This proposal is for Julia at Epi-Pals.
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Confidential
Epi-Pals × Headwinds
A medical accessory with personality — and a brand that deserves to be built right. Here’s how we do it together.
Prepared for Julia, Founder — Epi-Pals · April 2026
Why This One’s Different
I don’t take on many new clients. I’m selective — partly because the work I do requires real commitment, and partly because I’m about to have my first daughter. Life is changing.
But when Imali told me about Epi-Pals, I looked it up and immediately understood what you were building. Not a pouch. A brand. One that solves a real emotional problem for allergy families in a way that nobody else has managed to do. The Peanut Pup gets it right.
I’ve spent over a decade launching, building and scaling DTC brands. I know what the first twelve months can do — in both directions. I also know that the brands that get it right from the start are the ones that don’t have to undo bad foundations later.
This proposal is built around where Epi-Pals is today: with real momentum, pre-orders already coming in, and a founder who knows what she’s building. I’ve structured it so you can start where it makes sense, move at a pace that works for you, and scale up the partnership when the revenue justifies it.
No pressure, no oversell. Just a clear plan from someone who wants to see Peanut Pup in every allergy kid’s bag.
The Epi-Pals Opportunity
The Product
Peanut Pup — a plush carrier for EpiPens and Auvi-Q auto-injectors. $45 MSRP ($40 pre-order), 6.5×3”, insulated lining, secure closures, clear medical window. Ships May 2026. Single SKU, MVP launch.
The Positioning
“A medical accessory with personality.” Removing fear and stigma from allergy management. The kid will actually want it with them. The teacher won’t lose it. A parent can throw it in the diaper bag without thinking.
The Traction
Pre-order revenue already coming in. Funding raised (and more in progress). Shark Tank has been in touch. Founder-led IG growing organically. The product is proving itself before launch.
The Category
Fragmented. No dominant brand. PracMedic, Allergy Apparel — none have built meaningful brand equity. The emotional positioning is wide open. This is a genuine first-mover opportunity.
The Infrastructure
Shopify confirmed. Clean, professional early site. No reviews app yet, no subscription layer, no email lifecycle in place. The foundation is there. The growth infrastructure needs to be built alongside launch momentum.
The Audience
Allergy parents, caregivers, kids and teens with epinephrine prescriptions. An audience that is deeply passionate, highly community-driven, and underserved by the existing product landscape.
What Needs to Happen Now
The first year makes or breaks a brand at this stage. Here’s what the current state looks like — and what the right launch infrastructure delivers.
- Clean Shopify store, conversion infrastructure still to build
- No email lifecycle — no welcome series, no abandoned cart recovery
- No Meta ad account setup or pixel in place
- No reviews strategy (social proof critical at launch)
- No UTM or attribution framework
- Pre-order momentum building, but no retention engine in place yet
- Strong founder story, but no structured content strategy
- Shopify optimised for conversion from day one
- Klaviyo lifecycle in place before the first order ships
- Meta Pixel, CAPI, and campaign architecture ready for paid acquisition
- Reviews flow configured to capture social proof from pre-orders
- Full UTM framework so every channel is trackable from launch
- A retention engine that turns a first buyer into a community member
- Senior strategic input on positioning, offers, and growth priorities
The brands that win in this category won’t be the ones with the best product. They’ll be the ones with the best community. The Peanut Pup has the emotional hook — the launch infrastructure is what turns that into a sustainable business.
Scope of Work
Everything is grouped across the launch foundation (one-time) and the ongoing advisory partnership.
Shopify Audit & CRO
Full store review: PDP, cart, checkout, navigation. Friction removed, trust signals installed, pre-order flow optimised. Reviews app configured with a post-purchase request sequence.
Klaviyo Infrastructure
Account setup from scratch. Three core lifecycle flows: Welcome Series, Abandoned Cart, Post-Purchase. Segmentation architecture built to support future product lines from day one.
Paid Media Setup
Meta Business Manager, Pixel, Conversions API, UTM framework, and campaign structure. Launch-ready ad account built to Headwinds standards. Ready to spend from day one.
Launch Campaign Plan
Day-zero campaign architecture across Meta and email. Creative brief, hook angles, audience strategy, and first 30-day cadence mapped out before a single dollar is spent.
Strategic Advisory
Bi-weekly strategy calls with Julia. Async support between calls. Monthly written review covering performance, learnings, and the next 30-day plan. Imali coordinates day-to-day.
Full Growth Operations
Meta ad management, weekly Klaviyo campaigns, creative production, monthly performance deck. Available when the business is scaling and needs full execution. Activated on your timeline.
Investment
Built around the stage of the business. Start with what’s needed now. Add more when the revenue justifies it.
Launch Foundation
Get the house in order before launch. A finite, high-value engagement with no ongoing commitment.
