How Jim Lee of Crunch Labs Turns Curiosity Into Connection And Retention
I sat down with Jim Lee, president of Crunch Labs, live at Recharge’s ChargeX LA, to talk about something every brand leader should care about: how you build a product that kids and parents actually want to stick with.
If you’re not familiar, Crunch Labs is the creator-led subscription company started by Mark Rober (yes, the NASA engineer and YouTube icon behind the glitter bombs and squirrel obstacle courses). It’s now a multimillion-subscriber brand that sends kids monthly build kits but what they’re really building is confidence, creativity, and that “I made this” magic.
In this convo, Jim and I got deep on what it really takes to retain subscribers (spoiler: it’s not a fancy funnel). We talked about how creator-led brands can scale without losing that original spark, why smart org design beats siloed team drama every single time, and the surprisingly powerful parenting psychology behind Crunch Labs’ off-the-charts retention. Trust me, there’s a reason families stick around.
Content Doesn’t Convert Without A Plan
Jim put it simply: views ≠ revenue.
Mark Rober has 65M+ YouTube subscribers and over 1B monthly video views across platforms but Crunch Labs didn’t bet everything on content. They built a funnel. They turned curiosity into commerce with monthly boxes that extend the YouTube magic into real-life, hands-on learning. And it’s not just a channel thing, it’s a mindset.
“If you don’t complete the funnel and get them into a newsletter or a product, you’re just stacking vanity metrics.”
— me, probably on a soapbox somewhere
Retention Starts At The Blueprint
They didn’t treat retention like a post-launch problem. It was baked in from day one.
Every Crunch Labs box comes with a gear badge and a wooden diploma that kids fill over time. It’s not just cute, it reinforces learning, shows progress, and gives both kids and parents a reason to stay excited. That’s experience-driven retention. That’s how you keep customers (not just acquire them).
Creative And Ops In The Same Room
One of my favorite takeaways: Crunch Labs runs weekly “circle meetings” where social, creative, CX, and ops come together to actually talk. Wild concept, right?
At Feast Bowls, we did the same, eight scrappy team members, no silos. I was a retention and CX, but I still sat in supply chain meetings. Why? Because the best brands make sure every team speaks the same language. Otherwise, marketing says one thing and CX delivers another.
Building Voice That Scales
Here’s the challenge for any creator-led brand: how do you bottle the creator’s voice and spread it across every touchpoint?
Crunch Labs brought in a creative writer from Hollywood. They didn’t just punch up a copy, they translated the vibe. From websites to FAQs, everything hits the same notes as Mark’s videos. And it works.
Whether you’re a YouTuber, a CPG upstart, or a legacy brand trying to be cool again, your voice needs to show up everywhere, ops included.
Dual-Audience Brands Need A Double Win
Crunch Labs serves two audiences: kids (the end user) and parents (the buyer). So the experience has to win on both fronts. Kids get entertainment and confidence. Parents get peace of mind that it’s educational and screen-free.
It’s kind of like piano lessons but with glitter bombs and coding robots.
What Good Retention Really Looks Like
Jim dropped some stats that honestly made me do a double take, Crunch Labs has over 100K active subscribers and they’re still growing. Their retention? Best-in-class. We’re talking industry-envy levels. They’ve shipped millions of boxes to curious kids across the country, and here’s the kicker: every time a new YouTube video goes live, they see a 10-day spike in new subscribers. Wild.
That’s what happens when product, content, and brand work in sync.
The Most Overlooked Growth Lever? Real Consumer Insights
Crunch Labs doesn’t guess. They science their way through the business.
They partnered with Northwestern’s Kellogg School to run deep-dive ethnography studies not just surveys or NPS, but hour-long conversations to understand the “why” behind behavior. That data doesn’t just sit in a doc. It fuels product design, content, and strategy.
What’s Next: Curriculum, Not Just Kits
This part gave me goosebumps: their next big move is a free science curriculum for schools, full of diversity, hands-on learning, and Mark Rober-level joy.
It’s not a side project. It’s a full team, a multi-year roadmap, and a plan to outlast the creator that started it all.
“You’re creating a brand that outlives the creator.”
— Jess
