The Story of a Brand Show

This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.

Many times, it's not fun to shop online. And it's not easy for brands to tell their stories to online shoppers. Filling those gaps is the mission of Social Chat, a service that tries to foster a natural conversation between brands and their customers.

Social Chat Founder Frost Li used her experience in commerce marketing to guide her in forming this new brand. The reason behind it was simple.

"It's like when you walk into the store if you only ask one question, and that's it, you don't get the whole picture," she says.

Frost says her experience has taught her that what consumers want most is not necessarily a discount, but they want to learn more about the product.

"We always set a coupon for all these live shopping sessions and video sessions with customers, and we found out more than half of the customers don't even use the coupon," she says. "They were convinced by the authentic content and conversation they had with the brand. It's information- and knowledge-driven, which is beautiful and surprising to me."

Frost shares the story of one brand selling anti-aging cream that wasn't using influencers. Instead, they shared the testimonial of a loyal customer during a live shopping event. His story was touching and reached new consumers.

"I feel that genuine like interactive moment convinced the users better than any form of beautiful advertising," she says.

Such live shopping events are conducted directly on the brand's website, enabling one-click shopping. After the event, the video goes into a library for future viewers.

"It's super easy to shop without any distraction during the life of the video experience," Frost says. "All the user behaviors would enable the site to provide more personalized recommendations and content as they shop in the future."

In Part 1, Frost talks about:

* Gratitude for her friends and clients for looking to her for ways to connect with customers. * An overview of the brand. * How she used her experience in commerce marketing to form Social Chat. * The value of a coupon vs. content. * A story about a customer's feedback and how that helped spread the brand's message. * How Live shopping events work.

Join Ramon Vela and Frost Li as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Social Chat, visit: https://socialchat.ai/

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

Alright, guys, here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary Sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!

This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.

When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.

Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Brittney Ogike's goal in creating Beauty Beez was to alleviate all the pain points she experienced as a person of color shopping in beauty stores. That includes the design of the space, the organization of products, and access to an employee who understands a consumer's unique needs.

"Customer service is my top priority," Brittney says. "Typically, going into a beauty supply store, you're not greeted - you essentially have to fend for yourself. ... I wanted to make sure that our sales associates and our team members in the store are very knowledgeable about the unique characteristics of textured hair or melanin skin. So you'll come into our store and shop with a sales associate with the knowledge and skills to understand what you need."

Along with customer service, the clean skincare and clean beauty brands are concepts dear to Brittney and on her mind as new products are developed.

"There's been this huge influx of clean beauty brands, clean skincare, clean makeup," she says. "I'd love to see more clean haircare innovation because I think that's the trend. Our culture and community are becoming more educated thanks to brands and stores like us on what's in their beauty products."

One goal still in the works is to create a seamless omnichannel experience, Brittney says.

"When a customer walks in, I want the customer in Texas or New York to have that same experience when shopping online," she says. "Some things are launching soon that will help mimic that experience."

Brittney has this advice for fellow entrepreneurs who are just starting their brands.

"Just tap into your network," she says. Ask for help. Don't be afraid to talk about your idea, she says.

In Part 2, Brittney talks about:

* Why it's challenging to start a brand as a person of color. * Tackling the pain points of beauty shopping. * The importance of customer service. * The importance of avoiding harmful ingredients. * A tour of the brand's website. * The need to create an omnichannel experience. * Plans, including implementation of a forum for feedback. * Advice for other entrepreneurs.

Join Ramon Vela and Brittney Ogike as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Beauty Beez, visit: https://beautybeez.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Rising acquisition costs and the return to in-store shopping have eCommerce marketers double-clicking on their retention strategy.

Now more than ever, brands need to focus on lifetime value. Yotpo is proud to announce Yotpo Subscriptions on Shopify, making retention easy and affordable for growing brands.

Take 8 minutes or less to add a recurring revenue channel to your business.

