Attendees: Gilbert Barrongo, Sebastian Gant, Karly Oykhman, Mark Hope
Source: Fathom recording
Weekly ops call covering three main areas: Amazon FBA inventory stockouts and the new tracking system built to prevent recurrence; a strategic shift in Google Ads from PMAX to Search campaigns for [1]; and new marketing initiatives for [2] and Reddit. The primary theme across all topics was that inventory instability is the root cause of current performance dips, and that once resolved, ad performance is expected to rebound.
| Decision | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Hold Amazon ad strategy steady | ROAS dip (3.4 → 3.34) is inventory-driven, not structural; no changes warranted |
| Shift Dudla Farms Google Ads from PMAX to Search | PMAX is efficient for data gathering but wasteful once patterns are established |
| Raise Dudla Farms CPA target from $12.98 → $16.23 for one week | Current target is below actual CPA (~$14.80), causing campaigns to be "limited by target" |
| Do not raise Black Beans CPA target from $16.98 → $21 | $21 approaches product price; ad cost would roughly equal revenue, making it unprofitable |
| Launch Old World PMAX after Merchant Center feed is built | Old World has no active ads; feed is a prerequisite |
| Research Reddit ads for Dudla Farms | Subreddit targeting offers cheap, highly relevant reach for bean-related audiences |
| Avant Gardening: no further work needed | Project is complete; client declined retainer |
Inventory stockouts — particularly kidney beans (25lb) — are the primary driver of recent sales declines. Incoming stock for black beans, yellow cornmeal, and popcorn is in transit.
Shipment Info worksheet (built by Gilbert) now provides full visibility into all Amazon FBA shipments from creation through closing, updated daily. Status stages: Working → For Pickup → In Transit → Closed. Shipments in "Working," "Closed," "Canceled," or "Deleted" states are excluded from active tracking to reduce noise.
Inventory target: Maintain a minimum 6-month supply for all products at all times.
Remaining gap — raw materials: The tracker covers finished goods but not upstream inputs (raw beans, bags, boxes). Next step is to integrate Lucy's bag inventory spreadsheet and gain access to E-Town Cold Storage (Edgerton, WI — temperature-controlled bean storage) to monitor raw bean levels.
"We need to watch it like a hawk." — Mark Hope
Website sales context:
- February: ~$8,600 (flat vs. January when adjusted for fewer days; +90% YoY)
- Overall trend since July: +79% vs. prior period, but growth pace is slow
Current campaign structure: Three PMAX campaigns + one 90-day display remarketing campaign.
Conversion trends (January): 59 conversions; impressions declining, clicks increasing, conversion rate flat, cost-per-conversion stabilizing. Direction is positive but growth is slow.
PMAX campaigns are useful for initial data gathering but introduce waste once audience and keyword patterns are established. The team agreed to begin migrating key products to Search campaigns.
Campaigns are flagged "Limited by Target" because the set CPA ($12.98) is below the actual CPA (~$14.80). Google recommends $16.23.
Old World has no active Google Ads. A Google Merchant Center feed must be created for the Old World domain (separate from Dudla Farms) before any campaigns can launch.
Reddit offers subreddit-level targeting, which could be highly relevant for niche food products (e.g., bean-focused communities). Reported to be relatively low-cost.
| Client | Status |
|---|---|
| Avant Gardening | Project complete. Client declined retainer. No further work. |
| Quora Stone | Remarketing campaign showing zero impressions. Gilbert recently changed settings (pixel/audience configuration). Monitoring for 2 weeks. |
| Cordwainer | New ad creative received. Gilbert reviewing. Sebastian building a landing page. |
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon ROAS (30-day) | 3.34 | Down from 3.40; inventory-driven |
| Google Ads spend (30-day) | ~$1,800 | Budget is $2,700 ($90/day); underspending due to CPA target constraint |
| Dudla Farms conversions (Jan) | 59 | Steadily increasing |
| Dudla Farms CPA target (current) | $12.98 | Below actual CPA of ~$14.80 |
| Dudla Farms CPA target (test) | $16.23 | Google recommendation; 1-week trial |
| Website sales (Feb) | ~$8,600 | Flat MoM; +90% YoY |