In 2021, Jeremy, better known as the Vanman, was living in a $2,000 Craigslist van, reset from a series of failed startups. He had no grand design for a multi-million dollar empire; he simply wanted to eliminate fluoride from his life. After documenting his journey of brushing with baking soda and eggshell powder on Twitter, he realized he had accidentally stumbled upon a massive market gap. Within twenty minutes of his first product launch, he was sold out. Today, his business, Vanman, generates over $5 million annually, proving that scaling a handmade business is possible when you master the financial levers of Average Order Value (AOV) and Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).
Transitioning from a $5,000 month to a $500,000 month requires more than just a viral post; it requires a structural shift in how you view your product catalog. For Jeremy, this meant moving beyond a single tooth powder SKU and building what he calls a 'Bathroom Suite' expansion. By understanding the math of shipping, the psychology of bundling, and the 'Holy Grail' of 40% customer retention, any e-commerce founder can implement these ecommerce growth hacking principles to achieve sustainable, high-margin scale [source: Statista E-commerce Reports].
The 'Bathroom Suite' Expansion: Moving Beyond a Single SKU
Many entrepreneurs get stuck in the trap of the "hero product." While having a flagship item is essential for brand identity, relying on a single low-ticket item often leads to stagnant growth. Jeremy’s strategy for product expansion strategy was simple: look at the existing routine of his customer and replace every synthetic product with a natural alternative. He started with tooth powder, but quickly expanded into tallow honey balm, deodorant, mouthwash, and hair oil.
This "suite" approach does more than just increase sales; it creates a lifestyle ecosystem. When a customer enters the "animal-based paradigm," they aren't just looking for toothpaste; they are looking to overhaul their entire hygiene routine. By offering 5-6 products that all fit within a single theme—the bathroom—you make it effortless for customers to add more items to their cart. This is the first step in scaling a handmade business: identifying the logical next step in your customer's journey and filling that gap before they look elsewhere.
To identify these high-demand niches, modern brands are increasingly turning to data-driven discovery. Stormy's AI search allows brands to find creators and influencers who already inhabit these specific niches—such as the anti-fluoride or ancestral health communities—instantly surfacing the exact audience ready for a 'Bathroom Suite' expansion.
The Math of AOV: Reducing Costs via Strategic Bundling
One of the hardest lessons in ecommerce growth hacking is that selling more units doesn't always equal more profit. If your primary product is under $20, your profit margins are often devoured by shipping and processing fees [source: ShipStation Shipping Impact Study]. Jeremy noted that in the early days, he wasn't making much money because he was shipping individual $15 tooth powders. The breakthrough came when he realized that increasing average order value was the only way to generate significant free cash flow.
By offering multiple products under $20, you encourage the "Amazon effect" where customers feel comfortable adding "just one more thing." When a customer buys five items instead of one, your shipping cost stays relatively flat, but your contribution margin skyrockets. This is a fundamental pillar of how to increase average order value: stop trying to sell expensive items and start making it easy to buy many inexpensive ones. This strategy allowed Vanman to move from buying ingredients in small jars to bulk procurement, further lowering the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS).
Why 40% Customer Retention is the 'Holy Grail'
Jeremy maintains a staggering 40% customer retention rate. In an industry where the average repeat purchase rate often hovers around 20-25%, this is the Holy Grail of ecommerce. High customer lifetime value ecommerce metrics are the only way to survive rising customer acquisition costs (CAC) on platforms like Meta Ads Manager or Google Ads.
The secret to this retention isn't a complex algorithm; it’s radical customer service. Jeremy's philosophy is that if a customer has a problem, you make it go away 100% immediately. Research shows that increasing customer retention rates by 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%. This builds a level of brand loyalty that protects the business from competitors. When customers know that a brand stands behind its product with a "no-questions-asked" resolution policy, they stop being customers and start being brand advocates.
Managing these high-value relationships at scale requires sophisticated tools. Stormy's creator CRM helps brands track every interaction with their most influential customers and partners, ensuring that no touchpoint is missed and every loyalty-building opportunity is captured in a single dashboard.
