Guiding Ethical Growth for D2C Brands | Caleb Madsen from Mad House Consulting

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Alright everybody, welcome to today’s episode of Pathmonk Presents. Today we are joined by Caleb Madsen, founder and CEO of Mad House Consulting. Caleb, welcome to the show.

Caleb Madsen: It’s great to be here. Thanks for having me.

Rick: Of course. So Caleb, let’s get right to it. Tell us about Mad House Consulting—what’s the heart of what your company does?

Caleb Madsen: I’ve been dabbling with the idea for a while, but officially launched back in March. The main idea is that I don’t believe most companies need a full-time growth marketer or CMO. With modern AI and automation, many brands—especially in that $5–10 million range—think they need a senior leader, but often that’s not the right fit.

There’s a reason the CMO is the most turned-over role in the C-suite. I think part of it is founders hiring someone who isn’t the right fit, but also brands jump into marketing before getting their foundations right. Things like having a solid product, good website, and proper team structure matter more than your marketing team.

So my pitch is: I bring clarity within the chaos. I step into companies for 5–10 hours a week, help guide strategy at a fraction of the cost, and operate on a month-to-month basis. I’m upfront and transparent—if I’m not the right fit, I’ll say so, and I’ve already referred clients to other consultants who were more action-oriented. I believe it pays off in the long term.

Rick: Integrity always pays off. You might lose that client in the short term, but if they need someone at your level later, they’ll come back. And even if they don’t, they’ll refer others.

Caleb Madsen: Absolutely. That’s already happened—a few referrals have come from people I turned away. Just treat people well and it comes back around.

Rick: Great philosophy. Which types of businesses or industries do you enjoy working with the most?

Caleb Madsen: The nice part about consulting is trying out different industries. But I’ve found that I really enjoy DTC—direct-to-consumer. My background is mostly in beauty, fitness, and clothing. I’ve always worked at parent companies managing multiple brands, so the shift to consulting felt natural.

Rick: That variety must help with cross-learning. Let’s talk acquisition—how do your clients typically find you, and how do your clients acquire their customers?

Caleb Madsen: For me, it’s mostly word-of-mouth referrals. If you treat people well and connect them with others, they return the favor. I’ve done little to no marketing myself.

As for my clients, being DTC, they use the full media mix: social, paid search, email, SMS—you name it.

Rick: Makes sense. How important is the website in their business? What’s working well in your experience, and what usually needs fixing?

Caleb Madsen: The website is critical. I’ve worked with brands that had a weak website or poor product—throwing marketing dollars at that is just a leaky bucket. The website is the first thing I assess. If it’s bad, I tell them to fix that before spending more on marketing. You won’t scale a 1–2% conversion rate.

Rick: Do you follow a framework or tactic when evaluating websites?

Caleb Madsen: Honestly, simplicity. People overcomplicate things—fancy menus, too many options. One brand I worked with had 5–6k SKUs and a super complex nav. We simplified it down to basics: men’s, women’s, bestsellers. Conversion jumped 30–35% instantly. Every extra click reduces conversion. Don’t make people think—just show them a great product.

Rick: Paradox of choice—it’s real. Okay, switching gears. What does a typical day look like for you now that you’re running your consulting business?

Caleb Madsen: Right now, lots of onboarding—getting access, setting things up. I offer two tiers of service: one where I act as a true CMO and another where I’m more of a thought partner.

So my day varies: mostly Slack conversations, client calls, giving feedback, doing research. I love the people side of the job—engaging with clients, solving problems, working on fun projects.

Rick: Love that. Let’s talk about staying sharp. With all the noise out there, how do you keep learning and growing?

Caleb Madsen: I’m not a big fan of LinkedIn lately—it’s become a lot of AI talk and fluff. I prefer Reddit. It’s raw, real, blunt conversations. No one is trying to impress. I also use ChatGPT a lot for ideation and research. Those two are my main go-tos.

Rick: Agreed. Reddit feels more human. Okay—rapid fire time! For concise questions, give us concise answers. Ready?

Caleb Madsen: Let’s do it.

Rick: Reading or watching?

Caleb Madsen: Watching.

Rick: Latest piece of content you watched that stuck with you?

Caleb Madsen: The Money Guy Show. I watch it constantly—great for personal finance.

Rick: If you had a magic wand and could fix one frustrating thing in your business, what would it be?

Caleb Madsen: Everything outside of the actual work—admin, business setup, all the backend stuff.

Rick: One repetitive task you’d love to put on autopilot?

Caleb Madsen: Reporting—typing out notes and updates.

Rick: If you could go back and give your past self a pep talk, what would you say?

Caleb Madsen: Stay patient and focus on the long game.

Rick: Love it. Caleb, thanks for being with us today. Final question—if someone forgets everything from this interview, what’s the one thing they should remember about the work you do at Mad House Consulting?

Caleb Madsen: Ethical consulting. I want to help people and treat them right.

Rick: Beautiful. And where can people find you?

Caleb Madsen: LinkedIn—Caleb Madsen. Or my website: madhouseconsulting.co. I didn’t get the .com—it was going for 50 grand, and I’m not paying that.

Rick: Absolutely not! Thanks again, Caleb. Hope to see you again soon.

Caleb Madsen: Thanks so much.

Rick: Bye everyone.