The Andrew Faris Podcast This $30M Brand Spends Less On Ads Than You — And Grows Faster
Mar 18, 2026
David Gaylord, cofounder and CEO of BushBalm, built a $30M, bootstrapped hair removal brand that started DTC and scaled via salon-first wholesale. He explains building a pro portal, low-friction wholesale signup, trade show plus digital acquisition, and community-driven loyalty. Topics include targeted product assortments, limited drops to energize pros, and reallocating spend from ads to product and service.
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Salon LTV Redefines Spend Limits
- High LTV and retention in the salon channel change acquisition economics, justifying investment in people and infrastructure.
- BushBalm found pro accounts worth roughly $7,000 over years versus much lower DTC LTVs.
Invest In CRM And Account Teams Early
- Build account management and CRM infrastructure early if the channel shows retention; invest in a small sales team then scale account managers.
- Trade shows are costly initially but drive brand momentum and community engagement that fuels growth.
Pro Channel Needs Strategic Rigor Not Casual Partnerships
- Brands often underappreciate pro channels by treating them like ad-hoc partnerships or fairs instead of building repeatable flywheels.
- BushBalm runs AB tests and dev work more on the pro site than its DTC site to optimize reorder behavior.