Operators Series: Recent Episodes
Casey Armstrong
Join us every Wednesday at 1pm CT as we sit down with ecommerce founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, marketers, supply chain managers, and the technology experts that help them grow.
Learn more: www.shipbob.com
After graduating in 2015, Hagan turned down an offer with Tesla Motors to pursue Glo full-time. After some early success with Glo Cubes, a mother reached out to share how the product had helped her autistic son overcome his fear of water. The story influenced the development of the Glo Pals a product that engages children in sensory exercises and brightens bath time. Today, you can find Glo products in more than 1,400 stores across the USA and Canada.
We're sitting down with Hagan to learn about the aha moment that sparked his brand's purpose. Today, you can find Glo products in more than 1,400 stores across the USA and Canada. We're also joined by Rocky Brody from Freightos, answering all your freight questions at a time of unprecedented supply chain disruption.
Topics Discussed in This Episode
- How Glo got started
- How the Glo Pals product helps kids with autism
- How long Hagan was interning at Tesla
- How Hagan divided his time between promoting different companies
- How Hagan has approached restaurants and bars about Glo Cubes
- Glo Pals’ first retail partner
- The mix of volume that gets moved through different retailers
- How many Sesame characters Glo Pals has
- How Glo’s manufacturing works
- How Glo navigates bulk ordering
- When in the Glo journey Hagan realized the company needed redundancies on the manufacturing side
- How Hagan came across Freightos and how his company uses it
- How Freightos helps facilitate the journey
- Trends in shipping pricing and timing
- Whether or not it makes sense to manufacture in the US
- How people decide on which quote to book
- Transparencies in cost and time
- How Glo is preparing for the holiday season
- The revenue split in BTC vs. retail
- Fun marketing initiatives
- Number one tip for entrepreneurs
Related Links
Hagan Walker
Anthony Orisses started the lifestyle brand RARE CUT in the middle of COVID, when remote work was decimating apparel sales. Using an entrepreneurial mindset, Anthony quickly surpassed $50,000 in sales within the first 30 days of going live.
We’ll learn the secrets behind his launch, his commitment to local craftsmanship, and what’s next as the world goes back to in-office work and live events.
We'll also hear from the CEO of Arka, Phil Akhzar, on how brands can leverage branded and unbranded eco-friendly packaging solutions to drive loyalty and post-holiday retention.
Topics Discussed in This Episode
- What Anthony’s inspiration was
- How Anthony achieved Kickstarter success
- How Anthony is getting the word out about his brand
- The hardest lessons about what would actually work
- Early horror stories in the founding of Arka
- Anthony’s favorite pocket squares
- How Anthony sources designs
- Anthony’s network of manufacturers
- Rare Cut’s packaging
- What Arka is all about
- The catalyst to start Arka
- The biggest misconceptions brands have about companies like Arka
- Holiday shopping and shipping
- Interesting and innovative ways people are starting Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales
- Number one advice for entrepreneurs and founders
Related Links
Anthony Orisses
Rare Cut
Phillip Akhza
Arka
In 2016, Curt Nichols started Glade Optics as a side project while working at a market research firm. As he helped consumer-facing companies navigate the shift from physical to digital stores, he saw brands unlock massive returns by applying DTC principles to highly commoditized product categories. In this episode, we're chatting with Curt to learn how he launched Glade and grew it from a seasonal business into a year-round leader in mountain gear, using targeted community outreach, deep customer insights, and targeted post-purchase upsells.
