<\/p>\n
I talk a lot on the podcast about business, growth, and solving problems, but at some point it\u2019s worth stepping back to ask why we\u2019re doing any of this in the first place.<\/p>\n
This recap is about Beardbrand (my company) and our 2025 performance: What worked, what didn\u2019t, what was painful, and what made it all worth it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a reminder to take stock of your own priorities \u2014 how you\u2019re allocating your time, energy, and attention \u2014 and whether they align with the life you\u2019re trying to build.<\/p>\n
Longtime listeners know that 2023 and 2024 were extremely challenging for me personally and for Beardbrand. We lost a lot of money in 2023 and less, but still meaningful, in 2024. The good news is that in 2025, we became profitable again<\/a>.<\/p>\n Looking back, our conservative financial strategy before things turned bad helped us survive. It allowed us to withstand rapid market changes and support our staff for as long as possible. That discipline helped us weather the storm.<\/p>\n From a growth standpoint, subscriptions<\/a> have been a major win. At our lowest point, we had roughly 1,500 subscriptions. We made a focused effort to rebuild, and recently we surpassed 11,000 active subscriptions. Hitting 10,000-plus gives us predictable revenue and long-term stability. Churn has remained low, and we\u2019re still adding members weekly, which is encouraging.<\/p>\n Another big win was finding the right fulfillment partner. After two moves \u2014 including one near our manufacturer that didn\u2019t work out \u2014 we landed on a small Austin-based provider<\/a>. The staff offers white-glove service, takes responsibility when issues arise, and aligns with the customer experience we want to deliver. Plus, being local helps. We can visit, meet the team, and fine-tune packaging and shipping costs.<\/p>\n Manufacturing has also improved. Finding the right manufacturing partner is a Goldilocks problem \u2014 not too big, not too small, just right. One of our supplier-partners discovered us through this podcast. They\u2019ve allowed us to keep inventory lean, place smaller, more frequent orders, and maintain quality. That\u2019s reduced customer complaints, lowered stress, and helped us avoid unsellable inventory \u2014 a major contributor to losses in prior years.<\/p>\n Engagement with customers has improved as we let them vote on which limited-edition fragrance would become permanent.<\/p>\n Another win \u2014 we subleased our oversized office, a costly remnant from when our team size was at its peak, easing a significant financial burden until the lease ends in 2026.<\/p>\n The biggest hurdle is that the beard care industry has shifted from a blue to a red ocean. A blue ocean<\/a> is wide open \u2014 lots of opportunity, little competition. Today, beard care feels saturated and stagnant.<\/p>\n I see this in search data. Terms like \u201chow to grow a beard,\u201d \u201cbeard oil,\u201d and \u201cbeard balm\u201d are flat or declining. Meanwhile, other personal care categories such as shampoo, bar soap, and cologne continue to grow. When I look at Beardbrand and our top competitors, we\u2019re all flat or down.<\/p>\n One way to resume growth is with organic content. We\u2019ve had content hits and misses, but we haven\u2019t reliably delivered the quality and volume I want. If we fix it, we can deepen relationships with our audience and stand out again.<\/p>\n Paid media has also been frustrating. Like many brands, we haven\u2019t cracked Meta at scale<\/a>. We\u2019ll find an ad that works, get excited, then watch it fall flat days later. We\u2019ve hovered around $30,000 a month in spend without breaking through. We recently started integrating more data-driven decision-making.<\/p>\n I expected revenue to grow in 2025 after fixing problems from 2023 and 2024. That didn\u2019t happen. We likely won\u2019t beat last year\u2019s numbers, which forced us to make painful staffing cuts \u2014 letting go of two long-tenured, incredible team members. That was one of the hardest decisions I\u2019ve had to make.<\/p>\nThe Bad<\/h3>\n