Why This Founder Said “No” to Shark Tank Money and Still Built a 7-Figure Brand - The Shopify Growth Show (#15)

Would you turn down funding after being featured on Shark Tank? Eric Bandholz did. In this episode, he breaks down how Beardbrand became one of the most iconic DTC companies 0 built on freedom, grit, and a wild Reddit strategy.

Jim talks with Eric Bandholz, founder of Beardbrand, about the raw, real story of building a DTC cult brand from scratch. Eric shares how he turned a niche grooming obsession into a 7-figure business - without funding, with help from Reddit, and by staying fiercely true to his values. It’s a founder story that throws out the rulebook.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why school nearly derailed his founder path
• The power of community-led growth
• How Reddit became his early traction channel
• Getting featured on Shark Tank (and what happened next)
• Bootstrapping lessons and the real gift of staying lean
• Product expansion done right
• Why building a network is your secret growth weapon

If you believe in the power of community, conviction, and scrappy marketing - you’ll love this episode.

Resources:

• Ecommerce Conversations
• BeardBrand
• Jim Huffman website
• Jim's Twitter
• GrowthHit
• The Growth Marketer's Playbook
• The Shopify Growth Show

Additional episodes you might enjoy:

• Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)
• Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)
• How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)
• Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)
• How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)