Brandless Has a New Owner, and a New Mission. Can It Save Itself?It was a once-hot company with a bad business model, like many of its direct-to-consumer peers. Now it's back as a quieter company focused on slower growth. Is this what DTC needs?

Not many people know the name Ryan Treft. That's just fine with Ryan Treft.

"I don't plan on hitting the speaking circuit," he says. "I'd rather be behind the scenes." It's served him well so far. Treft has been behind some great direct-to-consumer success stories — stories you also may never have heard of because they didn't get much press and weren't awash in investor money. But they made money. Lots of it. Which was the point.