From $0 to $40M in 4 years — that’s the growth Cody and his team unlocked at Kalo, the silicone wedding ring brand that pioneered influencer marketing before it became mainstream.In this episode, Cody shares the exact influencer seeding playbook that helped land names like Steph Curry and LeBron James, why small creators outperform big celebrities in 2025, and how his agency Kinship now helps 7–8 figure ecommerce brands scale with creative systems, forecasting, and cost-controlled ad buying.We break down:✅ The real ROI of influencer marketing in ecommerce✅ How to turn free product seeding into 100+ ad assets every month✅ Why micro influencers drive more revenue than celebrities✅ Cody’s system for forecasting P&Ls and setting realistic growth targets✅ How to scale creative volume while keeping costs down✅ Offer testing, landing pages & why simplicity converts✅ The new balance between profitability vs. growth for DTC brands in 2025Chapters:00:00 – Intro00:05 – From Qalo to $40M: Cody’s Background01:05 – Starting With Product Seeding02:02 – Building Up to Big Names02:33 – DMs vs Agents for Influencers03:05 – Why Outreach Should Stay Human03:59 – Mistakes Brands Make With Influencers05:12 – The Power of Giving First05:37 – Small Creators vs Celebrities06:33 – How Influencer Marketing Has Evolved07:25 – Paying for Posts vs Seeding08:03 – Kinship’s Approach Today09:12 – Seeding as a Content Engine10:25 – The Numbers Behind Seeding10:57 – Why Raw Content Outperforms AI11:31 – Branded vs Whitelisted Ads12:17 – Choosing the Right Influencers12:50 – Kinship’s Growth System15:00 – P&L Mistakes Brands Make17:52 – Why Forecasting Monthly Matters18:13 – Balancing Growth and Profit22:00 – Thoughts on Funding & Capital22:37 – UGC vs CGC Content25:36 – Video-First Content25:54 – Static Ads & AI Tools27:00 – Mixing Creative Pipelines27:30 – Ad Spend vs Creative Volume28:52 – Why More Creative Wins29:58 – Using Cost Controls in Ads30:58 – Search vs Social Ads31:51 – TikTok Ads Today32:15 – How to Build Winning Offers33:14 – What an Offer Really Is33:40 – Examples of Strong Offers34:30 – Measuring Offer Performance35:00 – Optimising Landing Pages35:52 – Do Small Tweaks Matter?35:57 – Wrap Up & How to ConnectWhether you’re running a $3M brand or pushing past $75M, Cody reveals the system, not services approach that keeps Kinship’s clients profitable while scaling across Meta, Google, TikTok, and beyond.If you want to grow your DTC brand with smarter influencer marketing, UGC pipelines, and real financial discipline — this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.