Operators Series

After graduating in 2015, Hagan turned down an offer with Tesla Motors to pursue Glo full-time. After some early success with Glo Cubes, a mother reached out to share how the product had helped her autistic son overcome his fear of water. The story influenced the development of the Glo Pals a product that engages children in sensory exercises and brightens bath time. Today, you can find Glo products in more than 1,400 stores across the USA and Canada.

We're sitting down with Hagan to learn about the aha moment that sparked his brand's purpose. Today, you can find Glo products in more than 1,400 stores across the USA and Canada. We're also joined by Rocky Brody from Freightos, answering all your freight questions at a time of unprecedented supply chain disruption.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

How Glo got started

How the Glo Pals product helps kids with autism

How long Hagan was interning at Tesla

How Hagan divided his time between promoting different companies

How Hagan has approached restaurants and bars about Glo Cubes

Glo Pals’ first retail partner

The mix of volume that gets moved through different retailers

How many Sesame characters Glo Pals has

How Glo’s manufacturing works

How Glo navigates bulk ordering

When in the Glo journey Hagan realized the company needed redundancies on the manufacturing side

How Hagan came across Freightos and how his company uses it

How Freightos helps facilitate the journey

Trends in shipping pricing and timing

Whether or not it makes sense to manufacture in the US

How people decide on which quote to book

Transparencies in cost and time

How Glo is preparing for the holiday season

The revenue split in BTC vs. retail

Fun marketing initiatives

Number one tip for entrepreneurs

Related Links

Hagan Walker

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 his last appearance on this podcast, Leo Carrillo III explained what it was like to jump into his new business right before COVID hit. Now, Leo returns to discuss what things have been like for his company since that earlier episode. Listen to today’s conversation to hear what Leo has to say about what the past few months have been like, who Leo’s customers are, and how he’s gotten professional athletes to promote his products.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

What’s been most interesting for Leo over the past four and a half months

What put Leo in the best position going forward

Where Leo’s company started from an audience creation level

The accounts that Leo’s customers follow

Customers who are spending money on fitness gear

How Leo’s company puts the creative content together

How the company got promotions from professional athletes

How the margin has changed over time

How Leo thinks about the spend on Facebook ads

Leveraging traffic to drive repeat customers

How people use and order Leo’s products

The impact of Afterpay

Why you should use SMS

Resources:

Leo Carrillo III

Hair Craft Co.

How do companies continue to grow even in uncertain and difficult times, and what do you need to do to take your business from step one to step two and beyond? Today’s guests are Patrick Coddou, CEO and founder of Supply, and the director of operations for Organic Olivia. Listen to the episode to hear what they have to say about putting yourself out there, keeping your company moving forward and engaged, and generating interest when you’re breaking into a competitive space. 

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

What’s been behind Organic Olivia’s growth over the past year and a half

How Coronavirus has impacted Supply

What’s surprised Patrick about putting himself out there

How being a smaller team and knowing the customers helps with navigating uncertain situations

Navigating COVID uncertainty from the operations side

The items that Dana is currently selling out of

A good plan to keep a company moving forward and engaged during COVID

Changes in conversations with merchants

What products Dana sees customers gravitating toward

Objections and concerns of customers when it comes to buying online during COVID

Generating interest in a competitive space

Products made in China during COVID

How to prioritize time

Security measures in warehouses

Resources:

Patrick Coddou

Supply

Organic Olivia

Leo Carrillo III went from trying part-time to build his time to jumping in full time – and then COVID hit. What was that like? What sorts of changes has Leo seen and how is he handling, advertising, packaging, and shipping? Listen in to hear what Leo has to say about the most eye-opening experiences Leo has had in this time, how Leo’s company fulfills products, and what’s happened to demand on Amazon. 

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

The most eye-opening thing since Leo went part-time to full-time on Hair Craft Co

The most eye-opening thing about operating during COVID

Whether Leo’s company fulfills products themselves

How Leo’s company is packaging

Where Leo is advertising

Where to find quality suppliers

Making it easier for customers to convert

Whether demand has decreased on Amazon

The Hair Craft Co’s Amazon ad spend

The marketing strategies direct-to-consumer brands don’t use enough

Strategies to make up the revenue gap

How Leo is thinking about diversification

Leo’s number one piece of advice for entrepreneurs

Resources:

Leo Carrillo III

Hair Craft Co.

