Operators Series

Operators Series

By Casey ArmstrongBusinessEntrepreneurshipTechnologyMarketing
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Operators Series episodes

  • Kopari Beauty - Lanie Depaquale & Kula cloth - Anastasia Allison
    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
    55 min
  • Glade Optics: Curt Nichols
    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
    46 min
  • Greats: Neil Callahan
    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
    53 min
  • Road ID: Edward Wimmer
    How do you build a purpose driven company? How do you buy and sell companies during a global pandemic? These are some of the subjects that you’ll hear about in today’s episode. During this podcast, you’ll hear from Edward Wimmer, owner of Road ID, and Taylor Holiday, managing partner of Common Thread Collective and partner at 4x400. Listen in to hear them discuss selling direct-to-consumer, acquisition opportunities on social media, and dealing with production and delivery delays.
    Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
    The origin of Road ID
    How Edward built a shopping cart and started selling direct-to-consumer 
    Taylor’s experience with Road ID
    How Taylor acquired and sold businesses and navigating that through a global pandemic
    Whether businesses need to pay attention to seller discretionary earnings
    Acquisition opportunities on social media
    Dealing with delays in production and late deliveries
    How Edward has seen product lines with fitness wearables fluctuate over time
    Whether Fitbit has evolved its products based on Apple’s products
    Expanding “hero” products
    Whether you should launch an e-commerce startup now
    What to focus on when starting from scratch today
    The first platform Edward used
    Channels brands should focus on today
    Advice for listeners
    Resources:
    Edward Wimmer
    Taylor Holiday
    55 min
  • R. Riveter: Cameron Cruse and Lisa Bradley
    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
    52 min
  • Blue Lagoon: Fannar Jónsson
    Did you know that ShipBob uses carbon offsetting and has a goal of making its entire brand carbon neutral? Today’s episode is a special Earth Week episode. In it, you’ll be hearing from two different brands that have taken positive steps toward operating sustainably. 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:
    Blue Lagoon 
    Fannar Jónsson – Environmental Quality Manager
    Céline Lorriaux– Sales and Business Development leader
    56 min
  • RomperJack: Justin Clark
    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
    51 min
  • Juspy: Leonie Lynch
    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
    50 min
  • Aurora Mornings: Tom Mucklow
    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
    50 min
  • Offsetting Your Ecommerce Emissions: An Earth Day Special
    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
    56 min

About Operators Series

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Join us every Wednesday at 1pm CT as we sit down with ecommerce founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, marketers, supply chain managers, and the technology experts that help them grow.