The Checkout by Cogsy: Recent Episodes
Cogsy
A podcast for DTC brands pursuing operational excellence. We explore best-practices and insights from top operations and retail experts: everything from inventory to purchase orders, from cash flow to fundraising, and more. Learn something new about retail operations in each episode.
Customer retention can drive predictable revenue growth, but what are the best ways to convince subscribers to stick around and become lifelong brand champions?
In this episode, Molly Duffy, Director of Product at Smartrr and our CEO, Adii Pienaar announce an upcoming strategic partnership between Smartrr and Cogsy. Together they uncover the best DTC subscription practices and tease a much-awaited feature that can help DTC subscription-based brands drive predictable revenue growth.
Tune in and step up your brand’s experience!
👉 Skim this episode's highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
The integration of online and offline experiences with customers has become a challenge, but not entirely impossible to do.
In this episode, Kait Stephens, CEO, and co-founder of Brij, shares the best QR code strategies to help you better connect with your customers through online and offline experiences to drive repeat sales across all sales channels.
Tune in and step up your brand’s experience!
👉 Skim this episode's highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
If you think running one business is tough, try scaling 6 consumer brands, 3 verticals, and hundreds of products. It’s surprisingly not that crazy, according to 365 Holdings, a holding company that owns and operates multiple retail brands.
In this episode of The Checkout, our CEO, Adii Pienaar, and Kelcey Lehrich, co-founder and CEO of 365 Holdings, share the unique operational strategies behind 365’s vertically integrated model. Get ready to learn how to build a sustainable brand - from marketing and managing inventory for multiple channels to a sales formula for diversifying your brand.
Tune in and grow a diversified brand built to last!
👉 Skim this episode's highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
Today's best retail brands don't sell through only one channel anymore. It’s not only DTC or only retail.Brands know that in order to succeed, they have to meet the customer where they’re at— and that is through a multichannel approach.
But how can brands fulfill every promise to every customer, regardless of order, channel or location?
In this special episode of The Checkout, our CEO Adii Pienaar shares all about our new feature: multi-location support.
Be the first to hear about Cogsy’s new feature designed to give you clear visibility over inventory demand across multiple warehouses and channels. And get the confidence you need to continue increasing sales with the right amount of stock, at the right location, and at the right time.
Hit play and ensure your business’ success through multiple channels.
👉 Skim this episode's highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
After years of taking creatine supplements and diving into scientific research, Dan McCormick came up with an amazing product idea that could change the supplements industry. Fast forward to today, he is about to launch the world’s first modern creatine gummy brand.
In this episode of The Checkout, our CEO, Adii Pienaar, and Dan McCormick, co-founder, and CEO of Create Wellness discuss a proven framework for validating an amazing product idea and strategies to launch a new brand successfully.
Hit play and win at your next big launch!
👉 Skim this episode's highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
Simple Modern found an unusual path to success. They discovered that the road to being Amazon’s #1 drinkware brand was just the beginning of omnichannel success.
In this episode of The Checkout, our CEO, Adii Pienaar, and Bryan Porter, Co-founder and Chief Ecommerce Officer at Simple Modern, crack the code to omnichannel growth, exploring 3 simple strategies: prioritizing inventory, optimizing for second purchases, and living intentionally.
Hit play and discover the proven strategies to drive demand across multiple retail channels!
👉 Skim this episode's highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
Would you believe 85% of consumers purchased after watching a shoppable video? On top of that, 35% of marketers using interactive video have seen increased conversions and sales.
We believe in adding more human connection to your brand’s shopping experience, so we’re switching things up a notch.
For the first time here on The Checkout, our CEO, Adii Pienaar, and Claudiu Cioba, founder and CEO of Videowise, share a fascinating conversation on everything you need to know about videos for operational excellence.
Hit play and learn how to increase your sales this year with interactive videos!
👉 Skim this episode's highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
A topsy-turvy economy, erratic consumer behavior, and evolving software tools have made it imperative for brands to bring products to market quickly.
In this episode of The Checkout, our CEO, Adii Pienaar, and Liza Amlani, founder and Principal of Retail Strategy Group, reveal key strategies to achieve speed to market.
They also tackle the blend of science and art in planning, merchandising, and operations for retail brands. And how finding the optimal balance between the two is crucial for brand success.
Tune in and get the proven strategies to power up your speed to market.
👉 Skim this episode’s highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
DTC brands have had an interesting last two years. Some of them experienced their best moments, while others weren't so fortunate.
In this episode of The Checkout, our CEO, Adii Pienaar, and Amanda Schutzbank, co-founder and general partner at Willow Growth, discuss the rational path to profitability for DTC brands.
From enduring the current economic climate and the key growth metrics that attract investors to the playbook Willow implements with their portfolio companies to get the best outcome.
Hit play and get the strategies you need to take your DTC to the next level.
👉 Skim this episode’s highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
What if you can find a new answer, a new way of getting things done, a new way of generating more sales with one powerful source of truth?
In this episode of The Checkout, our CEO, Adii Pienaar, and COO of Feat Clothing, Nate Poulin, break down how to structure sources of truth, systems of record, first-party data and ERPs to make data serve its purpose: to help DTC brands make decisions.
Tune in and learn tangible advice and tactics to turn data into revenue.
👉 Skim this episode’s highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
Among all aspects of a company, pricing is one of those that can stay untouched for years. Price testing is hardly ever talked about in the business world. And it can take lots of back and forth with leadership to get this accepted.
In this episode of The Checkout, Drew Marconi tells us about the benefits of empowering teams to test and iterate pricing strategies. He walks us through the importance of focusing on retention, conversion optimization, and increasing margins.
Drew co-founded Intelligems, a powerful revenue optimization tool for ecommerce brands to increase sales and improve margins. Intelligems makes integrating and launching new tests simple so you can focus on what matters.
Tune in to learn more about the benefits of testing your pricing strategy.
👉 Skim this episode’s highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
The CPG industry is ever-changing; however, the last two years have been a record. Brands that have taken steps to anticipate and prep for evolving trends and opportunities have had a navigable journey. For others, it has been more challenging.
In this episode of The Checkout, Jack Benzaquen, a veteran in the intersection of the CPG and DTC industries with more than 18 years of experience, walks us through his journey as a serial entrepreneur and his lessons learned along the way.
In 2017, Jack founded Duradry, a personal care brand focused on a common problem — hyperhidrosis. In this conversation, you’ll learn about hisjourneyofbootstrapping a business while wearing multiple hats, raising funds, and building an effective team.
Tune in to hear what it takes to succeed in this highly competitive space.
👉 Skim this episode’s highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
In this episode of The Checkout, Saman Izadiyar and our CEO, Adii Pienaar, walk us through their recommendations for building successful businesses, including processes, habits, and tools.