We'll also hear from the CEO of CartHook, Emily Foreman, on how brands can replicate these post-purchase offers to collect untapped revenue and drive higher AOV.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- How Curt started Glade Optics
- How Curt got the manufacturing process started
- The seasonality of Curt’s business
- Why Curt decided on goggles
- What a partnership looks like in Curt’s industry
- How the Glade Optics catalog has evolved
- How to drive a strong customer experience with CartHook
- How CartHook uses credit card information
- The impact of the iOS update
- How Curt utilizes CartHook connections
- The biggest failure on post-purchase expenses
- The biggest lessons learned in using CartHook
- How people use CartHook to increase order value
- How launching sunglasses has helped even out sales through the year
- Lead time between new products
- Number one advice for other brands
Resources:
Curt Nichols
Glade Optics
Emily Foreman
CartHook
How can brands give back? In today’s episode, we’ll be looking at a brand that has managed to build and expand while promoting and improving its social responsibility. You’ll hear from Neil Callahan, president of Greats, as well as Ronny Sage, CEO of ShoppingGives. Listen in to hear what they have to say about new value propositions, fast shipping, and supporting organizations that have a positive impact on the environment.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- Neil’s skate park
- Neil’s journey to Greats
- The difference between being involved with a brand and running a brand
- The difference in value propositions
- How the brand’s approach shifted when the brand went online
- Whether Greats went off in new directions as things shifted online
- The Greats impact fund
- How Greats and ShoppingGives figured out what organizations to support
- Where Greats does their manufacturing
- Navigating shipping
- How marketing has evolved in the last year or so
- How to approach building a following
- How brands utilize ShoppingGives
- Tips for today’s entrepreneurs
Resources:
Neil Callahan
Greats
RonnySage
ShoppingGives
It’s fairly well known that military spouses must move often, but have you ever thought about how difficult that makes it for those spouses to find stable employment, let alone achieve any entrepreneurial dreams they may have? Lisa and Cameron, both military spouses themselves, wanted to do something, not just for themselves, but for other military spouses as well.
That was the genesis of R. Riveter, a company that creates handbags that are handmade by US military spouses working from home – wherever home happens to be. Listen in to hear from Lisa and Cameron about their vision and process, as well as from Oliver Galang of Shoelace who explains what Shoelace does and how it helps businesses like R. Riveter.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- How Cameron and Lisa founded R. Riveter
- How many times Cameron and Lisa have moved
- The first products Cameron and Lisa created
- How R. Riveter got their first few customers
- How long Cameron was the one sewing everything
- The process of the remote riveters making the bags
- What’s included when someone buys a handbag
- Rosie the Riveter’s story
- What was most beneficial long-term from appearing on Shark Tank
- Whether products are created on-demand or stored
- The catalyst to jump over to Shoelace
- What Shoelace does
- Where Shoelace starts with a brand like R. Riveter
- The most common mistake companies make when they sell on Facebook and Instagram
- Whether Oliver thinks things are back to normal post-pandemic
- How R. Riveter is driving demand outside of Facebook and Instagram
- Navigating the flagship store during COVID
- Whether R. Riveter plans on doubling down on the retail store
- How R. Riveter came to be on QVC and what that entails
- Where R. Riveter is buying raw materials
- Must-haves R. Riveter uses for technology
- How to use digital to amplify word of mouth
It’s not uncommon to see clothing intended for another demographic and think, “why don’t they make that for me?” RomperJack did just that – rompers are already a common fashion choice for women, but RomperJack offers rompers made for men – and now they let male and female groups coordinate their outfits thanks to their new sister store, RomperJill.
In today’s episode, you’ll hear from RomperJack founder and CEO Justin Clark, as well as Adam from Route. Listen in to hear them discuss marketing Rompers through social media, apps, and technology that should be considered by business owners, and whether shipping thefts and losses changed during the pandemic.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: * The catalyst for RomperJack * How long it took Justin to get samples pre- and post-COVID * RomperJack’s audience * Why the decision to start RomperJill * Marketing rompers from a social media perspective * The blend between organic content and paid marketing * Whether marketing for RomperJack is handled in-house * When Justin sees an influx of business * What platform Justin launched on first * What got RomperJack to start using Route * What Route saw last year during the pandemic * The breakdown of lost, stolen, and damaged packages that Route sees * Whether Route is seeing reductions or slowdowns in package thefts * How to think about the units you start with when you launch a new product * Whether Justin is getting more aggressive in the amount of inventory he’ll order * Apps that RomperJack considers must-haves * SMS uses in sales * Why Justin went with ShipBob * How many fulfillment centers RomperJack started with and what they have now * Where RomperJack ships to * Differences in shipping from the US to overseas * Shipping rules in Canada, Australia, and the EU
Tired, busy people need food too. In fact, they need more food, but they may not have the energy to prepare it. Enter Juspy, which was originally conceived as a kind of formula for moms, and evolved into functional food for busy people.
