Taylor Holiday

More isn't always better. Better is better. Forecast more accurately, grow contribution more consistently all while saving money with the Prophit Engine from CTC. Big love to the boys: @Seanfrank @iamshackelford @Jaredorkin @stevenborrelli @steviej @SJohnson_89 for the acting brilliance. This one is a love letter to the DTC x community.

Pat Murphy changed the course of my life, more than any other person... And I hated him for it for a long time. Quick story about how getting kicked off the ASU baseball team in college changed the course of my life for the better. These last few weeks have been weird for me. Watching this person who I had such a challenging relationship with get celebrated endlessly in the media is a weird phenomenon. Out of high school I signed a scholarship to play baseball at Arizona State. Much to mother's dismay i turned down more "educationally oriented" opportunities to play for the #1 team in the country. It was baseball heaven. The walls covered with the retired numbers of all time legends, Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson etc. etc. My freshman year my roommate was Dustin Pedroia! You couldn't ask for anything better as a 18 year-old dreaming of becoming a pro. Murph was tough. No non-sense, kind of a dick, but the kind of coach you really want approval from. (I see this even in the Brewers players today) My freshman year I didn't get to play, I was pissed, felt like I deserved a shot but there were more senior guys that he felt like deserved continued chances even when they struggled. He was always very loyal to "his guys". There began to develop this sort of weird divide on the team between the older and younger players. The freshman were all very close and a few of us resented some of the chances repeatedly given to the older guys. In addition, we were immature, partied too much, didn't take school serious enough and acted entitled. (I can see this now in reflection). The culmination of all this internal conflict manifested after the "Rookie Show". A tradition at ASU where all the freshman had to make comedy skits and perform them in front of the whole team. A group of us freshman made a video mocking the "Leadership Team", a group of juniors/seniors that met together with murph after practices. Bad idea. I remember playing the video and no one laughing. Terribly awkward. The night ended and I didn't think too much of it, dumb skit but whatever. The next day Murph called me up to his office and told me he was kicking me off the team. He said it was the most offensive skit he'd seen in all his years and that someone needed to take the blame and he believed I was the ring leader. I'll never forget leaving that office and walking home. I was mortified. My whole life was just flipped upside down. I ended up transferring to UCI, where we made the school's first ever run to the college world series where we eliminated ASU and Murph in a walk off win in the 13th inning. It was peak redemption arc for me personally. That same week I was drafted by the yankees, got to play in Charleston, where I met my wife and the rest is sort of history. A real butterfly effect moment on how my life could have been different. For so long I had such a negative view of my experience with Murph. I thought I got screwed. But when you watch someone succeed at so many levels, ultimately ascending to the highest level of the profession, while being adored by everyone around them you have to stop and reflect on whether or not YOU might have been the problem. Regardless the wound is long healed and I have come to appreciate the experience. So cheers Murph CONGRATS on an incredible run.

One of the most overplayed tropes in ecom is about raising your AOV. You can often dramatically increase your TAM and in turn reduce your CAC by doing the opposite.

Riding the cowboy. Gonna weigh in on yesterday's X debates, Meta CPM's, Skullcandy acquisition and more. nitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1pKdRDpwB…

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Q4 is when ecommerce brands obsess over every dollar. Media efficiency. Conversion rates. Customer acquisition costs. Margins. But there's one line item that rarely gets the same scrutiny. Your software stack. Brands will spend weeks trying to squeeze another 5% out of their ad performance while continuing to overpay for tools they've used for years. Your ESP is a perfect example. Omnisend is giving brands a pretty compelling reason to reconsider that expense: -Save up to 30% compared to your current provider. -Get your email, SMS, and automations migrated in as little as 5 days. -Let their team handle the heavy lifting. No massive implementation project for your team. Just an opportunity to lower costs without adding more complexity. Especially heading into the most important revenue stretch of the year, that's a conversation worth having. your.omnisend.com/TaylorHoli… #AD

You can quibble with the numbers (I think they are much more pessimistic than reality) BUT Dave’s point is right. Except it doesn’t only apply to “middle men” or agencies. It applies to ALL LABOR AND SOFTWARE. If you don’t generate incremental value in excess of your cost you will be replaced. The outcome is the expectation. Especially in the SMB market.

Crazy part is that the most talented people are the ones still in the building. Lots of folks missing from the wheel too… @andrewjfaris they don’t think you crack the top alumni???