Tune in and learn what you can start doing now to set your brand up for success.
👉 Skim this episode’s highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
Conversations in all kinds of relationships are important. But, having conversations with your market audience can make or break your business. And in our case, these conversations with DTC brands are crucial to building a product that makes operators' lives easier.
In this episode, we sit down with Martina Vancena, head of growth at Cogsy, who spends much of her time talking to DTC brands. Over the course of hundreds of conversations, she has gained invaluable insights into DTC brands' most common challenges and current trends.
Tune in to hear some of the most common operational obstacles DTC brands like yours are facing today and how to tackle them.
👉 Skim this episode’s highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
Inventory planning and forecasting involve some complex calculations. Add to that a fast-growing brand, supply chain disruptions, and creeping inflation, and it can quickly become unmanageable.
In this episode of The Checkout, our CEO, Adii Pienaar, holds a conversation with one of our dearest podcast guests and early customers of Cogsy, Mark Riskowitz. Mark is the VP of Operations at one of the fastest-growing DTC brands these days, Caraway Home.
Adii and Mark share all you need to know about Cogsy’s latest features, including how a brand like Caraway is already putting them to use.
Hit play to listen to how Cogsy’s new features provide brands with the needed visibility and alignment within their business to ensure accurate forecasting and better growth.
👉 Learn more about our latest features.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
Did you know that more millionaires were made during the depression in the 1930s than in any other period before that? According to Rhian Beutler, founder of Govalo, people love spending money on a depressed economy.
Perhaps, the greatest certainty in uncertain times is opportunity.
When problems hit the supply chain, Govalo, a brand reinventing the digital gifting experience, took it as an opportunity to maximize profitability. Hear it from Rhian Beutler, founder of Govalo, and our CEO, Adii Pienaar as they reveal how retailers like you can be resilient, flexible, agile and turn the most challenging times into a profitable win.
Tune in and don’t miss the essential strategies to building resilient businesses.
👉 Skim this episode’s highlights.
The Checkout is brought to you by Cogsy, the ops optimization tool empowering DTC brands to unlock 40% more revenue and save 20+ hours a week. Learn more and try it free for 14 days at cogsy.com.
PS – Love this podcast? Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.
Thanks to Blume, “puberty-positivity” sets a new standard for skin, body and period care.
Blume was created by sisters Taran and Bunny Ghatrora to make self care easier and healthier for young women, destigmatizing normal things during puberty like acne and periods.
In this episode of The Checkout, Bunny Ghatrora, Co-founder and COO of Blume, shares her fascinating journey to DTC, from the joys and challenges of sibling cofoundership and doing everything by hand in their basement, to creating a tracking system that has helped massively scale their self-care startup amidst the complexities of the fast-paced self-care industry.
Tune in and learn exclusive operational strategies to starting scrappily and scaling happily.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Blume’s journey through DTC with no money, no network and no resources
- Optimizing operations based on proactivity vs. reactivity
- How improving relationships with suppliers can help prevent stockouts
- Blume’s key inventory planning strategies as it prepares for the holiday season
- How a proper tracking system guarantees proactivity and scalability
Connect with Bunny and the team at Blume:
- Connect with Bunny on LinkedIn
- Follow Blume on Instagram
- Learn more about Blume
Dive deeper into this topic:
- The Downstream Effects Of Reactive vs. Proactive Planning
- Forecast Demand Like A Pro: Methods And Tools
- Bootstrapping A Niche Brand In A Competitive Industry
In this episode of The Checkout, we chat with Aubrie Pagano, General Partner at Alpaca VC, a New York based firm. The Alpaca VC fund, formed by previous founders, invests in technology that powers commerce in the physical and digital worlds. Before Alpaca, Aubrie built and sold her own DTC apparel and gifting brand, Bow & Drape. During this time, she experienced all the ups and downs of creating her own DTC brand.
Cogsy's CEO, Adii Pienaar, sits with Aubrie to discuss all-things DTC-supply chain. In this conversation, she walk us through actionable strategies and tools DTC brands can leverage to solve some of today's supply chain challenges.
Last but not least, this is an exciting episode as Aubrie is the first Cogsy investor to join us on The Checkout.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The driver for Aubrie's passion for all things supply chain
- What brands can do to become more proactive vs. reactive
- The impact of real-time online data visibility on brands
- Pros and cons of establishing global sales channels and fulfillment routes
- Aubrie's top tips to navigate the current supply chain environment
- Steps brands should take to ride out the current macroeconomic environment
Connect with Aubrie Pagano:
- Follow Aubrie on Twitter
- Subscribe to Aubrie’s newsletter
- Connect with Aubrie on LinkedIn
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Proven methods to reduce lead times in your supply chain
- DTC Global supply chain issues & solutions
- How to calculate weeks of supply (WOS)
Mark Riskowitz, VP of Operations of Caraway, shares his journey setting up the company's operational tech stack before their first product ever launched.
This is the 3rd time we have Mark on the podcast, and this chat is all about the systems that set up DTC ops teams for success.
Caraway is one of the fastest-growing DTC brands around today, selling high-quality, clean home goods that range from sets of pots and pans to table linens. And one of the reasons their success has scaled so well is because of the operational systems Mark set up before they launched their first SKU.
In this episode of The Checkout, Mark walks us through his recommendations for early-stage DTC brands—particularly around allowing flexibility for growth and cleanliness of operational data. At the tail end of the episode, you'll catch Mark walk us through the difference between building a brand and building a business.
Listen in as Mark shares his best practices for how to set up an operational tech stack that allows for increased margins and scalable revenue growth.
In this episode, we talk about:
- An overview of Mark's process when he first joined Caraway
- An inside look at Caraway's operational tech stack
- His strategic recommendations for early-stage DTC brands
- The difference between a brand and a business—and why it matters
Connect with Mark and the team at Caraway:
- Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
- Follow Caraway on Instagram
- Learn more about Caraway
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Mark Riskowitz shares the ins and outs of a successful bundling strategy
- Managing operational uncertainty at Caraway
- Choosing the best inventory forecasting software for your brand
Did you know that 40% of the US population has a tattoo? The founders of Mad Rabbit, 2 friends with a passion for ink, were clear about this. And after experiencing the commonly recommended poor tattoo aftercare practices, they decided to take action.
In this episode of The Checkout, we chat with Drew Fallon, COO of Mad Rabbit, a tattoo aftercare product company revolutionizing the space. Its founders saw an opportunity to create a superior natural solution for the tattoo healing process and were able to share their story and close a deal on Shark Tank in March 2021.
From body wash, soothing gels, balms, lotions, and more, Mad Rabbit is committed to reinventing the tattoo care space with high-quality, reliable products.
