Case study
EllaOla: from a $1M plateau to $12M ARR in 14 months
- Role
- Growth Strategist, working directly with the two founders
- Category
- Health and wellness, kids' supplements, subscription
- Results
- $1M to $12M ARR in 14 months, near second-order subscription profitability
The situation
EllaOla was a real business at $1M ARR with a loyal early base, but growth had stalled. Agency relationships were fragmented, there was no retention strategy, and subscription economics weren't pointing toward profit.
There was a product problem too. The original flavored version was losing subscribers because kids with sensitive palates refused it, and parents cancelled.
What I did
- 01
Fixed the product before scaling spend. Instead of adding more flavors, we launched an unflavored version. It could be mixed into everyday foods like pasta, so kids who refused the flavored version could still take it.
- 02
Built creator partnerships with their own landing pages. Whitelisted creator ads sent each creator's audience to a custom page that matched the creator's story.
- 03
Replaced generic pages with focused ones. Dedicated product and landing pages for each audience and angle lifted conversion.
- 04
Added listicle SEO. Comparison and "best of" content captured parents researching supplements before they ever saw an ad.
- 05
Made the agencies pull together. Paid media, retention, and creative got one plan and shared metrics, judged on second-order profitability: subscribers who stay, not just first orders.
Results
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| ARR | $1M to $12M ARR in 14 months |
| Subscription economics | Near second-order profitability |
"Working with Derin has been a great experience and super helpful for our business. His expertise made a huge impact on our growth and helped us hit key milestones faster than we expected."
What this means for your brand
Churn is often a product signal, not a marketing one. Read why subscribers cancel before you spend more to replace them.