Being proactive with communication is important, especially when merchants, suppliers, shippers, and customers are all facing unexpected challenges. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Mark Fontanetta of Bakblad, Sarah Ribner of PiperWai, and Matt DeCapio of Boie. Listen in to what they have to say about delays, changes in Amazon practices, and the importance of communicating with customers.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

How Sarah’s company pivoted quickly into hand gels

Matt’s company and his role

Mark’s company and his role

Sarah’s company and her role

Changes Mark has seen on air freight in China

Whether Mark typically uses air shipping

Where Matt’s company typically manufacturers

Whether Matt has seen delays

Whether Sarah has seen buying behavior changes

Whether Amazon’s changes caused changes in Sarah’s company

The effects of Prime being taken away

The channels that Matt’s company primarily sells in

Communication about shipping

Realistic percentages of sales returned

Whether premium hand sanitizers will remain popular

Whether Mark’s company is looking at domestic manufacturing

How Matt’s company has changed their marketing messaging

Brands Matt has seen stand out during the pandemic

What keeps Sarah up at night

How ShipBob integrates with a platform

Freight forwarders

Types of content that brands are using

Saving money on shipping heavy items

When to start using ShipBob

Number one piece of advice for owners and operators

Resources:

The pandemic has changed a lot when it comes to e-commerce, from the supply chain to the channels that merchants use. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Andrew Faris of 4x400, Chad Rubin of Think Crucial, and Emily Sewell of Hubble. Listen in to hear what they’re thinking about using different social media platforms to acquire customers, marketing on Amazon vs. the company’s website, and the ways purchasing has changed for customers.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

How Emily’s role has evolved when it comes to the supply chain during COVID

Where Hubble manufactures goods

The catalyst for Andrew to jump into Twitter

How Think Crucial was able to make changes and support people during COVID

Strategies and resources for choosing products that will sell during the pandemic

Shifts in the way customers purchase at Hubble

Marketing styles on Amazon

Amazon growth vs. the website’s growth

What kinds of messaging works best and resonates most

Using Snapchat or Pinterest for customer acquisition

Delaying a launch

Bringing communication to the next level

Free Google listings

The logistics of delivering perishables

Advertising CBD

Pivoting travel products while everyone is staying at home

Resources:

Andrew Faris

4x400

Chad Rubin

Think Crucial

Emily Sewell

Hubble

How did things start, and how are they going? How does testing factor in? Listen to today’s episode to hear more about these subjects. Joining the podcast today is Lanie Depaquale of Kopari Beauty and Anastasia Allison of Kula Cloth. Listen in to learn more about the production, marketing, and shipping of these products. 

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

How Allison came up with her idea

What the Kula cloth is made from

What the price of the Kula cloth is

The odor resistance of the Kula cloth

Where Alison was a park ranger

What Lanie has seen from Kopari

Historic and current bestsellers for Kopari

Where Lanie manufactures

Where Anastasia manufactures

Getting a big order that’s out of the comfort zone

Whether to use a digital marketing firm

Handling creative content and ensuring consistency

The budget for marketing each month

How Lanie found her agency

Time and money-saving effects of a shipping partner

How to decide which products to sell on which channels

Handling customer communication

Managing international shipping

How influencers charge

Number one advice for other entrepreneurs

Resources:

Lanie Depasquale

Kopari Beauty

Anastasia Allison

Kula Cloth

What’s important to think about when launching a brand? That’s one of the questions that the guests on today’s podcast will answer. Today’s episode includes Nik Sharma of Sharma Brands, Kurt Elster of Ethercycle, and Michael Peters of TB12. They’ll discuss a variety of topics including products for emergency preparedness, sourcing issues, and the value of free shipping. 

 

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

TB12’s earned media

What Judy kits provide

How Judy was launched

The value of getting prepared

What works for D to C brands

The surges TB12 has seen

What Judy looks like from the supplier side

Where Judy is sourcing from

What Kurt has seen that gets brands to Black Friday/Cyber Monday levels

The main aspects to consider when choosing a partner

What’s most important when launching a brand

Positioning the brand to upsell to multiple purchases

Free shipping

How to look at shipping and shipping challenges

Things to do on the charitable side

Number-one advice for brands

 

Resources:

Nik Sharma

Sharma Brands

Judy

Kurt Elster

Ethercycle

Michael Peters

TB12

When customers purchase from Gerard Ecker’s Ocean and Co, a part of the money they spend goes to help rid the ocean of plastic. Meanwhile, Ryan Treft’s Coalatree sells eco-friendly goods, and his Peejamas helps parents with a difficult part of child-rearing – nighttime potty training. Learn more about these founders and their businesses in today’s episode. During the conversation, you’ll learn about increasing average order value, COVID-related changes, and how to approach bundling with your customers. 

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

Spikes from bundling

The importance of increasing average order value

Third-party apps in Shopify that can help regulate bundles

How things have changed since COVID hit

Forecasting inventory

Navigating manufacturing

Approaching bundles with customers

Recommendations for brands with a smaller quantity of SKUs

The percentage of order value that goes to marketing

Where to meet e-commerce founders

Resources:

Gerard Ecker

Ocean and Co

Ryan Treft

Coalatree

Peejamas