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Category: Founder Series

Discover how thriving entrepreneurs transformed their small businesses into industry success stories.

Hims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt HealthcareHims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt HealthcareHims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt HealthcareHims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt HealthcareHims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt HealthcareHims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt HealthcareHims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt HealthcareHims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt HealthcareHims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt Healthcare

Hims & Hers Case Study: How a DTC Brand Rebuilt Healthcare

The Hims & Hers case study begins with an uncomfortable truth: sometimes the biggest opportunity in business isn’t creating something people desperately need. It’s making it easier for them to ask for it.

Before Hims became a billion-dollar healthcare company, men dealing with hair loss, erectile dysfunction, and other sensitive health concerns had to navigate awkward doctor visits, pharmacy counters, and conversations they would rather avoid. The products already existed. The problem was the experience.

Hims saw an opportunity to change that.

Instead of treating healthcare like a clinical transaction, the company packaged access to care like a modern direct-to-consumer brand: simple online consultations, discreet shipping, recognizable branding, and subscription-based delivery.

That decision turned an uncomfortable healthcare problem into a powerful business model.

But the Hims & Hers case study isn’t simply a story about clever branding or telehealth. It’s a lesson in customer psychology, distribution, positioning, recurring revenue, regulatory risk, and what happens when a company’s fastest-growing product becomes its biggest strategic vulnerability.

From its $30 million launch in 2017 to $1.48 billion in 2024 revenue, Hims & Hers built a remarkably effective front door to healthcare. But the company’s journey also reveals an important warning for founders: you can build a powerful brand around a product you don’t control—and eventually discover that the product has more leverage over your business than you expected.

Here’s how Hims & Hers built the front door, scaled the model, and discovered what was waiting on the other side.

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Modest Swimwear: How Nani Swimwear Built a Brand Without CompromiseModest Swimwear: How Nani Swimwear Built a Brand Without CompromiseModest Swimwear: How Nani Swimwear Built a Brand Without CompromiseModest Swimwear: How Nani Swimwear Built a Brand Without Compromise

Modest Swimwear: How Nani Swimwear Built a Brand Without Compromise

Cold Open

The pool was a neighborhood one, chlorine sharp in my nose, kids shrieking. I stood at the edge in a men’s rash guard and black leggings that ballooned with water when I moved. I felt like a diver about to descend—encased, not covered. A mom I recognized glanced over, then looked away fast. That glance said what I already knew: I didn’t belong in that water. I got in anyway, but I left humiliated. That was July 2017. On the drive home, I told myself I would never wear a makeshift swimsuit again. I’d been a registered nurse for almost a decade; if I could start an IV on a squirming toddler at three in the morning, I could figure out how to sew a swimsuit that let me swim with my kids without feeling like an astronaut.

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RYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study: How a Functional Mushroom Brand Scaled to MillionsRYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study: How a Functional Mushroom Brand Scaled to MillionsRYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study: How a Functional Mushroom Brand Scaled to MillionsRYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study: How a Functional Mushroom Brand Scaled to MillionsRYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study: How a Functional Mushroom Brand Scaled to MillionsRYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study: How a Functional Mushroom Brand Scaled to MillionsRYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study: How a Functional Mushroom Brand Scaled to Millions

RYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study: How a Functional Mushroom Brand Scaled to Millions

RYZE Mushroom Coffee Case Study — What does it take to transform an overlooked wellness ingredient into a multimillion-dollar consumer brand? The journey of RYZE Mushroom Coffee offers a compelling answer.

Founded by Andrée Werner and former UFC champion Rashad Evans, RYZE entered a crowded coffee market with a bold mission: make functional mushrooms accessible, trustworthy, and enjoyable for everyday consumers. Instead of competing on caffeine alone, the company built its reputation around premium ingredients, transparency, and a subscription-first business model.

In this case study, you’ll discover how RYZE validated its market, built customer trust, leveraged influencer marketing, overcame supply chain challenges, and grew into one of the most recognized mushroom coffee brands. Whether you’re a founder, marketer, or eCommerce entrepreneur, there are valuable lessons you can apply to your own business.

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Wonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It LastWonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It LastWonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It LastWonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It LastWonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It LastWonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It LastWonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It LastWonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It LastWonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It Last

Wonderskin: The Viral Lip Stain That Launched a $125 Million Empire — And How We Made It Last

Table of Contents

The blue goo looked like a science experiment gone wrong. Metallic, electric, unnatural. I watched as my husband Michael painted it across his lips, and I thought, “What have we done?”

It was 2020. The world was locked down. Salons were shuttered. And we were sitting in our London home, staring at a formula we had spent months developing in our own lab — a peel-off lip stain that went on blue and revealed a long-lasting tint underneath. It was strange. It was bold. It was, frankly, a little terrifying.

“We knew we had something different. But different doesn’t mean successful. Different just means… different.” 

We launched it quietly. No big PR push. No celebrity endorsements. Just a product, a website, and a hope.

Then, something happened. A creator posted a video of the reveal — that moment when the blue masque peeled away to reveal a perfect, long-lasting stain. The comments exploded. “Wait, what IS that?” “I need this.” “How does it work?”

Within weeks, that single product had racked up over one billion views across social media . By 2025, we had sold over 7.5 million units globally . One lip stain was selling every five seconds on TikTok Shop . And our annual revenue hit $125 million — up from virtually nothing just four years earlier .

But here’s what nobody tells you about going viral: It’s terrifying. Because once you have the world’s attention, you have about five seconds to prove you deserve to keep it.

Wonderskin didn’t become a beauty industry success by accident. This case study explores how a single viral lip stain helped build a $125 million brand, the marketing strategies behind its explosive growth, and the lessons entrepreneurs can apply to their own businesses.

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