The Story of a Brand Show

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

“A great way to design is to look for exclusion and solve for it on a personal level...that solve will actually make it better for the whole,” says Terri Bryant, founder of Guide Beauty.

Terri has been in the beauty industry for the last 25 years. She started as a makeup artist and spent the previous 20+ developing artistry and education programs for companies like DIOR, Jose Maria.

Five years back, she started having problems doing her own makeup. Later, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's and lost the ability to work as a professional makeup artist.

That day, Guide Beauty was born. Her goal was to create makeup and tools to get back into the game. Somewhere along the way, she made a prototype for herself. But it ended up helping others apply makeup easily.

She also talked about :

* How she changed her perspective after being diagnosed with Parkinson * Turning a burden into a gift. * How her brand embraces radical inclusivity * Inclusivity helps brands create better products * Introduction of universal designs for her products

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

For more on Guide Beauty, visit: https://www.guidebeauty.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 podcast is supported by Yotpo, the leading eCommerce marketing platform for brands looking to drive customer loyalty.

As I’m sure many of you know, customer retention is the new acquisition. With Yotpo, brands can provide value through a strategic loyalty program — and ensure shoppers come back time and again.

Want to know more? Visit https://yotpo.com/storyofabrand 

And turn your one-time shoppers into lifelong brand lovers.

This episode is brought to you by Ordergroove.

There is no later; there’s only now - that's what Alicia thinks about the path to achieving success. In the second part, Alicia Grande, Founder and CEO of Grande Cosmetics, talks about her experience building the business through trade shows.

She then advised new entrepreneurs to make products that work and be authentic. According to her, being passionate and having grit and patience are essential. She also tells us to never get comfortable.

Alicia continued putting money in marketing even after partnering with big retailers like Sephora and Amazon. She has a background in marketing and has worked as a salesperson before starting Grande Cosmetics. Her brand provides cosmetics that are safe, efficacious, and priced right.

She talked about:

* How to work Trade shows * Advice for new entrepreneurs * Why do people repurchase their products * Getting into Sephora * Her background * Products by Grande Cosmetics * Affiliate program * Her last advice

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

For more on Grande Cosmetics, visit: https://grandecosmetics.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 Ordergroove.

It’s time to let your customers enjoy the products they love without the friction of reordering...

That’s why innovative brands like Peet’s Coffee and Il Makiage rely on Ordergroove’s subscription solution to build long-lasting relationships that drive recurring revenue.

From enrollment incentives to churn-fighting AI, Ordergroove gives your business the tools it needs to be a subscription success story.

Book a demo today and receive 2-months off your contract. Visit https://www.ordergroove.com/story/ 

This episode is brought to you by Ordergroove.

Treat people how you want to be treated - that's Alicia's motto. Today we have Alicia Grande, Founder and CEO of Grande Cosmetics, a cosmetic brand.

Alicia comes from a cosmetic background. She was obsessed with beauty enhancement when she started Grande Cosmetics in 2008. To her, authenticity is a big thing in business. She also feels strongly about giving the consumer lots of value for their money.

She also cares for her employees. She has a personal relationship with employees, which is why the brand has a considerable retention rate of 97 percent. According to her, there should be no room for negativity in business. At Grande Cosmetics, nobody is suppressed, employees are encouraged, and their talent is valued.

In the first half, she talked about:

* Gratefulness * Overview of the brand * How she got started * How she manages culture within the business * Building Grande Cosmetics community * Serum market and product efficacy

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

For more on Grande Cosmetics, visit: https://grandecosmetics.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 Ordergroove.

It’s time to let your customers enjoy the products they love without the friction of reordering...

That’s why innovative brands like Peet’s Coffee and Il Makiage rely on Ordergroove’s subscription solution to build long-lasting relationships that drive recurring revenue.

From enrollment incentives to churn-fighting AI, Ordergroove gives your business the tools it needs to be a subscription success story.

Book a demo today and receive 2-months off your contract. Visit https://www.ordergroove.com/story/ 

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

To create intelligent shopping experiences - that's the mission of Rebuy. In the second part, John Erck, Co-Founder and CEO of Rebuy Engine, says that they build things when either there’s demand or when "new dreams arise."

