How using the concept of 1000 true fans transformed Huel from a side hustle to an international business valued at £220M

“I am probably a bit weird, but not that weird, so there must be other people out there who want similar types of stuff. My goal at this time was to have a lifestyle business. I was thinking about the Kevin Kelly concept of 1000 true fans, and I realised that if 1000 people would buy £45 worth of stuff a month then that is a business turning over five hundred grand a year and I could probably manage all this from home. That would be a nice lifestyle, and that was really the concept.” - Julian Hearn CEO and founder of Huel

Mike StevensMay 7, 2020 Comment

Why bigger is not always better. Adventures in DTC and retail at Sugru.

This is the story of Jane who accidentally invented the worlds first mouldable glue. Sugru was an early example of a great DTC business, it also learnt some tough lessons when expanding beyond DTC into bricks and mortar retail. Its an amazing story and a brilliant case study of when and how you grow beyond DTC and into old fashioned retail. In the case of Sugru why more customers and higher revenues were not necessarily good for business.

Mike StevensApril 14, 2020dtc, brands, innovation, retail, sugru Comments

Not for profit as we know it, using DTC to create a new way of doing business

How a DTC model facilitated innovations in product, service and company impact all via the humble toilet roll.

Mike StevensFebruary 6, 2020dtc, chairity, not for profit, challenger brand Comments

Is DTC really on the ropes?

Last week Mark Ritson published a piece in Marketing Week savaging D2C. His main point is DTC companies try to be different but just end up doing the same things as consumer goods companies have been doing forever. It’s a fun article which got lots of thumbs up but is it fair? I think not. DTC is different for some very good reasons and mostly for the better.

Mike StevensJanuary 23, 2020Comment

How Tails.com found their true purpose and snatched victory from the paws of defeat

The story of tails.com which proved that having money, talent and a great product mean nothing if you don’t properly understand what your customers want. Meeting James was a brilliant reminder that how you interact with your customers is just as important as your product, service or price.

Mike StevensJanuary 17, 2020Comment

Meeting Graze.com to find out why data is DTC oxygen

The first interview for the DTC book was with Anthony Fletcher, CEO of Graze.com. He spent some time with us to talk through the history of Graze, how they work and the future of DTC.

Mike StevensNovember 27, 2019Book, Brands, D2C, Graze, InterviewComment