Consumer VC

Mike Mayer (Windmill) - Building the smart AC Unit that's eye candy for your window

Listen Later

Our guest today is Mike Mayer, Co-CEO of Windmill. Windmill is the smart, quiet AC unit that looks nice. As you can imagine, we discuss the wonderful world of air conditioning. How he co-founded Windmill with his brother if he had any intention of getting into the air condition business, his approach to getting Windmill off the ground, fundraising, new revenue streams, and releasing new products.

Some of the questions I ask:

  1. Did you always want to be an entrepreneur and start a business with your brother?
  • Competing clothing brand called Peaches
  • What was the insight that led you to founding Windmill?
  • How did you build out your supply chain?
  • How do you approach industrial and brand design?
  • What are some of the regulations?
  • Talk about all your different revenue streams?
  • Why do seasonal business
  • How did you think about your sales channels? Why did you do retail out the gate, how did you get into retail as your first channel?
  • What was the process of convincing investors?
  • How have you grown since founding Windmill?
  • Changes in COVID
  • We saw with high AOV products the repeat purchase rate isn’t very high. How did you think about additional products you could sell or even being able to build a subscription business?
    1. How do you use software coupled with the physical product?
  • What’s one thing you would change about fundraising?
  • What’s one book that inspired you personally and one book that inspired you professionally?
    1. Unbroken
    • ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Consumer VCBy Mike Gelb
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9

    4.9

    134 ratings

    More shows like Consumer VC

    View all
    This Week in Startups by Jason Calacanis

    This Week in Startups

    1,296 Listeners

    The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

    The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

    536 Listeners

    Odd Lots by Bloomberg

    Odd Lots

    1,993 Listeners

    The a16z Show by Andreessen Horowitz

    The a16z Show

    1,105 Listeners

    How I Built This with Guy Raz by Guy Raz | Wondery

    How I Built This with Guy Raz

    30,233 Listeners

    Founders by David Senra

    Founders

    2,221 Listeners

    Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry by Ted Seides – Allocator and Asset Management Expert

    Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry

    797 Listeners

    Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

    Y Combinator Startup Podcast

    233 Listeners

    My First Million by Hubspot Media

    My First Million

    2,660 Listeners

    Dry Powder: The Private Equity Podcast by Hugh MacArthur, Bain & Company

    Dry Powder: The Private Equity Podcast

    150 Listeners

    The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway by Vox Media Podcast Network

    The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

    5,610 Listeners

    All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

    All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

    10,254 Listeners

    The Memo by Howard Marks by Oaktree Capital Management

    The Memo by Howard Marks

    435 Listeners

    Acquiring Minds by Will Smith

    Acquiring Minds

    275 Listeners

    Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

    Prof G Markets

    1,480 Listeners