The Brand Building Podcast

In this special Thanksgiving episode, I wanted to slow things down and simply say thank you. This is the busiest and most stressful week of the year for anyone in e-commerce and it has been that way for me for almost sixteen straight Black Fridays. It is long nights, constant changes, nonstop pressure, and a level of expectation that only founders, operators, and agency teams truly understand.
But Thanksgiving has always been the one moment inside all that chaos where I take a breath and reflect. It is a day grounded in gratitude, presence, and shared meals with the people who matter most.
In this episode I share what I am most thankful for this year. My incredible Bread Loaf team who shows up every single day. Our brand partners and clients who trust us during the most important revenue window of their entire year. And my family, especially my wife, whose support makes this crazy season possible.
I talk about the reality of working in e-commerce during BFCM, the history of why Black Friday mattered so much for retail, and how every offer, every campaign, every flow, and every late night is done to help brands hit their goals and finish the year strong.
This episode is a reminder to pause and acknowledge the people, the opportunities, and the moments that make all of this worth it. I hope it inspires you to take a few minutes today to reflect on what you are thankful for as well.
Wishing you and your loved ones a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving.

In this episode I am breaking down one of the most misunderstood and overlooked parts of retention marketing. Email deliverability.
Email used to be simple. You set up an ESP, write a calendar, launch a few campaigns, and revenue shows up. That world is gone. Between iOS changes, Google and Yahoo protocol updates, and rapidly evolving inbox rules, email deliverability has become one of the most important and most complex levers in all of e-commerce.
And as we head into 2026, any brand that does not fully understand deliverability is risking the entire channel.
In this episode I walk through the core fundamentals every operator must know. The protocols, the DNS setup, the importance of a dedicated IP, and why verification across every app matters more than ever. I also break down the tools and processes we use at Bread Loaf when auditing hundreds of Klaviyo accounts each year and why nine out of ten brands we see are struggling with deliverability without even knowing it.
We go deep on list cleaning, list management, how to protect your IP reputation, how to monitor ISP performance, and how to use Klaviyo deliverability scores, Google Postmaster, and segment level reporting to fix issues before they become disasters. I also share why spam traps are one of the biggest hidden threats in e-commerce retention and how list hygiene solves that problem.
If you run email for your brand or your clients, this episode gives you the clear blueprint for understanding deliverability and maintaining a healthy, profitable channel.If you are preparing for 2026, this is the one topic you cannot afford to ignore.
The episode is live now and I hope it gives you clarity on how to approach email the right way.

In this episode, I am sharing something deeply personal and easily the most life changing experience of my entire life.
Two weeks ago, my wife and I welcomed our baby girl, Sienna Rose, into the world. It has been emotional, overwhelming, and completely magical, and it happened right in the middle of the busiest season of the year for me, my clients, and my agency.
This is not just a new dad update. It is a perspective shift for operators, founders, brand owners, tech partners, and agency leaders everywhere. Because nothing prepares you for how becoming responsible for another human being instantly changes your relationship with time, priorities, and ambition.
In this episode I talk through what the final weeks before the birth looked like, what those first forty eight hours in the hospital taught me, and the truth about how much time you truly waste before you have children. I share what cluster feeding looks like during Q4 and how running an agency through it has forced me to operate with a level of focus I did not know I had.
Most importantly, I explain how fatherhood has already become the greatest motivator of my life. It is pushing me to level up in business, in my health, in my relationships, and in how I operate each day. There is a different kind of purpose that comes from knowing you are now providing for a little human who depends on you.
I recorded this on a quiet Sunday evening while Sienna slept because when your available time becomes limited, your intensity and clarity increase in ways you do not fully understand until it happens.
If you are a founder or operator who does not have kids yet, this episode may give you a perspective you did not know you needed. If you already have kids, you will probably relate to every word.
This is the most meaningful episode I have ever filmed, and I hope you enjoy it.

