BYLDERS NEWS
Hey crew, this week we’re tearing up the "DTC Funeral" speech. They told you shipping water doesn't work. They told you retail is dead. They told you the $10M ceiling is unbreakable. They were wrong.
Inside this issue, we break down the actual playbooks winning right now:
Lucky Energy: How to raise $25M in the "hardest" category online.
Limited Drops: Why you should launch 52 new products in 2026
Owner's Box: How to finally fire yourself and break the $10M revenue wall.
AI Merch: Why are people buying AI merch?
DTC Wins
“Beverage Doesn’t Work on DTC”
"Shipping water DTC is financial suicide." That’s what the experts said. Lucky Energy disagreed—and just raised $25M to prove it. Here is the exact playbook we used to fix their unit economics and turn a "failing" channel into a growth engine.
Growth Hacks
Drop One Ultra-Limited Merch Item Every Week
Launch 52 new products in 2026? It sounds like an operational nightmare. But it might be the smartest loyalty play you can run. One SKU. Every week. Pre-order only. Here is why you should be dropping limited merch exclusively to your top 10%.
Exit Economy
The "MVP Trap" (it’s killing your exit multiple)
Stuck between $7M and $10M? I’ve seen this pattern a hundred times. The problem isn’t your product. It isn't your marketing. The problem is you. Here is the framework to move from "MVP" to the "Owner's Box" (and finally break the ceiling).
Your product can be copied in Shenzhen in 72 hours. So why did people just line up to buy a $60 hoodie from an AI company? Because Brand is the only asset you can't copy. Here is how to survive the Great Amazon Invasion.
🛠️ Tool Stack of the Week:
Stack Influence: automate your UGC. Scale with micro-influencers.
LyveCom: turn shoppers into superfans.
What other tools are you looking for help with? We’ll do a 2026 tool stack review.
Until next week,
The Bylders.