Operators

Hosted by Sean Frank, Mike Beckham, Matt Bertulli, and Jason Panzer

Business Entrepreneurship

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Episodes

232

Latest episode

Nov 2026

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About the show

In the world of ecommerce, a legendary text group is rumored to hold the secrets to unimaginable success. The catch? You must have nine figures in revenue to gain entry. The world’s biggest brands have denied its existence for years, until now. Four titans known as the “Operators” are leaking the secret contents in an effort to share its wealth of knowledge with people like you. Sean Frank (CEO, Ridge), Jason Panzer (President, HexClad), Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern) & Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case x Lomi).

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November 11, 2026Episode 1911 hr 9 min

Every DTC Brand Needs a Media Machine. Here’s How to Build Yours!

“We need to think of ourselves as a media company.” What does it take to turn an ecommerce brand into a content engine? Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi), Jason Panzer (President, HexClad), Katy Mimari (CEO, Caden Lane), and Curtis Matsko (CEO, Portland Leather Goods) show why paid ads only rent attention, and how owning your content builds a brand customers line up for. HexClad films three times a week, and Caden Lane just turned the cameras on its own staff. Portland Leather Goods credits its fan group with $50M to $80M a year. None of it pencils out in days, but the brands that commit build what no competitor can copy. Powered By Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Northbeam https://9ops.co/northbeam Saras Analytics https://9ops.co/saras Postscript https://9ops.co/postscript Aftersell https://9ops.co/aftersell-operators Fulfil https://9ops.co/fulfil Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/

November 9, 2026Episode 121 hr 23 min

Without This Number, Your DTC Brand Is Running on Hope

“You’re going to set some money on fire before you ever get to flip these cards over.” How much can you spend on a customer when the first order loses money? Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern) walks Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi), Cody Plofker (Advisor & fmr. CEO, Jones Road Beauty) and Curtis Christopherson (Chief Growth Officer, Ammortal) through the profit model behind consumable brands, using Trevi’s retention data. He measures every customer three ways. 1. Lifetime Value: Profit per customer over 6 months 2. Net LTV: LTV minus what you paid to acquire them 3. Nominal LTV: Net LTV times customers acquired Winks just pushed its CAC under $100. Mike shows why few brands earn $100 back from a customer in six months. Then the hosts split on forcing subscriptions, and Mike warns that longer paybacks have bankrupted brands. Powered By Runneth https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Omnisend https://9ops.co/omnisend Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators TBAR Partners https://9ops.co/tbarpartners Aftersell https://9ops.co/aftersell-operators Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/

November 5, 2026Episode 271 hr 26 min

How Cuts Hit $60M, Nearly Went Bankrupt & Came Back Stronger

Why lower AOV and a disciplined P&L saved this brand from the brink. Steven Borrelli (Founder & CEO, Cuts), Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern), and Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi) unpack how Cuts reached $60M without outside money, then nearly went under when tariffs hit 145%. Steven walks through the layoffs, the first raise, and the comeback that followed. Selling 50K joggers sight unseen gave Cuts confidence it hadn’t earned. Steven explains how a lower AOV cut customer acquisition costs by 65%. Now Cuts is betting on elevated menswear priced below luxury labels, where winning products draw copycats. Powered By AppLovin https://9ops.co/applovin https://9ops.co/applovin-paid-growth Alia https://9ops.co/alia Walmart https://9ops.co/walmart AfterShip https://9ops.co/AfterShip

November 4, 2026Episode 1901 hr 7 min

5 Hard Questions for Building a Company Culture That Lasts

How do you create a company culture that’s a competitive advantage? Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi) and Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern) build culture through deliberate choices, while most brands leave it to chance. They work through it in five hard questions: 1. Who should you let go? 2. How close should you get? 3. What won’t you tolerate? 4. Why are values a “trade”? 5. Where do leaders go next? Matt has hired and fired hundreds, and no two exits looked alike. Mike surveyed his entire team, and 80% praised the same quality in him: transparency. As AI takes over the busywork, trust becomes the real advantage. Powered By Fulfil https://9ops.co/fulfil Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Northbeam https://9ops.co/northbeam Saras Analytics https://9ops.co/saras Postscript https://9ops.co/postscript Aftersell https://9ops.co/aftersell-operators Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/

November 2, 2026Episode 111 hr 7 min

6 CPG Funnels: How We Study Ads, Landers & Offers

“It’s very easy to scrape an ad library, pull out concepts and then literally just duplicate the ad. That’s just a race to the bottom.” How do you learn from other brands without copying them? Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi) and Cody Plofker (Advisor & fmr. CEO, Jones Road Beauty) share their screens to walk through six consumables brands they’re learning from while building Winks. Each picked three, plus one bonus from outside DTC. 1. Nutrition Geeks: UK single-ingredient 2. Norse Organics: Natural acne care 3. Elavate: UK collagen for women 4. MarsMen: Testosterone support 5. Spoiled Child: Oddity’s brand 6. Boostcous: Gluten-free couscous (Bonus) Wispr Flow: AI voice app Matt and Cody trace each brand’s ads, landers and offers, including why long pages still convert. Some brands force subscriptions, others offer a choice, and a few lead with one-time bundles. Meanwhile, Winks is testing a no-subscription bundle of its own. Powered By Aftersell https://9ops.co/aftersell-operators TBAR Partners https://9ops.co/tbarpartners Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Motion https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Omnisend https://9ops.co/omnisend Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/

