This brand hit 7-figures with zero ad spend

Hey, it's Arik.

I’ve seen a lot of different growth stories, but this one is one of my favorites.

We started working with a brand in the peptides space just over a year ago. When they came to us, they were doing zero in monthly revenue. Fast-forward to today, they’re doing $1M/month without Meta or Google. Just email, SMS, and SEO.

So, today I'll be walking you through what that actually looked like, and where this is heading next.


From Zero to $1M/Month
This brand was sitting on organic volume from SEO. They knew they were leaving money on the table and had no systems in place to follow up with visitors, recover abandoned carts, or turn a first-time buyer into a repeat customer.

So they brought us in to build a backend system that could turn that volume into real growth.

Here’s how it happened:

Instead of running straight into paid, we helped them build a proper lifecycle system that could:
• Maximize every new visitor from organic
• Convert traffic with tailored automations
• Drive repeat purchase behavior through campaigns
• Layer in SMS to increase revenue per session without spamming

Here’s what the last 3 months look like:

But the bigger takeaway is that their retention engine is now printing.


What We Set Up:
Everything was built with speed, relevance, and alignment in mind.

We separated our work into two key growth engines: flows and campaigns.

Your flows are generally the backbone of retention. They work 24/7, engage high-intent users, and generate consistent revenue without relying on heavy discounts.

For this brand specifically, we developed the following:
• Welcome flow to engage new leads
• Abandonment flows that catch users with precision timing and objection-crushing copy
• Post-purchase sequences that deepen the relationship and set up the next purchase

We tracked revenue per message, placed order rate, and engagement weekly to refine along the way.

And just in the last 90 days, these automations brought in $358,945.88 in revenue.

Along with the flows, we ran just over 20 campaigns across June to August, mixing product education, research-backed insights, community proof, and subtle promotion.

These campaigns averaged:
• 46.1% open rate
• 3.1% click rate
• 0.77% placed order rate depending on content and channel

They were designed to build credibility and nudge conversion, and that’s why performance improved over time.


What Comes Next: Fueling the Flywheel
Now that retention is rock-solid, we’re layering in cold traffic through Meta and Google.

This is where the flywheel really starts.
• Meta feeds new attention into the funnel
• Google captures bottom-funnel buyers
• Email + SMS convert them with ease
• Those customers get retained and remarketed
• AOV rises, LTV compounds, and CAC gets offset

Most brands do this backward. They spend on paid before their systems are in place, and bleed cash while their funnel leaks at every step.

Why This Matters
If you’re sitting on SEO traffic or have a brand that people are actively searching for, but you’re not capturing that attention with email and SMS... you’re missing out on the highest-leverage channel in your business.

Here’s what to do:
1. Set up automations that hit at every key lifecycle stage (abandonment, onboarding, post-purchase, reactivation)

2. Make sure campaigns provide value, not just discounts

3. Use SMS sparingly and strategically

4. Track revenue per send, not just opens and clicks

5. Build retention before you fuel traffic

And remember: you don’t need ads to scale. But if you’ve got a flywheel ready to spin, they’ll take you way further.

See you next week,
Arik

Meme of the Week: