Show Notes
Welcome to the very first episode of the Chain Social podcast!
We are kicking off the series by stripping back the glossy facade of digital marketing and giving you an honest look at who we are, how we got here, and why we’re finally launching this show.
In this pilot episode, hosts Shelby Van Zwol (Founder & Director) and Adele Elliott (Digital Director) share their unconventional career journeys, the reality of building a fully female-founded, non-toxic agency, and why most startup brands fail before they even get off the ground.
We're not here to give you generic "inspiration"- we’re here to give you the exact, data-backed strategies moving the needle right now.
Episode Timestamps
00:00 – Why another marketing podcast? Cutting through the noise to deliver real value.
01:12 – Meet the hosts: Adele’s journey from big agency land to L'Oréal, Retail Zoo, and landing her dream gig at Chain Social.
02:57 – Shelby’s story: Selling sand sculpting events, getting fired from retail jobs, and building Chain Social from a 23-year-old’s side hustle into a decade-long powerhouse.
07:27 – The reality of agency land: Being an early adopter, standing out in an unregulated market of 9,000+ agencies, and Preferred Partnership with Meta.
11:12 – The Chain Social ethos: Managing 23 brilliant women with zero corporate toxicity, and leaning heavily into the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle niche.
18:04 – Our Podcast Mission: One non-negotiable piece of tangible advice per episode, and making Meta and TikTok a lot less scary.
21:14 – Legendary client parties, flying in Peking Duk, and building a community-led show.
28:00 – The Quick-Fire Deep Dive: The biggest mistakes startups make (hint: it's product bias and blowing your budget too early).
33:39 – How to properly test product-market fit without burning $300k on stock.
36:50 – The Ultimate Controversy: Why you probably shouldn't hire an agency yet, and when your brand is actually ready to scale.
41:22 – Pros and cons of Agency vs. In-house marketing (and why the "Jack of all trades" employee is a myth).
44:56 – Outro & how to get in touch with us via our Meta-backed handles.
Key Takeaways From This Episode
1. Ditch the Product Bias
Don't ask your mum and friends to praise your idea. Ask them to pick it apart. If your only unique selling points (USPs) are "aesthetic packaging" and being "vegan," you aren't ready for a saturated market.
2. The 95% Budget Trap
Getting a product ready for market is 95% of the battle, but too many founders spend 95% of their capital just getting to the starting line. Save your money for creating brand demand and attention - Meta ads aren't a magic tap you can just turn on with zero baseline brand awareness.
3. Don't Hire an Agency Yet!
If you aren't turning over $30k to $50k a month, keep the cash in your business and learn the platforms yourself. You need a proven product and proof of concept before an agency can effectively scale you into the multi-millions.
Connect With Us:
Instagram: @chainsocial
Instagram: @chainpod
More from Chain Pod
Welcome to episode two of our New York City takeover, recorded straight from the Meta Agency Summit. 🗽
If they didn't buy during your November sale, why would they buy the week after at full price? In our final Black Friday episode, Adele and Shelby unpack the post-sale hangover, and what to do when sales fall off a cliff after BFCM.
Creative is more than half the outcome on Meta, and in November every feed looks the same. Adele runs through the Black Friday creative types that keep winning: simple offer statics with your logo on them (yes, your logo), cart screenshots showing the savings, text message exchanges, founder and employee content, pack an order with me, and creator content like unboxings, try-ons and demos. Meta is pushing paid partnership ads harder than ever, so if they're not in your mix, you'll fall behind.
If your Black Friday strategy starts in November, you're already behind. Adele breaks down the runway that actually decides your sale. September is for testing creative motivators, targeting, campaign types and bidding strategies. October is for building a high-quality audience while shoppers hold out, and November is your Super Bowl, where you stop testing and scale.