Feras Khouri

The second you think you know it all in business is the second you fail. As a business owner who’s been through the ups and downs of growing a brand to 8-figs and scaling an agency to 7-figs in 6 months, I know it’s not easy. It takes grit and a lot of learning and collaboration from others. And I’m incredibly grateful for the people and mentors who’ve helped me along the way. That’s why I’m never afraid to share what’s working for me in business. I want you to succeed too, and maybe even surpass what I’ve done. Because the DTC landscape isn’t what it was a few years ago. Sure, the industry’s getting more competitive, but beating the competition isn’t enough anymore. With - Customer acquisition costs climbing, - Loyalty slipping - Economic uncertainty upon us Business owners need to be sharper than ever with their strategies. We need to operate like well-oiled machines. Which means we need to be more open to learning new tactics and strategies from other business owners. That’s how we grow—by learning from each other and sharing real value that sharpens our strategies and strengthens our businesses. I’ve noticed a lot of people only sharing the surface-level stuff. Just enough to reel your interest but holding back the real sauce to apply the principles to your own brand. If we’re going to truly level up, we need to be serious about collaboration. So, never play small. - Share what’s working - Be a student of the game no matter where you are in your journey - Keep learning from each other and let’s all grow and succeed together. Because at the end of the day, that’s how you build something that lasts.

One bad partnership cost my current partner over $100k. It is not a lesson you want to learn, and it’s never something you get over fully. So you see these 5 red flags at ANY point in a business relationship - client-side or otherwise… It’s time to jump ship.

Too many people waste time writing SOPs for every little thing. They • Over-optimize the process, then wonder why their team lacks autonomy. • Micromanage tasks they should’ve delegated months ago. • Hold onto busywork that feeds control, not growth. The shift happens when you clean your own calendar first: • Cut the tasks that don’t need you • Hire senior talent and get out of the way • Diagnose the real bottleneck before chasing growth Stop obsessing over systems. Start clearing space so the right people can actually execute.

I hate to break it to you… If you’re JUST now attempting to optimize these before BFCM: - SMS - Email - Retention program It’s pretty much too late. But don’t start burning your business to the ground just yet. You still have a chance. But you need to take it RIGHT NOW. Here’s how: There’s still a solid month before the start of BFCM. So start focusing on these 3 things. - Segmentation - Flows - Channel health Your first priority is ensuring these are good, especially your channel health going into Black Friday. Address any - Spam - Unsubs - Bounces This will help you increase your quantity of sends during BFCM and avoid spam. EVERYONE will be sending more, so make sure you’re not going to spam. As for segmentation you’ll forfeit a lot of leftover revenue if you’re not properly optimizing. Segmenting: - Engaged - Unegaged - Buyers - and Non buyers Test offers for the purpose of incremental revenue. For example, run tests for 30/60/90 days and see how far out you can push it while gaining incremental revenue without tanking your KPIs You can do this tomorrow… (and you should). Add those segments in and measure your incremental revenue. This is where you can do offer testing and test what type of messaging works for buyers vs. non-buyers. That is what will help you craft your offers going into Q4 and BFCM if you already haven’t. Also, do NOT neglect your flows. They are incredibly important. If your flows aren’t dialed in here, you’re kinda f*cked already. BUT if this is the case, just focus on the most important ones. Split-test the first email in your top flows for 30 days. - Welcome flow - Post purchase flow - Abandoned browse, cart, and checkouts This will help you maximize the traffic you are sending to your website with high interest in purchasing. When we work with clients, we optimize these things starting on day 1, WELL before BFCM. But again, no need to stress. Segmentation, deliverability, and flows will be your lifeline for BFCM if you’re falling behind.

Thankful to be a part of the podcast - thanks for having me on my man! Great convo, looking forward to the next one 💪🏽

Even if you'd had more than 24 hours in a day, I bet 90% of people would waste it doom scrolling. We all have the SAME 24 hours. How you maximize it is completely within your control. Lately for me - that means about 50% of my time is spent inside the business, 25% is spent working outside of the business, and 25% is spent planning for the future. Founders can often wear many hats like leader, brand ambassador, and visionary all in one. Intentionally dividing up my time is the only way I get everything done. Internal Operations (50%) Currently, most of my time is spent managing and developing in-house through: Hiring and training Client onboarding and expectation-setting Team structure Task delegation Promotions Balanced workload Optimizing workflows External Growth (25%) Besides internal tasks, I’m also focused on building the business externally.. Developing key partnerships is a top priority. And masterminding with other like-minded entrepreneurs is a fun bonus. Future Forward (25%) The remaining portion of my time at work is spent looking ahead and planning for 6-12 months in advance. This means looking out for: Industry trends projections Risk assessments Tech stacks and automation New Ideas Personal Growth Through Active Learning When free time comes around, either in between meetings or after work. I still keep myself busy. My brain is ALWAYS occupied with new learnings or new ideas. This constant state of learning has helped me stay sharp and engaged. For entrepreneurs, personal and business growth are linked. Spend time developing yourself and your brand to cover all the bases.

DTC Twitter What are the top 3-5 apps or services you use outside of the standard practice ones (i.e. your ESP)?

Ecommerce evolves fast, and every year there’s less room for slop. Ad costs are higher. Margins are tighter. Customers are smarter. If your organization doesn’t communicate effectively within itself, you’ll have leaks everywhere. Bad handoffs between teams / Missed opportunities in the funnel / Retention crushed by silos. At 8- and 9-figure scale, those leaks aren’t small. They’re millions.

Don’t take advice from someone who hasn’t done what you want to do.