Empathy, hard work, and respect are the company's values. For onboarding with Rebuy, brands don't need a vast product catalog. Brands with only one product or less than 50 sales can try their free plans. What's important is getting started by allowing their intelligent engine to learn from buyers' behaviors. 

Rebuy has experience in working with names like partners like Attentive, and many more. Currently, the brand is building out a suite of high-performing, high-converting landing pages that have specific use cases. 

He talked about:

* Criteria set by Rebuy * AI and its predictions * Brand's onboarding process * Apps Rebuy works with * Their next evolution * Place to dream

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

For more on Rebuy Engine, visit: https://rebuyengine.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.

If all DTC companies were forced to turn off Facebook ads, they'd be dead on arrival. Why is that?

They over-invest in paid acquisition and under-invest in retention.

Luckily, Sendlane makes it easy to solve this problem. Sendlane is an E-Commerce Customer Experience Platform helping hundreds of DTC brands to tighten their existing customer relationships.

Sendlane automates personalized customer experiences through Welcome and Abandoned Cart workflows, SMS, Deep Data Integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, multi-store functionality, and much more.

Plus, they don't stand for lazy customer support. Their San-Diego-based team has an average 1-minute response time from a live human, making sure you never get stuck in a chat queue ever again.

Curious about how Sendlane can help your DTC brand grow? Schedule a demo with a Specialist. Visit https://www.sendlane.com/story 

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

We personalize every customer interaction - that's how Rebuy enriches online stores. Today we have John Erck, Co-Founder and CEO of Rebuy Engine, an e-commerce personalization engine.

John had experience with Shopify and app development. But he wanted to build something new, so he and his co-founder came up with the idea for Rebuy. A personalization and recommendation engine that helps transform an online store from a basic online store into an intelligent, data-driven one.

This engine gives intelligent product recommendations to customers just like the experience big players such as Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon provide to their consumers. According to John, at Rebuy, everybody gets to refine the leader in themselves.

In the first part, he talked about:

* Gratefulness * Overview of the brand * Democratizing personalization technology * Example of Netflix and YouTube * What led him to Rebuy * His Shopify experience * His motivation for Rebuy

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

For more on Rebuy Engine, visit: https://rebuyengine.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.

If all DTC companies were forced to turn off Facebook ads, they'd be dead on arrival. Why is that?

They over-invest in paid acquisition and under-invest in retention.

Luckily, Sendlane makes it easy to solve this problem. Sendlane is an E-Commerce Customer Experience Platform helping hundreds of DTC brands to tighten their existing customer relationships.

Sendlane automates personalized customer experiences through Welcome and Abandoned Cart workflows, SMS, Deep Data Integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, multi-store functionality, and much more.

Plus, they don't stand for lazy customer support. Their San-Diego-based team has an average 1-minute response time from a live human, making sure you never get stuck in a chat queue ever again.

Curious about how Sendlane can help your DTC brand grow? Schedule a demo with a Specialist. Visit https://www.sendlane.com/story 

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo and Ordergroove.

Helping our customers better understand their needs is the mission of Needed. In the second part, Julie Sawaya - Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Needed, says that they are not just about profit. The brand wants to benefit people, too, and that's why it offers testing for omega and vitamin D deficiencies.

Julie mentions that entrepreneurship is one intense journey that requires you to live and breathe your mission. She also advises you to fully believe in your idea.

Needed is a brand that is a one-stop destination where one meets all her nutrition needs around the pregnancy stage. They have customized nutrition plans. They will also introduce a gummy version of nutritional supplements in the future.

Here he talked about:

* Data-centric products * Testing offered by Needed * Advice for entrepreneurs * Products and plans from Needed * Recommendation for new customers * What's coming up next

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

For more on Needed, visit: https://thisisneeded.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 podcast is supported by Yotpo, the leading eCommerce marketing platform for brands looking to drive customer loyalty.

