In this episode, our guest shares how his men’s underwear company grew to 8-figures using Amazon, TikTok Live, Shopify, Reddit, product drops, and a customer-driven brand strategy.
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In this episode, Bradley Sutton sits down with Jared Mortensen, founder of Real Men Apparel Company. Jared’s journey is anything but traditional. After growing up in a small town in Southern Utah, spending 20 years in aerospace, and later helping scale an e-commerce pet product company, he made an unexpected leap into men’s underwear. What started as a niche product idea became an eight-figure brand built around solving an underserved problem in men’s apparel: better fit, comfort, and size inclusivity.
Jared shares how he used research, Amazon reviews, and Helium 10 tools to identify a specific customer pain point and launch into a highly competitive category dominated by billion-dollar brands. Instead of immediately competing for broad keywords like “men’s underwear,” he focused on long-tail keywords, underserved customer segments, and highly specific product benefits. Real Men Apparel Company hit $1 million in sales within its first calendar year, eventually growing to $8.5 million in 2025 across Amazon, Shopify, and TikTok. Jared also explains how a 40% return customer rate, strong branded search, and memorable branding helped the company gain momentum in a crowded market.
A major focus of the episode is Jared’s unique TikTok Live, Shopify, and Reddit strategy. TikTok Live began as a necessity during a serious cash crunch in late 2023, but it quickly became one of the brand’s most powerful growth engines. Jared explains how going live with just an iPhone, ring lights, and a simple setup helped save the business, generate fast cash flow, and create a major halo effect on Amazon and Shopify. He also shares how the brand uses TikTok content across Meta, builds email and SMS lists, works with over 2,000 affiliates, and uses live streams to build a loyal community where customers interact directly with the founder and even influence future products.
Jared also breaks down how his Reddit strategy has become a long-term brand-building and AI search play. Rather than creating a subreddit focused solely on his own brand, he built a broader men’s underwear review community where customers, competitors, and shoppers can discuss products openly. He explains how this transparency builds credibility, drives high-intent traffic to Shopify, and helps position the brand in conversations that may influence future AI recommendations. The episode closes with Jared’s plans to grow from $11 million to $12 million in annual sales, expand Shopify, continue weekly limited-product drops, and deepen supplier relationships. For Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Shopify sellers, Jared’s story is a reminder that, even in a crowded category, the right niche, product, community, and content engine can create a brand customers keep coming back to.
In episode 746 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Jared discuss:
00:00 - Introduction
02:36 - Discovering Amazon Selling And The E-Commerce Opportunity
04:34 - Finding An Underserved Niche In A Competitive Apparel Category
07:29 - Using Keyword Research And Reviews To Validate Product Demand
09:18 - Hitting $1 Million In Sales And Learning From Early PPC Mistakes
10:50 - Why Long-Tail Keywords Helped The Brand Compete Against Big Players
13:16 - How Product Quality And Repeat Customers Drove Growth
15:09 - Sales Channel Breakdown Across Amazon, Shopify, And TikTok
18:01 - Building Shopify Through Branded Search, Meta Ads, Email, And SMS
20:24 - Using Reddit As A Community, Credibility, And AI Search Strategy
26:44 - How TikTok Live Became A Major Sales And Cash Flow Engine
34:13 - Practical TikTok Live Tips For E-Commerce Sellers
41:16 - Using Limited Product Drops To Drive Urgency, Margins, And Repeat Sales
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