After careers in marketing and finance and starting their own family, wife and husband co-founders, Natalie and Caleb Ebel took on their next project — making over the paint market. By painting a jargon-free consumer experience, newly launched startup, Backdrop is moving the hardware store paint chip model forward.

On this episode, Natalie and Caleb talk about their personal and working partnership (3:26). Most people can’t tell you the color or brand of the paint on their walls; Natalie and Caleb illuminate how they are creating brand affinity in the paint industry (13:17). Natalie explains how investing in their web experience and photography led to brand trust and sales (17:36). Caleb shares the design story behind the clean, gender-neutral line (31:00). Natalie reveals how they crowdsourced feedback pre-launch through a private Instagram and focus groups (34:16). Finally, they share how they use music, travel, and family to inspire their palette of paint colors. (38:35)

Also mentioned on the show:

Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

Things are getting weird at Baggu, and that’s a great thing. The Standard Baggu has been around for 12 years, but the company is still finding ways to grow and experiment. By trusting their experiences, founder Emily Sugihara and her team are finding confidence and empowerment in their brand voice and values.

Baggu doubled their team size in a span of a year. On the show, hear their approach to hiring and training and implementing processes while preserving the heart of the brand with an influx of new hires (11:24). More than a decade in business, Emily illuminates how they recently delineated their company and product values (13:02). She shares how establishing those values boosted performance management and empowered more decision making among employees (19:26). Emily talks about finding freedom in their product designs through experimentation and worrying less about expectation (24:37). Baggu is taking incremental steps towards sustainability. Hear their efforts in sourcing ripstop nylon made of 40% recycled materials (34:50). Finally, Emily talks about embracing long-term thinking, growing the equity of the brand (45:59).

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Also mentioned on the show:

Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

If you're of the modern luxury business set, chances are you're reading LeanLuxe. Launched in July 2016, LeanLuxe is an online newsletter of noteworthy developments and big picture happenings in retail.

On this episode, Editor-in-Chief, Paul Munford and Stephan Ango roundup the latest news and trends driving modern commerce. VCs poured a record $138 billion into U.S. startups last year, but were unicorn valuations and expectations realistic to begin with? Now that the dust has settled, Paul discusses the adjustments VCs are making (3:20). Stephan and Paul question if it’s getting harder to become a global brand despite greenfield opportunities in consumer products (9:07). They chew on the consumer-centric shift in commerce, arguing a more fragmented marketplace will emerge (24:14). He talks about the new problem with shopping (27:40) and the return of physical retail (37:55). They discuss brands’ challenges of creating a physical gathering place (39:01) and community-building as a distribution tool. Finally, Paul talks about the future of connecting online (45:52) and the big opportunity around niche platforms (51:44).

Follow LeanLuxe on Twitter and subscribe to the newsletter.

Also mentioned on the show:

Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

While shipping meat isn’t a new concept, the guys at Porter Road are the first to bring the art of whole animal butchery to home cooks. Chris Carter and James Peisker are the co-founders of VC-backed online butcher shop, Porter Road. In 2010, after years at the back of the house, Chris and James began Porter Road as a catering business in Nashville. After realizing how difficult it was to get fresh, traceable meats, they decided to run and own their entire supply chain. While boxed and bulk meats are the industry standard, the team at Porter Road is looking to change that. They partner with regional farms and hand cut their meats and poultry in their Kentucky facility. Now, Chris and James are recreating that same local experience online.

On this episode, Chris and James talk about the decade-in-the-making evolution of Porter Road, first as a brick-and-mortar butchery and then as a vertically integrated ecommerce shop (5:33). James shares their desire for sourcing ethical foods (9:49) and hand-selecting farm partners (12:48). For Porter Road, education around whole animal butchery pushes them creatively as a business (15:08). They explain why they advocate for eating less meat and breakdown the importance of moving the meat industry in a new direction (21:31). Lastly, they talk about the logistics of shipping meat (25:57) and the challenges of packaging in the cold chain (28:45).

Also mentioned on the show:

Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

Maude is a sex essentials company founded by brand strategist, Eva Goicochea. The brand is muted and the products are pared-down. It's is a far departure from the loud, hypermasculine messaging you see in drugstore aisles, and that's the point. From the beginning, Eva focused on creating inclusive sex products that were simply designed and intuitive to use.

When we last spoke to Eva, Maude was still pre-launch. Together, with industrial designer Dina Epstein as her co-founder, they launched the company in April 2018. By simplifying sex essentials, Maude is subtly and authentically changing an industry that has for so long looked the same.

On this episode, Eva explains the two-year long process it took to launch Maude (5:45). Eva spent 18 months fundraising over two million dollars, she shares her do’s and don’ts for finding a right partner and cold emailing investors (12:19). In the last year, Maude was featured in everything from Vogue to Fast Company, Eva spills their strategic press strategy (21:40), and how running their own survey helped them narrow in on their customers’ pain points (24:49). Stephan and Eva talk about finding your first 1,000 true fans through consistency (27:50) and empathy (36:45). Eva talks about opening their Winter Studio retail space (40:16), their future physical and digital advertising plans (42:40), and how they’re standing out on social media with educational content (43:39). Finally, Eva shares how Maude revised their packaging to fit new products variations (48:55).

