Start a Wholesale Channel Setup Service for DTC Brands

1. 1

   Master the wholesale plumbing on a real brand first

   Partner with one willing brand (discounted or free) and build their whole wholesale layer: B2B pricing in their e-commerce platform, a wholesale marketplace profile, a line sheet, and their first net-terms policy. You will hit every real decision (MAP policy, exclusivity requests, sample programs, shipping minimums) and come out with the case study that sells every engagement after it.

2. 2

   Package the engagement as a fixed-scope launch

   A defined deliverable list: wholesale pricing architecture (tiers, minimums, margin math that keeps retail partners profitable without gutting the brand), platform configuration for B2B buyers (accounts, catalogs, payment and net terms), marketplace setup where it fits the brand, the retailer onboarding kit (line sheet, terms sheet, ordering instructions), and a handoff session. Fixed fees in the low-to-mid four figures fit the value; hourly pricing undersells the expertise.

3. 3

   Do the margin math with brutal honesty

   Wholesale works when the unit economics survive roughly half of retail price going to the retailer; some DTC brands are structurally unready and the honest engagement starts by saying so. A readiness assessment (COGS, packaging, fulfillment costs at case quantities) as a small paid front-end filters clients and positions you as the advisor, not the order-taker.

4. 4

   Configure net terms and risk like an operator

   Net-30 expectations are standard in wholesale, and unpaid invoices are the classic new-brand wound. Set up the client's terms policy (who qualifies, credit checks or trade references, deposit rules for first orders, payment platform tooling) and document the collections cadence. Protecting the client from their first bad account is worth the whole fee, and they will tell other founders about it.

5. 5

   Add the growth retainer for clients who want more

   After launch, an optional monthly retainer covers retailer outreach lists, marketplace optimization, trade show prep, and quarterly pricing reviews. Keep it genuinely optional; the fixed-fee launch is the product, and a retainer forced on every client turns you back into the agency model this business deliberately avoids.

6. 6

   Fish where DTC founders complain about ads

   Founder communities, e-commerce podcasts and newsletters, platform-partner directories, and the comment sections where every thread about ad costs fills with 'we should do wholesale.' A teardown-style lead magnet (what a wholesale-ready brand has that yours might not) converts the aspirational into booked calls. Complementary agencies (email, retention, fulfillment) refer happily because you do not compete with their retainers.

Do not take our word for the money. Put your own numbers in and see what this idea has to earn before it works. Free, instant, no account needed.

Best for: An e-commerce operator or sales-minded freelancer who has touched wholesale from either side

Not for: Someone with no wholesale or e-commerce operations experience, because the value is operator knowledge you cannot fake. It is also not for anyone who wants recurring-retainer income by default; this is deliberately a high-value one-time setup with an optional retainer.