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

The Shopify Growth Show

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)