$6 Overseas Support Workers

A strategy for running a lean DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) business by leveraging overseas customer service as the first key hire, followed by strategic operational hires.

Core Structure

• Start as solo founder initially
• First hire: Overseas customer service ($6/hour)
• Second hire: Additional customer service rep
• Third hire: Operations person for supply chain

Real Example Referenced

• Native Deodorant founder operated solo until:
  • Reached $5-10M in revenue with just himself
  • Then made first customer service hire
  • Kept extremely lean operations

Benefits

• Minimal headcount needed
• No office required
• Can outsource fulfillment to 3PL
• Ability to scale revenue significantly before adding headcount

Key Insight

This model allows for significant revenue generation with minimal overhead and team size, making it an efficient approach to running a DTC business. The founder can maintain control while growing through strategic, minimal hiring.