Well Made

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: David

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% recycl

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,

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

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 h

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 (38:5

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

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 ar

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 op

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 di

After leading Entertainment Marketing at Puma and K-Swiss, GREATS co-founder, Ryan Babenzien built his own brand of premium footwear, online. Four years in, Ryan is sharing how GREATS is toeing the line of tradition and trend in retail. On this episode, Ryan talks about scaling influence (4:16). He shares how finding the razor’s edge in growth is an exercise in brand building (10:54) and managing marketing collaborations tightly (11:30). Ryan explains what all great brands have in common (12:56), and how he found the right wholesale partner in Nordstrom (15:51). He talks about GREATS’ design ethos (18:11) and how classics will always drive volume over trends (21:09) — arguing that hype is the enemy of brand (28:27). He shares how they leverage Single’s Day even when they don’t sell overseas (35:30) and their biggest design learning (36:46). Lastly, Stephan and Ryan evaluate cost per wear (47:11) and Ryan’s own set of “greats” (49:20). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

Designed to bring the expert to you, Clare simplifies the paint shopping process. The direct-to-consumer brand opts for a focused color selection, user-friendly sample swatches, and an intuitive color picking guide. By bringing together her personal and professional experiences, founder Nicole Gibbons is hoping to build a brand that’s primed for the long haul. On this episode, Nicole explains why she choose to launch with a solution for the entire paint shopping process (6:28). She talks about predicting the lifetime value of their customer (9:56) and shaping a brand that sells to the DIY and professional markets (11:17). She shares the through line in her career (12:57) and how she built an audience at the height of the recession (17:39). She talks about exploring the licensing model, and choosing, ultimately, to operate on her terms (27:30), no matter the challenges (42:01). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

Erica E. Phillips covers logistics and global supply chain for The Wall Street Journal, reporting on the latest news affecting retail, manufacturing, and consumer goods. Between increased online buying overhauling supply chain best practices and the escalating US-China trade war, we wanted to talk to her about the effects of ecommerce industry-wide. On this episode of Well Made, Erica talks about the warehouse labor shortage, the ramifications of Amazon’s $15 minimum wage increase (2:16), and how businesses will stay competitive to fill a projected 425,000 warehouse jobs by 2019 (7:52). Erica shares how fulfillment centers are using emojis, Alexa, and applications to train new hires and boost operational productivity (19:44). Stephan and Erica consider why you’re buying stuff from companies you’ve never heard of (30:03). They dive into the security of supply chains as they discuss the Bloomberg article, "The Big Hack" (35:36). Erica talks about the tariffs on $200 billion worth of goods (45:30), the

Just a few years ago, on-demand meal delivery services were non-existent. Today, you can find brands specializing in everything from smoothies to family dinners. In a crowded space, Freshly is betting on healthy, heat-and-eat, pre-portioned meals. Since founding the subscription meal service in 2012, Michael Wystrach and Carter Comstock have used a growing cold supply chain to deliver fresh food direct-to-consumer, adopting and creating their own systems along the way. On this episode, Michael and Carter share the secret to making fresh foods that travel well (2:11). With recent IPOs, acquisitions, and companies shuttering, Michael talks about the state of the meal kit and food subscription industry, and what it takes to be competitive in the space (3:22). They address some of the criticisms of meal delivery services (9:22). Carter talks about adopting and creating best practices for their cold supply chain (14:32). They talk about rebranding Freshly with early investments (22:26). Finally, they share the lea

It's not always easy for women to talk and learn about their periods or reproductive health. LOLA co-CEOs and founders, Alex Friedman and Jordana Kier realized they weren't the only ones confused or curious about the products coming in contact with their bodies. So in 2015, they set out to answer a seemingly simple question: What are tampons made of? LOLA launched with organic, non-toxic cotton tampons and have since built a product line of feminine hygiene and sexual health products. On this episode, co-founder Alex Friedman talks about validating their idea for LOLA with early focus groups (6:31). After recently raising a Series B, she shares how they pitched tampons to male investors (14:00). Alex shares how their transparency is encouraging conversations around taboo subjects (17:32). She shares how she splits roles with co-CEO, Jordana Kier (24:31) and their recent launch, SEX by LOLA (28:23). Alex shares how they put a focus on dialogue (31:00) by building a sex hotline (32:09). Lastly, she opens up abo

