow you or not. That means you can still win organically… but only if your content is relevant. All of the above simply boils down to this: its a noisy world. Tech is shifting fast. And your Owned channels (aka SMS, email, organic social, UGC, and the like) are foundational assets to build upon. Most franchise brands have gaping holes here. Credit Gary Vaynerchuk for inspiring this with your awesome content and book,. Day Trading Attention (I highly recommend his book.) SMS is the highest ROI campaign channel for a growing number of brands today. A partner like Voxie can help you dominate this channel, and turn SMS into a money generating machine. They are the only SMS platform truly built for franchising. Who should meet them: Franchisors and Franchisees - looking to unleash ROI positive campaigns on demand - plus accelerate conversion, repeat business, and so much more - are in need of compliance, local and national guardrails If you tell them I sent you - the CEO Adam Waid along with Brian Heppner have to give you the friends and family deal :) PS- drop a comment below with your thoughts on my observations? Im sure many have heated opinions and beliefs... !

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Walmart just admitted they don't know what they're doing. We got our hands on internal Walmart communications from the recent seller purge. The responses are... revealing: 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘 #1: "There was an error from our end. Working on a solution ASAP." 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘 #2: "Trust & Safety suspension. Investigation complete by close of business 7/25." 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘 #3: "Widespread issue affecting consumables sellers. Different team handles this." 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘 #4: Account reinstated - "Done in error." This isn't strategic enforcement. This is operational chaos. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗠: 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻. But they're copying Amazon's worst traits: → Algorithmic suspensions without human review → Automated compliance systems with no nuance → Guilty-until-proven-innocent mentality → Internal teams that don't communicate 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘'𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬'𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚: Amazon built their compliance machine over decades. They earned the right to be ruthless through market dominance. Walmart? They're still the scrappy challenger trying to steal Amazon's thunder. This heavy-handed approach will backfire. Hard. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: Great marketplaces are built on seller success, not seller fear. Amazon can afford to lose sellers. They have endless supply. Walmart needs every quality seller they can get. Their selection is still thin compared to Amazon. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗡: When you prioritize systems over relationships, you get exactly what Walmart got this week: → Confused internal teams → Contradictory communications → Angry seller community → Brand damage in the space they're trying to win Smart marketplaces protect their best sellers. They don't shoot first and ask questions later. Walmart's trying to shortcut their way to Amazon's authority without putting in Amazon's work. That's not strategy. That's impatience. And it shows.

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High performers don't quit jobs. They quit bad leaders. Effective leaders create environments where high performers thrive. Great leadership transforms culture and retains top talent. It inspires, aligns, and empowers. Here’s 7 ways great leaders build exceptional cultures: 1/ Recognize Excellence: Reward What Matters → Great leaders spotlight contributions, big and small. → They ensure top performers feel valued, not ignored. 💡 Leaders: Use public praise or personalized notes to acknowledge standout work consistently. 2/ Address Mediocrity: No Free Passes → They confront underperformance swiftly and fairly. → Tolerating coasting erodes trust among high performers. 💡 Leaders: Set clear expectations and hold one-on-one reviews to course-correct promptly. 3/ Foster Transparency: Build Trust Through Openness → Great leaders share context behind decisions. → They create safe spaces for honest feedback. 💡 Leaders: Host regular team huddles to discuss challenges and priorities openly. 4/ Empower Ownership: Let Talent Shine → They delegate meaningful work to capable hands. → Micromanaging kills motivation; autonomy fuels it. 💡 Leaders: Assign stretch projects to high performers and trust them to deliver. 5/ Cultivate Growth: Invest in Development → Great leaders prioritize learning and skill-building. → They know stagnation drives talent out the door. 💡 Leaders: Offer mentorship programs or budget for courses to upskill your team. 6/ Align Values: Walk the Talk → They model the culture they preach. → Inconsistent behavior breeds cynicism and disengagement. 💡 Leaders: Embed core values into daily decisions and hold everyone accountable. 7/ Listen Actively: Hear the Unspoken → Great leaders notice subtle shifts in morale. → They act on feedback before issues fester. 💡 Leaders: Use pulse surveys or informal check-ins to gauge team sentiment regularly. Great leadership turns culture into a competitive advantage, retaining high performers and driving results. Start implementing these strategies to build a workplace where talent stays and thrives. What’s one of these do you find most valuable? Share your ideas below! ♻️ Repost to your network. Follow Carolyn Healey for more leadership content.

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The new frontiers of search are all AEO-adjacent. A few interesting signals we've been tracking: Investors are pouring money into AEO tool builders. Last month, Profound closed a $20M Series A (Kleiner Perkins). Athena pulled in a $2.2M seed. Scrunch raised $4M from Mayfield. And you can bet dozens of other players are quietly raising as well. Nearly every tool shares one core function: Tracking whether your brand actually appears in AI-generated answers. Some of these platforms now measure distribution of answers (since LLMs give different outputs every time you ask the same question). Others specialize by audience, like Scrunch focusing purely on developers. But there’s still a glaring gap: Question Research → Which questions matter most for your brand to show up in? Optimization → Once you know, how do you improve your presence in those answers? No tool does these yet. Whoever solves them unlocks a huge advantage.

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