From Handmade to Bulk: Scaling Without Losing Soul
A common fear when scaling a handmade business is that the "handcrafted" appeal will vanish once production moves to a warehouse. Jeremy’s warehouse in San Diego still features staff scooping tallow honey balm into jars with spoons. He has scaled to 600 orders a day without sacrificing the artisanal touch that his audience on Instagram and TikTok loves.
The transition involves three key steps:
- Invest in 'Small Tools': Instead of full automation, find tools that assist the manual process (e.g., better mixers or filling machines) that maintain the product's texture.
- Owner-Led Quality Control: Even at $5M/year, Jeremy is on the floor daily, checking ingredients and ensuring the 'pulse' of the brand remains intact.
- Transparent Documentation: Use your production process as marketing content. Showing the 'spoon-scooping' builds authenticity that a factory-made product can never replicate.
Before scaling your reach through influencers, it's vital to ensure they align with this artisanal mission. While legacy tools like Tagger or Julius provide basic stats, they lack the deep AI insights needed for niche communities. Stormy's influencer analysis allows you to vet potential partners for engagement fraud and audience quality, ensuring your handcrafted story is being told to real humans, not bots. Once you've found the right partners, you can even use Stormy AI to send hyper-personalized outreach emails at scale, ensuring your message lands with the right tone.
The Etsy-to-Shopify Pipeline: A Playbook for Research
If Jeremy had to start over, he wouldn't start on Shopify. He recommends the Etsy-to-Shopify pipeline for anyone looking to validate a product expansion strategy. Etsy provides built-in traffic and a user base that specifically values the 'handmade' aesthetic, making it the perfect laboratory for ecommerce growth hacking.
Step 1: Niche Research
Browse Etsy for high-selling products in your category. Look for items with thousands of reviews but poor branding or outdated ingredients. This is where your "spin" comes in.
Step 2: Low-Stakes Ad Testing
Use Etsy's internal ad platform to test different product names and photos. Because Etsy has its own ecosystem, you can get statistically significant data for a few dollars a day without the high cost of external traffic.
Step 3: The Migration
Once a product proves it has a consistent conversion rate and positive reviews, move it to your own Shopify store. This allows you to own the customer data, implement post-purchase email flows, and truly begin increasing average order value through upsells and cross-sells.
Meme Marketing: The Fuel for $500k Months
Jeremy attributes a massive portion of his growth to meme marketing. In an era of polished, high-production advertisements, a grainy photo of Mel Gibson or Mark Wahlberg with a funny, relatable caption often performs better. This "controversial marketing" generates comments and shares, which triggers social algorithms to surface the content to new audiences.
The key to successful meme marketing is being perpetually online. Jeremy monitors current events—like a major UFC fight—and turns them into memes that relate back to his natural products within 24 hours. This cultural relevance creates a sense of community and immediacy that traditional brands lack, effectively leveraging meme marketing as a new standard for brand engagement.
To capitalize on this virality, you must be able to track which posts are actually driving sales. Stormy's post tracking allows you to monitor views and engagement across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, helping you identify exactly which memes are converting your audience into customers.
The Future: Vertically Integrating the Vision
The ultimate stage of scaling a handmade business is vertical integration. Jeremy’s long-term goal isn't just selling more tooth powder; it's owning the beef and bison farms that provide the tallow for his products. By controlling the supply chain, he can ensure 'premium' quality while eventually offering products at 'Walmart' prices.
This level of product expansion strategy shifts the business from a simple e-commerce store to a vertically integrated powerhouse. It allows for the monetization of every part of the animal—from the fat used in balms to the meat sold for food. This is the ultimate way to maximize customer lifetime value ecommerce: by becoming the primary provider for a customer's entire lifestyle.
Conclusion: Your Blueprint for Growth
Scaling from a van to a $5 million warehouse requires a obsessive focus on the fundamentals. To replicate Jeremy's success, you must move beyond the single-sale mindset and embrace the 'Bathroom Suite' approach to increase average order value. Prioritize radical customer service to protect your customer lifetime value ecommerce, and never stop experimenting with low-cost platforms like Etsy before moving to full-scale Shopify operations.
Whether you are hand-scooping product or managing a fleet of influencers, the goal remains the same: provide exceptional value to a community that shares your paradigm. Ready to find the creators who will help you scale? Explore how Stormy AI can automate your discovery and outreach so you can focus on building your own multi-million dollar blueprint.