- Shopify audit & CRO fixes
- Klaviyo setup + 3 core flows
- Meta Pixel, BM & CAPI
- UTM & tracking framework
- Launch campaign architecture
- Brand messaging review
- Reviews app & request flow
- Handoff doc & 90-day plan
Growth Advisor
Senior strategic brain without the full agency overhead. The right fit for where Epi-Pals is right now.
- Bi-weekly strategy call
- Monthly written review
- Async Slack & email support
- Quarterly deep-dive deck
- Creative direction & feedback
- Channel allocation guidance
- Vendor & tool recommendations
- Imali as day-to-day point
Growth Partner
Full execution. For when the launch works and it’s time to press on the gas. Everything in Tier 02, plus:
- Everything in Growth Advisor
- Meta ad management (≤$5K spend)
- Weekly Klaviyo campaigns
- Monthly creative pack (×2)
- Weekly performance reporting
- Product launch coordination
- Audience & retention strategy
- Quarterly creative refresh
Launch Foundation + 3 months of Growth Advisor
This gets the brand launched properly and gives Julia senior strategic input through the critical first quarter — without over-committing or locking into capacity the business doesn’t need yet. Imali coordinates day-to-day so the time investment on Julia’s end stays lean. Upgrade to Growth Partner when the numbers say it’s time.
Why Headwinds
A decade of building and scaling DTC brands on Shopify. Here’s what that looks like.
Scaled
Since 2013
ROAS Delivered
Worldwide
That first brand (Caribou Nutrition, which later became Posted Protein) scaled to seven figures within three years and was exited in 2020. Everything that followed was built on the same foundation: structured thinking, lean teams, and relentless focus on what actually moves the needle.
Launched as a live case study for Tom’s audience. $0 to $200,000/month in three months. Now with 150,000+ personal alarms shipped worldwide and a loyal community of women who carry one everywhere.
A UK craft spirits brand expanding into the US market. We led the US commercial build — DTC, wholesale, and retail.
Built from the ground up — product ideation, manufacturing, brand identity, DTC, and retail. Two years in and still going. The kind of partnership that only works when the operator is genuinely embedded in the business.
$0 to $1M+/month within six months of launch. Now doing $2M last month with a subscription business built from scratch. A category leader in under a year — with no prior brand equity and no shortcuts.
The First 6 Months
Kick-Off & Foundation
We start immediately. Shopify audit underway, Klaviyo account live, Meta Business Manager configured. Kick-off call to align on priorities, messaging, and what launch success looks like for you. Given you’ve already got pre-orders and momentum, we’re building alongside a live business — not starting from scratch.
Store Overhaul & Launch Prep
Core flows live in Klaviyo. Pixel and CAPI verified. Store conversion improvements implemented — PDP, cart, checkout tightened up so every visit is working harder. Launch campaign architecture finalised. Reviews app in place and request sequence ready. Everything built and QA’d before Peanut Pup ships.
Launch & Learn
Peanut Pup is shipping. First real purchase data coming in. Bi-weekly strategy calls to review what’s working and what to double down on. First monthly written review delivered. Klaviyo flows optimised against live open and conversion data.
Optimise & Scale
Ad account battle-tested. Reviews flowing. Email list building. Cohort data shaping acquisition strategy. Decision point: is the business ready for Growth Partner (full execution), or does Growth Advisor remain the right fit?
Q4 Preparation
Back-to-school is a natural window for allergy families. BFCM planning begins. If Growth Partner is active, full execution kicks in here. If not, strategic advisory drives the planning and Julia’s team executes. We scale up when you’re ready — not before.
Next Steps
Simple. No lengthy onboarding process, no stack of contracts. Just a conversation and a green light.
Imali Chislett
Imali is the connective tissue between Julia and the Headwinds team. She knows the brand, she knows Tom, and she’s worked closely with both for years. Every question, update, and request goes through Imali first — so nothing falls through the cracks and Julia is never chasing someone down. Fast, reliable, and she genuinely cares about the outcome.
Tom Brown — Headwinds
Tom owns the strategic work. Every call, every review, every piece of direction comes from Tom directly — not a junior or an account manager. He’s been building and scaling DTC brands on Shopify since 2013, has taken brands from zero to seven and eight figures, and brings that full depth of experience to every client he works with. You get the person who built the process.
Adam Brown — Headwinds
Adam brings 10+ years at Jansy and Berlin Packaging — one of the world’s leading product design and manufacturing firms. He knows the packaging, manufacturing, and IP world inside out, and has an extraordinary network across retail and operations. For a product brand like Epi-Pals, that’s a serious asset.
Ready when you are
If this feels right, let Imali know and we’ll get a kick-off call in the diary. We’ll agree on start date, scope, and payment schedule — and then we get to work. The goal is to have everything in place before Peanut Pup ships in May. That’s a tight window, but a doable one if we move quickly.
Questions? Ask Imali and she’ll get Tom on it same day.
Epi-Pals is one of those rare early-stage brands where the product, the story, and the timing are genuinely aligned. The category is open, the founder knows what she’s building, and the first twelve months are everything. We’d be proud to be part of it.