As I’m sure many of you know, customer retention is the new acquisition. With Yotpo, brands can provide value through a strategic loyalty program — and ensure shoppers come back time and again.

Want to know more? Visit https://yotpo.com/storyofabrand 

And turn your one-time shoppers into lifelong brand lovers.

*

This episode is brought to you by Ordergroove.

It’s time to let your customers enjoy the products they love without the friction of reordering...

That’s why innovative brands like Peet’s Coffee and Il Makiage rely on Ordergroove’s subscription solution to build long-lasting relationships that drive recurring revenue.

From enrollment incentives to churn-fighting AI, Ordergroove gives your business the tools it needs to be a subscription success story.

Book a demo today and receive 2-months off your contract. Visit https://www.ordergroove.com/story/ 

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo and Ordergroove.

Helping women meet their optimal nutrition needs is what Julie is passionate about. Today we have Julie Sawaya - Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Needed, a perinatal nutrition company.

Julie had a career in finance and investing. She had been a nutrition enthusiast forever. She and Ryan, her co-founder, noticed a gap in the prenatal vitamin industry. They saw that most prenatal vitamins were not designed to nourish women optimally.

So, they stepped in. Needed is a brand that was started with the foundation of “understanding what is needed.” They are a company that offers optimal nutritional supplements, education, and a community for women and men.

In the first part, she talked about:

* Gratefulness * Overview of the brand * What compelled her for starting this business * What's missing in prenatal * Example of Choline * Research and the research gap * Plant-based nutrition

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

For more on Needed, visit: https://thisisneeded.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 podcast is supported by Yotpo, the leading eCommerce marketing platform for brands looking to drive customer loyalty.

As I’m sure many of you know, customer retention is the new acquisition. With Yotpo, brands can provide value through a strategic loyalty program — and ensure shoppers come back time and again.

Want to know more? Visit https://yotpo.com/storyofabrand 

And turn your one-time shoppers into lifelong brand lovers.

*

This episode is brought to you by Ordergroove.

It’s time to let your customers enjoy the products they love without the friction of reordering...

That’s why innovative brands like Peet’s Coffee and Il Makiage rely on Ordergroove’s subscription solution to build long-lasting relationships that drive recurring revenue.

From enrollment incentives to churn-fighting AI, Ordergroove gives your business the tools it needs to be a subscription success story.

Book a demo today and receive 2-months off your contract. Visit https://www.ordergroove.com/story/ 

When thinking of partnerships, don't be too narrow, cautions Andrew Christison, vice president of strategic partnerships at Sendlane. Good partners do more than provide leads; they can give knowledge and insider information.

Sendlane is focused on the e-commerce customer experience, Andrew says. That means more personalized marketing, better timing, better testing, and better delivery. All that can yield exponential rewards.

Many of the most successful companies Andrew and Sendlane have worked with focus on "conscious capitalism," focusing on sustainability. Customers today care more about the backstories and look for value alignment.

In Part 2, Andrew talks about:

* How Steve Jobs and Apple succeeded with partner and product development. * Why improving customer experience should be a mission. * Good partnerships can create a ripple effect. * Why consumers look for value alignment. * The application of the Parthenon theory in business. * Make sure you explore every avenue that can become a pillar for your business. * Future plans, including coupling working with agencies across the board for different service lines.

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

For more on Sendlane, visit: https://www.sendlane.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.

If all DTC companies were forced to turn off Facebook ads, they'd be dead on arrival. Why is that?

They over-invest in paid acquisition and under-invest in retention.

Luckily, Sendlane makes it easy to solve this problem. Sendlane is an E-Commerce Customer Experience Platform helping hundreds of DTC brands to tighten their existing customer relationships.

Sendlane automates personalized customer experiences through Welcome and Abandoned Cart workflows, SMS, Deep Data Integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, multi-store functionality, and much more.

Plus, they don't stand for lazy customer support. Their San-Diego-based team has an average 1-minute response time from a live human, making sure you never get stuck in a chat queue ever again.

