Growth plan for In Common Beauty, 3 Oct 2026
Scale spend. Hold CAC.
One number to protect: a target CAC of $25.44. The Magic bundles at $70.00 and the 1898 reviews give the tests real material, and losers are killed early so spend only grows where CAC holds.
- Target CAC
- $25.44
- New ads a week at peak
- 20
- Creators live by week six
- 10
- Test spend, six weeks
- $24,000
Contents
10 chapters, then the gates and every number’s source.
01 The number
One number to protect: a $25.44 target CAC
Target CAC is $25.44. It is 0.6 of a $42.40 ceiling, built from a $53 average order, a 40% margin and one repeat order. The $53 and 40% are my inputs, not the brand's figures. Week one replaces them with your real numbers.
Protect
Target CAC: $25.44 on a first purchase
Ceiling = average order × margin × (1 + repeat orders): $53 × 40% × (1 + 1) = $42.40. Guard line = 0.6 × $42.40 = $25.44. Across the ranges: $5.25 to $141.75.
Three moves
- Kill losing ads early so spend moves only to ads that land under $25.44.
- Test one variable at a time across the Boosters, Magic Myst and the bundles.
- Check payback on repeat orders before raising spend on any bundle.
- reviews shown on the site
- 1898
- Published
- star rating shown on the site
- 4.9
- Published
- day returns, guaranteed
- 60
- Published
02 Variety
Boosters, mists and bundles each need their own hook
Each ad concept has to carry one clear reason to buy: a Booster used as the second step after shampoo, a Magic Myst 4-in-1 at $35.00, or a bundle with a free booster at $70.00. One idea per ad, so the result shows what worked.
| Reason to buy | Proof you already have | Ads (proposed) |
|---|---|---|
| One spray, four jobs | -1 full-size + 2 minis of the cult-favorite 4-in-1 Magic Myst – so you’ll never be without it. | 6 |
| Boosters you customize | TARGETED REPAIR, CUSTOMIZED BY YOU. | 6 |
| 3-in-1 leave-in repair mask | Damaged hair: Now you see it, now you don't—with just 1 use* of our reparative 3-in-1 leave-in mask. | 2 |
| 1898 reviews | Based on 1898 reviews | 1 |
| Free of parabens + phthalates | 100% Free of Parabens, Phthalates + Aldehydes | 1 |
| Returns guaranteed | 60 Day returns—guaranteed. | 1 |
| 20% off your first order | SIGN UP NOW AND GET 20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER!* | 1 |
| Total | The ad concepts tab | 18 |
Each row is a reason to buy that the brand already has proof for. The count is how many of the ads carry it: a reason with a single ad is a bet, not a pattern, and the next batch of concepts moves toward the reasons that win.
03 Disturbances
Seven risks, two from the brand's shipping and offer rules
| Disturbance | Likelihood | Impact | Owner | Gate (proposed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free shipping reads $40, $44 and $45 on the site, so ads may promise a threshold the cart contradicts | Med | High | Your team | One threshold live on the site before week two spend; cart message matches ad copy. |
| Canada orders carry $25 flat shipping plus customs fees the brand does not cover, which breaks CAC math | Med | Med | Both | Canada stays out of test audiences until CAC holds at $25.44 elsewhere. |
| Ad claims drift beyond the brand's own wording on hair results | Med | High | Me | Every ad line matches the claims sheet; no line goes live without a match. |
| Creators ramp slower than two a week, so ten live by week six slips | High | Med | Both | Ten live by week six; behind schedule at week four means a creator review. |
| The 20% first-order and 25% link offers can stack, so CAC looks fine while margin per order shrinks | High | High | Me | Margin per order checked weekly against the 40% input; below it, cut offer stacking. |
| Tracking misses repeat orders, so payback on the bundles cannot be proved | Med | High | Your team | Purchase and repeat events verified on test orders before spend scales. |
| Losing ads keep budget out of habit instead of being cut | Low | Med | Me | Any ad with spend and no result against $25.44 is off at the weekly review. |
Scores are my read from outside the company, re-scored in week one with your data. Each risk has one owner and one gate that can be checked with a number, so nobody has to argue about whether it happened.
04 The ceiling
A $53 average order gives a $42.40 ceiling
| Line | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Average order | $53 (range $10.00–$105.00) | Assumption Range from the site product prices (Published); the midpoint is a guess |
| Gross margin | 40% (range 35–45%) | Assumption Replace in week one |
| Repeat orders after the first | 1 (range 0.5–2) | Assumption Replace with cohort data in week one |
| Margin per customer, all orders | $42.40 | Calculated Average order × margin × (1 + repeat orders) |
| Guard line for CAC | $25.44 | Calculated 0.6 × the margin per customer |
The math, with the assumed lines
Ceiling = average order × margin × (1 + repeat orders): $53 × 40% × (1 + 1) = $42.40. Guard line = 0.6 × $42.40 = $25.44. Across the ranges: $5.25 to $141.75.
Range across the assumptions: $5 to $142.
