In this episode of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Bryan Kinghorn and Eric Bidinger sit down with Anthony Mink, Founder & CEO of Live Bearded, to explore how one of the fastest-growing men's grooming brands is entering its next chapter with AI at the centre of every major business decision.

Anthony shares the journey from launching with just 500 units to building a business generating more than $1 million in monthly revenue, driven by community, exceptional customer relationships, and relentless execution. But the conversation quickly moves beyond the origin story to explore how AI is fundamentally changing the way he operates the company.

One of the biggest revelations came from letting AI analyse the business end-to-end. The data uncovered an unexpected insight: the strongest predictor of customer lifetime value wasn't purchase frequency or average order value—it was product category diversity. That single discovery is now reshaping Live Bearded's retention strategy, post-purchase experience, and customer journeys.

Anthony also shares how he's building his own AI co-founder—training AI on his business context, leadership style, and decision-making framework to accelerate strategy, marketing, and execution across the organisation.

If you've been wondering how AI moves beyond content generation and becomes a true operating advantage, this conversation offers a practical blueprint from a founder already putting it into practice.

You'll learn:

• How Live Bearded scaled from a startup to a $1M/month e-commerce brand
• Why customer acquisition alone is no longer enough for sustainable growth
• The surprising metric that had the biggest impact on customer lifetime value
• How AI uncovered hidden growth opportunities inside the business
• How to redesign post-purchase experiences using AI-driven insights
• What it takes to build an AI co-founder trained on your business
• How AI is helping founders make faster, better decisions across every function

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, automation, and data are changing the way businesses grow—and how today's leaders are creating the next generation of competitive advantage.

Connect with Anthony Mink

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonymink/

Learn more about Live Bearded

https://livebearded.com

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1