Listen in to hear from Leonie Lynch, the founder and CEO of Juspy. In today’s episode, you’ll hear how she conceived of her food brand and then adapted it based on the input she received, how she handled the manufacturing and marketing part of the process, and what got her to ShipBob for fulfillment.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- How Leonie ended up as an e-commerce founder
- The catalyst for Juspy
- What the name Juspy means
- The tipping point for Juspy’s first product
- The length of the process of creating the recipe and scaling it
- Revamping the Juspy website
- How Leonie got started on the website
- Examples of where WooCommerce has stood out
- The tipping point that brought Leonie to ShipBob
- Where the individuals buying were based
- How Leonie was attracting customers
- What’s next for Juspy
- Juspy’s new subscription services
- Why Leonie decided to sell on Amazon
- Whether international sales and VAT are easier on Amazon
- Whether Leonie can offer samples to other countries
- Leonie’s number-one advice for entrepreneurs
Resources:
How Juspy Founder Got 50% of Her Time Back by Tapping Into ShipBob’s European Fulfillment Network [Case Study]
Nourish your body inside out with Juspy
Juspy on Instagram
Juspy on Twitter
Juspy on Tik Tok
Get to know the speakers: Leonie Lynch
Are you a morning person? Plenty of people aren’t, but one of today’s guests aims to make everyone a morning person. Tom Mucklow, founder of Aurora Mornings and Superco, needed a healthier way for himself to jumpstart the mornings, and that’s what led to Aurora. Tom is joined by Matt Houlemard from ReCharge, one of the leading e-commerce subscription technologies. Listen in to learn more about Aurora, pivoting from B-to-B to direct-to-consumer, and the subscription model.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: * The origin story of Aurora * Where Aurora is manufacturing * Eye-opening things in pivoting to the direct-to-consumer space * How Aurora handles customer questions and support * Interesting learnings with SuperCo * Why custom packaging was important for Aurora * Who Aurora uses for packing and how they factor the price in * Subscriptions from a macro-level perspective * What percentage of Aurora customers use subscriptions * What ReCharge sees in terms of who has subscriptions * Impact that ReCharge is seeing in terms of expanding lifetime value * How to handle people canceling or wanting to extend the time between subscription * Which part of e-commerce costs the most * The process of choosing ShipBob * How often customers get custom boxes * Considering price points * How to keep track of new and recurring subscribers * What platforms ReCharge integrates with * The theme of an Aurora community * Advice for entrepreneurs
Resources: Shipping Solutions for Health, Beauty, and Wellness Brands
Start your mornings off right with Aurora
On-Demand Shopify Design, Development & Administration with SuperCo
Sustainability is becoming a top priority for fast-growing ecommerce brands. In this special Earth Week episode we're sitting down with two fast-growing direct-to-consumer brands to learn how they integrate sustainability into their product roadmap. We’ll speak to the founders and operators of beauty and wellness brands Herbally and Blue Lagoon Skincare, explore their approach to sustainable product development, and learn how they offset carbon emissions from their supply chain. Plus, you’ll hear from ShipBob’s newest integration partner, Pachama about carbon offsetting.
