Scalability School
Scalability School is your cheat code for building a more profitable DTC brand or agency. It breaks down tactical strategies, real-time wins, and tough lessons from three perspectives: operator, agency, and community. The podcast focuses on what's actually working in the wild, skipping the fluff to help listeners scale with confidence.
Episodes
Ecommerce A/B Tests That Won (and the Best Practices That Lost) | EP 40
What should DTC brands A/B test to increase revenue per visitor?Test the variables that change how the offer is perceived before you test reassurance. In Brad Ploch's recent split tests, cutting a $279 product's sale price from $229 to $199 lifted revenue per visitor 44%, adding six problem-focused questions to a quiz doubled it, and swapping the post-purchase offer took upsell revenue pe
DTC Offer Strategy: Raising Your Price Without Losing Conversions | Brian Ng
How do you build a DTC offer that raises profit without hurting conversion rate? Simplify the offer so a shopper understands it in seconds, then raise MSRP so you can show a bigger discount at a higher final price. The offers scaling DTC brands run today are buy more save more, a discounted first subscription order, or tiered dollar-off bundles. Brian Ng of Digital Ride raised one brand's
How to Scale a Subscription App to $25K/Day on Meta Ads
How do you scale a subscription app with Meta ads? Start with an offer whose value is obviously outsized for the price, then test the packaging rather than the product. Format Finder moved from a single $97 plan to $29, $59, and $97 tiers, and the single change that moved AOV the most was toggling annual billing on by default. Free trials failed outright because the cost to acquire a tria
What You Should Pay a DTC Agency in 2026: Real Pricing Benchmarks | EP 37
How much should you pay a DTC agency in 2026? For Meta ads management on its own, the market has settled between $2,500 and $5,000 a month, and paying above $5,000 only makes sense when the brand spends six figures a month or the scope adds creative, forecasting, and CRO. Creative is the one line item worth paying at the top of the market, because a single breakout ad can add $20,000 to $
How to Build a 9-Figure Performance Creative Team | Joanna Wallace
How do you build a performance creative team for a DTC brand? Start with the most experienced hire you can afford, a director-level player-coach for nine-figure brands, a senior agency-trained strategist for smaller ones, and let them build the team top-down, using freelancers to fill gaps while full-time roles get approved. Match output goals to headcount, because ad volume is determined
Why AI Is Making Creative Strategists Lazy (And How to Fix It) | Hannah Houg & Matthew Gattozzi
In this episode, Andrew Foxwell and Brad Ploch sit down with Hannah Houg and Matthew Gattozzi to answer the question every team is quietly avoiding: how do you use AI for creative strategy without losing the judgment that makes ads work? The short answer is that you bring AI a hypothesis instead of asking it for one. You'll learn which four parts of the process to protect from AI entirely
Meta Is Reading Your Landing Page (Most Media Buyers Have No Idea)
Brad and Zach go deep on the single biggest scaling lever most media buyers are ignoring: the landing page. The spine of the episode is a mindset shift, meaning you can scale spend without new creative, new offers, or more discounting. You scale with pages. They open with creative-to-lander congruency: the ad makes a promise and the page has to keep it. Zach shares how MarsMen now runs 33
We Tested Meta's Incremental Attribution on $200K/Month: Here's Why We Turned It Off.
This episode is a tactical deep dive into two of the biggest measurement questions in DTC right now, capped off with Zach Stuck joining to break down how MarsMen sets ad budgets off forecasted recurring revenue. The first half is a real client case study on Meta's Incremental Attribution (IA). Brad walks us through an apparel brand, with an AOV just over $100, strong organic and influence
Stop Making More Ads — Fix THIS Instead
In the words of Andrew Foxwell, "It's just the guys" and they framed this episode around one big shift: 2025 was the year of creative diversity and raw ad volume, and 2026 is the year that questions, "what is all this volume actually pointing at?" Call it a return to intentionality, and the part of the funnel many brands have been ignoring while chasing creative volume: the landing page.
