Wow...this is it. The last newsletter of 2025. 😱 

Most teams are closing laptops early.
Slack is quiet.
Calendars are already flipped to Q1.

This is the moment when optimism is at its peak.
New year. New targets. New plans.

And yet, this is also the exact moment when most growth plans are quietly set up to fail.

Not because the goals are wrong.
But because the plan behind them isn’t real enough to survive January.

Before you lock your Q1 roadmap and call it done, here are the most common reasons brands miss their targets, and how to avoid repeating the same mistakes in 2026.

Let’s get into it!

Topics we'll cover today:
💠 Why Most Q1 Plans Quietly Fail (And What to Do Instead)
💠 Meta Audits Don't Cut It Anymore
💠 2025 Top-Listened Podcast Episode
💠 Latest news in the DTC space

This time of year, most brands are deep into their Q1 planning.

And more often than not, they fail.
Badly.

Not because they lack ambition.
But because their plan creates nothing but frustration and uncertainty inside the team.

Here are the top 3 reasons why that happens, and how to fix them.

Let’s get into it.

Most plans start with the same line:

“We want to double last year’s revenue.”
“We want to grow 60% YoY.”

Our response is simple, but it usually catches them off guard:

“Great. How are you going to support that growth through your marketing calendar?”

Silence.

Then comes:
“What do you mean?”

So we clarify:

“You’re asking the business to double revenue without increasing ad spend. That means something else needs to drive that growth, new product drops, collections, partnerships, events, collaborations…something.”

And the usual answer?

“No, we don’t have anything like that planned.”

That’s the problem.

A goal without supporting actions isn’t a goal.
It’s a desire.

It’s like saying, “I want to lose 20 lbs this month” with no meal plan and no workout routine.

How to fix it:

When brands finally build a marketing calendar, they usually fall into one of two extremes:

They either put nothing in it.
Or they put everything in it.

The first case is straightforward. If your calendar is empty, start by adding lead measures (real actions tied to your goals).

The second case is more dangerous.

Imagine this: five product drops in a single month, each one launched just a few days apart.

How do you think that plays out?

You’re not really launching five products.
You’re quietly killing all five.

A product launch isn’t just “sending an email and running ads”.
You put months of effort into building a product, it deserves a real launch.

That usually means a 2-3 week runway:
Teasers.
Early access.
VIPs.
Press.
Giveaways.
Limited-time offers.

When everything is “important,” nothing is.

How to fix it:

This one is painfully common.

You define the goals.
You build a solid marketing calendar.
The team is fired up.

And then…
A few weeks go by.

Nobody remembers the plan.
Nobody knows if you’re on track.
Nobody knows what “winning” even looks like anymore.

Total loss of direction.

Your plan is a compass, not a one-time document.

If you’re off track, you adjust.
Plans are not set in stone.
They’re supposed to be dynamic.

How to fix it:

This one quietly breaks everything above.

Some brands simply don’t have the bandwidth.

Small team.
Too many hats.
Too many balls in the air already.

If that’s you, even a perfect plan might still fail.

Not because you’re incapable.
But because you’re overloaded.

How to fix it:

Growth doesn’t just require knowing what to do.
It requires someone who can actually own it.

At some point, the unlock isn’t more effort...it’s the right partner.

If you’re in that position and want to explore what that could look like, I’m happy to have a quick, no-pressure conversation.

You can book a 30-min call with me here.

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Follow me on LinkedIn for more growth marketing content in the e-commerce space.

The DTC Insider (newsletter + podcast) reaches a highly qualified audience of DTC founders, directors, and marketers. Learn more about the sponsorship opportunities we offer for your business.

As we wrap up another year, many brands are looking to get their Meta ad account audited. 

Look, I started offering Meta ads in 2013 at my agency.

And up until a few years ago, when we audited Meta ad accounts, we could see some wild things...

→ Overlapping audiences
→ Lack of proper tracking
→ Non-conversion campaign types to get purchases
→ Audience names that didn't match their actual definitions 

Our audit findings were many pages long, NK!

But these days?

Assuming we're talking about 7-figure+ brands that have been running ads for a while...

How much can you REALLY change within the ad account, besides ad creatives? 

These brands probably:
→ Use a similar ad campaign structure
→ Have hired multiple agencies
→ And use broad audiences 

A simple Meta ads audit won't cut it. ❌

What can growth marketers and agencies do instead?

Focus on the levers that move the needle for brands:

Lever #1. Understand who their customers are

→ Who are they? (not just 20-35yo women)
→ What do they want to see next?
→ Why are they buying? (analyzing your post-purchase surveys and reviews)

Lever #2. Understand their buying behavior

→ Analyze what they buy in each order (with tools like Lifetimely)
→ The time between orders
→ Why do they subscribe
→ Why do they churn

Lever #3. Improve

Use the above info to align their buying behavior with your:

→ Ads (see? I didn't forget about them)
→ Offer
→ Email/SMS flows
→ Product development
→ Website & landing pages

And everything else in your marketing.

To show you I put my actions where my mouth is, we stopped doing ad audits at BSR.

Instead, we do a Revenue Efficiency Review.

Where we make sure:
→ Your marketing
→ Is aligned with the way your customers behave 

Why?
Because that misalignment is costing you more money than you think. 

Want yours?
Book it at no cost using this link and let's uncover hidden revenue & profit opportunities.

--
Follow me on LinkedIn for more growth marketing content in the e-commerce space.

Season 6 is around the corner! I’ll tell you everything about when it’ll drop very soon. 🙌

In the meantime, I wanted to share an episode I really enjoyed, and I think many of you will too.

It’s the one with Montana Knife Company. It’s an 8-figure brand that every time they launch a new product, it sells out in minutes. 🤯

Think you can learn a thing or two from them? 

(I certainly did!)

Check it out 👇 

🎧 Tune in

If you found this interesting, please leave us a review. It’d mean the world to me.

📰 Manus Joins Meta [read more]
📰 Pandora is betting on AI agents [read more]
📰 OpenAI discusses an ad-driven strategy [read more]

Brian Roisentul is the founder & CEO of BSR Digital, a growth marketing agency he started in 2013 to help e-commerce brands unlock hidden revenue by identifying misalignments between their marketing and customer behavior. He is also the host of The DTC Insider podcast, where he interviews thought leaders, founders, and directors in the e-commerce space.

Want to talk shop?
If your brand is doing at least 7 figures, apply here to get featured (for free) on The DTC Insider podcast and my team will get in touch.

Need help to grow your online sales?
Book a call with me and let’s explore how my team and I at BSR can help you.

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The DTC Insider (newsletter + podcast) reaches a highly qualified audience of DTC founders, directors, and marketers. Learn more about the sponsorship opportunities we offer for your business. If you’d like to become a sponsor, apply here.