New episode with Shen Wee Yi, who was an NYU sophomore when he found a product at midnight, built the store by 6 a.m. and woke up to his first sale at 10. He pre-sold $100K before the product even existed, sourced from Chinese factories with zero experience, and was borrowing $10K every weekend to keep ads running. Four months in he was doing $100K a month. He never showed his face, never raised VC, had no team and never kept books, and he still took the brand to $1.5M on his own with nothing but Meta ads.
We talk about CAC, LTV and bundles, getting 30-day credit from a factory with no contract and cutting unit costs in half, hitting the ads ceiling and moving into supplements, the offers and subscriptions that put him $50K down, why product, offer and ads are the only three levers, hiring in Southeast Asia, what happens if Meta bans your ad account, and the part nobody talks about: losing the drive after making it, then selling the company and feeling lost.
Watch on YouTube:
. More from me at benji.app.
Check out Shen on Instagram at instagram.com/weeyishen.
Timestamps
(00:00) – Introduction
(00:32) – Meet Shen
(02:08) – Midnight Product, 6 A.M. Store, 10 A.M. Sale
(03:42) – Pre-Selling $100K Before the Product Existed
(04:50) – Sourcing From Chinese Factories With Zero Experience
(08:18) – Shipping With a 3PL and Scaling Purchase Orders
(11:17) – Borrowing $10K Every Weekend to Run Ads
(12:01) – No Face, Just Meta Ads: CAC, LTV and Bundles
(14:34) – Going Solo and Losing 8 Kilos
(15:55) – 30-Day Credit, No Contract and Cutting Unit Costs in Half
(21:38) – Hitting the Ads Ceiling and Moving to Supplements
(25:26) – Offers, Subscriptions and Going $50K Down
(29:55) – Why He Never Raised VC
(32:12) – 1.5M With No Books or Accounting
(33:51) – Product, Offer, Ads: The Only Three Levers
(36:52) – Hiring in Southeast Asia and the Fight for A-Players
(40:47) – What Happens If Meta Bans Your Ad Account
(42:26) – Losing the Drive After Making It
(45:24) – Selling the Company and Feeling Lost
