DTC WTF

In this very special episode of DTC WTF, we get up close and personal with Monica Grohna, founder and CEO of Marea. I started this podcast to shed light on what entrepreneurship is really like. The never ending stress & anxiety, and the feeling like you have the entire world on your shoulders, is prevalent. This is one of my favorite episodes- Monica is extremely vulnerable and I'm so grateful she shared her experience. 

We talk about "good" problems to have, what to do when you're feeling overwhelmed, the importance of being your own customer, and so much more!

Monica is the Founder & CEO of Marea, a menstrual wellness company empowering women to take charge of their menstrual cycles through lifestyles and nutrition. Monica, an eCommerce marketer, experienced severe PMS symptoms around her period. When she discovered the benefits of nutritional supplementation to support her symptoms she knew she needed to share this with others experiencing cyclical symptoms and decided to launch Marea as an education first nutrition brand.

Sarah Moret is the founder and CEO of Curie, a personal care brand that makes clean and effective products for humans in motion. Sarah was primed and ready to launch her company, when at the suggestion of a friend, decided to make sure her company name was not trademarked. To her horror, it had been taken by someone else, and she was forced to pivot last minute! She changed the name to Curie, and the rest is history. 

In this episode we talk about "being ready" to start a startup, where to allocate capital when it's scarce, talking to customers, believing in yourself, and so much more!

Like most good ideas, Curie was born out of a personal need, as Sarah struggled to find natural personal care products that were both non-toxic AND effective. When she realized this was a struggle for others as well, she bootstrapped the brand on $12k savings, and within six months was hitting six-figure revenues with zero marketing budget. The brand has grown from one cult-favorite natural deodorant to four SKUs and is sold in stores nationwide. Prior to founding Curie, Sarah worked in Venture Capital for 5 years investing in seed stage startups in the Bay Area and LA.

Like this episode? Tweet me to @Sue_Cough to let me know! 

Want to hear about how Uppercase can grow your eCommerce business? Email me at Jake@upperacasebrands.com

CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT :)

Chris, his brother, and their best friend were home for the summer. Bored and looking for a project to build, they stumbled upon the idea of 4 way volleyball in a brainstorm session. After doing some quick Google research, they were shocked to learn it didn't exist yet! And thus, CROSSNET was born. 

This episode is a classic tale of "I didn't choose this life, it chose me." Chris hasn't let his youth or a lack of formal business training slow him down one iota- in fact, it's emboldened him to take risks that many would not have. The result has been a thriving company that's formed partnerships with Barstool Sports, Walmart, Dicks & even a tournament on ESPN. 

Love this episode? Let me know on Twitter! https://twitter.com/Sue_Cough

After years of bootstrapped efforts to scale his food company, Noshi for Kids, Tomo Delaney had finally begun to see some traction. With deals in place with Walmart, Thrive Market & Fresh Direct, and partnerships with Peppa Pig & Crayola, Tomo's "food paint" company was on the precipice of breaking through. Despite this momentum, life had other plans in store for Tomo. His wife Freya fell ill and Tomo was forced to care for his family in addition to trying to scale his company. 

This is an unbelievable story for anyone who thinks there aren't enough hours in the day to build a company in addition to whatever other responsibilities they have. Tomo shows such resilience and poise that you can't help but be inspired to action. 

Pranav was trying to live a minimalist lifestyle while going to business school in NYC and couldn't get over the number of shoes he and his roommate had by the entrance to their apartment. So he did what any sane individual would do- he set out to create the perfect minimalist shoe, and the only one he'd every need to own again. So began the creation of Glyph- digitally knit shoes that can replace 99% of what you own and allow you to live a more unencumbered life. 

In this episode we talk about the important of community, spending time building your MVP, and always talking to your customers. 

Pranav is the cofounder and the CEO of Glyph, a direct-to-consumer shoe company. Glyphs are designed to be the only pair of shoes anyone needs for their day, trip or adventure. As a lifelong minimalist, I am passionate about advancing society's relationship with material possessions.

