The 'Slowth' Protocol (Strategic Deceleration)
by Laura Modi • CEO & Co-Founder at Bobbie
Laura Modi is the CEO and co-founder of Bobbie, the only female-founded and mom-led organic infant formula company in the US. Previously, she spent over five years at Airbnb, where she served as Director of Hospitality, leading global host community operations.
🎙️ Episode Context
Laura Modi shares her journey from Airbnb executive to disrupting the highly regulated infant formula industry. She discusses the counterintuitive strategy of 'Slowth' (slowing growth to survive), how to build a modern DTC brand by prioritizing content over commerce, and the operational secrets behind manufacturing momentum in a startup.
Problem It Solves
Managing a supply-side crisis where demand exceeds inventory, threatening the reliability of the service for existing customers.
Framework Overview
A counterintuitive growth strategy where a company deliberately halts new customer acquisition to preserve inventory for existing subscribers. This prioritizes Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and trust over short-term revenue spikes.
🧠 Framework Structure
Inventory Loyalty: Prioritize supply ...
Radical Transparency: Communicate the...
Repurpose Growth Teams: Pivot acquisi...
When to Use
When facing supply chain disruptions, product recalls, or when rapid scaling threatens the core quality of the user experience.
Common Mistakes
Hesitating to turn off the 'growth faucet' due to fear of lost revenue, resulting in churning both new and existing customers.
Real World Example
During the 2022 US formula shortage, Bobbie's customer base doubled in a week. Realizing they would run out of stock in 6 days, they shut down their website to new customers for 6 months to guarantee supply for their 70,000 existing subscribers.
We are depleting inventory far quicker than our ability to replenish... We need to turn off our site and stop growing the business.
— Laura Modi