Brick by Brick: Building Insurgent Brands : Recent Episodes
DSG Consumer Partners
DSG Consumer Partners has partnered insurgent brand founders since 2012. Join us as we speak with the best minds across the world on building insurgent brands brick by brick in a sustainable manner. If you are passionate about brands and building businesses sustainably, this is for you. Explore all our episodes at https://bit.ly/3SCMRvH
In this episode, we sat down with Suyash Saraf, CEO and Co-founder of Dot & Key, one of India's most profitable beauty and personal care brands. With revenues exceeding 500 crores and EBITDA margins of 15%+, Dot & Key has achieved what most D2C brands struggle with - massive scale with concentrated focus on just two categories: moisturizers and sunscreens.
In this candid conversation, Suyash reveals:
→ Why they chose to dominate categories instead of diversifying
→ How they built multiple hero products in sunscreen while competitors failed
→ The real reasons behind their stagnation period and comeback strategy
→ Their contrarian approach to capital efficiency and profitability-first growth
→ Why they rejected the typical VC playbook and raised only 50 crores
→ The organizational changes needed when scaling from 0-100 to 100-500 crores
→ How they attracted top talent to Kolkata without a startup ecosystem
From near-failure in 2021 to becoming every BPC founder's benchmark, this is the untold story of building India's most focused beauty empire.
Whether you're a founder or just someone curious about the consumer startup world, this is a masterclass you don't want to miss.
Visit DSGCP : https://www.dsgcp.com
You can also watch the full episode on the DSGCP website.
In this episode, we sit down with Sam Bedi, the Executive Director of Forest Essentials, to explore the incredible journey of transforming a small passion project into a global luxury Ayurveda brand.
Sam shares his insights on everything from navigating early challenges to building a distinctive brand identity and setting up their manufacturing facilities. He discusses the significance of maintaining uncompromised quality, the evolution of retail strategies, and the importance of thoughtful store expansion. With 175 stores and plans to expand further, Sam reveals how patience, focus, and hard work have been the cornerstones of their growth.
Tune in to hear about the company’s journey from its first store launch at Khan Market to its global aspirations, and learn valuable lessons for anyone looking to build a legacy brand.
Key topics covered:
- Building a Brand from Scratch: How a small project started in a garage without a business plan turned into an iconic luxury brand.
- Strategic Growth & Store Expansion: Why patience and strategic planning are essential in-store rollouts and how Forest Essentials scaled to 175 stores while maintaining quality and profitability.
- Challenges of a Luxury Ayurveda Brand: Overcoming price sensitivity through product and retail experience to establish a new category in the Indian beauty market.
- The Importance of Product Differentiation: Sticking to uncompromised quality and unique formulations is crucial in a crowded beauty space.
- Navigating Retail Trends: The evolution of retail strategies from high streets to malls and back, and insights into selecting the right locations for store openings.
- Global Vision & Long-term Goals: Sam’s vision of positioning Forest Essentials as a global brand, rivalling international names like L’Occitane and The Body Shop.
- Key Advice for Founders: Patience, focus, and the role of hard work in building a long-lasting, impactful brand.
You can also watch the full episode on the DSGCP website.
In this episode of Brick by Brick: Building Insurgent Brands, we're excited to host Andrew Kandolha, co-founder of SATURDAYS. Andrew shared his valuable experience and insights on the strategic importance of scaling retail stores for emerging brands like SATURDAYS.
In a conversation with Sameer Mehta, Andrew delves into how SATURDAYS has evolved from a fledgling start-up to a tech-enabled omnichannel brand with an app, website, and 51 stores in 19 cities across Indonesia in a matter of 2 years. Tune in to learn how strategic location selection, operational excellence, and a customer-centric approach propelled SATURDAYS to revolutionize the eyewear retail landscape in Indonesia.
You can also watch the full episode on the DSGCP website.
Welcome to the 15th episode of ‘BRICK by BRICK: Building Insurgent Brands'. Join us as we talk to the brightest minds across the world about building enduring consumer brands.
In this episode, we will hear insights from Viksita Singh Menon about the ever-evolving landscape of Beauty for Millennials and Gen Z in Southeast Asia.
Tune in as we discuss:
- The unique dynamics of young consumer needs and behaviors observed in Southeast Asia.