From Airbnb to Uber, creative agency Ueno is designing digital experiences for Silicon Valley's biggest tech companies. Founder Haraldur Thorleifsson is on Well Made sharing how the most important part of their process has nothing to do with design. On this episode, Halli talks about building trust with first-time clients (14:25) and teaching brands the role of agencies (17:39). He shares how collaboration and fostering personal relationships are important to their process (21:23). He talks about not wanting to be boxed into the same design style (25:59). As Ueno continues to boom, Halli talks about restructuring their company to be autonomous without his direct oversight (27:36). At the same time, he’s learning how to encourage creativity and bring geographically spread out teams together (30:01). Finally, Halli talks about overcoming alcoholism (38:30), taking things to their extremes (39:42), and bringing his big visions for Ueno to life (40:50). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

In 2011, Max Temkin and several friends crowdfunded one of the most successful games on Kickstarter — Cards Against Humanity. On Well Made, Max is talking about Blackbox, the shipping company he co-created after realizing how difficult shipping a wildly popular physical product could be. On this episode, Max talks about creating his own rules about doing business (4:54). He shares how they build Cards’s sometimes-inappropriate-but-always-hilarious brand of writing into the company (13:39). He shares more about Blackbox (23:30) and what they learned from shipping one of the most funded Kickstarter games (26:28). Even after rapid growth, Max talks about the growing pains of their startup (28:58). Max discusses the games he’s created and what he's playing nowadays (52:25). Finally, Max shares how a good game (and business) is all about creating a rich narrative. Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

After a decade-long career in the editorial makeup industry, Gloria Noto, would found her own makeup and skincare line, NOTO Botanics, in 2016. Her all-natural full body collection of uni-sex oils, serums, and skin tints are multi-use and formulated for everyone. Her brand is a platform for education, activism, and inclusive brand messaging — all things she felt were missing in the wellness world. Even as NOTO grows, it’s Gloria’s vision of openness and authenticity that defines the line. On this episode, Gloria talks about pursuing a creative career full-time (11:48). She shares how the makeup industry has changed with social media and paid advertising (13:53), and the importance of using queer, multi-racial, and gender-fluid imagery in the beauty space (15:16). Gloria talks about the stigma of makeup for men and aging for women (16:33). With her brand growing, she gets real about the tough manufacturing and hiring choices she’s facing (23:32). Gloria’s shares her big ideas for the future of NOTO Botanics (2

Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost are the founders of Studio Neat, a design company making gadgets and tools through Kickstarter. Their first campaign, the Glif tripod mount, helped launch other Kickstarter hardware back in 2010. Since then, they’ve crowdfunded seven more projects, everything from the Cosmonaut to the Neat Ice Kit. Their products are simply designed and delightful to use. On this episode, Tom and Dan share how a diverse product offering and slow-but-steadfast audience growth are tenets of running their business (7:00). Stephan, Tom, and Dan ponder being generalists versus specialists (12:17). Tom likens Studio Neat to a band (16:04). They talk about growing their email list through Kickstarter (21:18) and the long tail benefits of selling through Amazon (22:40). They talk about the creative process of making practical products (25:10) and how a product story is important (28:05). They explain why outsourcing works for their small operation (40:44), and finally, they talk about jealousy as a source

In 2012, CEO and founder Eliza Blank bootstrapped The Sill through a Kickstarter campaign and started the ecommerce business locally — hand-delivering indoor potted plants around New York City. Six years later, The Sill is shipping everything from ferns to succulents nationwide. When plants are your product, the information to keep them alive becomes part of the product offering. By taking the guesswork, and ultimately friction, out of buying and caring for plants, Eliza and her team are seeing the community (and sales) flourish. Their goal? To make the experience enjoyable, even for the sorest of green thumbs. On this episode of the podcast, Eliza shares how The Sill is making the plant buying process approachable and directional through guidance and a growing supply chain (11:31). She goes through The Sill’s major business milestones and transitions (18:23), and how the brick-and-mortar business shaped how they marketed and sold their products online (20:54). She talks about outgrowing her bootstrapped busi