Also mentioned on the show:

Link and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

Visibility is an industrial design office based in New York, co-founded by Joseph Guerra and Sina Sohrab. They create products, furniture, lighting, and spaces. The studio established an impressive roster of direct-to-consumer clients including Away, Outdoor Voices, and Harry's. Behind Visibility is an empirical approach to design, and their most recent projects demonstrate the pair’s endeavor for simple, functional objects.

On the show, Joseph and Sina walk through the step-by-step process of bringing a physical product to market. They talk about how they design the playbook that they reference throughout a project (12:42). They cover the time, costs, and vetting that happens before a project begins (20:00). Sina talks about the design considerations for new products (23:43). Joseph shares the unconventional questions (28:08) and practices (29:15) that go into user research. They talk about designing for direct-to-consumer brands (33:30). Joseph explains the sketching, rendering, and prototyping phases (38:50). Finally, they share the final milestones before a project launches (52:06).

Also mentioned on the show:

Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

Bombas’ take on the tube sock is engineered for all walks of life, no matter the circumstances. After learning socks are the number one most requested clothing item at homeless shelters, David Heath started the premium sock brand with a giving mission. Bombas donates one pair of socks for every pair sold. The five-year-old company surpassed 10 million sock donations as of November 2018.

From the beginning, David established core values grounded in the community and customer experience. In fact, Dave was on customer service duty for the first nine months of the company, taking calls at all hours. Today, he’s piloting solutions, like the Giving Directory to connect customers to the impact a pair of socks can make. Bombas was bootstrapped on Indiegogo and springboard to success after appearing on Shark Tank, but arguably, Bombas’ growth rests on their dedication to giving.

On this episode, David recalls how a customer service call lead to their largest single investor (5:43). He shares what it takes to be a good leader at scale, his 75/25 rule, and management philosophy (11:00). David shares how Bombas builds great company culture and their best hiring practices (14:26). He describes how they used feedback to design a sock exclusively for the homeless community (24:16). David shares how he went from searching for community partners to accepting thousands of new inbound requests. (26:26). Stephan and David talk about the challenges of getting B Corporation certified (31:22) and making a social impact (35:43). He also shares the one tip for any ecommerce business appearing on Shark Tank (42:15). Finally, David talks about the tradeoffs Bombas made by planning for profitability rather than seeking venture capital (46:29).

Also mentioned on the show:

Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

If it’s going in, on, or around women’s bodies, you can bet Sustain Natural is making it. Meika Hollender never thought she’d start a company. She grew up seeing her father, Jeffrey Hollender found, Seventh Generation and she was in business school when their career paths aligned. Starting a sex and period essentials brand with her dad was never in Meika’s plans, but she’s taken the reigns to create more sustainable reproductive health products, inciting conversations around women’s health and sex along the way.

On this episode, Meika talks about starting a condom startup with her dad (3:59), their relationship as business partners (5:43), and talking openly about sexual health with her family (9:41). Meika describes the dramatic shift in their business since the 2016 presidential election (15:10), gets candid about the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements (17:56), and shares how they’re positioning their advocacy (22:33). Meika shares hows they’re focused on diversifying their advertising strategy when the rules are constantly changing for a brand in a sensitive space (27:52). Meika speaks on Sustain’s approach to making and selling sustainable period products (36:55) and the importance of Organic, Fairtrade, and B Corporation certifications (38:58). Finally, Meika shares how a poker game led to ThirdLove founder, Heidi Zak investing in Sustain and the lessons Meika’s learned from her (46:36).

Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

Love Your Melon started as a university class project in Minnesota. Six years later, the brand is selling beanies, headgear, and apparel, and giving fifty percent of net profits to nonprofit charities in the fight against pediatric cancer. To date, they've given nearly $5 million dollars and over 156,000 hats to children battling cancer. Chief Operations Officer, Charlie Carlisle says the key to their growth is the mission behind their brand and the fostering key partnerships.

On this episode, Charlie talks about the rapid growth of the company (10:51) and vetting third-party collaborators early (11:50). He illuminates the three things he looks for in a good partner (12:05). Charlie talks about upcycling the billboards from their nationwide campaign (19:12) and making calculated decisions on their digital ad spend (20:27). He shares how Love Your Melon is balancing their for-profit business with philanthropy (22:02). Charlie explains how his team uses Zapier (28:50) and Google Sheets (32:39) to power their operations, and the decision to transition to an outside enterprise resource planning system (33:35). Finally, he shares what Love Your Melon is tinkering with for 2019 (37:25).

Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

After two failed business, Jake Kassan started MVMT. MVMT’s minimal, sleek take on watches and accessories in addition to their focused marketing gained them millions of followers. In 2013, Jake bootstrapped MVMT through Indiegogo, and this August, the five-year-old brand was acquired by the Movado Group.

Through those early ventures, Jake learned the importance of brand. For MVMT, brand informs, motivates, and guides every part of their business, especially their influencer marketing.

On the podcast, we sit down with Jake to talk about the pillars of the MVMT lifestyle (2:15) and creating aspirational content with influencers (3:53). He talks about leveraging Shopify to scale (8:59) and the tools that are important they build in-house (10:15). He shares the most valuable lessons he learned from his failed t-shirt company (31:39) and finding the backbone of a successful business (33:31). Jake talks about not pursuing outside investment (33:55), hacking the crowdfunding system (34:57), and being financially disciplined early on (39:11). Finally, he shares how MVMT will grow their offline footprint with Movado (43:01) and how he’s all in for the foreseeable future (50:08).

Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.