Listen in to hear representatives from each company discuss going international, strategies and costs for sustainability, and nature-based carbon offset solutions.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- The catalyst behind taking Blue Lagoon online
- What Blue Lagoon is using today from a technology perspective
- Where a majority of Blue Lagoon’s customers are
- The catalyst for Herbaly
- Where a majority of Herbaly’s customers are based
- Herbaly’s process for spreading overseas
- How Blue Lagoon thought about going after the market in different languages
- How digital mediums have helped Blue Lagoon transmit the experience of being there
- How Blue Lagoon has gone after being as sustainable as possible
- Herbaly’s sustainability and decision to use Pachama
- Pachama’s backstory
- Pachama’s focus on forest management
- What happens to calculate carbon offsets during checkout with Blue Lagoon
- Where the cost goes at Herbaly
- How to think about the cost of a solution like Pachama
- Why Pachama focuses on trees
- How Pachama approaches sustainability from a capitalist perspective
- How Blue Lagoon focuses showcasing its sustainability
- Advice from guests
Resources:
How To Make Your Ecommerce Eco-Friendly
ShipB
Would you sleep on a pillow made out of recycled plastic bottles? It’s probably more comfortable than you think, and it may be more eco-friendly than your current pillow. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Tracey Wallace who founded Doris Sleep, as well as Matt Crawford, the GM of shipping at BigCommerce.
In today’s episode, you’ll learn more about using recycled plastic in pillows and why Tracey thinks it’s important for both products and their shipping solutions to be eco-friendly. Listen in to learn about how to encourage higher value orders and repeat business, what the BigCommerce partner program is, and how e-commerce might change in the future.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: * The origin story for Doris Sleep * What was difficult and what was easy about going direct to consumer * Why people would want to buy recycled plastic pillows * How Tracey handles eco-friendly shipping * How people should think about shipping from a margin perspective * How Tracey encourages larger purchases and repeat business * What drew Tracey to BigCommerce * How Tracey handled the process of vetting companies * The BigCommerce partner program and how it works * How to create a connection with customers * Mistakes that Tracey has made * How Tracey manages marketing * How e-commerce might be changing in 2021 * Tips for today’s entrepreneurs
Resources: How Doris Sleep Takes Comfort in Outsourcing Fulfillment & Shipping [Case Study]
Automate BigCommerce order fulfillment with ShipBob
Experience Doris Sleep's sustainable pillow collection
Get to Know the speakers: Tracey Wallace
Matt Crawford
Casey Armstrong (Host)
What’s makes you think about the pandemic and COVID more than hand sanitizer? But the brand that you’ll be learning about today, Touchland, launched their hand sanitizer brand long before anyone had heard of COVID-19.
In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Andrea Lisbona, founder and CEO of Touchland as well as Chris Lavoie of Gorgias. Listen in to hear about how Touchland approached retailers, the evolution of communication mediums that Chris has seen, and what advice each of them would give to new entrepreneurs.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- What Andrea’s catalyst to launch Touchland was
- What made Andrea believe in the hand sanitizer space as a market
- Touchland’s hand sanitizer stations
- When Touchland was officially launched
- How Touchland generated awareness
- How Andrea approached retailers and got their buy-in
- Whether others have tried to copy Touchland’s retail approach
- How Andrea thought about brand awareness before Touchland launched, and the evolution after
- How Touchland has approached customer interaction
- How Chris has seen the evolution of communication mediums
- Whether Touchland has been utilizing SMS
- How Touchland developed the packaging for their hand sanitizer
- How Touchland has leveraged data to find out more about customer behavior
- How much funding was needed to start Touchland and how they approached it
- How Touchland approaches marketing and forecasts how it will drive business
- Shifts in connecting with customers during the pandemic
- What Chris has seen in the evolution of what customers expect
- How Andrea sees Touchland evolving as a brand
- How inventory allocation has evolved over time
- How Touchland approaches new scents
- Mistakes that Andrea made
- What Touchland’s international plan looks like
- Chris’s numb