October 28, 2026Episode 1881 hr 13 min

Amazon Playbook: 5 Things DTC Brands Must Get Right to Scale Profitably

“If you don’t sell on Amazon, somebody else is gonna sell it.” When should a DTC brand stop treating Amazon as an afterthought? Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern), Jason Panzer (President, HexClad), Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi), and Katy Mimari (CEO, Caden Lane) break down the five things DTC brands must get right to scale on Amazon. 1. Always stay in stock 2. Executive ownership 3. Tailor your catalog 4. Protect your reviews 5. Pricing and promotion Amazon drives over half of Simple Modern’s contribution profit, yet Matt and Katy admit neglecting it. Mike’s fix covers five fronts: inventory, ownership, catalog, reviews, and pricing. Even HexClad is still learning, after underinvesting cost it millions this year. Powered By Aftersell https://9ops.co/aftersell-operators Fulfil https://9ops.co/fulfil Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Northbeam https://9ops.co/northbeam Saras Analytics https://9ops.co/saras Postscript https://9ops.co/postscript Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/

October 26, 2026Episode 101 hr 7 min

Inside a New DTC Brand’s Ad Engine, Run in 6 Steps: Operators Build (E10)

“Creative supply chain is the essential ingredient of demand.” Get all the resources from this episode: https://9ops.co/abchwj ★ 6-step framework ★ Brief template ★ Hook training guide Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi) and Cody Plofker (Advisor & fmr. CEO, Jones Road) launched Winks with more ads than lessons. Now they walk through the six steps every ad faces, starting with the message. 1. Message 2. Source 3. Media Formats 4. Creative Approach 5. Funnel Role 6. Production Checks More ads went live, but Cody still didn’t know what was working. The fix is research by hand, down to an Instagram feed trained to think like the buyer. With AI editing and uploading their ads, taste is the job left for people. Powered By Aftersell https://9ops.co/aftersell Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Runneth https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Omnisend https://9ops.co/omnisend Iris https://9ops.co/iris Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/

October 22, 2026Episode 261 hr 23 min

How Hulken Hit $50M Without Raising: Founder Alex Schinasi

“We didn’t actually choose them. They chose us.” Can a bootstrapped brand enter Target and Costco while still growing DTC? Alex Schinasi (Co-Founder & President, Hulken) joins Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi) and Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern) to unpack how a two-time SaaS founder built a ~$50M rolling tote brand without raising money. She had raised $3M for a new SaaS when Hulken hit $1M a month. A year later she exited the startup, and now nine people run the business with AI chiefs of staff. She wants a brand that lasts decades, yet she still moves at software speed. Powered By Walmart https://marketplace.walmart.com/operators Alia https://hubs.la/Q04zdpBQ0 AfterShip https://9ops.co/AfterShip Podqi https://9ops.co/7zz1ux AppLovin https://www.9operators.com/paid-growth https://applovin.com/9operators

October 21, 2026Episode 1881 hr 14 min

5 Things Every CMO Wishes CEOs Knew But Will Never Say to Your Face

“Some businesses aren’t ready for great CMOs.” What do CMOs need from their CEOs but never say out loud? MacCoy Merkley (CMO, Portland Leather Goods), Matt Bertulli (Founder, Pela Case & Lomi), Jason Panzer (President, HexClad), and Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern) unpack 5 truths CMOs won’t say to the boss’s face, and what CEOs lose by ignoring them. MacCoy took a $13K-a-year job off Craigslist and now leads marketing at a nearly $250M brand. HexClad still has no CMO, so Jason and its co-founders carry the role themselves. Hand the keys to the wrong hire, and the blame lands long before the results do. Powered By Fulfil https://9ops.co/fulfil Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Northbeam https://9ops.co/northbeam Saras Analytics https://9ops.co/saras Postscript https://9ops.co/postscript Aftersell ⁠https://9ops.co/aftersell-operators⁠ Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/

October 19, 2026Episode 91 hr 35 min

10 Elements of a Winning Offer & How to Test Them: Operators Build (E9)

“A great offer makes the customer feel stupid for saying no.” How do you know your offer is wrong before the market tells you? Jordan Menard (Co-Founder, Instant Hydration) and Lina Fahizul (Chief Ovary Officer, Freelance) join this episode to put Winks’ pricing, promotion, and pitch on trial. The payoff is a 10-element offer playbook any DTC brand can steal. 1. Not just price or discounts 2. Fits how the product is used 3. One customer + one problem 4. Adds value before discounts 5. Tackles your top objections 6. Gives a reason to buy “now” 7. Priced right for your market 8. Your most-valuable customer 9. Built for orders 2, 3, 4, etc. 10. Profitable unit economics It starts from a simple claim: Your discount gives away margin once. Jordan catches the founders without an answer for the CAC they can afford. Lina shows why making moms feel bad wins the click and loses the customer. Today's “winning” offer could lose money for months. Powered By Iris https://www.irisfinance.co/operators Omnisend https://9ops.co/omnisend OuterSignal https://9ops.co/outersignal Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Runneth https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/