Listen in as Drew shares Mad Rabbit’s journey and how they’ve faced their most recent challenges.
In this episode, we talk about:
- An overview of Mad Rabbit’s origins and journey
- An inside look at TikTok’s role in Mad Rabbit’s marketing strategy
- How Mad Rabbit has used storytelling as a differentiator
- How brands can weave social media throughout their customer’s journey
- Their #1 strategy for staying in touch with their customers
Connect with Drew and the team at Mad Rabbit:
- Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
- Follow Mad Rabbit on TikTok
- Learn more about Mad Rabbit
Dive deeper into this topic:
- How TikTok played a key role in Sani Designs’ brand awareness
- How DTC brands can soar in times of capital market uncertainty
In this episode ofThe Checkout, we chat with Niki Shamdasani, co-founder of Sani, an Indian and South-Asian-inspired fashion startup.
Niki and her sister Ritika founded Sani Designs when they realized how disconnected they felt from their South Asian culture. Niki and Ritika were determined to bring their cultural identities together through a brand and help women everywhere channel the radiant energy rooted in South Asian fashion.
Niki takes us through their journey of growing Sani as a bootstrapped business—from their humble living room beginnings to making it on Rent the Runway to going viral on TikTok.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The Sani sisters' journey as a bootstrapped fashion business
- The cold outreach strategy that got them onto Rent the Runway
- How TikTok plays a crucial role in Sani’s brand awareness and lead generation strategies
- TikTok virality bumps the brand experienced
- How improving relationships with suppliers can help prevent stockouts
- Lead time reduction strategies
- How the Niki and Ritika are preparing to scale the brand
Connect with Niki and the Sani team:
- Connect with Niki on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Sani Designs
- Follow Niki & Ritika (@sanisisters) on TikTok
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Proven methods to reduce lead times in your supply chain
- Tips to get better contract terms with suppliers
- The untold challenges of going viral
The tracking of product data is a key component of the DTC business but is often challenging for teams to stay on top of. This is why at Cogsy, we're always looking for ways to make work easier for brands, so they can focus on what matters—growing.
In this episode of The Checkout, Marcella Chamorro, Head of Marketing, and Adii Pienaar, Cogsy's CEO and co-founder, chat about Cogsy's two newest features—Product Views and Product Syncing. In their conversation, Adii shares how these two new features are critical to unlocking better insights for DTC brands.
Tune in to their chat to learn how Cogsy's latest feature drop improves data accuracy around product data so brands can extract valuable insights to run their operations effectively.
In this episode, you'll hear:
- The importance of data cleansing before it affects your brand in the long run.
- How Cogsy's new features can help brands improve accuracy around product data
- How these two features are precursors to the even bigger features coming next
- Empowering your brand by having systems in place to make better and faster decisions
- A look at Cogsy's most recent integrations—Linnworks & Fulfil.io
Connect with us:
- Connect with Cogsy on Twitter
- Sign up for Cogsy’s newsletter
- Stay up to date at Cogsy.com
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Learn about Cogsy’s Amazon integration
- Plan new product launches with Cogsy
This week on The Checkout, we chat with Mathias Schröder, a leading expert on all things conversion optimization. He’s also currently building a DTC empire along with his family.
During our chat, Mathias shares his experiences in conversion optimization for his own DTC brands. We learn about his favorite data-driven experiments and his greatest learnings as a DTC operator, particularly when it comes to learning that his assumptions are usually wrong.
Tune in to our talk as Mathias walks us through his favorite strategies for high-converting online stores.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Mathias’ journey entering the DTC space
- The immediate effects of building a community on social media
- Tips for optimizing your store’s conversion rate
- The #1 lesson he wishes he knew when he started his DTC journey
- How optimizing repeatable experiments leads to revenue growth
Connect with Mathias Schroder:
- Follow Mathias on Twitter
- Subscribe to Mathias’ newsletter
Dive deeper into this topic:
- How to calculate and maintain optimal stock levels
- Why you need to free up working capital now
- Ecommerce best practices
In this episode of The Checkout, we chat with Arjun Rastogi of VaynerX. Arjun is a DTC marketer who focuses on using a holistic approach to drive business growth for startup brands and small to midsize companies. Currently, Arjun simultaneously serves as the Head of Marketing of 2 different DTC brands, including AsWeMove, a men’s underwear brand and Deborah Pagani, a jewelry and hair accessory brand.
During our conversation, Arjun takes us behind the scenes to discuss the challenges of running multiple DTC brands at the same time.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Arjun’s journey entering the DTC space
- How to leverage team collaboration between marketing and operations
- An inside look at Arjun’s biggest marketing challenges and how he has overcome them
- Main SKU metrics you should be aware of from a marketing perspective
- An overview of the process of new product launches at AsWeMove and Deborah Pagani
Connect with Arjun and the Vayner X team:
- Connect with Arjun on LinkedIn
- Learn more about VaynerX
- Follow AsWeMove on LinkedIn
- Check out Deborah Pagani jewelry
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Tips to strengthen your supplier relationships
- Why you need to free up working capital now
Becoming a leading expert in the DTC space is a real challenge. But, this can come as second nature to people like Jason Wong, an ecommerce serial founder and investor with over eight years of experience developing brands, establishing marketing strategies, supply chain management, and global logistics.
In this episode of The Checkout, we are happy to have Jason as a guest. Jason has built a portfolio of 7-figure and 8-figure ecommerce brands that span beauty, food and beverages, home decor, and apparel. His holding company Pughaus is involved in Doe Lashes, Kaja Beauty, Nectar Hard Seltzer, Triple Whale, and other emerging brands in the DTC space.
Tune in as Jason explains how the capital market changes will impact DTC brands and how to prepare accordingly.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- An overview of Jason's journey through different industries in the DTC space
- How the supply chain disruptions will change in the coming months
- Effectively leveraging supplier relationships for cash flow management
- Jason's #1 piece of advice for up-and-coming brands
- Why skills diversification is more important than ever
- Various strategies for consumer research
- How to capitalize on consumers' most-used platforms
Connect with Jason Wong and his team:
- Connect with Jason Wong on LinkedIn
- Follow Jason Wong on Twitter
- Take a look at Doe Lashes
- Learn more about Pughaus venture studio
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Tips to strengthen your supplier relationships
- Why you need to free up working capital now
- Flipping the cash conversion cycle
In this episode of The Checkout, we chat with Archie Durfee, Associate Director of Supply Chain at Ro, a direct-to-patient digital healthcare platform providing high-quality, affordable healthcare without the need for insurance.
Archie walks us through the downstream effects of operational issues, the importance of being proactive vs. reactive, and how going out of stock affects a subscription-based business.
