Application — Growth
Filson has made goods since 1897. That heritage is the asset, and the page I read leads with a generic tagline instead.
Who I am
- Former COO of Tabs. Built its creator program to 100M monthly social impressions, and the paid ad engine alongside it.
- Founded Mainstreet, a consumer home-services platform: a team of 70, $25M raised (Greylock, Khosla, YC, Tim Ferriss). It failed.
- Before that: Quintessential Ventures, an early seat at a high-growth startup, and entrepreneur-in-residence at Prehype.
- I'm moving into growth specifically. The creative and top-of-funnel work is what I want to be doing every day.
What I noticed
- The tagline reads "Better Outdoor Clothes, Bags, and Accessories", a label any outfitter could use. The site also says "Unfailing Goods Since 1897". I would lead with that.
- The page text I read shows "0 REVIEWS". Review widgets load by script, so this may be a crawl limit. I would check it, because proof matters on high-ticket gear.
- The All-Weather Backpack - Tundra Shrub Camo costs $179.00 and sells on one description. Five colorways repeat the same text, so each needs its own angle.
What I built
What I'd do here
- My KPI: scale ad spend, hold target CAC. Everything else follows from that, from the $55.00 Watch Cap to the $599.00 Cruiser.
- Week to week: launching a bunch of different experiments, losers killed early. One variable per test, starting with the Alaskan Guide Shirt and Tin Cloth pants.
- Creators: wildfowl hunters in the Tin Cloth Wildfowl Hat, fishing guides in Alaskan Guide Shirts, and daily commuters carrying the 30-liter All-Weather Backpack.
- Reporting so you never have to ask. Daily CAC. Weekly what we learned. Monthly cohort payback, tied to orders over $99 with free shipping.
- Event tracking I'd spec and work through with your team, including purchases and returns inside the 30 days. That part isn't me.
Month one
| Metric | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creators live | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Creator videos / week | 0 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 56 | 70 |
| Landing pages live | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| New ads / week | 12 | 12 | 12–20 | 12–20 | 20 | 20 |
| Unique experiments | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Creators come on two a week, ten live by week six. Each posts the same number of videos a week, so the count reaches 70 a week. New ads and landing pages follow the creators, from 12 ads to 20. Proposed.
Creator videos a week = creators live × videos per creator. Week 1: 0 × 7 = 0; Week 2: 2 × 7 = 14; Week 3: 4 × 7 = 28; Week 4: 6 × 7 = 42; Week 5: 8 × 7 = 56; Week 6: 10 × 7 = 70.
How I'd start
- Build a claims sheet from the Mackinaw Wool Cruiser Jacket and Tin Cloth pages, so every creator brief uses only Filson's own wording.
- Recruit the first two creators from hunters and fishing guides who already work outdoors, and brief them on the Alaskan Guide Shirt.
I'd love to chat if this makes sense. Grab a time here.
Danilo