One way to start a direct-to-consumer business is to solve a problem that you yourself are having – if you’re looking for a product you can’t find, chances are that others are as well. That’s how today’s guest started his business – by creating the plant-based energy shots that he wanted but wasn’t able to find. Listen in to hear from Vincent Bradley, CEO and co-founder of Proper Wild, as he discusses product manufacturing, FDA regulations, and promoting your ecommerce brand out on different sales channels.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- Vincent’s acquisition and how he got into e-commerce
- Accelerating the learning cycle
- How Vincent came up with version 1
- How Vincent approaches FDA regulations
- What people should expect from Proper Wild
- Working out flavors
- Metrics Vincent looked at before launching
- When a subscription option became a must-have
- Where traffic is coming from
- Launching on Facebook and Instagram
- How to prioritize on your channels
- The offer at the bottom of the Proper Wild website
- The five-word ad
- How Proper Wild uses email
- How Proper Wild uses SMS
Resources:
Vincent Bradley
Proper Wild
Have you been looking for good ways to spend time outside with your friends or loved ones? You can only take so many walks or sit on so many park benches, and many people are still being cautious about the pandemic – or enjoying their new habit of spending time outdoors that they learned during the pandemic. Today’s guest is one of the founders of CrossNet, a unique four-way net that allows for a different type of volleyball game. Listen in to hear an interview with Chris Meade, one of the founders of CrossNet, to learn how CrossNet was created, what the patent process was like, and how B-to-B partnerships work.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: * Chris’s favorite surface to use CrossNet * How Chris came up with the idea for CrossNet * Other ideas that Chris came up with * The process of making the first CrossNet * What Chris has seen from a competition standpoint * How the outreach with Facebook works * When CrossNet started the patent process * How COVID affected CrossNet * How quickly the patent was issued * How CrossNet scales * The first channels CrossNet approached for audience building * The product-testing process * How the CrossNet team looks at Spike Ball * The qualitative and qualitative numbers CrossNet Looks at * How CrossNet priced its net * How CrossNet’s B-to-B partnerships work * How selling on Amazon works from CrossNet * What channels work best for CrossNet * The data in SnapChat’s ad platform * How CrossNet made millions on a $60 ad * Networking on LinkedIn * How to segment the messaging for different demos * How the Today Show segment came about * The biggest reason people have not to buy CrossNet * Conversion rate data on afterpay methods
Today’s guest is a man who definitely understands the e-Commerce field and the issues and challenges that surround it. Brent Bellm is the CEO at BigCommerce, and over the years he’s also held key roles at HomeAway, PayPal, eBay, Escalate, and more. Listen in to today’s episode to hear Brent discuss what he’s learned in previous roles that he took with him to BigCommerce, how his approach to business has shifted, and how he defines what his company is doing.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: * How Brent replies to email so quickly * What Brent learned from Escalate and why he thinks the space wasn’t ready at the time * How Brent applied what he learned later in BigCommerce * How Brent identified the mid-market gap * The biggest shift in approaching business at PayPal as opposed to BigCommerce * How Brent’s background helps him at BigCommerce * How Brent has weighed the pros and cons of opening up the market * What Brent’s lessons at PayPal Europe taught him that he’s using at BigCommerce * When Brent decided to go with the traditional model * How BigCommerce convinced investors that other e-Commerce businesses were not a threat * How Brent prioritizes his approach * Brent’s approach to hiring * Balancing each person’s superpower in a group * What is different since the IPO * Brent’s advice for entrepreneurs
Resources: Automate BigCommerce order fulfillment with ShipBob
BigCommerce: Ecommerce for a New Era
Speakers: Brent Bellm
Casey Armstrong (Host)
How do you get noticed in the hair extension space? What does it take to get started and build a community, and how does the word spread about your product? Listen in to today’s episode with Sharon Pak and Jordynn Wynn of INH to find out about how they picked their name, why they decided on wigs in the first place, and what they did to launch, grow, and maintain their community.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- How Jordynn and Sharon came up with the name of the business