Before joining Ro, Archie gained wide-ranging experience in the supply chain and operations arenas at Radio Flyer, the innovative children’s products brand. After Radio Flyer, Archie was Quip’s first operational hire, leading the Planning and Distribution area at the oral care company. Quip was the first direct-to-consumer oral care subscription service.
Tune into this exclusive interview and listen to Archie’s problem-solving strategies for the operational world.
In this episode:
- The impact of transparent and proactive internal communication in operations
- Planning strategies for traditional vs. subscription-based retail
- Getting inventory ready for the holiday sales season
- Building estimates of future sales and how to plan for them
- The benefits of improving order lead times
Connect with Archie Durfee:
- Connect with Archie on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Ro
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Tips to shorten order lead times
- How to achieve better inventory visibility
- Forecasting for seasonal demand
This is a special episode of The Checkout. A few weeks ago, we hosted a webinar about all things planning, and we decided to share this conversation with you.
This time, our Head of Marketing, Marcella Chamorro, and our Head of Growth, Martina Vancena, lead a chat with Nik Sharma, CEO of Sharma Brands, and Lillie Sun, consultant for DTC brands and formerly in charge of growth at Three Ships Beauty.
During this interesting session, you’ll listen to their first-hand experience running fast-growing DTC brands and how they’ve overcome their supply challenges. As the cherry on top, you’ll get the inside scoop on insights and trends in the DTC space.
Tune in as we bring these voices together to the same table.
In this episode:
- First-hand experience of fast-growing DTC brands to reach revenue goals with confidence
- How transparent communication between marketing and operations can revolutionize a brand’s growth
- The importance of taking marketing events into account in your inventory planning
- Stockout strategies to convert customer demand
- Getting inventory ready for the holiday sales season
Connect with Nik Sharma of Sharma Brands & Lillie Sun of Three Ships Beauty:
- Connect with Nik on Twitter
- Learn more about Sharma Brands
- Follow Lillie on Twitter
- Learn more about Three Ships Beauty
- Sign up to Cogsy’s newsletter
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Should you use back-in-stock notifications to handle stockouts?
- DTC trends changing the retail landscape
- How to prepare for holiday season
Meet Niels Tervoort, Director of Supply Chain at Organifi, a fast-growing plant-based superfoods company, and also co-founder of Dermazen, a skincare brand that has experienced skyrocketing revenue growth from the first day it launched.
In this episode of The Checkout, Niels takes us through his journey of solving operational growing pains. He gives us a quick glance at what it took to help Organifi scale, and then we dive into how he took that experience into creating his own DTC brand, Dermazen.
Fast growth is a blessing but also an operational challenge. Fulfilling increasing customer demand in the midst of an uncertain supply chain was a true problem filled with life-long operational learnings for Niels and his team.
Tune in to our chat with Niels on how to solve operational growing pains.
In this episode:
- An overview of Organifi’s journey
- Growing pains faced by Dermazen — and how they managed them
- How better relationships with your suppliers can help you prevent stockouts
- Leveraging transparent communication between marketing and operations efforts
- Modern employee wellness trends and practices
Connect with Niels, the team at Organifi and Dermazen:
- Connect with Niels on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Organifi
- Learn more about Dermazen
Dive deeper into this topic:
- DTC trends changing the retail landscape
- Improving your brand's customer experience through better fulfillment center relationships
- How to forecast demand for a new product
Demand planning can feel like a moving target, especially in today’s disrupted supply chain. Add to that a fast-growing brand with big product launches, and it quickly becomes complicated.
In this episode of The Checkout, you’ll hear all about Cogsy’s new features — Production Orders and New Product Planning. Adii Pienaar, Cogsy’s CEO and co-founder, and Marcella Chamorro, Head of Marketing, hold an internal conversation on why our new planning features have strongly resonated with DTC brands and how they are so important to helping brands reach their revenue goals with more confidence and in less time.
Listen to how Cogsy provides brands with the needed visibility and alignment within their business to ensure accurate forecasting and better growth.
In this episode:
- How supply and demand work together to build a better business
- Why spreadsheets are restraining brands from taking action at the right time
- The benefits of implementing a holistic operation plan to improve relationships with suppliers
- Empowering your brand by having systems in place to make better and faster decisions
- How Cogsy’s new features can help brands optimize their working capital
Connect with us:
- Connect with Cogsy on Twitter
- Stay up to date at Cogsy.com
- Sign up to Cogsy’s newsletter
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Learnabout Cogsy’s planning and marketing events features
- How Cogsy enables retail brands to thrive
In this episode of The Checkout podcast, we chat with Aaron Alpeter, founder of Izba, a group that brings proven operator expertise to startups on a fractional basis so that founders can be more equity - and cash - efficient while focusing on other parts of their business. Aaron is also the founder of Capabl, a tool that helps brands get the most out of their fulfillment partners.
Before starting Izba and Capabl, Aaron completed Unilever's prestigious Supply Chain Management Program, where he spent 5 years gaining direct experience working in planning, manufacturing, international logistics, and continuous improvement. He's also worked with brands like MIRROR, Hubble Contacts, and more.
In this exclusive interview, Aaron chats with us about the important role that fulfillment centers play in DTC brands' operations. We explore the benefits of improving relationships with fulfillment partners and their impact on customer satisfaction.
In this episode:
- Increasing customer satisfaction through better relationships with your fulfillment center
- Optimizing operations based on flexibility vs. cost
- How leveraging automation tools can get you through today's supply chain challenges
- A look at the impact of consumer fluidity on brands
- The downstream effects of preventing operational issues instead of just patching holes
Connect with Aaron, the team at Izba and Capabl:
- Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Izba
- Learn more about Capabl
Dive deeper into this topic:
- DTC Trends changing the retail landscape
- 3 Ways to achieve operational excellence
- DTC Global supply chain issues & solutions [2022]
Meet Cody Plofker, Director of Ecommerce for Jones Road Beauty, a brand founded by the renowned makeup artist Bobbi Brown that focuses on clean, strategic, and high-trade formulations.
In this episode of The Checkout, Cody takes us through his journey behind joining the team and his family at Jones Road. He gives us a backstage look at the biggest issues that arise after achieving what many brands look for — going viral on TikTok.
Tune in to our chat about the downside of astronomical growth in a fast-growing brand and some potential solutions for these challenges.
In this episode:
- An overview of Jones Road Beauty’s origins and journey
- An inside look at their biggest challenges and how they've overcome them
- Different solutions for stockouts
- What lies ahead for the brand
- Why employee wellness is a growing concern among fast-growing brands
Connect with Cody and the Jones Road team :
- Connect with Cody on Twitter
- Follow Jones Road Beauty on Instagram
- Visit Jones Road Beauty
Dive deeper into this topic:
- DTC Trends changing the retail landscape
- How Lalo sustainably scaled 400% YOY
- Methods & tips to stay in stock
Is it possible to run a trend-setting engineering team that thrives working remotely while maintaining a calm and trusting culture?
