A Discussion With Huron's Matt Mullenax

When seeking direction, maybe start face first.

That may be the mantra of Matt Mullenax, Founder & CEO of Huron, the men’s skincare brand lathering jawlines as we speak.

A self-proclaimed ‘kid with bad skin,’ Mullenax parlayed his youthful skincare struggles into deep regimen research, and came out on the other side…inspired.

We sat with Matt recently to dive into his journey, his search for relief.

Along the way, we learn how socks can inform shampoo fans, and what ‘consumer empathy muscles’ are. We discover why some brands make house calls. And why influencers are family.

Turns out, at Huron, fresh faces are just the beginning.

1. What will be your primary focus in 2023 as a business owner?

Continued focus on efficient growth and scale. We're constantly refining and tweaking to make sure the business is operating in a way that we're excited about and confident in.

Learn how Triple Whale can level up your ad performance like Huron

2. What is the best-kept secret that more founders should know about?

I guess TripleWhale is far from a secret by now. We look at Triple Whale to both drill down at an Ad Set level but also view attribution from a 30k viewpoint. As part of our media mix model, we do layer in post-purchase survey data and feel that's been a very successful 1-2 combo. So thinking not only about the attribution legitimacy of PPS but also the learnings you can glean from very strategic questions asked post-purchase.

3. How are you managing your mental health as a founder?

Establish non-negotiables. I've learned that I'm a morning person and I do my best work in the early mornings. So I craft my schedule around that too. This allows me time to be action-oriented vs. feeling like I just 'went through the motions by day's end.

4. What is your dream Huron collaboration?

Liquid Death doesn't miss. I love all of their collaborations. Yeti would be a terrific one, too.

5. If you were starting from scratch as a DTC founder, where would you allocate 90% of your capital?

This is a bit category-dependent. But where I wouldn't park that capital is traditional paid channels without a strong creative pipeline. So perhaps thinking about small budgets/retainers across a number of creators in various channels — YouTube, TikTok, etc. *But* it's important to develop organic relationships first. If you have the ability to sample product first — personal care, f&b, etc. — do it. These conversations become less transactional and the content reflects it.

Learn how Triple Whale can level up your ad performance like Huron