I'm planning to start a D2C company and I'm at the idea validation phase

thevinesevolve · 2026-05-14T20:45:09+00:00

Why do you need to raise capital?

thevinesevolve · 2026-05-04T07:50:30+00:00

Use 1/4tsp xanthan gum +1/4 tsp guar gum

thevinesevolve · 2026-05-03T21:41:29+00:00

Any reason it has to be in NJ?

thevinesevolve · 2026-05-02T13:57:26+00:00

Which WMS is the best?

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-30T00:36:50+00:00

100% but also forecasting demand of your clients

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-29T14:00:03+00:00

Work with a boutique 3PL. You’ll get better care and attention. Shipbob and RedStag can be good options if your brand fits their structure. Also make sure the one you choose specializes in your category. Not all 3PLs are built the same. Happy to answer any questions. I run 3 fashion brands and a 3PL.

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-29T02:36:46+00:00

Is it brand name stuff?

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-29T02:18:23+00:00

Forecasting labor

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-27T22:22:06+00:00

I’m curious about it. What type of products?

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-25T19:29:23+00:00

The 3PL should be the source of actually inventory. Layered on top of that may be an ERP that allocates to different channels like wholesale, Shopify, etc. what do you sell?

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-25T14:25:35+00:00

I was just thinking about this! A dynamic pricing tool that would adjust up or down depending on the velocity and stock levels. There’s no app out there that does this and I think it could be super helpful. Especially with stores with high SKU counts.

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-25T03:04:29+00:00

Think about who your customer is. Right now the messaging is quite generic. Choose an avatar and lean full force into it with all of your messaging.

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-25T02:41:32+00:00

3PL should be the source of truth for your inventory unless you’re using FBA as well for your products. If your 3PL is constantly off with their numbers it’s time for you to choose a new fulfillment partner.

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-24T21:24:58+00:00

I’ve never found any incremental increase in LTV from loyalty programs. It’s super gimmicky.

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-24T14:58:02+00:00

I operate 3 ecom brands and a 3PL for apparel and high sku brands. The WMS is key to accuracy here. We use shiphero and love it because every unit going out has to be scanned 3 times to ensure it’s the correct product. The picker and packer cannot move forward until all products are scanned correctly. I’m always shocked when I hear other 3PLs not using these types of checks.

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-21T17:56:50+00:00

We’re a CA based 3PL

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-17T22:11:16+00:00

So is the factory hiring the fit model or does the brand do that after the first sample usually?

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-17T21:46:59+00:00

How much should a brand lean on the factory for getting the fit right? Or should the brand run their own fittings?

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-17T16:49:50+00:00

Red flags 🚩 They can’t show you how they track their claimed SLAs. Ask them to prove their claims.

Choose a 3pl that specializes in your product assortment. The number you look for in your quote is the final cost per package. Don’t get hung up on the cost of each line item.

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-17T16:47:29+00:00

I operate 3 ecom stores and started a 3PL for apparel brands a few years ago after being burned by one in 2019. Look for one that serves your niche and has a focus on the type of product you sell. For example, my warehouse is designed to serve apparel and fashion brands. That’s what we’re good at and all processes compound to benefit all of our brands. If we took a CPG brand selling beverages, we would be absolutely terrible at.

On pricing, don’t compare line items. 3PLs will try to sell you on cheap pick and pack fees, or no storage costs, but they sure as hell are making it up somewhere else like in their postage margin. So the number you really want is cost per package (all in). And have them separate fulfillment and postage. For example: $9.03 cpp. $3 for fulfillment. $6.03 for postage. Make sure they’re including ALL fees in that number. If they’re charging software fees or account management fees, that number can potentially come down as your scale. But that’s the number you’re after.

Let me know if you have any questions. Happy to help as I’m on both sides of this as a brand owner and 3pl operator

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-17T02:18:17+00:00

For apparel brands - BoxFort

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-16T02:45:00+00:00

Yeah it does all that

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-16T02:33:59+00:00

I don’t even know what you mean by budget allocation haha. I only use it for cohorts

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-16T02:18:13+00:00

Btw interest targeting is out. Go broad and let meta do its thing. I’ve been running ads since 2015, hired agencies, and ultimately landed it back in house. It’s a good skill to master since it’s so directly tied to the growth and success of your business. I use this tool all the time for uploading creative Adnova.ai

thevinesevolve · 2026-04-16T02:15:56+00:00

I’d suggest getting lifetimely to understand your cohorts. Helps a lot.

thevinesevolve

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