Download Yotpo Subscriptions from the Shopify App Store today https://apps.shopify.com/yotpo-subscription 

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Brittney Ogike was transitioning from a career in sports management when she noticed local beauty supply stores had significant gaps regarding the variety and quality of beauty products for women of color. She decided her next play was to fill that gap, so she founded Beauty Beez.

"These local little indie retailers that sell ethnic beauty products sell hair care for curly hair, textured hair, kinky hair - they sell limited skin care options for people with black and brown skin and then makeup offerings that are a little bit more inclusive than what you would find at a Sephora or an Ulta," Brittney says. "However, the products were limited. The products' efficacy was also very limited, and the experience was not a great experience. And I'm like, why do I feel so dissatisfied when I leave the local beauty's beauty supply?"

Even the big beauty giants like Ulta and Sephora weren't selling the niche products Brittney needed.

"We just set out on a mission to create that space where women of color can feel celebrated in a world full of beauty, dedicated specifically to our unique needs," she says.

One of the first big surprises Brittney found was that the beauty space is male-dominated. That's where her experience in sports management paid off.

"It's an industry that's catered towards women, but men - specifically white men - are a lot of the decision-makers and the CEOs and the founders," she says. "So it wasn't a big transition dealing with men in sports, then going around and dealing with men and beauty."

Times are changing, though, Brittney says, with more women founders in the beauty business.

"I think that's why there's been such a renaissance in beauty because we're seeing founders and beauty from all walks of life," she says. "I think it speaks to us women as consumers finding pain points and then finding solutions for them."

The COVID pandemic caused the brand to shut its doors for a few months, but its e-commerce site flourished.

"It was booming while our store was closed, and once we were able to open the store back up, we still had tons of foot traffic," she says. "I think the Black Lives Matter movement created that during that time. That had a tailwind effect on our business. We garnered much support from our community and attention from the national media as a whole."

In Part 1, Brittney talks about:

* Gratitude to her family and husband for their around-the-clock support. * An overview of the brand * How she pivoted from a sports management career to the beauty space. * The gap in products at many beauty stores. * The renaissance in beauty. * How she created the brand. * How COVID affected the company. * How the Black Lives Matter movement affected the brand.

Join Ramon Vela and Brittney Ogike as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Beauty Beez, visit: https://beautybeez.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Rising acquisition costs and the return to in-store shopping have eCommerce marketers double-clicking on their retention strategy.

Now more than ever, brands need to focus on lifetime value. Yotpo is proud to announce Yotpo Subscriptions on Shopify, making retention easy and affordable for growing brands.

Take 8 minutes or less to add a recurring revenue channel to your business.

Download Yotpo Subscriptions from the Shopify App Store today https://apps.shopify.com/yotpo-subscription 

This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.

Part of Vasa Martinez's strategy when forming Perfy was recognizing what he was good at and what he needed help with, he says. His company makes low-sugar soda that's focused on brain health.

"The first thing I did once I was in the right place as I found the right R&D group," Vasa says. "Once R&D came along, they advised which groups of ops I should chat with. I chose the one that I wanted to work with the most. I learned a lot along the way."

As for other entrepreneurs considering starting a new brand, Vasa offers this advice: "If it's not something that you can live, breathe and sleep every single day for an unknown amount of time - essentially the rest of your life - don't do it."

Likewise, those just doing it for the money should also reconsider that plan. And conversely, Vasa says to be prepared to lose it all.

"I've got a decade of experience - I know my weaknesses, I know my strengths," he says. "I'm going to hire for my weaknesses, and I will hire for my strengths when the time is right. It's just not the first hire that I'm going to make because at some point, there will be smarter people than me, and my job is to hire smarter people and let them do the jobs."

The brand's tagline is "for a happy you or a happy brain."

"That's a fun way of saying that, hey, this is a soda that's low sugar and good for the brain," he says. There are many gut health drinks, and I saw an opportunity based on one."

Perfy's plans include a new flavor, "Dr. Perfy" - a take on Dr. Pepper.