In this episode of The Checkout, Cogsy’s own CTO, Stefano Sala, sits down with Marcella to discuss what it’s like to lead an engineering team that delivers exceptional work and, at the same time, adheres to Cogsy’s calm, flexible and asynchronous culture.
Listen to how Cogsy’s engineering team manages to ship quickly while maintaining a life-and family-first mindset.
In this episode:
🔎 A behind-the-scenes look at the hiring process from an engineer’s perspective
👌🏻 How the team lives up to its values while delivering excellence
⚖️ The balance between matching values vs. skills during the hiring process
🚧 The importance of boundaries in a trust-based working relationship
Connect with us:
- Connect with Stefano on Twitter
- Stay up to date at cogsy.com
- Sign up for Cogsy’s Newsletter
Dive deeper into this topic:
- How Cogsy maintains its culture despite rapid growth
- Why Cogsy’s calm, people-first culture triggers culture shock
In this episode of The Checkout, we sit with Nik Sharma, CEO of Sharma Brands, a strategic-initiatives firm working with a wide range of brands to help grow and scale revenue across digital platforms.
Nik is one of AdWeek's Young & Influential, Forbes 30 under 30, Business Insider's up and coming Investors to Watch, and an investor and advisor to some of the fastest-growing brands in commerce. Through his work with hyper-growth brands such as Hint Water, Pill Club, and JUDY, he has helped generate millions of dollars in additional revenue.
Exclusively revealed in this interview are some of Nik's top insights gathered from years of working with DTC brand leaders across various verticals. We dig up the most important trends, patterns, and problems facing DTC brands today.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The top DTC trends changing the retail landscape
- Benefits of taking defense vs. offense strategies for DTC brands
- The importance of implementing customer retention strategies
- The #1 proven strategy to keep momentum during stockouts
- Why employee wellness is a growing concern among fast-growing brands
Connect with Nik Sharma and the Sharma Brands team:
- Learn more about Sharma Brands
- Follow Nik Sharma on Twitter
- Connect with Nik Sharma on LinkedIn
Dive deeper into this topic:
- How Huron succeeded with a customer-first strategy
- How DTC brands can embrace the new commerce era
- DTC global supply chain issues & solutions
As more brands (and consumers) seek ways to become more sustainable, recommerce is the new trend to follow. This concept isn’t new, but it’s gaining traction in recent years, allowing brands to become more sustainable while positively impacting their bottom line.
In this episode ofThe Checkout, we chat with Jake Disraeli, co-founder and CEO of Treet, a company rethinking the retail resale market. Treet is a software solution that helps fashion brands become more circular and control the secondhand market for their products by launching their own fully-branded peer-to-peer resale marketplace. And Treet makes it easy for brands to implement resale from an operational perspective.
Tune in to hear how recommerce empowers retail brands as consumers grow more interested in sustainability than ever before. Jake gives us an overview of the surging resale trend and how brands can fully benefit from it.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Empowering your brand through recommerce
- A look into the revenue impact of a resale strategy
- How recommerce contributes to sustainable business growth
- The benefits of adopting resale during big sales of the year (e.g.: Black Friday)
- Using recommerce to improve customer acquisition, customer loyalty, and customer LTV
Connect with Jake Disraeli and the Treet team:
- Learn more about Treet
- Follow Treet on Instagram
- Connect with Jake Disraeli on LinkedIn
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Using gift cards as part of your customer acquisition strategy
- Embracing the new golden era of commerce
Running a fast-growing DTC brand is a challenge. Especially because relying on past performance indicators can be a big risk.
This episode of The Checkout is an internal conversation between Cogsy’s co-founder and CEO Adii Pienaar and Cogsy’s Head of Marketing, Marcella Chamorro. In this chat, Adii shares a behind-the-scenes look at building Cogsy — particularly what’s next on the product’s roadmap.
Adii walks us through Cogsy's recently launched features: planning and marketing events. He explains how they work together to provide a holistic and accurate forecast, so you can optimize your DTC brand's operations and resource allocation as you grow.
Listen to how Cogsy provides brands with the needed visibility and alignment within their business to ensure accurate forecasting and better growth.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The catalysts behind Cogsy’s marketing events & planning features
- How Cogsy’s new marketing events feature can save your important sales events
- The #1 problem Cogsy’s new features will solve for your DTC brand
- A sneak peek at what the Cogsy team is working on next
Connect with us:
- Connect with Cogsy on Twitter
- Stay up to date at Cogsy.com
- Sign up to Cogsy’s Newsletter
Dive deeper into this topic:
- How bottom-up inventory planning scales retail growth
- How Cogsy enables retail brands to thrive
- Cogsy launches replenish alerts to avoid stockouts
Meet Pranay Srinivasan, a leading expert in helping brands design, manufacture, and finance inventory production worldwide.
Pranay is the founder of Manufactured.com, a product sourcing platform that provides entrepreneurs with access to manufacturing companies across the world. They focus on helping brands operate and manage their supply chains from a single vantage point.
Before Manufactured, Pranay was involved in several entrepreneurial projects in the same industry, including supply chain software and factory operations. His focus on manufacturing is driven by his belief in the power of technology and its impact on the movement of goods around the world.
In this episode of The Checkout, Pranay walks us through a career's worth of insights from the manufacturing world. We dive into the complexities of growing a manufacturing business and what it takes to succeed — especially in today's unprecedented times.
In this episode, we talk about:
- A look at the impact of technology on global trade
- The main roadblocks faced by manufacturers — and how to ease them
- Taking a "therapy" approach to understand your manufacturing needs
- Why physical products are important to the provision of services
- The intricacies of the product lifecycle
Connect with Pranay and the Manufactured team:
- Learn more about Manufactured
- Follow Manufactured on Twitter
- Connect with Pranay on LinkedIn
Dive deeper into this topic:
- DTC global supply chain issues and solutions
- How Caraway manages operational uncertainty
In this episode of The Checkout, we sit with Matt Mullenax, co-founder and CEO of Huron, a brand dedicated to helping men by offering high-quality personal care products at affordable prices.
In 2019, Huron's co-founders, Matt Mullenax and Matt Teri teamed up to build a best-in-class product, knowing their complementary skills would help them reach their business goals. Matt M. had an up-close-and-personal understanding of men’s ineffective skincare products available on the market after experiencing severely bad skin growing up and into his professional life. His co-founder, Matt Teri, had 20+ years of experience in product development for the world's biggest brands, including The Estee Lauder Company, Tom Ford, and Lab Series.