After months of setbacks, broken engines, and bad service, Mark finally got his 28-foot Boston Whaler running—and in the process, learned a powerful lesson about business: cutting corners with the wrong partner always costs more in the long run.
This episode dives into why cheap talent, fast timelines, and unrealistic promises destroy more projects than anything else - and why Bread Loaf’s clients keep coming back after learning that lesson the hard way.

Episode Description:
In this episode of The Brand Building Podcast, Mark Milutin breaks down one of the biggest updates Klaviyo has rolled out in years - the brand-new Instagram integration powered by Gatsby.ai.
For the first time ever, brands can now collect email and SMS subscribers directly from Instagram comments and DMs - no Zapier, no broken APIs, no compliance headaches. Just native, first-party data collection inside Klaviyo.
Mark dives deep into:
How Klaviyo’s acquisition of Gatsby.ai changes the game for DTC list growth
Why traditional pop-ups are losing effectiveness (and what to do instead)
The exact flow of how IG comment-to-DM automations work
How this unlocks a new “Blue Ocean” for eCommerce brands to grow faster
Real stats on why consumers are 3x more likely to engage via DM than the web
Why the brands that move first on this integration will win big in 2025
If you’re serious about growing your email and SMS lists, this is the episode you don’t want to miss.
👉 Learn more about Bread Loaf and schedule your Klaviyo audit:https://retention-lab.com/
👉 Read more about the Klaviyo Gatsby Acquisition: https://www.klaviyo.com/newsroom/gatsby-acquisition

In this episode of the Brand Building Podcast, Mark Milutin (Founder of Bread Loaf) breaks down why pre-sales are one of the most dangerous traps for modern DTC brands—and why he absolutely hates them.
From diluted launches and spiked return rates to broken marketing funnels and lost momentum, Mark shares firsthand experiences from real clients and the brutal downstream effects pre-orders have on performance metrics like CAC, conversion rate, and retention ROI.
If you’re running fashion, footwear, or premium products in the DTC space—and think pre-sales are a shortcut to early revenue—this episode is your wake-up call.
Learn why true product launches drive FOMO, community hype, and 7-figure hours
Discover how pre-sales sabotage your paid and retention teams
Hear what the top-performing Bread Loaf brands are doing instead

The game has changed — creative alone won’t save your brand in 2025. 
In this breakdown of Klaviyo’s KBOs 2025 event, I share the biggest takeaways shaping the future of e-commerce and retention marketing. 
From AI-driven automation and multi-channel orchestration to WhatsApp integrations and real-time data insights — this is where the industry is heading.
If you’re a Shopify brand, an agency operator, or just obsessed with growth, this episode is your roadmap to staying ahead.
✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 
🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 
Check out my FREE $4,000 Brand Retention Audit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_tywPkNcqY&t=43s 

Klaviyo just dropped a game-changing WhatsApp integration — and it’s about to completely transform how brands retain customers globally. 🌍
In this video, I break down exactly how Klaviyo’s WhatsApp feature works, why it’s a massive unlock for international DTC brands, and how to build and monetize your WhatsApp list the right way.
✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 
🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 
Check out my FREE $4,000 Brand Retention Audit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_tywPkNcqY 

What if your entire marketing and support team ran on AI? 🤯In this video, I break down Klaviyo’s brand new AI Agents — the Marketing Agent and Customer Agent — and show you how they’re completely redefining what it means to automate your email, SMS, and customer experience.
You’ll learn:🚀 How Klaviyo’s AI Agents actually work (and what they can do)💡 Real examples of how brands are using them right now⚠️ The top 3 mistakes people make when turning on AI in Klaviyo🔐 How to safely adopt AI without losing control of your brand voice
If you use Klaviyo, you need to understand what’s coming — this update will change how every marketer operates.
✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 
🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 
Check out my FREE $4,000 Brand Retention Audit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_tywPkNcqY 

What if you could run your entire email marketing operation just by talking to AI? 
In this video, I’m breaking down Klaviyo’s brand-new MCP Server integration with Claude AI — what it is, how it works, and why it’s about to completely change how we run campaigns.
If you’re using Klaviyo or Shopify, this is one you don’t want to miss. 
✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 
🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02