- How word spread about Ariana Grande’s products
- What Jordynn and Sharon learned from CoulorPop
- Why they decided on the wig category
- The background of Jordynn and Sharon’s other co-founder
- The biggest lessons learned in going from zero to one
- How to get a community off the ground, then maintain it
- Approaching the different community channels
- Why younger people are moving toward Twitter
- From the first sale to the first million
- How INH’s content is made
- How INH found its first supplier
- How Jordynn and Sharon manage inventory and cash flow
- INH’s approach to hiring
- How INH’s products are named
- What hero products are
- INH’s approach to remote work
- The initial go-to-market approach
- Making personal connections with influencers
- What INH offers influencers
- How INH approaches performance marketing
- Jordynn’s and Sharon’s why
- Jordynn’s and Sharon’s number one advice for new entrepreneurs
Resources: Learn More About Order Fulfillment for Haircare Products
Check out INH
In his last appearance on this podcast, Leo Carrillo III explained what it was like to jump into his new business right before COVID hit. Now, Leo returns to discuss what things have been like for his company since. Listen in to hear about Leo's experiences as an ecommerce founder in the personal care space. He breaksdown how he identified his target market, and secured professional athlete endorsements to grow his brand against all odds.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- What’s been most interesting for Leo over the past four and a half months
- What put Leo in the best position going forward
- Where Leo’s company started from an audience creation level
- The accounts that Leo’s customers follow
- Customers who are spending money on fitness gear
- How Leo’s company puts the creative content together
- How the company got promotions from professional athletes
- How the margin has changed over time
- How Leo thinks about the spend on Facebook ads
- Leveraging traffic to drive repeat customers
- How people use and order Leo’s products
- The impact of Afterpay
- Why you should use SMS
Resources:
Leo Carrillo III
Hair Craft Co.
What’s more unique than yourself? Each person is different, so if you want to stand out from the crowd, maybe you can do it by using yourself as the brand. At least, that’s what today’s guest successfully did. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Vivian Kay of KinkyCurlyYaki. Listen in to hear Vivian discuss how she created her product, how she began generating sales, and how she focused on brand to set herself apart.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- What “Chad” is
- Vivian’s “start it” tweet
- Why Vivian started her business
- How Vivian created the first iteration of her product
- How Vivian got started selling
- How Vivian made her first sale
- Why Vivian niched it
- How Vivian differentiated herself
- How Vivian generated early sales
- How Vivian scaled and how she handled payment processing
- Influencer marketing
- How Vivian has focused on brand to differentiate her product
- How receptiveness has increased with order quantities
- Vivian’s brand ambassador program
- Vivian’s loyalty program
- Staying true to the brand voice through expansion and evolution
- Copywriting brand names
- Vivian’s tips for entrepreneurs
Resources: How to Support Black-Owned Ecommerce Businesses + Resources for All Brands & Consumers
Learn More About Order Fulfillment for Haircare Products
Shipping Hazardous Materials: A Guide to HAZMAT Shipping & Compliance for Ecommerce
KinkyCurlyYak- Handcrafted Textured Hair Extensions Meet the speakers
What are paleo skincare products and why would you use them? Cassandra Burnvoth is the founder and CEO of FATCO, a company that makes beauty products that make paleo-friendly skincare products. Listen in to the interview to hear why FATCO got started, how giveaways can help a business breakthrough, and what the benefits are of having a community like the paleo community behind you.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- What made the reviews tab important for Cassie
- Why Cassie built FATCO
- How Cassie cracked into the community to sell FATCO
- The value of being able to give away free things
- How to handle bad reviews
- Who can write a review
- How to address medical claims in advertising
- How Cassie approached marketing
- Why she wanted “fat” in the name of the company
- Social channels that Cassie uses to drive revenue
- How affiliates drive traffic to the site
- Cassie’s movement from Squarespace
- Partners that allow Cassie to have more time
- Using Canva
- How Cassie continued to get momentum after the first orders
- The launch at Target
- Getting loans