- Navigating the competitive landscape and strategies for beauty insurgent brands to thrive.
- Adapting to the post-COVID consumer, meeting demands for interactive online experiences and personalized shopping journeys.
- The power of online platforms, notably TikTok, for brand discovery and engagement, emphasizing the importance of a robust content strategy.
- Anticipated future trends in beauty, including the growing influence of AI and the increasing emphasis on sustainability in product offerings.
You can also watch the full episode on the DSGCP website.
In this episode we're privileged to host Saket Gore, former CEO, APAC, Himalaya Wellness Company. In conversation with DSGCP's Sameer Mehta, Saket shares his experience of building Himalaya for over 15 years in and outside India, specifically Indonesia.
Tune in to this insightful episode on category creation, consumer insights, NPD & innovation, general trade and much more!
You can also watch the full episode on the DSGCP website.
We're excited to host Gautam Saraogi in episode 13 of Brick by Brick to discuss the incredible story of Go Colors - Go Fashion India Ltd.
In the last 13 years, Go Colors has become synonymous with women’s bottomwear and had an excellent public listing in 2021. With >30% EBITDA margin and INR 760 crores ARR in Q1FY24, Go Colors is a fantastic story of a brand built with solid fundamentals and a razor-sharp focus on a single category.
In this session with Hariharan Premkumar, we will cover:
- Building a brand in a low-differentiation category
- Right pace of growth, key input metrics and unit economics in EBOs, Kiosks and LFS (Large format stores) at different stages of growth
- Maintaining low marketing spends (less than 5% of revenues) and discounted sales (less than 3% of revenues) while growing rapidly
- Managing fashion risk and inventory challenges in apparel
- What it takes to build a 30%+ EBITDA margin consumer brand
You can also watch the full episode on the DSGCP website.
We had the privilege of hosting Arindam Paul, Chief Business Officer and a key member of the founding team at Atomberg Technologies , on the next session of Brick by Brick: Building Insurgent Brands. Join us as Arindam shares insights on how Atomberg, one of India's largest and fastest-growing digital-first consumer brands, was built on first principles.
Arindam joined Atomberg pre-revenue and funding, to lead all customer-facing functions, including sales, marketing, and service. Over the past eight years, he has successfully scaled up the company's annual revenue from 0 to INR 1000 crores.
During the conversation with DSGCP's Hariharan Premkumar, Arindam dived into several key topics, including:
• The Amazon and Offline playbook Pre-PMF and Post-PMF
• Nurturing a learning and first principles thinking culture in the organization
• Metrics to monitor at different stages of growth
You can also watch the full episode on the DSGCP website.
We had the privilege of hosting serial entrepreneur and consumer products whiz Eric Ryan on our talk series, #BrickbyBrick, for a session on Creativity & Innovation: The Fuel to $100 Million Businesses.'
Eric started out squeaky clean in 2001 when he co-founded Method and built it into a global industry leader for both design and sustainability.
In 2015, he shed his clean reputation to shake up the vitamin aisle with OLLY, an innovative line of gummies and proteins with smart design and downright deliciousness.
Next, Eric ventured into making the finest fabric bandages and ointments that people actually want to buy and wear, co-founding Welly in 2019.
Today, Ryan’s three ventures have reached a collective valuation of more than $1 billion!
Tune in to hear us discuss:
- Spotting categories ripe for disruption
- De-risking before scaling
- The power of design
- Building teams and culture
- Fundraising tips & advice
- Preparing for an exit
You can also watch the full episode on the DSGCP website.
We hosted Katherine Desbaillets, Chief Brand Officer, SaladStop Group in the 9th session of #brickbybrick: ‘Walking the Talk on Sustainability’. SaladStop Group was founded in 2009 with environmental consciousness and sustainability at the forefront of its operations. With 28% of global emissions attributable to the food industry, SaladStop Group felt the urgent need to reduce its climate impact. In 2022, they launched Southeast Asia’s 1st Net Zero-certified F&B outlet. SaladStop Group is a great case study of how ESG can be a pillar for business and how early-stage companies can walk the talk on sustainability.