The $53 order and 40% margin are guesses. The $42.40 ceiling and $25.44 guard line follow from them. The brand's real order value and repeat orders replace them in week one.
The ceiling is a range, not one number: the most a new customer can cost before shipping and packaging, which I do not have. Replace the guessed lines with yours and every figure below recalculates.
05 Test ramp
Six weeks of tests on the bundles, $24,000 in total
| Week | New ads × budget / ad (proposed) | Weekly test spend | Cumulative | Creators posting | CAC target (proposed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 × $250 | $3,000 | $3,000 | 0 | $25 |
| 2 | 12 × $250 | $3,000 | $6,000 | 2 | $25 |
| 3 | 12–20 × $250 | $4,000 | $10,000 | 4 | $25 |
| 4 | 12–20 × $250 | $4,000 | $14,000 | 6 | $25 |
| 5 | 20 × $250 | $5,000 | $19,000 | 8 | $25 |
| 6 | 20 × $250 | $5,000 | $24,000 | 10 | $25 |
Six weeks, Proposed. Weeks one and two run 12 ads at $250 each, $3,000 a week. Weeks three and four run 12–20 ads, $4,000. Weeks five and six run 20 ads, $5,000. Total $24,000. Each week keeps winners and kills losers.
The math. Week 1: 12 × $250 = $3,000; Week 2: 12 × $250 = $3,000; Week 3: 16 × $250 = $4,000; Week 4: 16 × $250 = $4,000; Week 5: 20 × $250 = $5,000; Week 6: 20 × $250 = $5,000. Total $24,000 (96 ads × $250). A range such as 12–20 counts as its midpoint.
Weeks one and two test what the brand already has, rewritten per reason to buy. From week three, creator videos enter paid only after they beat their own account median. A range of new ads counts as its midpoint in the spend column.
06 Volume
More concepts, more winners: volume moves CAC
Assumption: 20 concepts give 2 winners and $18,000 added a month; 80 concepts give 8 winners and $72,000. Hit rate and spend per winner are guesses; more concepts mean more chances to land under CAC.
| Concepts tested / month | Hit rate (assumed) | New winners / month | Spend each winner holds (assumed) | Added spend at target CAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 10% | 2 | $300 / day | $18,000 / month |
| 40 | 10% | 4 | $300 / day | $36,000 / month |
| 60 | 10% | 6 | $300 / day | $54,000 / month |
| 80 | 10% | 8 | $300 / day | $72,000 / month |
The math. 20 concepts × 10% = 2 winners × $300 × 30 days = $18,000 a month; 40 concepts × 10% = 4 winners × $300 × 30 days = $36,000 a month; 60 concepts × 10% = 6 winners × $300 × 30 days = $54,000 a month; 80 concepts × 10% = 8 winners × $300 × 30 days = $72,000 a month.
The hit rate and the spend each winner holds are placeholders. The first thirty days of tests replace them with real numbers, and the table is recalculated the same day.
07 Allocation
$100,000 split across four jobs
- Creative tests: new ads and hook variants
- $50,000
- 50%
- Creator pay and bonuses
- $25,000
- 25%
- Scaling winners on Meta
- $15,000
- 15%
- Landing pages and tracking fixes
- $10,000
- 10%
Share of the $100,000 budget to allocate, Proposed; winners pull budget from tests as they prove out.
The math. 50% × $100,000 = $50,000; 25% × $100,000 = $25,000; 15% × $100,000 = $15,000; 10% × $100,000 = $10,000. Sum 100% = $100,000.
This split is a proposal. It moves toward scaling as winners prove out, and toward testing when fatigue shows.
08 Channels
Meta opens first; four channels wait for a signal
| Channel | Open when (proposed) | Why wait |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | Week one, with 12 ads at $250 each | Paid social is where the Boosters and bundles get tested fastest. |
| TikTok | When a creator video holds CAC under $25.44 on Meta | Stylist videos can run natively there. |
| Once the 20% sign-up offer builds a list worth sending to | Repeat orders are what pull payback inside the $42.40 ceiling. | |
| Affiliate link program | When creator briefs are ready, from week two | The 30% commission link program already exists to recruit from. |
| Google brand search | When brand search starts rising from paid social | It captures demand the ads and creators create. |
A channel opens when its condition is true, not when the calendar says so. Until then the budget stays where the CAC is earned.
09 Payback
At a $45 CAC the bundles never pay back, so we stop
Payback is the real constraint, not clicks. At a CAC of $15 the first order pays back, with $27.40 left. At $25, repeat orders pay it back, $17.40 left. At $45 it never does, −$2.60, so we stop. At $60 it is −$17.60. The $42.40 ceiling sits under the $45 line.
