Case Study
How I acquired 100,000+ pet customers profitably
The Problem Most Pet Brands Face: Competing against established brands with 10x your budget. Burning cash on ads hoping something sticks. Racing to the bottom on price.
How I Grew The Business
Step 1
Created products with strong margins. Semi-medicinal products (ear cleaner, eye wash). Customers paid premium because it felt medical, not cosmetic. 90% gross margins = every customer profitable from day one.
Step 2
Proved it on one channel first Amazon only until £1M. No splitting focus. Figured out what worked, documented it, then expanded.
Step 3
Built a second acquisition stream. Different unit economics for different channels. Created sample packs for the website. Lower acquisition cost, then upsold to full products. Tested small, validated, then scaled.
The Result
£2M revenue in 3 years. Sold to Thrasio (US Private Equity). Profitable from month one.
Ed built a profitable business with strong unit economics and a clear acquisition model. The systems were well-documented and the growth was sustainable.
What This Means For Your Business:
You don’t need a huge budget to acquire customers profitably.
You need:
1. An offer with actual margin room
2. One channel that you dominate first
3. Systems that work before you scale
If you’re burning money on acquisition and hoping it’ll work at scale, you’re doing it backwards.
