Taylor and Andrew dig into three topics that have more in common than you think: why the supplement industry struggles to build real moats, whether the Dodgers and Clippers crossed ethical and legal lines, and the most important marketing distinction almost nobody is making between influencers and creators.

Topics covered in this episode:

•  Why no supplement brand has a defensible customer acquisition cost

• AG1, Gruns, and how a form factor change can destroy a cohort

• IMA’s billion-dollar debt facility built specifically to fund CAC

• Where the real moats in health and wellness actually are: hardware, data, and telehealth

• Mark Walter, insurance float allegations, and the Dodgers cheating scandal

• The Clippers punishment: $30M and five first-round picks

• Parity in sports: why big markets winning is actually better for the product

• Joy as the delta between expectation and reality

• Creators vs. influencers: why this distinction matters more than your entire creative strategy

• The Mark Dowdle and Rapid hat story: what real influence actually looks like

• How to approach influencer marketing at $0 vs. 8-figure revenue

• Equity deals, embedded influencers, and the Jason Khalipa model

• DHH on AI: the most optimistic take Taylor has heard

• Agency cash management: should you hold reserves or get a revolver?

Show Notes:

• Visit eCapital  to see how much working capital you may qualify for: https://bit.ly/4xO3VDd

• Explore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engine

• The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have