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We surveyed 540+ DTC operators on how they plan and forecast. This episode, we break down the data and see why most brands are stuck reacting. We’re joined by Laura Thompson, co-founder of Three Ships Beauty, one of the few who's figured out how to run a tight, fast, 8-figure brand without drifting into chaos, and Mike Chiasson, Senior Solutions Engineer from Keen Decision Systems, to pressure-test the Three Ships Beauty playbook against the data.

Grab your free copy of the report here: https://www.directtoconsumer.co/thereactiveloopreport

In this episode:

The biggest gaps in how DTC brands plan
Why "revenue is a lagging indicator"
The bottom-up forecasting Three Ships uses
The KPI ownership system across the whole team
When scenario planning is worth the time, and when it's just noise

If you’re a DTC operator past $5M who wants to stop reacting and start running a solid plan, this episode is a must listen.

Timestamps

0:00 Planning vs reacting in ecommerce

2:03 Why most brands only plan 1–6 months ahead

4:02 Bottom-up forecasting vs top-down forecasting

6:06 Scenario planning and external market risks

9:02 When media spend actually works harder

11:01 The reactive loop hurting DTC brands

14:03 Why brands over-invest in bottom funnel

15:06 Weekly KPI reviews and forecasting systems

18:02 The danger of reacting to noisy data

20:04 Leading vs lagging indicators in ecommerce

23:02 How talent impacts business performance

24:58 Product launch delays and forecasting pivots

26:53 Scenario planning for tariffs and supply chain risk

31:55 Should brands worry about oil shocks?

35:34 The biggest gap between planning and execution

38:02 KPI systems that drive accountability

42:16 The right way to plan for growth

44:02 Why reactive brands fall behind

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Bonus: Revenue Is Lying to You: Planning, Execution and What Actually Drives Growth with Three Ships and Keen's Brand Study

DTC Podcast