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