From Corporate to CEO: Scaling a Femtech Supplement Brand Across 8 Markets

Episode overview

Anina Kistner, CEO of Bears With Benefits — a Germany-based beauty supplements brand — shares what it takes to lead a bootstrapped DTC brand through international expansion, from Germany to Italy to the US, while keeping the business profitable at every step.

What's covered:

• Stepping into the CEO role and bridging startup culture with corporate discipline
• What McKinsey taught her about collaborative problem-solving (and what she had to unlearn)
• Why in-office culture matters for creative, fast-moving DTC teams
• International expansion playbook: how to choose your next market and test it cheaply
• Regulatory challenges in supplements across the EU and US markets
• Why retention is the only path to profitability when acquisition costs keep rising
• Breaking even on the first order by design — and converting customers into habits
• Tech stack: Shopify Plus (8 market-specific stores) + Klar for attribution and data
• Partnering with complementary brands vs. competing ones
• AI in content, dev workflows, customer service, and operations
• Goals for 2026: new website theme, US expansion, and broader retail presence

Key insights:

• Supplements are a retention business by nature — it's about changing daily routines
• Data-driven daily decisions beat monthly campaign reviews every time
• Dream big, but improve incrementally — every team member should feel their impact daily

Perfect for DTC founders navigating international expansion, supplement brands building retention models, and anyone transitioning from corporate into startup leadership.