In Part 2, Vasa talks about:

* How he focused on marketing and found help with R&D and ops. * Hiring people smarter than he is. * Advice for other entrepreneurs. * Why it's important not to start a brand for the money. * A tour of the Perfy website. * A closer look at the products. * An explanation of metabolic health. * Where to find the soda.

Join Ramon Vela and Vasa Martinez as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Perfy, visit: https://drinkperfy.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

Alright, guys, here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary Sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!

This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is normally a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.

When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.

Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.

The goal at Perfy is to bridge the gap between unhealthy food and healthier substitutes, says Vasa Martinez, Founder and CEO of Perfy, a low-sugar soda brand focused on brain health.

"The early reviews of Perfy from diabetics and folks in the fitness industry, which I call two of the highest detractors of soda - they can't tell the difference, and they love it," Vasa says.

The spark to create the Perfy soda came from a bout of depression that Vasa was going through in 2015, which led him to stop exercising and spend too many hours at work.

"I think human nature is to find some connection with other people," Vasa says. "People want to connect. And my goal with Perfy is, hey, soda might not be for you, Perfy might not be for you, and the flavors might not. Whatever it may be, I might not be for you. But the idea behind it is if you can create a connection with others and others know that there's a real human behind the brand."

In Part 1, Vasa talks about:

* Gratitude for the appreciation and feedback from the brand's consumers. * An overview of the brand. * Early reviews of the soda. * How his depression led to the creation of the brand. * The product's essential ingredients. * The importance of personal connection.

Join Ramon Vela and Vasa Martinez as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Perfy, visit: https://drinkperfy.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

Alright, guys, here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary Sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!

This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is normally a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.

When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.

Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

When starting a new brand, entrepreneurs need to trust their vision - particularly when working closely with partners, say Flourish Plant Co-founders Kate Ferguson and Lila Sullivan.

Kate and Lila were friends in high school who reconnected after college. The idea of forming a business together was soon floated.

"We want what's best for the business, and we're going to treat each other with kindness and compassion as we get there, but always trust that our instincts are the right ones," Lila says. "That's when you know that you found the right business partner and the right idea to chase."

Learning your partner's strengths is also critical, Kate says.

"I think a piece of advice is to recognize the strengths in your business partner and show them deference or rely on them when you know it's a strength of theirs," she says. "We both have our intuitions, we both have our own gut feelings, and two of us are running this business. But there are times when our guts might tell us different things. But when it's something that I've trusted Lila with, I'm going to go with her gut instinct and not my own."

In Part 2, Kate and Lila talk about:

* Advice for fellow entrepreneurs. * The history of the friendship between the two partners. * How they dealt with investors who didn't believe in the plan. * Learning each other's strengths. * Trusting intuition. * Plant recommendations for newbies. * How to determine a plant's health. * A tour of the brand's website. * A sneak peek at a new product just launched. * Where to find the products.

Join Ramon Vela, Kate Ferguson, and Lila Sullivan as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Flourish Plant, visit: https://flourishplant.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Rising acquisition costs and the return to in-store shopping have eCommerce marketers double-clicking on their retention strategy.

Now more than ever, brands need to focus on lifetime value. Yotpo is proud to announce Yotpo Subscriptions on Shopify, making retention easy and affordable for growing brands.

Take 8 minutes or less to add a recurring revenue channel to your business.

Download Yotpo Subscriptions from the Shopify App Store today https://apps.shopify.com/yotpo-subscription 

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

People filling their homes with beautiful plants need the right product to care for them. That's the goal of Flourish Plant, say Co-founders Kate Ferguson and Lila Sullivan.

"We want to be your one-stop shop, your go-to resource that will help anyone from the beginner to those with several plants in their home to be able to enjoy taking care of their plants and have the resources to do so," Lila says.

One of the company's taglines is "cultivating growth in the spaces that matter most," Kate says. Plants should be an essential part of people's lives.

"Nature has all sorts of healing benefits, as we know, being able to bring those things into your home and then watch growth happen," Kate says.

The pair say they started Flourish because they didn't feel like they had the products they needed to take good care of their plants. Existing products are too chemical-based, they say.