In this exclusive interview, Matt Mullenax reveals how to build a successful business using a customer-first strategy. And how this has allowed them to create a show-stopping product experience that ensures high customer satisfaction.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The “finish line first” mentality he focuses on to grow Huron’s bottom line
- Pros & cons of focusing on acquisition vs. post-purchase CX
- Huron's #1 strategy to winning customers' trust
- How brand humanization can make consumers gravitate toward your brand
Connect with Matt and the Huron team:
- Visit Huron’s website
- Follow Huron on Instagram
- Connect with Huron on Twitter
Dive deeper into this topic:
- How the future of CX relies on operational excellence
- The power of doing things that operationally don’t scale
Bundling can be a mystery to direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. It can be difficult and perplexing. So, how do some brands make it seem so effortless?
In this episode of The Checkout, we welcome back Mark Riskowitz, Head of Operations at Caraway, who previously joined us on our first episode.
Caraway is one of the fastest-growing DTC brands these days. It launched in November 2019 after its founder, Jordan Nathan searched (without success) for non-PTFE or Teflon-coated products. Jordan decided to create his own, and now, Caraway has thoughtfully raised cookware standards.
Tune in to hear how a top brand like Caraway has become a master at effective bundling. Mark outlines the important factors and complexities to account for as you develop a bundling strategy— and how to work around them.
Join us as we delve into the intricacies of creating a sustainable product bundling strategy.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The easiest way to start your bundling strategy
- The operational considerations of virtual vs. pre-kitted bundling
- How product packaging can affect your bundling strategy
- How to manage bundles from an inventory perspective
Connect with Mark Riskowitz and the Caraway team:
- Stay up to date with Caraway
- Follow Caraway on Instagram
- Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
Dive deeper into this topic:
- How Caraway manages operational uncertainty
- A guide on all you need to know about product bundling
- How product packaging is essential in a brand's experience
Keeping a company’s founding values and culture can be challenging, especially when it grows rapidly.
As Cogsy continues to grow, we’re being intentional about how we conserve our founding values and culture. It can be difficult in a remote work setting—but not impossible.
In this episode of The Checkout, we hold an internal conversation about all things people as the team’s growth is currently top of mind.
Tune in to hear our Head of People, Bori Tóth, share her approach to recruiting, selection, and onboarding processes at Cogsy. We walk you through its successful strategies to empower its team as it expands. In addition, we share unique day-to-day team practices that have helped Cogsy keep its culture alive.
Listen to how Cogsy’s team lives up to its values and empowers its human resources to thrive by bringing their best and unique selves to work each day.
In this episode, we talk about:
- What Cogsy’s leadership is focusing on to foster its values and culture as it grows
- Why do Cogsy’s new team members describe their experience as “culture shock”
- The process of creating a clear framework for company culture
- How you can empower team members to bring their best selves into work
- The importance of impactful work rather than the number of hours worked
Connect with us:
- Connect with Cogsy on Twitter
- Stay up to date at cogsy.com
- Sign up to Cogsy’s Newsletter
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Cogsy's process to find top talent
- The people, process, and planning that define operations
Meet Kelly Vaughn and Rhian Beutler: the co-founders of Govalo, a brand working on reinventing the digital gifting experience. Their Shopify plugin empowers brands to offer customized gift cards and for customers to send them directly to their intended recipient.
As veterans of the Shopify ecosystem, Kelly and Rhian carry over two decades of combined experience. And when they saw early indicators of gift card resurgence, they joined forces to improve the way brands can leverage the asset.
Before Govalo, both Kelly and Rhian saw success with other Shopify-centric ventures. Kelly founded and scaled The Taproom, a Shopify Plus agency. And Rhian founded Ventovv, a successful Shopify app company.
In this episode of The Checkout by Cogsy, Kelly and Rhian break down how gift cards are a viable tool that every merchant should be taking advantage of right now. Plus, they outline how your brand can leverage this tool in your marketing and operational strategies to reap the biggest benefits.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The double dopamine hit customers get with gift cards
- The shift toward a “buy now, shop later” mindset and how gift cards fit into it
- How to win the customer acquisition (and retention) game through gift cards
- The power of gift cards in your out-of-stock strategy
- The hyper-effective gift card strategy that can replace dead-end web pages
- An exciting sneak peek at Govalo’s exciting upcoming features
Connect with Kelly Vaughn and Rhian Beutler:
- Follow Kelly on Twitter
- Follow Rhian on Twitter
- Learn more about Govalo
Dive deeper into this topic:
- Cogsy’s launches replenish alerts to help you avoid stockouts
- 3 ways the ecommerce landscape is changing
- The delicate art of managing operational uncertainty
OLIPOP rightfully calls themselves "a new kind of soda." Each can packs 2-5g of sugar, 9g of fiber, probiotics and comes in one of seven classic flavors. And in less than three years, the product has found its way into 10k+ grocery stores across the US.
This week, the brand announced their $30M series B round at a $200M valuation. And we got to sit down with Eli Weiss, OLIPOP's Director of CX & Retention, on The Checkoutto chat through how they did it.
According to Eli, the soda brand's wild success comes down to putting customers first and doing things that don't scale.
Before joining OLIPOP, Eli built Simulate's first CX team. And before that, he was the Director of CX, Operations & Business Development at FUGU Luggage. There, he learned the ins and outs of operations and realized his passion for building incredible customer experiences, no matter what it takes.
In this episode, we talk about:
- When it makes sense to do activities that don't scale
- How to get buy-in from the top for activities that won't scale
- The difference between DTC and retail (plus the advantages of each)
- How thoughtful touchpoints make all the difference when communicating with your customers
- Eli's 20-year (and counting) mission to positively impact the DTC industry
Connect with Eli Weiss and Olipop
- Follow Eli on Twitter
- Try Olipop
- Follow Olipop on Twitter
Dive deeper into this topic
- Why direct-to-people (DTP) is the future of commerce
- How the ecommerce landscape is changing
- How Lalo sustainably scaled 400% YOY
Kristen LaFrance is earning the right to call herself the customer retention expert in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) space. Today, she's the Mayor of DTC Twitter and the Director of Community at Repeat. But her work has appeared on Privy, Honest eCommerce, Modern Retail, among many others.
And in her years of experience, one DTC truth continues to ring true: great customer experiences naturally lead to customer retention. That's why she's a huge advocate for people before metrics. Meaning, brands should treat their customers as unique human beings with goals, dreams, and desires, not just another consumer (because that's who they are).
In this episode of The Checkout, Kristen breaks down her "direct-to-people" philosophy. Plus, she outlines ways companies can objectively implement this model without sacrificing sustainability.
