EPISODE 56

Jose Li, founder and CEO of 71lbs, joins Kevin and Jason to break down how he turned a frustration most companies tolerate, opaque and overcharged shipping invoices, into a 14-year-old business that has saved 5,000 customers more than $80 million. After running FedEx's retail and e-commerce practice, Jose left to tackle the two biggest pain points companies face with carriers: saving money and understanding what they're actually paying. He explains the little-known money-back guarantee policy that leaves $2 billion unclaimed every year, how COVID nearly killed the business and forced a pivot into contract negotiations (now 50%+ of revenue), and why trade shows and in-house cold calling still outperform almost everything else. Jose also shares his vision for layering weather and third-party data on top of shipping decisions, the hiring mistakes that taught him perfect FedEx résumés don't translate, and the chip on his shoulder from 800+ investor rejections that still fuels him today.

CHAPTERS

00:00 / Cold Open: $2 Billion in Unclaimed Refunds

03:30 / Meet Jose Li, Founder of 71lbs

03:43 / Spotting the Gap: Two Pain Points Nobody Was Solving

07:14 / From an IP Address to a Real Business

08:30 / The Money-Back Guarantee Most Companies Don't Know About

11:50 / How COVID Almost Killed the Business

12:58 / AI, Weather Data, and the Future of Shipping Decisions

15:10 / Getting the First 10 Customers and Building a Sales Machine

23:52 / Why Trade Shows Are Still the Best Channel

26:47 / The Chip on the Shoulder That Keeps Him Going

30:16 / Founder Mode Top 5 Takeaways

LINKS

Connect with Jose Li

71lbs.com • LinkedIn • X/Twitter

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Connect with Kevin

LinkedIn • X/Twitter

Connect with Jason

LinkedIn • X/Twitter