- Why selling on Amazon was important
- Navigating Amazon delays
- What to list on Amazon
- Preparing for Cyber Monday
- How it works with Cassie’s husband as a coworker
- The future of FATCO
- Cassie’s number-one tip for entrepreneurs
Resources:
Cassandra Burnvoth
FATCO
Running an e-commerce business means understanding profitability and how to balance things like cash and profits. This information isn’t necessarily intuitive for most people, so it’s important to pay attention when people who do understand these subjects explain them to you. One of those people is Jay Vasantharajah whose tweetstorms on Gymshark and Nike got a lot of attention and helped inform people. Listen in to hear what Jay has to say about where e-commerce businesses should be putting their focus, how to approach balancing cash vs. profit, and how to think about your supplier and supply chain.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- Jay’s Twitter history
- Jay’s tweetstorm with Gymshark
- Focus area for e-commerce businesses to identify to get into the negative range
- Where companies should be moving toward
- How to approach balancing cash vs. profits
- Jay’s tweetstorm on Nike
- What PureFilters is
- How Jay got into the HVAC space
- The average order prices for Jay’s products
- How Jay’s company tested the free shipping threshold
- Regulatory hurdles PureFilters had to navigate
- Balancing between two different types of companies
- How Jay prioritizes his time
- Email marketing and upselling
- Ideas to increase LTD
- Recommendations for old, sizable businesses entering e-commerce
- Jay’s number one tip for e-commerce entrepreneurs
Resources:
Jay Vasantharajah
If you’ve ever looked in vain for a developmental toy for a young child that appealed to you, you’ll understand why Lovevery is a hit. They offer products that are age-appropriate and made for learning. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Roderick Morris, one of the cofounders at Lovevery. Listen in to hear about how Lovevery approached product design, using VCs, and balancing equity and debt.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- Why Roderick helped create the Lovevery products
- How Lovevery approached their first product
- How Lovevery set the price point
- How Roderick prioritized
- Contribution margins for the brand
- How to measure brand
- Why Roderick and his cofounder decided to go the VC route
- How to balance equity and debt
- Funny stories about product tests with kids
- What product the Lovevery founders were set on that turned out to be a flop
- How Lovevery went about product design on day one, and then today
- The process to develop brand and customer personas
- Wholesalers used by Lovevery
- Roderick’s partnership with Amazon
- How to use Amazon to drive traffic to Lovevery’s website
- How to prioritize teambuilding
- Holding onto culture while building staff
- Number-one advice for new entrepreneurs
Resources:
Roderick Morris
Lovevery
Beauty brushes are essential for all kinds of people, so a company that creates quality beauty brushes occupies an important niche. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Paul Jauregui of BK Beauty as he discusses the early days of his business to now. Listen to the episode to hear what Paul has to say about the manufacturing process, handling negotiations, and how sales happen on YouTube.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- Paul’s background
- The manufacturing process
- The kinds of terms Paul was seeing early on
- How Paul handled negotiations
- The time frame from purchase order to actually receiving the order
- How Paul got the manufacturer to finance the first round
- How Paul’s company decided how to price
- How important the price point was
- Whether going up or down market would have been easier
- How Paul knows when to bring out a new SKU
- Sales happening on YouTube
- Some of the things Paul learned early on
- Building relationships with YouTubers and influencers
- Paul’s beliefs on affiliate marketing
- How to decide that a product is no longer useful
- How Paul uses the data his company acquires
- How to approach commercial terms with YouTubers and influencers
- How to make the leap to having your own store
- Paul’s number-one advice
Resources:
Paul Jauregui
BK Beauty
What’s the first thing that you do in the morning? If the answer is “get coffee”, you might be interested in today’s interview. Jim Fosina created Amora Coffee, a premium coffee subscription service. Listen in to learn about how the scent of the coffee matters when you’re running a subscription coffee service, what the customer journey looks like for Amora customers, and how customer behavior changed during COVID.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- The difference between Starbucks customers and Amora customers
