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Podcast Episode

Building a $600M Empire, Creating Demand & The Future of D2C Marketing with Simon Beard

That F*cking Marketing Podcast··16 August 2026·1h 1m

About this episode

How do you go from sweating bullets in a market tin shed ready to quit, to handing Justin Bieber $10,000 cash and building a $600M+ street style retail empire? In this episode, Culture Kings founder Simon Beard tells us how he built high-energy, world-famous retail destinations while scaling to over $100M a year online. He breaks down the exact playbook Culture Kings used to engineer viral experiences, turn store floors into arcade gamification hubs, and rewrite the rules of modern customer acquisition. Plus, Simon drops raw, unfiltered takes on why traditional loyalty programs are dead and the #1 ad mistake wrecking your Meta accounts. If you run an e-commerce brand, buy media, or want to turn products into emotional movements, this is your masterclass. Key moments: 00:00: The Market Shed Breakdown That Built a $600M Empire 6:07: How Culture Kings Scaled Past $100M Online 16:33: What Turning Stores Into Arcade Gamification Hubs Does for Sales 18:56: Why Traditional Loyalty Programs Are Dead (And What to Do Instead) 25:37: How $10,000 Cash to Justin Bieber Created Millions in Free PR 30:40: Stop wasting ad spend by fixing the #1 media buying mistake brands make today. 33:31: How to Completely Rewrite the Rules of Modern Customer Acquisition 40:26: How AI and Dynamic Content Scaling Are Changing D2C Marketing Connect with Simon Beard on LinkedIn or follow his journey on Instagram. If you want the TLDR of what you should actually care about, you're in the right place.  Hit follow because you're not gonna wanna miss these episodes. See the behind the scenes over at @tfm.pod - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.pod/⁠  Follow the TFM team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tfm.digital/⁠ and ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@tfm.digital⁠  And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/taylorfielding/⁠ and ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mathewfielding/⁠