Introduction
In this interview, we dive deep into the Josh Snow business strategy that took his company, Snow, from a simple idea to a nine-figure oral care empire. Josh shares his incredible journey, from building his first website as a teenager to selling a software company at 21, and ultimately disrupting the dental care industry. He also provides invaluable insights on navigating business during a crisis, the power of building a real brand versus dropshipping, and his unique approach to marketing and sales funnels. This is a masterclass in resilience, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurial grit.
Founder Success Story QnA
How did you get your job?
I truly did stumble into what I’m doing and entrepreneurship in general. Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor to make money and help my family. I’m the youngest sibling, and my brothers and sisters didn’t have the opportunity to go to university. I come from very modest means. I stumbled into entrepreneurship out of necessity. When I was 13 or 14, I wanted to buy my own stuff, not because I wanted a Lamborghini, but because I didn’t want to be a burden to my parents. Nobody would hire me at that age, so I was stuck. I spent time at the library because we didn’t have a computer or internet at home. I started reading books, including the “For Dummies” series on how to build websites. I started building a few little websites and blogs, and I was blown away that people started commenting from all over the world. Once I found out I could make money from it by building websites for other people, it all kind of clicked. That set the domino effect for everything I’m doing today, running multiple brands.
How many brands do you own and operate?
I’m obviously known for Snow, the internet’s most popular oral care brand. We’ve worked with all kinds of celebrities and that brand has really taken off. It’s a refreshment in a dormant category. Today, I own and operate primarily two businesses: one in financial wellness and personal finances, and the other in oral care. Those are the two main ones. I’ve also been fortunate to invest and advise in lots of other brands.
What was your software company that you sold at twenty-one?
I started a service-side business building websites and then moved into design and programming. I built a sentient agency and made my first million dollars around 17. I realized the unique part of our business was the software I had built in the background to automate a lot of the media planning and distribution, particularly through the Google Display Network. I built the software after I accidentally overspent a client’s budget by $40,000-$50,000 because Google’s algorithm wasn’t always showing ads in the most relevant places. My software would aggregate websites and create banner ads with specific language based on the article’s context to prevent brand damage. I sold that software by using it as a unique differentiator and a sales tool, eventually selling it to the resellers who were marking up our services.
How long have you been running Snow and are you a nine-figure business?
Yes, we are a nine-figure business. The first inkling of Snow started probably about six years ago. I bought the domain name and wrote out my vision on a whiteboard, but my business partner at the time didn’t jive with it, so I put it aside. About two years later, around four or five years ago from now, I had jaw surgery. While I was recovering, I was looking at all the oral care products I had and thought they were ugly. I wondered why oral care couldn’t be exciting with better flavors and ingredients. That’s when I hit up my dentist, orthodontist, and oral surgeon to help me get into the teeth whitening space, and that was the beginning of turning Snow into a real business.
In the current times with COVID-19, how have things going? Have you been affected?
The first seven to ten days, our conversion rate was cut in half. People were still visiting the website—we have about a million to a million and a half shoppers a month—but they just weren’t buying. It made sense; everyone was in shock and stocking up on essentials, not thinking about whitening their teeth. I was worried if it lasted a long time. But then we changed our messaging. We reminded people we’re still shipping, offered a 25% off site-wide sale, and announced we’d donate a percentage of proceeds to help small businesses affected, and later to Feeding America. We shifted our message to, “If you’re going to be at home, you might as well whiten your teeth and come out of this smiling.” That combination of urgency, discount, charity, and empathy clicked. Over the last several days, we’ve had incredible sales days, better than normal.
Do you have an element of recurring revenue and subscription with the refills?
Yes, we just launched toothpaste in pre-order, which will be a subscription product. Mouthwash will also be a subscription product. We’ve also just added subscriptions to all the products our customers wanted to subscribe to, like the lip balm, lip scrub, floss, and the whitening refills. The average customer is refilling every three to six months, closer to the six-month range. Toothpaste is every two to four months. By the end of this year, about half of our revenue will probably be coming from recurring customers.
What’s your take on recurring revenue for ecommerce businesses right now?
Right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty, so the more certainty you can provide on your website and in your ads, the better. You also want to be sensitive to what’s going on. If you’re still shipping, let people know clearly. We opened up our phone lines and live chat because we want to be there for customers. Recurring subscription income is the only thing you should be focusing on right now. Profit cures all in a business, and recurring revenue is key. Not every business plays well to subscription, but the premise is retaining customers. You have to step up communication through email, SMS, or even phone calls. If you’re an ecommerce business and it makes sense, you should be running all your advertising to a subscription offer. Try to build a Netflix or Amazon Prime in your business. Too many businesses are Facebook ad-dependent and single-product dependent. If I told you to pause all your Facebook ads for 90 days and your sales would go to zero, you don’t really have a business. You’ve got to diversify and build recurring income.