Curious about how Sendlane can help your DTC brand grow? Schedule a demo with a Specialist. Visit https://www.sendlane.com/story 

A partner program is an "interconnectedness of ecosystems," says Andrew Christison, vice president of strategic partnerships at Sendlane, an email and SMS marketing automation platform for e-merchants.

Andrew has been in the e-commerce and marketing ecosystem for 8 1/2 years, getting started at an email marketing agency. He moved to Sendlane six months ago "to work with kind of the heart and soul of the industry in every phase of the world in which we're kind of seeing the rise of the merchant class."

"I believe that the pie can always be bigger. We can all be successful," Andrew says. "I think everybody is going through their own hero's journey in life and especially merchants, founders, marketers, and startups and small organizations…So when I'm thinking about how I'm building an ecosystem or how to grow an ecosystem, or how to be strategic across the board, it always makes sense to lead with generosity in every way, shape, and form."

Andrew says the more you know, the more you can advise and help people.

In Part 1, Andrew talks about:

* Gratitude toward his mother for encouraging him to be a better public speaker. * How communication has become the foundation of his career. * What makes for a good partner. * The context and perspective he has gained from working with businesses that had sound fundamentals but also have pushed their business and industry forward. * Why the pie getting bigger is better for everyone. * How being generous to others builds reciprocity and karma.

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

For more on Sendlane, visit: https://www.sendlane.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.

If all DTC companies were forced to turn off Facebook ads, they'd be dead on arrival. Why is that?

They over-invest in paid acquisition and under-invest in retention.

Luckily, Sendlane makes it easy to solve this problem. Sendlane is an E-Commerce Customer Experience Platform helping hundreds of DTC brands to tighten their existing customer relationships.

Sendlane automates personalized customer experiences through Welcome and Abandoned Cart workflows, SMS, Deep Data Integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, multi-store functionality, and much more.

Plus, they don't stand for lazy customer support. Their San-Diego-based team has an average 1-minute response time from a live human, making sure you never get stuck in a chat queue ever again.

Curious about how Sendlane can help your DTC brand grow? Schedule a demo with a Specialist. Visit https://www.sendlane.com/story 

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

When Josh Landan, founder of holding company Wings & Arrow, began looking at possible new beverages in the alcohol space, he wanted to put his own spin on things.

"I'm kind of thinking about why I should just do my own that I can be excited about and get everybody else excited about," he says. "Wow, can I make this product better? How can I make it taste different? And how could I position our brand to have a little bit more authenticity and feeling behind it?"

Authenticity, indeed, along with personal ownership, is a critical part of Josh's strategy.

"I still do the Instagram. And I speak about our products and interact with folks like it's me ..." he says. "It's the only real marketing that we do, and you know, I want people to hear it in my voice."

Wings & Arrow is the holding company for Ashland Seltzer and Villager Spirits. Other brands are coming soon, Josh says, as the company tries to hit all the "beyond beer" categories in the United States.

"Most people never push themselves into the deep end ... it's a scary deal," Josh says. "But that's part of the reason I think that's probably the biggest reason why I was able to raise $3 million for Saint Archer right away ... People believe in that passion, and they trust it."

In Part 2, Josh talks about:

* The influence locally crafted beer had on his business decisions. * The decision to handle marketing himself, so it sounds authentic. * His desire to find a cleaner version of competing hard seltzers, which Josh believes have a particular aftertaste. * The need for a large staff of alcohol business veterans to make progress. * How the infrastructure is in place for new brands - the distributors and retailers are all in place. * How people's trust in his vision fueled investments. * There's no formula for product development. It's a matter of customer connection, price point, and finding something different than everything else out there.

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

For more on Wings & Arrow, visit: https://www.wingsandarrowllc.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 podcast is supported by Yotpo, the leading eCommerce marketing platform for brands looking to drive customer loyalty.

As I’m sure many of you know, customer retention is the new acquisition. With Yotpo, brands can provide value through a strategic loyalty program — and ensure shoppers come back time and again.

Want to know more? Visit https://yotpo.com/storyofabrand 

And turn your one-time shoppers into lifelong brand lovers.