When Kristen's off Twitter and not running customer experience audits (these moments are rare), you can catch her hiking mountains or obsessing over her rescue dogs.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Moving from DTC mindset to direct-to-people (DTP) approach
- Building brand identity and a loyal customer base without sacrificing the bottom line
- The shift in consumer demand for brands with clear values
- Examples of top brands that practice a DTP approach
- How customer retention feeds into a brand's operational goals
- Early indicators that we're entering a golden era of commerce and who will come out on top
Connect with Kristen LaFrance
- Follow Kristen on Twitter
- Checkout her website
- Request a DTC retention audit
Dive deeper into this topic
- How the ecommerce landscape is changing
- Is email the most underrated ops tool?
- How Lalo sustainably scaled 400% YOY
We had five team members at the start of November 2021. Just one month later, we had 15 team members logging in from every corner of the globe. 😱
And this episode of The Checkout was the internal conversation that set the tone for that incredible growth. Specifically, how we would conserve company culture.
Tune in to hear Cogsy co-founder and CEO Adii Pienaar share what inspired the company's values and culture. And how we (at the time, intended to) conserve our culture while adding a new team member.
(Exciting update: Early signs say the efforts outlined in this episode are working! 🥳)
We'll also walk you through our hiring process (and how we leverage it to find value-fit individuals) and how our distributed team works together.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Where Cogsy's company values come from
- How Adii and his co-founder Stefano Sala's previous experiences informed Cogsy's culture
- What the duo is focusing on to conserve company culture
- The single question that sets the stage for our hiring process
- Fitting asynchronous video interviews into our hiring workflow
- The phrase on our job postings that most applicants are drawn to
- Adii's favorite thing about the way the team works together on a day-to-day basis
- How we think about "work hours" when our team lives in different timezones
Connect with us:
- Follow Adii on Twitter
- Follow Marcella on Twitter
- Stay up to date at cogsy.com
- Connect with Cogsy on Twitter
If your brand faces an operational challenge, Alex McNealey has probably already solved it.
Today, Alex is the Chief Operating Officer at Thuma, a DTC high-end bedroom furniture brand that has experienced explosive growth since its founding in 2018.
But before Thuma, Alex managed JCrew's business strategy back when ecommerce was taking off in the late 90s. And before that, he headed up operations at Pure Digital Technologies (which Cisco acquired in 2009) and leading women's lifestyle brand Popsugar.
And he is using all these diverse career experiences to optimize Thuma for scale.
In this episode of The Checkout, Alex walks us through a career's worth of operational insights you can't afford to miss. Namely, what assumptions and levers unlock growth, and how Thuma uses that knowledge to maintain flexibility amidst supply chain disruptions.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Which functions of the business constitute as "operations."
- The pragmatic yin operators need to balance the founder's creative yang.
- Having the discipline to make data-driven decisions without stifling creativity.
- Understanding the assumptions and levers that unlock growth.
- Proving product acceptance vs. optimizing efficiency as you scale.
- How he's optimizing Thuma for scale.
- Different ways retail brands can manage operative risks.
- How having data about the product and the customer impacts decision-making.
Connect with Alex McNealey
- Follow Thuma on Instagram
- Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Greg Davidson, co-founder and CEO of Lalo, shares how his brand has fine-tuned its operations to scale its explosive growth.
In this episode of The Checkout, we chat with our friend Greg Davidson, co-founder and CEO of Lalo, a modern baby and toddler brand.
Lalo promises to underpin customers' belief that the job of parenting should be more important than the task of shopping for it. As a result,
Lalo's team aims to build a genuine and trustworthy brand—from bibs to high chairs to play mats.
And in this exclusive interview, Greg shares his experiences selling direct-to-consumer and scaling the business after seeing 400% year-over-year growth. While that kind of massive growth is a great problem to have, it's also not an easy challenge to solve. That's why the team at Lalo is so committed to optimizing the brand's operations in order to support it.
Before co-founding Lalo, Greg held leadership positions at tech companies including Artsy and WayUp. Today, Greg leverages years of leadership and operational experience to focus on Lalo's sustainable growth and establish the infrastructure needed to scale the brand well into the future.
Tune in below to hear how Greg walks us through the operational side of scaling Lalo's 400% year-over-year growth. (Spoiler: It involves using Cogsy!)
We love having Cogsy customers on the podcast, so this episode is near and dear to our hearts.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The importance of having a tool or planner in place to establish confidence and confirm assumptions.
- How the Lalo team supported 400% year-over-year growth from very early on.
- The inventory mistake the brand made when they first saw fast-paced growth.
- The data their team reviewed at the beginning vs. the data they review now.
- The future of diversifying ports and distribution centers to include more local options.
- How opening a retail store in Manhattan plays into their overall marketing strategy.
- The team's approach to product research and developing new flagship products.
- How Greg views and defines operations.
Connect with Greg Davidson
- Follow Greg on Twitter
- Follow Lalo on Instagram
we are incredibly excited to share that we've completed a $5M seed round led by Accel Partners. (Alongside our pre-seed round earlier this year, this brings our total funding to date to $6M.)
We're also grateful for having a star-studded support cast in the form of Sugar Capital, Riverpark VC, Bain Capital Ventures, Automattic/WooCommerce, and Brian Long.
Seth Pierrepont, a partner at Accel, said:
“Few sectors have evolved as fast as e-commerce in recent years. Retail brands are taking advantage of this new landscape and orienting themselves around a digital-first approach. Yet when it comes to their ops functions, many are still using yesterday’s playbook. Cogsy is helping brands turn their ops function into engines of growth.”
In this episode, we talk about:
- How the fundraising round came about.
- What the future holds for the team's growth.
- How the fundraising will jumpstart the product's innovation.
- The stressed vs. calm approach to running a business.
- Adii's evolution from operator to coach.
Learn more about Cogsy:
- Learn more about Cogsy
- Learn more about the seed round
- Follow Cogsy on Twitter
- Follow Cogsy on LinkedIn
- Follow Adii on LinkedIn
In this episode of The Checkout, we sit down with Samar Owais, email conversion strategist for SaaS and eCommerce brands.
Samar has helped companies like Hubspot, Drip, Pinterest, and numerous eCommerce brands increase conversions, retain customers, and fix the money-leaking gaps in their emails. And she's the creator of the eCommerce Email Bootcamp for copywriters.
Now, Samar walks us through the operational side of email. Plus, she gives her expert recommendations on better managing communications with customers amidst supply chain disruptions.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why email is first a communications tool, before a marketing tool.
- Fostering and nurturing the post-purchase relationship with customers via email.
- Using email to provide customers options and control over what happens next.
- The importance of looping in ops teams to email marketing plans.
- Opportunities for DTC brands in the upcoming year: transparency, bundling, and more.
