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- š§ DTC didnāt die. You just refused to adapt
š§ DTC didnāt die. You just refused to adapt
Chaos kills weak brands. The strong ones are built to adapt.
Kody Nordquist
March 25, 2025
Welcome back to the 83rd edition of Nord Media
Before we get started, I appreciate all of you who read, reply and want to continue learning each week. Continue to share feedback with me so I can ensure this newsletter continues to provide value and earn a place in your inbox <3
I know it. You know it.
Every DTC founder, operator, and money Twitter entrepreneur knows it:
Change is the only constant in this space.
Since 2020, itās been one hit after another.
Supply chain breakdowns.
iOS14.
Funding freezes.
Inflation.
Now, tariffs and a looming recession.
Every year introduces a new challenge. And every year, it gets harder to grow using the same playbook that worked before.
Costs are up. Margins are tighter. Channels are saturated.
So, how do you combat this? You stop clinging to what used to work and stop playing by the old rules.
Reaction is a strategy of the past. Now, you must adapt around profitability, acquisition, and supply chain resilience
And today, weāre breaking down the art of adapting in the DTC space and what it really takes to stay in the game when everything around you keeps shifting.
Letās dive in.
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Rewriting the playbook
You donāt need the loudest TikTok, a $100k-a-month ad budget, or a 20-person growth team running āmulti-touch attribution models.ā
What you do need is a new playbook thatās built for the reality of 2025.
Hereās how the smartest brands (and you) are staying alive and ahead:
1. Profitability > growth-at-all-costs
You'll be forfeiting cash if you're still chasing top-line growth with zero margin.
Smart operators are:
Cutting unprofitable SKUs
Raising prices without tanking LTV
Monitoring blended CAC like a hawk
Keeping headcount lean and scrappy
Itās not glamorous, but itās what keeps the lights on.
2. Smarter acquisition beats more spend
You canāt just throw money at Meta and hope for the best.
You must be:
Testing creative like itās a sport
Leading with hooks, not aesthetics
Building offers that convert cold traffic
Investing in owned channels (email, SMS, retention plays)
You donāt need more traffic. You need traffic that converts.
3. Your supply chain is your growth strategy
This isnāt 2019. One freight delay can derail your entire Q4.
If you havenāt already:
Diversify your manufacturing
Get obsessive about forecasting
Build flexibility into your ops
The more chaos-proof your backend is, the more aggressive you can be on the front end.
If youāre still in the game, youāre already ahead.
āāJust making it this far means youāve outlasted a huge chunk of the competition.
VC-backed brands that couldnāt adapt? Gone.
One-hit-wonder DTCs with no operational backbone? Fizzled out.
Agencies that relied on easy wins? Struggling.
So if you're still standing, congrats. You're playing on hard mode and surviving.
But staying in the game requires more than enduranceā¦
It means evolving faster than the chaos:
Stay lean, even when it hurts
Prioritize cash flow over clout
Obsess over retention like itās your main growth channel
Turn operational excellence into a moat
Play for long-term upside, not short-term vanity
The next few years wonāt get easier, but they will reward the ones who build with durability in mind.
Growing your brand can be a stressful approach and can cost thousands if done incorrectly. This is why I suggest teaming up with a strategic partner that has done it for hundreds of other brands, bring in the expertise where it can provide the most overall impact.
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Closing Thoughts
What worked five years ago wonāt work today. And what works today probably wonāt last much longer.
But thatās not a bad thing.
Because if youāre willing to really adapt thereās still massive upside ahead. Not just in revenue but in how strong, lean, and resilient your brand can become.
So keep refining, evolving, and building for the long haul.
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