Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Chris and Jake Yap were two weeks from shutting down Lifely. A billion-dollar retailer had copied every product they launched and sold them for one tenth the price, then put it in the news - buy this coffee table from us for $499, or from them for $49. They'd burned their business savings, their personal savings, and taken out personal guarantee loans chasing speed. Jake was telling his wife he wasn't sure he could make rent. Then in those two weeks they made one switch that changed everything: instead of testing designs, they started testing problems. Little Lifely launched last October, grew 30% compounding month on month, went worldwide in the same month it launched, and now spends around $600,000 a month on Meta.
In this interview, Chris and Jake break down the exact testing framework that found their winning product, why they killed 700 SKUs to bet everything on one, and how they built an internal AI agent that runs across their entire company.
What you'll learn in this interview:
• The switch from testing designs to testing problems - and why it saved the business in two weeks
• How they turned $10 wireless chargers off Alibaba into $300K cash in their first year
• The Abundance Framework: testing up to 1,000 designs a week before ever committing to production
• Why fast-fashion-style furniture drops became a vicious discount cycle that nearly killed them
• How suppliers with 60-day payment terms effectively became their investors - and the relationship approach behind it
• The 60 ROAS launch: what happens when you actually solve a real problem
• Why they now welcome copycats - and how being 4-5 years ahead on the roadmap makes competitors into free marketing
• Why they launched worldwide in the same month instead of proving one market first
• "Australia is small and hard, the US is big and easy" - the contrarian take on market selection
• Caesar: the company-wide AI agent living in their Slack that their team used to build an entire ERP system from scratch
If you're running a DTC brand, drowning in SKUs and discounts, or trying to figure out how to find the one product worth betting everything on, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about focus, product testing, and what it takes to come back from the brink.
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend using the code FOUNDR50.
Start here → your.omnisend.com/foundr
SAVE 95% ON XERO FOR 6 MONTHS
Simplify your business finances with 95% off Xero for your first 6 months.
Start here → foundr.com/xero
WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS? Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → foundr.com/operators
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER Learn directly from 7, 8 and 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial → foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
Starting from scratch? Apply here → foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
Already have a store? Apply here → foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan
CONNECT WITH LIFELY
Instagram → instagram.com/lifelyhome
LinkedIn →linkedin.com/company/lifelyhome
Website → https://lifely.com.au/
CONNECT WITH JAKE YAP
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/jake-yap
CONNECT WITH CHRIS YAP
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/chris-yap-185964198
0:00 Two Weeks From Shutdown to a $30M Brand
2:07 Buying a $10 Charger and Flipping It on eBay for $39
5:03 Why They Quit Electronics for Furniture
9:20 Suppliers as Investors: 60-Day Terms and Preorders
13:08 Testing 1,000 Designs a Week
16:03 Becoming the Zara of Furniture
17:37 The Discount Death Spiral
19:20 Copied by a $1B Retailer Selling at One Tenth the Price
21:10 Trying to Outrun Them — and Burning Everything
22:32 "I'm Not Sure I Can Pay Rent This Month"
23:24 Two Weeks to Save the Company
24:26 Stop Testing Designs. Test Problems
25:39 The Pain Point That Won: Kids Getting Bruised
27:22 The Showroom Moment That Changed the Product
30:22 60 ROAS on Launch Day
32:35 What to Do When Facebook Stops Working
33:40 Betting the Whole Company on One Product
35:30 Going Worldwide in the Same Month
36:12 "Australia Is Small and Hard. The US Is Big and Easy"
38:02 The Fake Door 2.0 Framework for New Countries
39:43 $600K a Month on Meta
41:04 One Problem, One Product, One Bet
44:33 Staying Five Years Ahead of Copycats
45:54 Caesar: The AI Agent Running the Company
50:00 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → bit.ly/2uyvzdt
Website → foundr.com
Instagram → instagram.com/foundr
Facebook → facebook.com/foundr
Twitter → twitter.com/foundr
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/foundr
Podcast → foundr.com/podcast
Chris and Jake Yap were two weeks from shutting down Lifely. A billion-dollar retailer had copied every product they launched and sold them for one tenth the price, then put it in the news - buy this coffee table from us for $499, or from them for $49. They'd burned their business savings, their personal savings, and taken out personal guarantee loans chasing speed. Jake was telling his wife he wasn't sure he could make rent. Then in those two weeks they made one switch that changed everything: instead of testing designs, they started testing problems. Little Lifely launched last October, grew 30% compounding month on month, went worldwide in the same month it launched, and now spends around $600,000 a month on Meta.