"We wanted a completely organic product, so we were working with the development team and scientists to develop a product that was not only organic but also sustainable," Kate says. "To feel good about having it in your home, you could feel good about using it."

The ideal customers for Flourish are plant owners who want to buy products aligned with their needs and values.

"Our customer is nurturing and caring, and they are eager to see the plants in their home as more than just a decorative tool," Kate says.

In Part 1, Kate and Lila talk about:

* Gratitude for the support and friendship the partners offer each other. * An overview of the brand. * The importance of plants in the household. * Why there's a gap in the market for an organic solution. * The brand's ideal customer. * The innovation behind the brand's ideas. * The synergy between plant health and personal/emotional health.

Join Ramon Vela, Kate Ferguson, and Lila Sullivan as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Flourish Plant, visit: https://flourishplant.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Rising acquisition costs and the return to in-store shopping have eCommerce marketers double-clicking on their retention strategy.

Now more than ever, brands need to focus on lifetime value. Yotpo is proud to announce Yotpo Subscriptions on Shopify, making retention easy and affordable for growing brands.

Take 8 minutes, or less, to add a recurring revenue channel to your business.

Download Yotpo Subscriptions from the Shopify App Store today https://apps.shopify.com/yotpo-subscription 

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Making sure their products had "no bad ingredients" was so crucial to Naturally Serious Co-Founders Sarah McNamara and Rochelle Jacobs that they turned BAD into an acronym.

It stands for "banned, ambiguous or debatable," Rochelle says.

"We didn't want to have any of those ingredients that were being second-guessed or that in some country wasn't allowed," Rochelle says. "As the list of clean ingredients continues to expand of what's not and what is, we're never worried because our products are super clean ingredients."

The entire product line was developed to eliminate the complications of shopping for skincare products.

"We wanted straightforward formulas," Sarah says.

Future products include a Vitamin C serum, which will be released in August.

The co-founders have some words of wisdom for fellow entrepreneurs.

"What I've learned for all the entrepreneurs coming up: do what you love, love what you do, and figure out a way because you're not going to be satisfied in your life if you don't," Rochelle says. "And it does trickle down to all aspects of life."

In Part 2, Sarah and Rochelle talk about:

* The importance of BAD ingredients. * The ingredients that are key to their products. * A tour of the brand's website and products. * New products and upcoming releases. * Advice for new entrepreneurs.

Join Ramon Vela, Sarah McNamara, and Rochelle Jacobs as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Naturally Serious, visit: https://www.naturallyseriousskin.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Rising acquisition costs and the return to in-store shopping have eCommerce marketers double-clicking on their retention strategy.

Now more than ever, brands need to focus on lifetime value. Yotpo is proud to announce Yotpo Subscriptions on Shopify, making retention easy and affordable for growing brands.

Take 8 minutes, or less, to add a recurring revenue channel to your business.

Download Yotpo Subscriptions from the Shopify App Store today https://apps.shopify.com/yotpo-subscription 

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

The mission at Naturally Serious is to provide skincare products that take the guesswork out of the equation - particularly for consumers who are always on the go.

Co-founders Sarah McNamara and Rochelle Jacobs say their partnership is the key to their success.

"We divide and conquer," Rochelle says. "Our skill sets have a lot of similar strengths."

Keeping its products easy to use, really effective, and not too expensive all help the brand as well, they say.

"We want to take the guesswork out of the product assortment and come up with a line that would work for women just like us on the go, whether they're a new mom or an overworked mom, whatever it was," Rochelle says. "The thing that was so beautiful about how this line came together is that it's not only good for people on the go like we are, but it's great for those entering the skincare market for the first time and just so overwhelmed by all the different choices."

The pair credit their relationship with Sephora for helping Naturally Serious stand out in a saturated market.

"Sephora is the largest beauty retailer in the world where we currently sell Naturally Serious, and they've been our partner all the way along," Sarah says. "They have so much rigor around the process of product selection. They look at every single item or product within their stores and demand incredible high level, efficacious products that perform."

