Data-driven companies are 23 times more likely to acquire customers and 19 times more likely to be profitable than their competitors, according to McKinsey research. Surprised? Probably not. Yet most DTC founders are bleeding money on customer acquisition while their competitors with superior data practices capture market share. 

The difference isn't better products or creative—it's foundational data infrastructure that most brands ignore until it's too late. Brands without proper first-party data and infrastructure are flying blind, making marketing decisions based on incomplete data while profitable competitors with robust data practices pull ahead.

The window for building your competitive advantage remains open, but it's closing rapidly. Brands that embed analytics into every decision are already pulling ahead: companies that lean heavily on customer data are 2.6 times more likely to outpace rivals in ROI, and top-tier, data-driven organizations are three times more likely to drive at least 20 percent of their EBIT from those insights over a three-year horizon. The path forward is clear: cement your data foundations today—across acquisition, experience, and retention—or surrender your growth to competitors who will. In the data-first era, the advantage belongs to those bold enough to build, optimize, and iterate before the window closes.

Learn more about how to get started in our first podcast with Grace and Charles.