Jon Stojan is Founder of First North Marketing. We help ecommerce brands get their products seen, sold, and celebrated.
MrBeast commands YouTube with a flair for the outrageous. From extravagant stunts to generous giveaways, his approach to content has cemented his digital empire and built a following most brands only dream of. But beneath the spectacle lies a lesser-known venture: Feastables, his chocolate bar brand. It made $20 million in profit in 2024, and I believe it’s where his business savvy really surprises. The strategies behind Feastables’ growth, discussed in his interview on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, highlight hard truths that e-commerce entrepreneurs need to confront.
And while the story of Feastables is undeniably unique, I believe it offers broader, hard-earned lessons for founders. From launching imperfectly to obsessing over user experience and owning operational failures, the strategies I’ll share here can guide any e-commerce brand trying to scale, especially without a household name.
Focusing On Customer Satisfaction
You’d think that when someone is already popular, the same level of success would simply transfer onto any brand they work on. But Feastables doesn’t seem to be coasting on MrBeast’s fame. Instead, he pays attention to the details; he explains in the interview that he’s sunk real effort and research into sourcing and understanding how chocolates can be produced without child labor.
Too many brands sacrifice values for margins, but I believe being meticulous about the details pays off big time. MrBeast, for example, explained to Bartlett that he planned to do this by tweaking the color of the tab at the bottom of the wrapper so customers can spot their choice instantly.
Other brands can do this by getting hyper-specific about what matters most to their audience, whether that’s sustainable sourcing, faster shipping or even simpler instructions in the packaging. Brands should talk to their customers, identify what they care about and then bake those values into the product experience itself. Small, thoughtful choices add up to loyalty.
Owning (And Fixing) Mistakes
MrBeast shared in the interview that when he started selling the bars at Walmart, many chocolate bars were breaking. Most brands would probably still be basking in the “we’ve made it” glow of a big-box debut, but MrBeast told Bartlett he spent about $100,000 a week just paying people to go into Walmarts and buy the broken bars. He even installed GoPros on shelves to see why the bars were breaking.
This illustrates how brands can turn a flop into a forensic study. Even without a massive budget, you can apply the same principle: Investigate the problem at the ground level. Respond to customer complaints promptly. Review feedback regularly. Send mystery shoppers to stores or run test buys from online marketplaces like Amazon. Don’t just stop at what went wrong; ask why it’s happening and how to make the experience amazing for customers. That’s where the insight lives.
The Playbook For E-Commerce Success
Scale or fame alone cannot drive a brand; a relentless grip on every detail, every failure and every fix can. E-commerce isn’t about perfect launches or endless budgets but about what you do when the cracks show. Here are four lessons e-commerce operators can implement (no million-dollar war chest required):
Lesson 1: Forget About The Perfect Launch
Your first launch most likely isn’t going to be smooth sailing. Sometimes, you get broken chocolate bars on the floor. What matters is how you react. When something goes wrong, iterate on your product and distribution system until it works. For Amazon brand owners, that might translate to simply getting direct feedback. When was the last time you asked a friend or family member to order your Amazon product and give you honest feedback? And if you’ve done that recently, how have you improved your product based on that feedback?
A perfect debut is a myth. But fixing the flaws shows customers you’re in it for them.
Lesson 2: Obsess Over the Experience, Not Just the Sale
Five-star reviews are great, but it’s 10 times more critical to prevent one-star disasters. That’s about setting expectations and meeting them—every time. Too many e-commerce brands chase sales and neglect the gaps. Consider this: Where are the weak spots in your customer experience?
Common culprits include unclear product descriptions, clunky checkout flows, slow fulfillment, inconsistent packaging and poor post-purchase support. These issues might seem small individually, but they compound over time. If you’re not actively auditing the full customer journey from ad click to unboxing, you’re probably bleeding trust without even realizing it.
Lesson 3: Own The Problem, Not Just The Profit
Spending $100,000 a week to clean up a launch isn’t realistic for most, but the mindset is. Rather than blaming others when issues arise, own the fix and invest time, energy and resources. It boils down to this: Take responsibility. Your next hiccup isn’t someone else’s fault. It’s yours to solve.
Lesson 4: Display Grit Under Pressure
MrBeast actually has an autoimmune disease, yet it doesn’t seem to hold him back. To me, ownership really means showing up despite our challenges.
In practice, displaying grit means taking initiative when it’s easier to stay quiet. It’s responding to negative reviews with thoughtful action instead of excuses. It’s restocking inventory after a supplier mishap, working weekends when customer complaints pile up, and showing up on video when you’d rather hide behind the scenes.
The Truth About Winning In E-Commerce
Owning the ethics, the details, the disasters and the wins is key to success. Amazon entrepreneurs don’t need MrBeast’s reach, but they do need a similar level of relentlessness. Your next launch could falter. Your customer experience probably has holes. Fix them. That’s how you can build something that lasts.
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