Among their challenges are managing the price, developing the right marketing mix, and delivering clean, natural products.

"Rochelle and I are very passionate about the quality of the formula, what's in it, how it performs, it's packaging - all of those issues," Sarah says. Rochelle adds that some products took up to 20 iterations before they were approved.

Rochelle says that the COVID pandemic was an additional - and unexpected - challenge because it meant the brand's in-store presence became obsolete.

One big difference for Naturally Serious is that the brand owns and operates its manufacturing facility - an unusual asset for a newer brand. Rochelle says that the facility has been around since 1999, allowing the brand access to experienced chemists who could understand the company's vision.

"Getting the benefits for it has been phenomenal, and I think because the quality that we're fully in control of, the innovation that we're in control of can't be met by somebody new entering the market," Rochelle says. "We're not getting leftovers. We're innovating."

In Part 1, Sarah and Rochelle talk about:

* Gratitude for each other's support in their business and personal lives. * An overview of the brand and their parallel personal lives. * The importance of their relationship with Sephora. * The challenges of the "clean beauty" space. * The effect of the COVID pandemic on the brand. * The advantage to owning a manufacturing facility.

Join Ramon Vela, Sarah McNamara, and Rochelle Jacobs as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Naturally Serious, visit: https://www.naturallyseriousskin.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Rising acquisition costs and the return to in-store shopping have eCommerce marketers double-clicking on their retention strategy.

Now more than ever, brands need to focus on lifetime value. Yotpo is proud to announce Yotpo Subscriptions on Shopify, making retention easy and affordable for growing brands.

Take 8 minutes, or less, to add a recurring revenue channel to your business.

Download Yotpo Subscriptions from the Shopify App Store today https://apps.shopify.com/yotpo-subscription 

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

The bag you carry is an extension of yourself, says Koren Ray, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at HOBO Bags, a female-founded, family-run brand that makes leather goods.

"I think we're drawn to the broken-in, the well-loved, the familiar," Koren says. "There's a certain comfort and beauty to those things that are possessions that carry our history and have that beautiful character. Made-to-last is an important message today for consumers."

Koren believes that during these COVID times, consumers are tightening up and focusing on the "nuts and bolts" of consumer goods. Despite that, HOBO decided to continue its strategy of creativity in design.

"That's our model: color, creativity, inspiration, self-expression, ways to help women pick a bag that helps them express their style," she says. "We felt like during these challenging times; we're going to go for it. We will introduce color, prints, and new materials to our icons. And those are the bags that have just resonated with our loyalists."

It's not that HOBO doesn't follow trends - "We are absolutely tuned in," Koren says - but more time is spent finding the brand's expression and filling in what's missing in the marketplace.

"While we're keeping our finger on the pulse of trend, we have discussions about what's happened, what else is happening in the world, what are people doing that's different than what they were doing maybe last season or last year," she says.

With 30 years in the business, HOBO has an archive of styles to refer back to because, as she says, everything comes back around again.

"One of our fundamental values in our code is perfect it today, better it tomorrow," she says.

Koren has some words of wisdom for fellow entrepreneurs.

"I do believe it's essential very early on to figure out what you're fighting for - what is it that you have that the world just can't live without or what is it that makes it special or different or unique, and don't compromise that vision, whatever it might be," she says.

In addition, she recommends against cutting corners - an easy but bad habit for any new entrepreneur.

"I think in the end, when you compromise is when you start to lose the integrity of the vision and the power and the passion that is going to make your product and brand successful," she says.

In Part 2, Koren talks about:

* Why consumers are drawn to broken-in bags. * The continued emphasis on creativity during the COVID era. * The design process. * The importance of color. * The testing process. * Launch process and monthly releases. * Advice for fellow entrepreneurs. * A tour of the website. * The partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

Join Ramon Vela and Koren Ray as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on HOBO Bags, visit: https://www.hobobags.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.

Alright, guys, here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary Sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!

This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is normally a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.

When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.

Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!