🥗 What if Obvi didn’t exist?

Hey there,

Welcome to another bite to chew on.

This one is going to be a little different…

We’re going to do a thought experiment into “What if Obvi didn’t exist?” to dive into a parallel universe where we didn't make that choice to start Obvi. 

This isn't just speculation.

It's a lesson in the power of action, the weight of decisions, and the ripple effect they have on the world.

We're diving into this imaginary scenario to share lessons, spark creativity, and maybe, just maybe…

Inspire your next big move.

Reminiscing on Past Ghosts

Rewind to our days at Ghost 3 Media.

Have we ever told the story of us missing out on half a million dollars?

Friends in another agency found out a vendor we’d been working with was going to bail on a $500,000 performance payment.

(WTF right?!)

We knew that agency model wasn’t going to work for us after that

But what if fate had dealt us a different hand?

If that payment had come through, we might have settled into that life.

We would have never needed to jump headfirst into Obvi

It’s time to start the journey into the heart of that void.

The Obvi That Never Was

Alternate Realities for Us:

Without Obvi, where do each of us think we'd be right now?

When we take a step back and look at each of our skill sets, we were really built out for a great 3 man marketing agency:

• Design and Branding could be built out by Ankit

• Marketing and Performance under Ashvin

• Sales and Operations handled by Ron

But if we went that route, we would have never escaped that greed mindset, always chasing paychecks.

There’s no way Ron would be anything except a CEO, the role just fits.

Who knows, Ashvin could have ended up an investment banker with his finance degree. I doubt he could work for anyone else though…

Ankit planned to get his master’s in advertising and eventually work at one of the big agencies if he had ever followed through with quitting his first ecom startup job.

(thankfully, his boss didn’t let him)

If We Started Over Today

The world's changed since we started Obvi. 

What excites us now? Where do we see the biggest opportunity for disruption?

With today's technology and market insights, we'd be itching to launch a whole number of products we feel are ripe for innovation.

Everyone is trying to be a little different these days.

It’s not enough to stand out like it was 5 years ago when we started.

Would we do a greens powder?

Dive into the beverage sector? Even going as far as doing a culturally inspired Indian sparkling water?

Convert some traditional Asian/South American medicinal product into the U.S. market in an unique and fun way?

There’s a lot of gaps in the market that are saturated, yes.

But it’s a bunch of shitty saturation that we could definitely innovate and update.

A focus on mood boarding to create our brand identity would look WAY different.

The types of tools available today are unreal.

Take Midjourney for example;

Leveraging AI to complete brand visions and mock-ups in seconds opens up doors that just weren’t available 5-10 years ago.

It’s crazy to think what the next year alone will look like in the artificial intelligence space.

Taking it Further Past Zuckerburg

Diving even deeper past if Facebook, didn’t exist, where would we built our community?

Things would have been much more difficult for sure.

We’re appreciative of every single one of our almost 80,000 strong in our community group. (you guys ROCK!)

BUT

If Facebook wasn’t an option, we would have loved to build our own community app.

There’s no way our brands wouldn’t be built with community in mind.

It’s what has got us to this point of success and keeps us all on the right track.

If YOU Were to Start Today

Now, taking things from the opposite direction,

If YOU were to start over today,

These are the things we’d suggest to focus on:.

We get asked these questions often, so we thought we’d compile the main points.

• Test Your Product: Before diving in, it's crucial to test your product thoroughly. Understand how it fits into the market, how it resonates with your target audience, and what unique value it offers.

  This initial step can save you from potential pitfalls down the road.

• Watch a Full Cycle of Customer Retention: Observing how customers interact with your product over time—beyond the first purchase—is invaluable.

  It gives you insights into the longevity of your product's appeal and what drives customer loyalty.

• Product Differentiation: In a sea of competitors, what makes your product stand out? It's not just about being different; it's about being meaningfully different.

  Brand identity, functionality, and the problem your product solves are key differentiators.

• Understanding COGS and Marketing Expenses: Knowing the cost of goods sold (COGS) and how much money to allocate for marketing is fundamental.

  It's a balance between maintaining product quality and ensuring your marketing efforts reach your audience effectively.

• Planning for Longevity: A great product isn't enough to guarantee long-term success.

  Strategic planning, understanding market trends, and anticipating customer needs are vital for sustaining growth.

Bringing It All Together

Imagining different scenarios has always been a powerful motivator for us.

It reminds us to take the leap, even when the path isn’t clear.

Because what lies on the other side of fear and doubt?

Growth, innovation, and the chance to make a real difference.

The key takeaway? Stay nimble.

The world doesn’t stand still, and neither should we.

Embracing change, learning from it, and adapting is how we thrive.

More than anything, this journey without Obvi reminds us of the irreplaceable value of community.

Building a brand is really about building a family—a group of people united by shared dreams and aspirations.

What's your 'What If?'

We're eager to hear your untold stories, your shelved ideas, and the ventures you dream about.

Let's celebrate the paths we choose and the ones we leave untraveled, for each has its own story to tell.

Hopefully this newsletter made you think as much as it was fun for us to write about.

Tool of the Week

We’ve done a lot of theoretical guessing and imagining today.

Forecasting sales, product demand, and cash flow can feel like a wild guesses without much past data to lean on.

You have to make educated guesses, which honestly, is a huge part of financial planning at any stage.

But as your business starts hitting those bigger milestones, like sailing past the $1 million revenue mark, that's where AI and tech come into play.

That's when we turned to Brightflow AI.

It's been a such a relief for us, acting as our business planning hub for all things cash flow and sales forecasting.

No more guessing.

If you're navigating those seven-figure waters, it might just be the tool you need to sharpen your financial strategy.

The Latest Soundbite

If there’s one thing that’s not hard to imagine,

Its the skill of Jimmy Kim and what Sendlane has accomplished with email marketing.

No thought exercises needed here because he spells it out so easily, a child could run a successful campaign.

Go watch in the link below if you didn’t get a chance to last week!

Hungry for More?

This morning’s Brunch event in NYC was fantastic!

60+ founders showed up bright and early! We didn’t think NYC founders were such early birds. We’re looking for a whole restaurant or place for the next to have a completely private event, so let us know if you have any suggestions!

We can’t wait to go across the country for our E-Tail Dinner Event!

Palm Springs and the California sun are calling our name.

Check out the link to RSVP down below if you haven’t yet!

All the best,

Ron & Ash