Have you cut back on discretionary costs like influencer marketing, or are you getting more aggressive with ads?
We have pulled back on influencers. We’re looking at every expense, down to the software and water bottles. If anything isn’t driving the bottom line right now, we’re cutting it or putting it on pause. In terms of Facebook ads, costs across the board—Facebook, Google, Snapchat—have dropped about 30% for us, as high as 50%. So, we are tripling down. We’re pushing really hard. April could be a $10+ million month if CPCs stay low. People are at home and on desktop more, so conversion rates are higher. We’re using this time to push our message, get in front of people, and build our retargeting pools and email list for when they feel ready to buy. It’s a great opportunity to build your list and take advantage of essentially a 30% discount on advertising.
What is your take on entrepreneurs who feel self-conscious about selling or profiting during this crisis?
You want to be sensitive to it, but you also have an obligation as an entrepreneur to continue to drive value if you’re actually helping your customers. A brand is built by what you say no to. You have to choose your moral and ethical compass. Ask yourself: if the New York Times did a story on what you did during this time, would you be proud? If you have a decent business, it’s your obligation to stay in business and continue to do right by your customers. We opened up free returns and free shipping. I told our customer support team to give refunds if someone just changes their mind, because that money means differently now. We also put our products on payment plans with 25% off and zero interest to meet customers where they’re at. People are at home, they want to feel confident on Zoom calls, and they can’t go to the dentist. We’re trying to be there for them. Customers have good memories; they’ll remember if you go above and beyond.
What is your take on dropshipping versus building a brand?
Dropshipping is a great arena to learn how to run ads, write copy, and do customer support. It’s a great learning ground. But you have to break away from it. From day one at Snow, we haven’t dropshipped. Everything we’ve created is from scratch. I was shipping every package myself in the beginning, driving to the post office. I designed the first website, wrote the first copy, and called the customers from my cell phone. I did that because it’s a principle; it’s all I know. Dropshipping is like hunting rabbits, and building a brand is like hunting elephants. Hunting rabbits you can do by yourself, it’s exciting, and you feed yourself for the day. Hunting an elephant requires skill, strategy, and a team, but you can feed an entire village. That’s a more powerful skill. I got tired of hunting rabbits; I got exhausted. I decided I want to hunt elephants.
What is your take on using Shopify versus a sales funnel for ecommerce?
In my experience, a funnel converts way better for any product. A lot of ecommerce founders just go straight to Shopify, which baffles me. Unless you’re a serious brand like Louis Vuitton, you’ve got to court your potential customer. You don’t walk up to someone and say, “Let’s go to bed.” You build rapport first. A funnel allows you to do that. Most ecommerce entrepreneurs are throwing people right into a product page, which is like a car salesman throwing you into a minivan when you came in for a sports car. A funnel takes cold traffic and tells a story. For example, an advertorial about “one weird trick to boost your confidence” that leads into talking about your smile. Or even better, quiz funnels. We ask them questions like, “Do you drink coffee or smoke?” and then recommend a specific product based on their answers. This customization, even if hacked at first, gives you a 3x higher conversion rate. You can’t propose to strangers on the street; you have to take them on a date first. Funnels are the best way to do that.
Talk to me about influencers. Which Kardashians have you worked with?
We’ve had Khloé, Kim, Kylie, and even Caitlyn post. We’ve had pretty much the whole family share our products, except for Kendall and Rob, and Kourtney hasn’t posted. As far as I know, they actually use our products, which is a testament to the quality we built.
When you work with these big celebrities, what are you looking for? What’s the goal?
The way we look at influencer marketing now has changed. You’re either our customer, in which case it’s free to get you to post, or you’re a small influencer we’re paying $50 to $500. We’re paying for content that we can reuse on our website and in ads, or because you fit a look we’re going for. Everyone in the middle, say 500,000 to 10 million followers, we’re probably not looking at unless you’re nationally or internationally recognizable. The value of an influencer post is really around brand equity. If a Kardashian or Nicki Minaj posts, I’m leveraging that in retail. I can go to a retailer and say, “Did you know so-and-so posted us?” and all of a sudden, they want to work with me. If you think you’re going to spend $100,000 on a celebrity post and make that money back directly, it’s just not going to happen. Influencer marketing is really just expensive trophies for the most part. Focus on what’s profitable first, like Facebook ads. Once you have enough money and your goal is to be a globally recognized brand, then you can do those deals.
Any parting words of wisdom?
