Nik Sharma sold his agency Sharma Brands for a reason most people miss, and now he's building entire DTC brands using only AI, from ads to assets. In this episode of What's Working Podcast, Nik breaks down the exact move that led him to sell Sharma Brands through a reverse RFP process, why he wanted a blank slate going into January, and how he went from running one of the most recognized DTC agencies to becoming Chief Growth Officer at Lunar Solar while quietly launching an AI first brand holdco on the side.
He walks through launching a health and wellness brand using nothing but AI, covering static ads, UGC, copywriting, and design briefs, including what happened when they finally commissioned a real photo shoot. Nik introduces the concept of the creative supply chain, the idea that brands don't fail because of bad products or poor media buying, but because they run out of creative to feed the machine. He explains every format of creative a brand needs, how to build an endless supply behind it, and what most agencies get wrong. The conversation also covers whether services still have a real moat in an AI world, why taste is the only durable advantage left, how he's validating new brands for under $150K before scaling, and what he learned from watching brand incubators raise millions and still fail.
Nik also shares his personal brand strategy, why he's most bullish on Twitter and YouTube, and what he'd do differently building a personal brand from scratch today. If you're running an agency, building a DTC brand, or figuring out where AI fits in your business in 2025, this episode is essential. Nik Sharma is a DTC operator and former founder of Sharma Brands, now Chief Growth Officer at Lunar Solar.
Key Takeaways:
- AI is a tool, not a replacement for "taste": While AI is democratizing software and automating lower-level tasks, human taste and strategic direction are becoming the ultimate moats for both brands and agencies.
- The "Creative Supply Chain" is the biggest growth bottleneck: Brands trying to scale from $50M to $100M usually don't fail because of a bad product or bad media buying—they fail because they haven't built a system to constantly generate a diverse, never-ending supply of ad creatives.
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Production & Scaling Partners:
- This video is fully edited and produced by Content Forge. Need DFY YouTube organic for your brand or full-service editing for your YouTube channel? Get a free consultation here: https://getcontentforge.com/
- Need help launching or scaling your brand on TikTok Shop? Book a free consultation with Zain at: https://zainith.agency/
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:34 - Who Is Nik Sharma?
01:31 - Why He Sold His Agency
04:17 - His AI Wake-Up Call
05:13 - Do Services Still Have a Moat?
07:42 - Launching a Brand With Just AI
08:39 - What Categories He's Building In
12:10 - The 70% Ads Budget Future
13:06 - AI Video Ads That Actually Work
15:12 - The Creative Supply Chain Explained
18:01 - Will AI Kill Jobs?
21:29 - How to Build a Personal Brand Today
23:47 - Twitter vs YouTube vs LinkedIn
27:31 - The Holdco Model
32:35 - Where to Follow Nik
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