Bootstrapping a $100M E-Commerce Empire

The DTC Insider

In this episode of The DTC Insider podcast, Brian Roisentul sat down with Bear Handlon, co-founder and CEO of Born Primitive, a brand that started a decade ago with compression shorts for weightlifters and has since evolved into a 9-figure, bootstrapped powerhouse.

From serving in the military to serving millions of customers, Bear has built a brand rooted in authenticity, performance, and purpose. With milestones like hitting $100M in sales, donating over $2M to charity, and paying $11M in veterans' medical bills this Veterans Day, Bear’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, innovation, and impact. Let’s dive into the strategies and lessons that have powered his incredible growth and see what’s next for 2025.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• The foundation of Born Primitive's success through a clear value proposition.

• How authenticity and strong brand values attract and retain loyal customers.

• The role of community engagement in driving brand growth.

• The influence of military experience on leadership and operational strategies.

• The importance of aligning company and employee values to foster a positive culture.

• The impact of Bear Handlon’s visibility as a brand face on authenticity.

• The continued relevance of email and SMS marketing for community building.

• Why thriving in e-commerce requires strategies beyond digital advertising.

• Building and leveraging a customer list for maximizing sales during key events like Black Friday.

• The importance of early preparation for major sales events to ensure success.

Sponsor for this episode:

This episode is brought to you by BSR Digital.

BSR Digital helps e-commerce brands that want to scale their business to the next level through paid ads & email marketing.

To learn more about BSR Digital, visit their website or book a call here.