Cumulative margin per customer, order by order, before CAC: $21.20, $42.40.
| CAC (scenario) | First-order margin | Year-one margin | Left after CAC | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $21.20 | $42.40 | $27.40 | First order |
| $25 | $21.20 | $42.40 | $17.40 | After repeat orders |
| $45 | $21.20 | $42.40 | −$2.60 | Never: stop |
| $60 | $21.20 | $42.40 | −$17.60 | Never: stop |
The math. CAC $15: $42.40 − $15 = $27.40 left; pays back: First order; CAC $25: $42.40 − $25 = $17.40 left; pays back: After repeat orders; CAC $45: $42.40 − $45 = −$2.60 left; pays back: Never: stop; CAC $60: $42.40 − $60 = −$17.60 left; pays back: Never: stop.
Read each row left to right: the margin of the first purchase, the margin over the whole horizon, what is left after CAC, and the purchase on which the CAC is earned back. A scenario that never pays back is a stop, not a test.
10 Scope
Ads, creators and reporting are mine; the cart is yours
Covers
- Meta ad strategy, creative briefs and weekly experiments
- Creator recruiting, briefs and pay proposals
- A claims sheet built from the brand's own wording
- Daily CAC, weekly learnings, monthly cohort payback
Doesn’t
- Event tracking build: I'd spec it, your team implements it
- Site and cart changes, including the free-shipping threshold
- Customer service, returns and shipping
- Product, pricing and formulation decisions
What this plan covers is what I can change inside the ad account and the creator program. Everything outside it is named on the right so nobody assumes it is handled.
Gates, written before spend, so stopping isn’t a negotiation.
| Day | Keep going if (proposed) | Stop or change if |
|---|---|---|
| Day 14 | 12 ads live each week, two creators live, and tracking matches test orders | Tracking fails test orders, or no creator is live |
| Day 30 | At least one concept at or under $25.44 CAC | No concept under $42.40 after the first four test weeks |
| Day 60 | Winners hold CAC at or under $25.44 while spend rises | CAC above $42.40 for two straight weeks |
| Day 90 | Cohort payback shows repeat orders covering CAC, as in the $25 scenario | CAC stays near the $45 line and payback never arrives |
Each gate is checked on its day with the numbers in the daily and weekly reports. If the stop condition is true, the spend stops and nothing renews until we talk.
What exists, what’s missing, and the order that’s forced.
| Piece | Exists today | Missing | Forced order |
|---|---|---|---|
| creative | Bundles at $70.00 with a free booster and free shipping | A hook library and 12 new ads a week | 1st |
| creators | A 30% commission link program | Briefs, pay and a roster of stylists | 2nd |
| claims sheet | Brand wording: free of parabens, phthalates + aldehydes | One sheet of approved lines per product | Week 1 |
| landing pages | Bundle and Booster pages at $70.00 and $28.00 | Pages matched to each ad concept | 2nd |
| reporting | A cart message showing free shipping progress | Daily CAC and repeat-order tracking | Week 1 |
The order is forced on purpose: creative and creators come first because they are what moves CAC, and everything else waits for that data.
Every number, and where it came from.
| Figure | Where it came from | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1898 reviews shown on the site | https://www.incommonbeauty.com/products/mega-magic-bundle?variant=44465257283720 | Fact |
| 4.9 star rating shown on the site | https://www.incommonbeauty.com/products/mega-magic-bundle?variant=44465257283720 | Fact |
| 60 day returns, guaranteed | https://www.incommonbeauty.com/products/madis-magic-bundle-no-bow | Fact |
| Product prices $10.00–$105.00 | product prices in the site product data (22 products), read 2026-10-03 | Fact |
| $53 average order · 40% margin · 1 repeat order | Placeholders, replaced in week one | Assumed |
| $25.44 target CAC | 0.6 of the $42.40 margin per customer | Calculated |
| $42.40 margin per customer | Price × (margin − discount), summed over the orders | Calculated |
| $24,000 of tests (96 ads × $250) | Danilo’s plan, matches Month one | Calculated |
| 0→10 creators in 6 weeks · 7 videos per creator a week | Danilo’s plan, matches Month one and the Creator engine | Proposed |
| $100,000 first budget split 50% / 25% / 15% / 10% | Danilo’s plan, re-set with the team in week one | Calculated |
| 10% hit rate · $300 a day per winner | Placeholders, replaced by the first 30 days of tests | Assumed |
| 303 creator videos a month at 10 creators | 10 creators × 7 videos a week × 52 ÷ 12 | Calculated |
| $5.74 per 1,000 views against a $1 target | Creator cost over the views the assumptions give | Calculated |
| $1,000 base pay · $50 bonus past 100,000 views | Danilo’s plan | Proposed |
| 1,500 median views · 4% breakout (10×) · 0.5% viral (750,000) | Placeholders, replaced by the first month of posts | Assumed |
| Pay bands $300–$600, $500–$1,000, $800–$1,500 | Danilo’s plan | Proposed |
Every figure on this page is listed here with where it came from. Fact means read on the site. Assumed and Proposed are Danilo’s own numbers, to be replaced in week one. Calculated is plain arithmetic on those, with the formula shown next to it.
Month one is where it starts.
Week one: I read your real average order and margin, replace my $53 and 40% guesses, write the claims sheet, and launch 12 ads at $250 each for $3,000. Tracking gets checked with your team before spend scales.
