Shows
The No-Code Founder PodcastWhy Profitable D2C Brands Still Run Out of Cash and How to Fix ItEpisode Summary:Most D2C founders are running their businesses on a dangerous lie. They obsess over Shopify dashboards showing healthy margins and strong unit economics, yet struggle to make payroll or fund their next inventory order.The culprit isn't poor marketing or product-market fit, it's a fundamental misunderstanding of cash flow mechanics. In this episode of The No-Code Founder Podcast, we unpack the playbook of a former CFO of two $50M+ D2C brands to dismantle the profit vs. cash flow paradox and provide a tactical framework for turning cash from your biggest stress...
2026-02-1717 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastThe COGS Masterclass: The Profit Lever 95% of E-Commerce Founders Completely IgnoreX: Leo SadeqLinkedIn: Leo SadeqWant to 2X-5X your ROI in 90 days? Let us help you: Ascend AI--------------------------------------------------------------------------Episode Summary:Your gross margin is probably a lie.Most D2C founders think their COGS is the number on their manufacturer's invoice. But when you add the real costs, packaging, quality control, shrinkage, damage, spoilage, and warehousing, your true COGS is 25–50% higher than you think. That means your actual margin is 8–15 points lower than the number in your head. And every decision you've made about pricing, ad spend, and growth has been...
2026-02-0719 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastThe 2026 AI Stack: How Small Brands Hit 7-Figures Without the HypeEpisode Summary:Are you drowning in AI noise? Every founder is being bombarded with tools promising the world, but 90% of them are burning cash. In this episode of the No-Code Founder Podcast, we cut through the hype to reveal the exact “Winning Stack” for 2026. Its a specific setup designed to take D2C brands from high six-figures to multiple seven-figures without hiring an army.We break down the case study of a skincare brand that went from $420,000/year to pacing $2.4M in under 12 months using this exact strategy.They did it with only thre...
2026-01-3019 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastSMS That Performs (and Complies): 10DLC, Consent, and True ROIEpisode DescriptionSMS has a 98% open rate but an open isn't a sale.In this episode of The No-Code Founder Pod, we will move past the hype and build an SMS program that drives incremental revenue without getting filtered, fined, or burning your list.You'll learn:The 70/30 rule (why 70% of revenue should come from flows, not blasts)The "Double-Tap Capture" strategy (email first, then SMS, so you never lose both)The Emoji Tax (how one emoji can double your message cost)10DLC registration (what it is, why it matters, how long it...
2026-01-1719 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastTurning Returns into Revenue: How to Build a Profitable Resale & Outlet EngineShow Description: Turning Returns into RevenueReturns are the "silent killer" of D2C margins, often ending in liquidation for pennies. In this episode of The No-Code Founder Pod, we explain how to transform reverse logistics from a cost center into a high-margin Profit Center through Re-Commerce.What We Cover:The "Touch-It-Once" Rule: Using digital triage to route inventory instantly and eliminate operational bloat.The A/B/C Grading Framework: How to categorize items from "Open Box" (Grade A) to "Refurbished/Outlet" (Grade B) or "Functional Repair" (Grade C).Channel Strategy: Why an on-site...
2026-01-0915 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastThe Creative OS: Scaling D2C Ad Performance Without FatigueConnect with Leo:X: Leo SadeqLinkedIn: Leo SadeqWant to 2X-5X your ROI in 90 days? Let us help you >>> Ascend AIDM me for any resources or checklists mentioned in the episode and Ill forward them your way.Target Audience: Small–mid D2C founders & operators.Episode Description:When your CAC is climbing and your ROAS is stalling, the answer usually isn’t “better targeting”, it’s better creative.In this episode of The No-Code Founder Podcast, you’ll learn how to build a simple Creative Operating System for your D2C bran...
2025-12-2016 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastPDP Rehab with AI: Product Pages That Actually Convert (and Don’t Return)Connect with Leo:X: Leo SadeqLinkedIn: Leo SadeqWant to 2X-5X your ROI in 90 days? Let us help you >>> Ascend AIDM me for any resources or checklists mentioned in the episode and Ill forward them your way.Target Audience: Small–mid D2C founders & operators.Episode Promise: Turn your PDPs into high-converting, low-return sales reps using AI to mine reviews/support tickets for real objections, rebuild PDPs with objection-crushing modules, and track profit (not just clicks).The Problem: Your PDP is your primary salesperson. Bad PDPs kill...
2025-12-1318 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastSearch That Sells: Master On-Site Discovery to Capture High-Intent ShoppersEpisode Description:The shopper using your website's search bar is your highest-intent visitor, yet for most D2C brands, the on-site search is a revenue leak, not a reliable salesperson.Research shows a majority of e-commerce sites fail these ready-to-buy customers with dead ends and irrelevant results.In this explosive episode of The No-Code Founder Podcast, we hand you a practical, data-backed blueprint to transform your site search from a cost center into a conversion engine.We go deep to expose the hidden pitfalls and lay out the exact 90-day plan...
2025-12-0717 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastSmart Pricing Without Backlash: AI‑Driven Bundles, Offers, and Tests That Protect MarginAudience: Small-mid D2C founders/operatorsOverview: Stop training customers to wait for discounts. Build a pricing system that protects contribution margin while lifting AOV and repeat rate using AI strategically and tests your finance lead will trust.Diagnose Before DiscountPull: product margins (incl. returns/fulfillment/fees),SKU velocity/inventory, return rates, cohort health (first-time vs repeat,LTV:CAC).Respect MAP policies and channel parity.Smart Pricing System (4 Building Blocks)Floors: minimum margin thresholds by SKU/categoryFences: who qualifies (VIP tier, channel, geo, first-time, subscription)Bundles: raise...