How To Make Ads That Spend 10K Day With Harry Delmege
Harry Delmege, co-founder of Roly Poly Digital, joins Scalability School for a tactical conversation about what actually separates an ad spending $500 a day from one spending $10K a day. Harry's agency, named by Andrew's daughter Nora, has rapidly become one of the most respected creative shops in DTC by pushing back on a lot of what the industry is currently selling: high-volume AI-gene
Heroes, Sidekicks, Villains & Zombies: Collin Slattery on Google Shopping
Collin Slattery (Taikun Digital) joins Brad and Andrew for a no-fluff breakdown of why Google Ads breaks the brain of most DTC operators who cut their teeth on Meta. The core argument lands early and lands hard: your relationship with Google is structurally adversarial in a way your relationship with Meta isn't, because Google can't manufacture more search inventory the way Meta manufact
How Marin Scales Brands to 9 Figures
Marin Istvanic joins Scalability School for a deep tactical session on what it actually takes to scale e-commerce brands to nine figures with paid media on Meta. Marin is one of the most hands-on media buyers in the DTC space, managing upwards of 5 to 7 million dollars a month in ad spend across his agency clients and his own internal brand (and this episode reflects that). The conversati
The M&A Episode With Zach Stuck
The Zach Stuck returns to Scalability School for one of the most packed episodes to date. Coming off a massive run of activity: selling his agency, Homestead to Verndale, co-founding MarsMen and closing a $27.5M Series A with L Catterton (ofcourse lets not forget becoming a new dad, too). Zach walks through what actually happened, what it took, and what he'd do differently. The conversa
Inside The Ad Account: How To Do Creative Testing In 2026
Host Brad flies solo to walk through exactly how his team structures Meta creative testing across eight figures a year in ad spend. The episode is a tactical follow-up to a previous episode with Phil, prompted by a viral Twitter thread Brad posted on the same topic. The core philosophy: stop trying to outthink Meta's algorithm on budget allocation. Instead, run a single CBO campaign per p
The Evolution of Creative Strategy With Sarah Levinger
In this episode of Scalability School, Andrew Foxwell is joined by Sarah Levenger and special guest host Will Sartoris for a deep conversation on what separates average creative strategy from high-performing creative strategy in 2026. The core theme is that winning creative is not just about producing more ads or testing more formats. It is about understanding people better. Sarah breaks
Uncovering Agency Trends From The Foxwell Founders 2026 Agency Report with Andrew Faris
Andrew Foxwell (Foxwell Founders / Scalability School) sits down with Andrew Faris (AJF Growth / The Andrew Faris Podcast) for a joint co-release episode to break down the findings from the Foxwell Founders x Motion 2026 State of Agencies Report. A data-rich survey of hundreds of agency owners and in-house operators across 30 countries. The conversation covers AI's dual role as the #1 gro
How AI Is Rebuilding Every DTC Creative Team
In this episode of the Scalability School podcast, hosts Andrew Foxwell and Brad Ploch sit down with Reza, co-founder of Motion, for a deep dive into how AI is fundamentally reshaping the way DTC creative teams operate. Reza shares his perspective on the widening gap between data-driven media buyers and creative producers, and why the most valuable professionals in the space are the ones
How To Test Creative On Meta In 2026
In this episode of Scalability School, host Andrew Foxwell is joined by Phil Kiel of Taikun Digital and co-host Brad Ploch to tackle the single most-asked question in the Foxwell Founders community: how do you actually test creative on Meta in 2026? The question was asked over 160 times in just 45 days, making it the undisputed #1 topic among media buyers and brand operators in the commun
Rolling Reach And Other Metrics For Scaling
This episode is like a Meta scaling "early warning system" masterclass. Andrew, Brad, and guest Kurt Bullock break down why so many media buyers hit a plateau (even when ROAS looks "fine") and how to diagnose it before performance rolls over. The core idea: Understanding CPMR to give you a clearer view of whether you're actually expanding into new pockets of the market or just recycling t
The One About Meta's Andromeda
In this episode of Scalability School, Andrew and Brad are joined by Daniel Okon, CEO of ACTIV, a growing digital first agency that has also moved to incubating/growing multiple 7 figure brands in the health & wellness space, to decode Meta's "Andromeda" update. Andromeda has created a huge shift in the ad ecosystem where the algorithm (via systems like GEM and Lattice) now aggressive
Building a Bulletproof Plan for Growth in 2026