Chase difficulty. Adversity sharpens diamonds. What’s going on in the economy right now is an opportunity. Step back, take a pause, look at what you’re doing, and stick to your guns. If you have to shut something down, shut it down. From the ashes, you will rise. I’ve had more failures than I’ve had successes; that’s just how it works. You have to be willing to make hard decisions right now, cut costs, and if you can keep selling, double down on advertising if it makes sense. This is a perfect opportunity to learn difficult skills. Whether it’s media buying, web design, or packaging design, you can learn it. I believe in you. Now is the time to push yourself to go and learn those things.
Where’s the best place people can find out more about yourself and your work?
The best place to find me is on Instagram at @Josh Snow. Snow is on Instagram at @Snow (S-N-O-W), and the website is trysnow.com.
Josh Snow Business Stats
Josh Snow has built Snow into a dominant player in the oral care industry, achieving nine-figure annual revenue through a combination of innovative products, masterful marketing, and a strong brand identity. Here are some key stats that highlight the scale and success of his business strategy.
- Achieved nine-figure annual revenue status.
- Grew from a simple idea to a global brand in about 6 years.
- Ads seen by over 90 million people annually.
- Averages over 1 million monthly visitors to the website.
- Goal is for 50% of revenue to come from recurring subscriptions.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Annual Revenue | Nine-Figures (e.g., $100,000,000+) |
| Monthly Website Visitors | 1,000,000 – 1,500,000 |
| Year Founded | ~2014 |
| Primary Market | Oral Care / Beauty |
| Key Differentiator | Brand Aesthetic & Efficacy |
Josh Snow Method
\p>The core of the Josh Snow business strategy involves a relentless focus on building a long-term, defensible brand rather than chasing short-term wins. His method combines a deep understanding of customer psychology with aggressive, data-driven marketing tactics.- Chase Difficulty: Intentionally enters tough, mature markets to find unique opportunities.
- Build a Real Brand: Focuses on creating a product and aesthetic people are proud to associate with, rejecting dropshipping.
- Court the Customer: Uses sales funnels and quizzes to tell a story and build rapport before asking for the sale.
- Leverage Influencers for Equity: Uses high-profile celebrities for brand credibility and retail leverage, not just direct sales.
- Focus on Recurring Revenue: Prioritizes subscriptions and customer retention to create a stable, predictable business.
Josh Snow Tools
Josh leverages a powerful stack of modern marketing and e-commerce tools to execute his strategy. He emphasizes using technology to automate processes, gather data, and create a seamless customer journey from initial awareness to repeat purchase.
- Shopify: The core e-commerce platform for processing transactions and managing the online store.
- Sales Funnels (ClickFunnels, etc.): Crucial for converting cold traffic by telling a story and customizing the user journey.
- Facebook & Google Ads: Primary channels for customer acquisition, especially when CPMs are low during economic downturns.
- Email & SMS Marketing: Essential for customer retention, promoting recurring subscriptions, and driving repeat sales.
- Quiz Funnels: A specific type of funnel used to gather customer data and provide personalized product recommendations.
Key Notes
The conversation with Josh Snow reveals several core principles that any entrepreneur can apply. These notes summarize the most critical takeaways from his journey and his approach to business, especially in challenging times.
- During a crisis, double down on advertising if costs are low and your business model supports it.
- Building a brand (hunting elephants) is more sustainable than dropshipping (hunting rabbits).
- Never send cold traffic directly to a product page; always use a funnel to build rapport and value first.
- Recurring revenue is the lifeblood of a resilient e-commerce business.
- Use major influencers for brand equity and retail leverage, not for direct response campaigns.
Get Started in Just 5 Steps
Inspired by the Josh Snow business strategy, here is a simplified 5-step guide to help you start building your own impactful brand, even from scratch.
- Find a Real Problem in a ‘Boring’ Market: Look for stagnant industries where you can offer a refresh in design, experience, or quality, like Josh did with oral care.
- Build a Brand, Not Just a Store: Invest in creating a unique identity, quality products, and packaging that people are proud to use and share.
- Implement a Sales Funnel: Create a simple funnel (a story page or a quiz) to warm up cold traffic before sending them to your Shopify store.
- Focus on Customer Retention: From day one, think about how you can bring customers back. Offer subscriptions or excellent customer service to build loyalty.
- Be Aggressive When Others Are Fearful: When advertising costs drop during an economic downturn, it’s time to increase your spend and capture market share.
Conclusion
Josh Snow’s journey from a teenager learning to code at the library to the founder of a nine-figure company is a powerful testament to what’s possible with resilience, strategic thinking, and a refusal to settle for easy wins. His business strategy of building a defensible brand, leveraging funnels, and focusing on recurring revenue provides a blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs. By embracing difficulty and viewing crises as opportunities, Josh has not only built a successful business but has also created a brand that resonates with millions worldwide.