Barbara Almeida

Livin' the dream ✨ Founder & Advisor - Superbloom Insights LLC - helping businesses grow their online presence l Fractional GM

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

Looking for a freelance creative strategist for a high AOV jewelry brand. Reach out if interested!

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@MikeLukashewich The best feeling

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@codyplof Would love to see it - if you’re open to sharing

[Cherene @ChereneAubert]

Offer testing tip:

your category likely has a non-discount offer that was perfected decades ago in retail.

Beauty: free samples & GWPs
Food/bev: samples, variety packs, snack packs
Home goods: free design consults, free installation, bundles
Apparel: membership, earned rewards

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@SamMendelsohnW6 Doing this for a similar size brand right now. They were primarily with one major wholesaler and are now diversifying. Happy to chat.

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@maverickecom Agent

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@maverickecom Interested!

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@eliweisss 🎯

[Jonathan Swanson @swaaanson]

Thiel values substance over status.

Status and prestige are zero-sum games.
In a world where real value can be created, substance and true knowers are the people to look for.

To assess winners before anyone else, he came up with 4 questions...

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@codyplof Interested

[Ben Cogan @benjamin_cogan]

Ever since I began acquiring DTC e-commerce businesses, people have asked me which business categories are “the best.” But I’ve concluded there’s no such thing as a universally good or bad category.

I’ve heard the usual advice: look for categories with 60%+ gross margins, have a high average order value, minimize SKU complexity, feature lightweight products for cheaper shipping, etc. In my experience, though, these factors rarely—if ever—predict success.

Why? Because any advantage that makes a category appealing draws in more competitors, quickly eroding those advantages. Meanwhile, businesses in categories with difficult challenges often turn those challenges into competitive moats, creating a powerful point of differentiation for those who master them.

Some examples:

I often hear that apparel is a “bad” DTC category given SKU complexity. And it is true that apparel businesses constantly need to produce new styles, colors, sizes, and products. This is expensive and capital-intensive. But the businesses that get it right have incredible defensibility–think how difficult it is to replicate the thousands of SKUs required to compete with the best DTC apparel businesses like Bombas (socks), Vuori (athleisure), or True Classic (T-shirts). Their complexity is a moat.

Furniture is also supposedly a “bad” ecom category. Shipping a couch or bed frame can cost hundreds of dollars. True, but then consider how, for many consumers, having a 100-pound box shipped straight home is easier than lugging it themselves from a store. Wayfair, the ecom furniture company, is still worth nearly $6B.

Or consider categories which many merchants want to avoid because of onerous regulations. One category I know better than most is contact lenses, where the seller must validate every single customer’s contact lens prescription. This is burdensome and complicated but, once you establish proper compliance, serves as a meaningful barrier to entry for merchants who can’t figure it out. 1800 Contacts is a $1B+ defensible ecom business because they got it right.

Once you start thinking this way, you realize that it’s often the unloved “bad” categories that offer the best opportunities. For example, I remember a conversation in 2017 with the CEO of Dame—a brand specializing in women’s “adult” products—about marketing. Because of what it sold, Dame was banned from advertising on Facebook. No Facebook? Talk about a tough DTC category. But this forced Dame to figure out more creative, organic ways to acquire customers. As customer acquisition costs gradually rose on Facebook, eroding margins for brands in other, “good” categories, Dame thrived because its organic acquisition funnel insulated it from rising marketing costs.

The moral of the story is: the ecommerce market is more efficient than you think. There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” categories because the categories that are tougher for you to crack are also tougher for your competitors.

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@Theholisticpsyc @selfhealerscirc Live in NYC, immigrated from Brazil in high school. Have been following you for a while and taking in your content. Would love to win and make the most of this experience ✨

[Jesse Pujji @jspujji]

I Was Struggling, and I Knew It!

I had just finished a pitch to ten senior executives. I thought the deal was solid, the numbers were strong, and the strategy was sound. But as silence filled the room, I realized something wasn’t landing.

Instinctively, I wanted to fill the silence—explain more, adjust the offer, or just say something to ease the tension. But I stopped myself. I remembered a piece of advice: “The first person to speak loses.”

So, I held my tongue. The room stayed quiet. The seconds dragged on.

Finally, one executive shifted in his chair and broke the silence. “I’m concerned about how this might affect our current revenue streams,” he said. Others followed, sharing doubts about timelines and returns.

That silence I dreaded gave space for real conversation. I stopped defending my pitch and started listening. Their concerns became clear, and by the time I spoke again, it was to address their actual needs. A week later, we closed the deal.

Silence is among the most powerful tools in leadership, negotiations, and life.

Why Silence Works

1 - IT REVEALS WHAT MATTERS
When you stop talking, others will fill the void. They’ll share fears, doubts, and hopes—the real drivers of decisions.

2 - IT SHOWS STRENGTH
Confidence lives in quiet. When you don’t rush to explain, you show you’re comfortable waiting for the room to come to you.

3 - IT SHARPENS FOCUS
Too often, we plan what we’ll say next instead of truly hearing the other person. Silence pushes you to pay attention.

How To Make Silence Work FOR YOU

→ In Negotiations: Ask a direct question, then pause. Let the other person speak first.

→ In Feedback: After someone shares, count to three before responding. Often, they’ll add more.

→ In Meetings: Instead of offering immediate solutions, ask, “What do you think?” and wait.

That meeting changed me. Sometimes, the most impactful thing you can do is not to say more, but to step back and listen.

[The Secret @thesecret]

Life is meant to be easy and a joy.

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@ImChaseMohseni Well said. Couldn’t agree more.

[The Secret @thesecret]

Everything can be effortless and easy for you - if you say it is.

[Jayden @jayden_dummett]

Why your AOV doesn’t necessarily matter…

Thread below 🧵

[Taylor Holiday @TaylorHoliday]

I received a really thoughtful email today...

Subject Line: Is your agency a Doctor's office or a Restaurant?

Restaurant agency: caters to whoever walks in the door
Doctor agency: caters to specific groups with specific ailments

Restaurant agency: makes pitches
Doctor agency: makes diagnoses

Restaurant agency: fulfills requests
Doctor agency: advises and makes prescriptions

Restaurant agency: offers clients what they want
Doctor agency: offers clients what they need

Restaurant agency: doesn't ask many questions
Doctor agency: asks a ton of questions

Restaurant agency: in the sales process, avoids tension and red flags
Doctor agency: probes red flags before investing too much time

Restaurant agency: high energy
Doctor agency: measured

Restaurant agency: talks to everyone who walks in the door
Doctor agency: uses gatekeepers, schedules, and processes

Restaurant agency: fulfills custom orders and requests
Doctor agency: refers prospects and clients to outside specialists

Restaurant agency: chaotic atmosphere
Doctor agency: calm atmosphere

Restaurant agency: menu changes every few months
Doctor agency: practice area almost never changes

Restaurant agency: transactional
Doctor agency: longterm

Restaurant agency: high employee turnover
Doctor agency: low employee turnover

Restaurants agency: doesn't prioritize training
Doctor agency: continuous training via conferences and seminars

Restaurant agency: sells specials
Doctor agency: builds trust

Restaurant agency: client experience first, health second
Doctor agency: client health first, experience second

Restaurant agency: obsessed with brand
Doctor agency: obsessed with outcome

h/t to Dan @ Sales Schema for this email.

I really like the framework.

[Barbara Almeida @barbara_br89]

@ashvinmelwani LP

[PassiveAggressiveIncome @indexnforgetit]

@FluentInFinance Having a fulfilled life and ability to choose how you spend your time is the highest form of wealth