This episode is a practical walk-through of forecasting for e-commerce growth, specifically how media buyers and operators should think about revenue targets, paid spend, CAC/ROAS degradation, contribution margin, fixed costs, and cash flow without building a fantasy plan that assumes everything stays perfectly flat. Abir (outsourced CMO/operator for multiple e-comm brands) and owner of U
New Year New Ad Platform: A Look At AppLovin
This episode is a tactical breakdown of AppLovin as a scaled acquisition channel—what's actually different vs Meta, what you should change in creative + campaign structure, and how to think about incrementality + reporting so you don't judge it with the wrong yardstick. Miranda Pettinger, Performance Marketing Manager at 365 Holdings explains how they onboarded to the platform when Meta w
How to Use AI to Win in Marketing
This episode is basically a tactical hands-on walkthrough for using AI in creative, without turning your ad account into generic "AI slop." Will Sartourious, owner of Selfmade.co, an agency that focuses on AI personas and AI performance creatives, joins us to lead us through his AI creative process and the importance of AI adoption in the social creative space. He primarily lumps current
BFCM Recap & Tactics To Pull Forward
*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "039e736c-4eb5-4502-a0c0-eae8ef56dab4" data-testid= "conversation-turn-4" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> This bonus BFCM episode is a full deb
UGC WTF? - With Courtney Fritts
This episode is basically a masterclass in how media buyers and UGC creators should actually work together, not just pretend to. Courtney walks through her unique vantage point as both a media buyer and a creator: she runs strategy and ad buying for brands from that spend from $3k/month all the way up to $1MM/month in spend, leads the Foxwell Founders "small spenders" cohort, and also pro
Pixel Perfect: Is Your Tracking Lying to You?
This episode dives deep into how much your tracking setup actually controls your Meta performance, and why most brands only pay attention to the pixel when things break. Brett walks through his journey from old-school media buying into early Facebook ads and how that evolved into Tag Hero, a specialist shop focused purely on technical conversion tracking across Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapc
The Dashboards That Make Us Millions
This episode of the Scalability School podcast tackles why traditional e-commerce dashboards often fail and outlines the precise financial and operational metrics required for driving profitable growth in 7- and 8-figure D2C brands. The Andrew, Zach and Brad argue that dashboard failure stems from unclear metric definitions along with a failure to capture the full scope of business expens
BFCM: Your Questions Answered
This week's Scalability School is a tactical one answering ALL of your BFCM (Black Friday/Cyber Monday) questions. Andrew, Zach & Brad cover how to pace and budget through the holiday surge, build offers that protect margin while lifting AOV, and line up Meta/Google + Email/SMS into a single MER-driven plan. You'll hear pragmatic guidance on creative angles, inventory-aware campaigns
BFCM Bonus Tactics - The Pacing + Holiday Roadmap
In this conversation, Brad discusses strategies for maximizing revenue during Black Friday and the holiday season. He emphasizes the importance of understanding revenue peaks, analyzing advertising costs, and planning effective promotions. The discussion also covers the significance of timing in marketing efforts, particularly around key shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a
The BFCM Prep Guide
We break down ABO vs CBO, budget pacing, offer architectures (sitewide %, tiers, gifts, bundles), landing-page quick wins, and the email/SMS cadence that stacks revenue—plus day-of MER guardrails and intra-day pacing. #BFCM #Ecommerce #MediaBuying Key Takeaways ABO or CBO: When each campaign structure can win and why The simples offer architectures that won't wreck margins Pacing budge
Your Burning Listener Questions Answered
The WI crew dives straight into answering you, our tens of listeners burning questions (Or just the ones folks replied to Zach's tweet with), we look at when (and if) agency folks should spin up their own DTC brand, the hidden costs (time, cash flow, ops, P&L) most marketers underestimate, and a very practical rundown of how to go 0→1 and then scale. We chat through how to avoid the c
Un-locking Creative Scaling With Statiq
This episode dives deep into creative strategy as the growth lever for DTC brands, highlighting why under-$10M founders should still lead creative, how one ad can truly unlock growth, and why fresh sourcing of ideas (outside Meta's ad library) is critical. Simon Robert, CEO of Statiq, walks through practical frameworks: for sourcing creative ideas, balancing "on-brand" vs "sales-driving"