- How Amora got started
- How Amora utilizes scent
- Consumer engagement
- Whether a free giveaway would work without the subscription product
- How Amora uses its subscription platform
- The customer journey for Amora coffee customers
- Whether Amora roasts to order
- How Amora approaches the subscription shipments
- How Jim thinks about customer retention rates
- Suggestions for growing a high-priced, premium brand from zero
- Whether buyer behavior changed during COVID
- Why espresso is becoming more popular than before
- Amora’s best customer acquisition channel
- How communication with customers has changed and will change in the future
- How a low switching costs barrier affects retention
- Moving purchasers from a one-off purchase to subscription
- Whether Amora would consider a white label partnership
- How to define and measure a brand
- How Jim sees ecommerce evolving
- Jim’s number-one piece of advice for entrepreneurs
- How you find mentors
Resources:
Jim Fosina
Amora Coffee
How do you build a purpose driven company? How do you buy and sell companies during a global pandemic? These are some of the subjects that you’ll hear about in today’s episode. During this podcast, you’ll hear from Edward Wimmer, owner of Road ID, and Taylor Holiday, managing partner of Common Thread Collective and partner at 4x400. Listen in to hear them discuss selling direct-to-consumer, acquisition opportunities on social media, and dealing with production and delivery delays.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- The origin of Road ID
- How Edward built a shopping cart and started selling direct-to-consumer
- Taylor’s experience with Road ID
- How Taylor acquired and sold businesses and navigating that through a global pandemic
- Whether businesses need to pay attention to seller discretionary earnings
- Acquisition opportunities on social media
- Dealing with delays in production and late deliveries
- How Edward has seen product lines with fitness wearables fluctuate over time
- Whether Fitbit has evolved its products based on Apple’s products
- Expanding “hero” products
- Whether you should launch an e-commerce startup now
- What to focus on when starting from scratch today
- The first platform Edward used
- Channels brands should focus on today
- Advice for listeners
Resources:
Edward Wimmer
Taylor Holiday
When is the world ready for your company? Are there enough businesses like yours out there already? That’s the kind of feeling that Kirsten Green had to deal with, and in today’s episode, she talks about how to overcome that kind of internal resistance. You’ll also hear from Paul and Lisa Jauregui of BK Beauty. Listen in to today’s episode to learn more about how Kirsten attracted brands and how the brands found her, how BK Beauty got started and what the BK stands for.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- The catalyst for Kirsten to create Forerunner Ventures
- How Kirsten overcame internal resistance to the idea of another similar company
- Kirsten’s first funded investment
- How Kirsten was able to rise above the noise to attract brands
- How brands were able to rise above the noise and attract Kirsten’s attention
- The types of pitches Kirsten sees now
- Lisa and Paul’s story
- What BK in BK Beauty stands for
- What the cosmetics field is driven by
- The importance of brushes in the beauty field
- What motivated BK Beauty
- How Lisa handles her YouTube channel
- The big trends Kirsten is seeing on her side
- Number one advice for entrepreneurs
Resources:
Paul Jauregui
Lisa Jauregui
Kirsten Green
Today’s episode starts with a brief conversation with Adam Hemmer of TSG Consumer Partners. Due to some internet problems, the rest of the conversation you’ll hear in this episode is a question and answer session concerning shipping matters. Listen to today’s discussion to hear Adam’s thoughts on private equity and much more about ShipBob.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
- How Adam defines private equity
- Outsourcing versus in-house
- Expanding to Latin America
- Centering or using multiple warehouses
- Volume minimum levels
- Assessing whether you can afford to offer free or discounted shipping
- Expanding to central Europe
- Choosing the facilities to start with
- The volume inflection point that gives businesses leverage
- Amazon fulfillment
- The monthly volume to work with ShipBob
- Dealing with a brand that constantly changes due to customer needs
- Dropshipping
- Integration with Shopify
- Managing spikes
- Automation when inventory is running low
- The importance of returns to fulfillment and e-commerce
- What sets ShipBob apart from its competitors
Resources:
Adam Hemmer