2025-11-2815 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastStop Margin Leakage: Control Promo Abuse, Returns Fraud, and Payment RiskEpisode DescriptionFraud and abuse are quietly eating into your margins and most founders don't realize how bad it is until it costs them tens of $. In this episode, you'll learn:Where D2C brands actually lose moneyHow to control promo and loyalty abuse without alienating good customersReturns prevention, detection, and recovery tactics (before and after the sale)Payment fraud baselines (AVS, CVV, 3DS, CE3.0, and risk tiers)A 30/60/90-day action planKPIs and dashboards to prove it's workingBy the end, you'll know exactly where to start, what to measure, and how to...
2025-11-2219 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastPost-Cookie Growth Playbook: Turn First-Party Data into Lower CACEpisode Promise:Cookies are fading, privacy rules are tightening, and CAC keeps climbing.This episode gives you a concrete, first‑party/zero‑party data playbook to collect better signals, unify them without a big data team, activate profitable segments across email/SMS/paid, and measure real lift while staying compliant and protecting deliverability.Topics Discussed:Definitions that matterThe 4-stage growth framework: Collect, Unify, Activate, MeasureCollect: High-quality first/zero-party data without tanking conversionUnify: Minimum viable data layerActivate: Lifecycle segmentation and paid media powered by first-party dataMeasure: Post-cookie attr...
2025-11-1413 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastThe $200k Hiring Trap: Grow Your Revenue Without Hiring. Show description:D2C founders: before you post that $200k “AI hire,” listen to this. We break down why panic hiring fails and what to do instead so you ship real wins fast without bloating payroll.Key talking points and sectionsThe $200k panic hire: what the AI Talent Trap is and why it’s costlyWhy the “genius hire” fails: data (no kitchen), context (ivory tower), strategy (no use case)Role decoder: who you actually need (AI translator vs data scientist/engineer/analytics/ML)Data readiness gate: simple checks before any hireThe Buy–Upskil...
2025-11-0928 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastThe Founder's AI Dilemma: Build, Buy, Partner or Acquire? Episode Talking PointsPicking the wrong AI path can cost you quarters and millions. Get a dead-simple framework to decide: build in-house, buy a platform, partner with specialists, or acquire a team, plus real costs, risks, and playbooks.You'll get:7-question scorecard to choose your path in minutesYear-1 and 3-year cost realities (TCO, payback, "caretaking" budget)How to avoid lock-in: abstraction, export rights, multi-model failoverClear playbooks for Build, Buy, Partner (BOT), and AcquireEcom case clinics and 90-day rollout plan with POC gatesConcepts: Build for moats, Buy for speed, Partner for...
2025-10-3123 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastThe Hidden Costs of Bad AI: When Automation Becomes Your Biggest ExpenseThe Hidden Costs of Bad AI: When Automation Becomes Your Biggest ExpenseBad AI is expensive, because you pay for the mess it leaves behind. This no‑fluff tactical episode is for non‑technical D2C founders and ops leads who want real results from AI, not hype.With a focus on sales outreach, Leo (Founder, Ascend AI) breaks down the hidden costs draining your margins and gives you a playbook you can run this week.You’ll learn:The 100:1 Rule: when one AI mistake wipes out a hundred wins, aka wh...
2025-10-2824 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastThe Simple "AI Leverage Audit": Find $10,000 Of AI Opportunity in Your Business TodayIn this episode of The No-Code Founder Podcast, Leo Sadeq - Founder of the ROI-focused AI automation agency Ascend AI - reveals the exact methodology he uses to identify massive automation opportunities for businesses across every industry. Leo shares his proven 3-step AI Leverage Audit framework that has consistently helped him uncover $10,000+ automation opportunities for his clients.This isn't just theory - it's a proven system that Leo has refined to serve as the first AI enablement steps before diving deeper.In this episode, you'll discover:The exact 3 steps of...
2025-10-2712 min
The No-Code Founder PodcastAI Vanishing Act: Connecting Your Disconnected Tools & Solving Integration Nightmare.In a Nutshell Brief:Make your AI tools actually work together without sacrificing speed, reliability, or budget.This episode gives non-technical founders and ops leaders a plain-English playbook for fixing broken AI integrations.If your “brilliant” bot falls apart the moment it touches Shopify, Klaviyo, your CRM, or warehouse system, you’re not alone. The problem isn’t your AI. It’s the plumbing.In this episode, we break down the four integration hell scenarios that cause 80% of failures:1. Voice latency: Fix with sub-500ms budgets, caching, and gracef...
2025-10-2519 min
Predictable B2B SuccessProduct-Led Growth Onboarding: Why Effortless Actually Kills ConversionsCurious about the secrets behind truly successful product-led growth? In this episode of Predictable B2B Success, host Vinay Koshy speaks with Leo Sadeq, a former biomedical engineer who has transitioned into a product and go-to-market specialist. Leo shares his unconventional journey from engineering to the world of startups, delving into the unexpected catalyst that led to a career pivot. Together, they unpack the real wins and common missteps companies make when trying to craft products users love and adopt at scale.
Leo brings vivid, firsthand stories about building features that major competitors noticed, turning minor tweaks...
2025-07-1659 min