The DTC Founders guide to Using Debt as a Growth Tool
This episode of Scalability School explores how DTC founders can leverage debt as a strategic growth tool rather than a dangerous crutch. Zach, Brad, and Andrew walk through the math every media buyer should understand before scaling (EPCs, conversion rates, AOVs, margins), highlight why inventory-backed debt can be the smartest use of capital, and break down how to model financials in a
How A Single Pop-up Change Increased Opt-ins and Doubled Orders
Episode 9 speed-runs the biggest retention levers brands can pull to increase revenue growth and improve order volume. They debunk deliverability myths (image–text ratios, why adding real text helps), along with comparing the differences of plain-text vs image-heavy emails. Jacob Sappington also clarifies Klaviyo vs GA vs ad platform attribution and how Klaviyo's new active-profile enforc
The 0 to 8 Figure Playbook
This episode breaks down actionable strategies and growth frameworks used by successful e-commerce brands to scale from zero to eight figures in revenue. It dives into high-impact marketing tactics, team building for growth, and the mindset shifts required to operate at scale. The conversation highlights key levers for media buyers, including creative testing, audience segmentation, and R
The Kohler Bonus Episode: What's Working In Accounts Right Now
This bonus episode dives deep into creative performance, offer testing, team structure, landing page iteration, and mental health as a founder/operator. Andrew, Brad and Zach share actionable insights from their experiences scaling brands past $40M, along with real-world examples of what's currently working in ad accounts — and what's not. Key Takeaways: Why you might be relying too much
Stop Over-designing Your Landing Pages: CRO Secrets With Ryan Doney
According to Ryan Doney, Founder of Page Deck, landing-page CRO doesn't have to be a design marathon. In this episode Ryan lays out a "template ‣ angle ‣ offer" testing framework and explains how media buyers can mine Reddit for real-customer language. He also talks through the value of spinning up lightweight landers built in Page Deck so you can more quickly push winners straight into p
Whitelisting: Turning Non-brand Pages Into Your ROAS Engine
This week Brad, Zach & Andrew tear into whitelisting, the practice of running Meta ads from a page that isn't your brand's page. They walk through the wins of how well they work and dissect what is actually moving the needle: the creative or the non-branded page. They cover the different page types brands should be testing along with creating a scalable process to gaining new whitelis
Building Offers That Actually Move The Needle
The trio break down the levers that can turn plain-vanilla promos into a revenue generating machine. Using real-world tests from snack bars, socks, and pet-supplement brands, they show how smart bundling, "buy-more-save-more" ladders, and subscription sweeteners can: 📈 lift AOV 40 %+ without tanking CAC, 📈 push new-customer revenue up 250 % YoY, and 📈 shorten payback windows to 45 days ev
Why Most DTC Brands Overhire (And How to Stay Lean)
In this episode of Scalability School, Andrew Foxwell, Brad Ploch, and Zach Stuck break down the exact framework they use to run lean, profitable ecommerce brands. Whether you're a DTC founder, media buyer, or agency operator, this episode reveals how to: Build a lean team without sacrificing performance Decide when to hire vs. outsource Avoid common OPEX mistakes that kill margins Hit
Building Systems To Make Banger Ads
In this episode of Scalability School, Andrew Foxwell, Zach Stuck, and Brad Ploch share a battle-tested blueprint for breaking out of creative fatigue and scaling spend without watching your CPA creep upward. Their central thesis is that "creative diversity" is more than pumping out dozens of ads as it's the deliberate intersection of personas, messaging pillars, angles, and formats that
Creative Velocity And Systems With David Herman
In this episode of Scalability School (Episode 2), hosts Andrew Foxwell, Zach Stuck, and Brad Ploch welcome special guest David Herrmann to unpack how rapidly‐growing DTC brands build and scale their creative operations. They cover the decision points between hiring in-house talent versus partnering with agencies, the playbook for staffing roles as spend climbs, and the simple yet powerfu
PDP Landers and Meta Creative - What We Wish We Tested Sooner
In this inaugural episode of the Scalability School Podcast, hosts Andrew Foxwell, Zach Stuck and Brad Ploch walk through six high‑impact tests they wish they'd tried much sooner—each backed by real‑world data and actionable takeaways. What if the secret to a 20% conversion lift isn't new ad creative, but turning your PDP's most‑clicked images into a swipe-able carousel? Can swapping
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