- Samar's ideal email nurture campaign.
Connect with Samar Owais:
- Follow Samar on Twitter
- Connect with her on LinkedIn
- Get the Emails Done Right newsletter
Alek Koenig is the founder and CEO of Settle. In 2019, he sought to ease modern businesses' cash flow and financial management. Today, Settle encapsulates payment, financing, and accounting integrations for brands and e-commerce organizations to scale faster.
Before Settle, Alek was the Head of Credit at Affirm from 2015-2019. Before that, he worked at Capital One for six years and a small fintech startup in between.
At Settle, Alek works with fast-growing brands to minimize operational stress and increase operational agility through access to capital.
In this episode of The Checkout , he shares his learnings from working with forward-thinking brands at different stages of their growth journeys. This includes what's working, what isn't, and everything in between.
In this episode, we talk about:
- What in particular inspired Alek to create a cashflow management product.
- How his team and product helped brands adapt to the disruptions that came along with the pandemic.
- The need for accessing new, better channels to increase sales (like TikTok?).
- The financial topics retail brands should learn more about.
- The common operational issues that many brands experience (and some potential solutions).
Connect with Alek Koenig and the Settle team
- On Twitter
- At settle.com
Every few episodes of The Checkout, we plan to give you a behind-the-scenes look at building Cogsy. This is the first episode of that kind, and we start with the Cogsy origin story—straight from Cogsy co-founder and CEO Adii Pienaar.
Adii goes into how we plan to empower retail brands. Plus, why we approach commerce with a strong focus on operations and where we plan on taking the product in the future.
Spoiler: The focus is always on operational excellence.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Where the name "Cogsy" comes from.
- Reverse engineering operational processes to help smaller brands.
- How Adii envisions empowering retail brands through the product.
- Why we're now entering the third wave of e-commerce.
- If we're building an inventory management system or not? Adii shares his thoughts on the matter.
- Reporting and insights vs. taking actions and making decisions.
And throughout the conversation, Adii is in the hot seat. Meanwhile, Cogsy Head of Marketing Marcella Chamorro interrogates why he chose to create Cogsy after wrapping up his work on CM Commerce.
Connect with us:
- Follow Adii on Twitter
- Follow Marcella on Twitter
- Stay up to date at cogsy.com
- Connect with Cogsy on Twitter
This week on The Checkout, we chat with Jose Alvarez, Abbott co-founder and CEO, a New York City-based sustainable fragrance brand, and the growing pains of scaling a fast-growing brand.
And on this episode, he shares the research it takes to launch a new fragrance brand and the importance of flexibility when operating with an unreliable supply chain.
In 2016, Jose co-founded the company with Michael Pass. Abbott is a project that draws upon the friends' long-standing passion for outdoor adventures and sustainable, non-toxic fragrances. Ones that are consciously made but never sacrifice beauty and artistry.
Jose moved around a lot when he was younger but spent his formative years in Nicaragua, where his family is originally from. That's where his passion for adventure and nature began. He spent those years in rural farms, untouched rainforests, and virgin beaches.
Today, he believes that we are all citizens of the world and still have a voracious appetite for discovering new cultures and travel. And when he is not working, you can usually find him out in the ocean surfing or on the mountains skiing.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The inspiration behind Abbott.
- Fragrance brands and what Abbott brings to the market.
- Jose’s ability to do something he is passionate about through his entrepreneurship.
- Research, research, and more research.
- The products Abbott offers and why they offer them.
- How to launch an online fragrance company.
- The unpredictability of supply, demand, and the future.
- Communicating with customers.
- How to build your brand story and brand awareness.
Connect with Jose Alvarez and the Abbott team
- At abbottnyc.com
- On Instagram (@sbbottnyc)
- On Instagram (@misteralvarrez)
Today, we are thrilled to bring you the first-ever episode of The Checkout podcast. In it, Caraway Head of Ops Mark Riskowitz shares how he manages uncertainty and ensures brand growth by dialing in on unit economics.
This first-ever episode of The Checkout is a special one. We talk to our friend, Mark Riskowitz, Head of Operations at Caraway, one of the fastest-growing DTC brands around today.
In this episode, Mark tells us how he helps manage supply chain uncertainty and ensures the brand's growth by dialing their unit economics.
Caraway launched in November 2019 after its founder Jordan Nathan was searching (without success) for non-PTFE or Teflon-coated products. Frustrated at the lack of options, he set out to create his own.
Today, Caraway's four-piece, non-toxic, non-stick set of ceramic pots and pans with a playful color palette are the product of that initial frustration.
And the modern design and aesthetics of Caraway products made them instantly popular. This drove the company to raise $5.3M in seed funding to support the fast-paced growth Caraway experienced right from the start.
Now, Mark walks us through the operational side of scaling that growth and the particular pain points Caraway faced. And, as an experienced operator in the retail space, Mark shares his insights on how brands can better manage today's supply chain disruptions.
In this episode, we talk about:
- What operations encompasses—and what it does not include.
- Managing uncertainty on the supply chain side.
- Which numbers and metrics operators should be on top of at all times.
- Setting a solid foundation for retail operations.
- The flipped cash conversion cycle.
Connect with Mark Riskowitz and the Caraway team
- At carawayhome.com
- On Instagram
- On LinkedIn
The Checkout by Cogsy is a podcast for retail brands pursuing operational excellence. On it, we explore best practices and insights from top operations and retail experts. And we cover everything from inventory to purchase orders, from cash flow to fundraising, and more.
Learn something new about retail operations in each episode. Each week, we hope to empower you to operate proactively and take smarter actions.
Brands are facing a challenging time. Customer demand is increasing, while supply chains are making fulfillment more difficult than ever. How can they scale amidst this uncertainty? When operations aren't dialed in, brands can't take advantage of growth and sales. We talk to experts in operations, logistics, financing, and more to bring you potential solutions and ideas as you optimize your brand's operations.
Who will be on the show?
Co-hosted by Cogsy's CEO Adii Pienaar and Cogsy's Head of Marketing Marcella Chamorro, The Checkout invites only top leaders in the retail space to share their hard-earned lessons and best practices. You can look forward to exclusive interviews with:
- Mark Riskowitz, Head of Operations at Caraway
- José Alvarez, Co-Founder of Abbott NYC
- Alek Koenig, Co-founder & CEO of Settle
- Samar Owais, Email Strategist
- Greg Davidson, Founder & CEO at Lalo
- Alex Thuma, COO at Thuma
- Kristen LaFrance, Director of Community at Repeat
- And many more!
Plus, some episodes will take you behind the scenes at Cogsy. In these special installments, Marcella interviews Adii on what it's like to build a team, a culture, and a product that empowers retail brands to reach operational excellence.
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