Tune in to hear us discuss:
- How ESG is built into the DNA of SaladStop through various innovations and initiatives
- The challenges, trade-offs, and costs associated with prioritizing sustainability
- How ESG can deliver better business results for companies
- Actionable advice for young startups building their ESG strategy
We're so excited to kickstart this year's #BrickbyBrick sessions with the 1st founder we partnered with, way back in 2012!
Veeba is an amazing case study of building a successful brand in a category (food) and a channel (offline) that is widely considered to be extremely difficult.
Viraj Bahl, in conversation with Hariharan Premkumar, will discuss the Story of Veeba and how he built an incredible brand and business in the offline space.
Tune in to hear more about:
• What should one get right in the first 2 years of offline
• Best practices in building and managing the offline sales organisation
• Balancing depth in a region and expansion to newer geographies
• New product development and product portfolio management
• Metrics to monitor offline business health
Welcome to the seventh session of our series: 'Brick by Brick: Building Insurgent Brands'. Join us as we talk to the brightest minds across the world about building enduring consumer brands.
Started her career at the age of 15 so that she could provide for her family. Vice President at Hooters of America by 26. President of Cinnabon at 31, in the heart of a recession.
We're thrilled to have Kat Cole join us for 2022's last session of Brick by Brick: Building Insurgent Brands.
As President & COO at Athletic Greens, Kat focuses on driving organizational scale, accelerating business growth and global expansion, innovation, and more. During her previous tenure as President and COO at Focus Brands LLC, she led the company’s 7 brands including Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, Moe’s, McAllister’s, and Jamba with over USD 1 bn in revenues.
In this session on Lessons in Leadership & Brand Building, we cover:
- Building trust in teams
- Vulnerability and openness as a leadership superpower
- Scaling yourself as a leader
- Bootstrapping Athletic greens to USD 100M in revenues
- Framework for building brands
Check out Kat's substack here: https://katcole.substack.com/
Wayne Wu, General Partner, VMG Partners in conversation with Hariharan Premkumar, discusses his learnings from over 15 years of consumer investing.
The 6th episode of Brick by Brick features Vikram Rupani, co-founder RedMart, and co-founder Nuguru in conversation with DSGCP's Sameer Mehta. This session is focused on team, culture, and growth dynamics from a people-centric lens.
Tune in to hear them discuss:
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Building and maintaining the culture
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How you build a recruiting engine that can select, train, manage and retain at that scale that early in the journey
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How does one divide roles amongst co-founders
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Distinctions between early hires, senior hires, and how does one afford all of this!
At DSG Consumer Partners, we have always been channel agnostic and invest in both online-first and offline-first brands. Love, Bonito one of the largest womenswear brands in Asia, is a great case study of an online-first brand that has grown across physical stores in Asia-Pacific while remaining sharply focused on its target consumers.
Listen in to hear Dione Song, CEO of Love, Bonito discuss
- The elements of a world-class omnichannel consumer experience in women’s apparel
- Fundamental KPIs for Love Bonito
- Maintaining consumer love while going global
Welcome to episode #4 of the Brick by Brick podcast featuring Malika Datt Sadani and Mohit Sadaani on The Moms Co. | Good Glamm Group's journey.
Tune in to hear Malika and Mohit delve deep into The Mom's Co story- from the early days of Malika’s searches for advice and product reviews on “new mom” Facebook groups, to working on their own product line and launching the brand, to generating trials and adoption via smart marketing on a budget, and the recent integration into The Good Glamm Group.
An important aspect of growing a business sustainably is consumer love. As a brand, do you resonate with your customer’s values and beliefs? Do you pre-empt and solve unmet needs?
In this episode of The Story of Epigamia, we discuss:
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What brand Epigamia stood for when they started, and how its purpose and values evolved over time
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The secret sauce behind the incredible brand love they have garnered, apart from the quality of the products and mindful product launches
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The science behind staying on-brand as the company grows in sales and expands product lines
Manish Taneja, co-founder and CEO of Purplle.com in an open conversation with Hariharan Premkumar talks candidly about his journey in building Purplle, mistakes he made, the importance of conviction in your own business, and making contra bets backed by data.
Jesse Pujji , Founder and CEO of Gateway X, Co-founder of Ampush, in conversation with DSGCP’s Hariharan Premkumar, highlights the importance of focusing on capital efficiency and the best practices for building robust businesses.