In this interview, Chris and Jake break down the exact testing framework that found their winning product, why they killed 700 SKUs to bet everything on one, and how they built an internal AI agent that runs across their entire company.
What you'll learn in this interview:
• The switch from testing designs to testing problems - and why it saved the business in two weeks
• How they turned $10 wireless chargers off Alibaba into $300K cash in their first year
• The Abundance Framework: testing up to 1,000 designs a week before ever committing to production
• Why fast-fashion-style furniture drops became a vicious discount cycle that nearly killed them
• How suppliers with 60-day payment terms effectively became their investors - and the relationship approach behind it
• The 60 ROAS launch: what happens when you actually solve a real problem
• Why they now welcome copycats - and how being 4-5 years ahead on the roadmap makes competitors into free marketing
• Why they launched worldwide in the same month instead of proving one market first
• "Australia is small and hard, the US is big and easy" - the contrarian take on market selection
• Caesar: the company-wide AI agent living in their Slack that their team used to build an entire ERP system from scratch
If you're running a DTC brand, drowning in SKUs and discounts, or trying to figure out how to find the one product worth betting everything on, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about focus, product testing, and what it takes to come back from the brink.
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend using the code FOUNDR50.
Start here → your.omnisend.com/foundr
SAVE 95% ON XERO FOR 6 MONTHS
Simplify your business finances with 95% off Xero for your first 6 months.
Start here → foundr.com/xero
WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS? Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → foundr.com/operators
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER Learn directly from 7, 8 and 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial → foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
Starting from scratch? Apply here → foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
Already have a store? Apply here → foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan
CONNECT WITH LIFELY
Instagram → instagram.com/lifelyhome
LinkedIn →linkedin.com/company/lifelyhome
Website → https://lifely.com.au/
CONNECT WITH JAKE YAP
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/jake-yap
CONNECT WITH CHRIS YAP
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/chris-yap-185964198
0:00 Two Weeks From Shutdown to a $30M Brand
2:07 Buying a $10 Charger and Flipping It on eBay for $39
5:03 Why They Quit Electronics for Furniture
9:20 Suppliers as Investors: 60-Day Terms and Preorders
13:08 Testing 1,000 Designs a Week
16:03 Becoming the Zara of Furniture
17:37 The Discount Death Spiral
19:20 Copied by a $1B Retailer Selling at One Tenth the Price
21:10 Trying to Outrun Them — and Burning Everything
22:32 "I'm Not Sure I Can Pay Rent This Month"
23:24 Two Weeks to Save the Company
24:26 Stop Testing Designs. Test Problems
25:39 The Pain Point That Won: Kids Getting Bruised
27:22 The Showroom Moment That Changed the Product
30:22 60 ROAS on Launch Day
32:35 What to Do When Facebook Stops Working
33:40 Betting the Whole Company on One Product
35:30 Going Worldwide in the Same Month
36:12 "Australia Is Small and Hard. The US Is Big and Easy"
38:02 The Fake Door 2.0 Framework for New Countries
39:43 $600K a Month on Meta
41:04 One Problem, One Product, One Bet
44:33 Staying Five Years Ahead of Copycats
45:54 Caesar: The AI Agent Running the Company
50:00 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → bit.ly/2uyvzdt
Website → foundr.com
Instagram → instagram.com/foundr
Facebook → facebook.com/foundr
Twitter → twitter.com/foundr
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/foundr
Podcast → foundr.com/podcast