Glyph is backed by top growth investors including 500 Startups and Cornell University. Pranav began his career in the investment bank at JP Morgan. He also spent several years in tech strategy consulting where he priced over $300 million in digital advertising spend and consulting on the Facebook ad bidding platform.

CPG Investor and dear friend of the show, Kofi Ampadu, shares some incredible tips on what DTC founders should be focusing on and thinking about as they launch, scale, and raise capital for their companies. Kofi has vetted hundreds of up and coming CPG brands over the past few years and has a keen understanding of what founders should avoid and invest in. We talk about validating your idea, building community, allocating raised capital wisely, what it takes to be a founder, and much much more. 

Kofi Ampadu is the founder and General Partner of SKU’D Ventures and a Venture Advisor with Yale University’s entrepreneurship center. He is an entrepreneur, startup advisor & investor with over 10 years of professional experience. As a two-time founder, he is well-versed in the pitfalls and rewards of starting new ventures which has made him passionate about knowledge-sharing and mentorship within the startup space.

Prior to entrepreneurship, he was a strategy consultant at Accenture and an engineer at Kraft Foods. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.

Justin Wiesehan always craved chips, but the sensible adult in him knew he needed something more nutritious. The only issue- most every product on the market was either bland & healthy, or delicious and terrible for you. So he set out to build a healthier for you chip in an attempt to scratch his itch! In this episode we talk about making lemonade from lemons and persevering when things get tough!

Justin has been a career entrepreneur focused on CPG products in retail for the past 13 years. His passion has been in creating products that help people live healthier, better lives. Snacks have always been a part of his, and his families, lives, which led him to create a healthier alternative to unhealthy options on the market. The need for a satisfying crunch, exceptional taste, and flavor, while packing nutrition into a single snack, is what led him to create Macro Snacks.

Apple shocked the world of Paid Ads when they announced the rollout of ATT- App Tracking Transparency. The new initiative allows all iOS users to opt out of app tracking, which will severely limit the data these apps can collect. The implication is that paid ads, and especially Facebook ads, which thrive on the ability to serve users with hyper-targeted ads, will have severely reduced efficacy without the same ability to target potential customers. 

To get to the bottom of what's happening, what advertisers can expect, and what eCom store owners can do to prepare, I called upon Facebook Ad expert and Uppercase Co-Founder & CEO, Casey Brown. In this jam-packed episode we talk about what we know and make some predictions as well. Enjoy!

After becoming a cat parent by chance, Emily Miethner quickly noticed that there were hundreds of brands that catered to dog owners but very few that were just for cats. This realization and a real need for a better carrier lead her and her husband to found Travel Cat, a now 7 figure business that builds products for felines and the people who love them. Her relentless focus on connecting with customers has resulted in huge gains for the business and a brand that's just as functional as it is amusing. In this episode we talk about connecting with your customers, navigating logistical issues, and taking huge leaps of faith. Enjoy!

In this episode we're joined by Ian Leslie, chief marketing officer of Industry West. We discuss taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you rather than being dogmatic about the marketing channels one focuses on, as well as not skimping on your partners. 

Industry West is a modern furniture e-commerce company with stores in New York City and Florida. With more than 10 years of experience in integrated marketing communications, Ian has built highly effective campaigns within both the retail and higher education verticals, including work for the U.S. Navy. Ian’s focus is on creating data-driven campaigns across multiple channels that empower people to evangelize on a brand’s behalf, while allowing the brand to measure campaign effectiveness on a cost-per-acquisition basis.

We are joined by Dustin Reichmann, a former engineer turned entrepreneur who is now the Marketing Director of FireCreek Snacks. Firecreek Snacks has shattered the stereotype of the typical snack stick by delivering a healthy, all-natural snack with exceptional taste.

I'm joined by brothers Brandon, Elliot & Dylan Kim, who started Brevitē, a camera backpack company, 5 years ago. They've endured many manufacturing & operational issues since, but their commitment to quality products and strong moral backbone has helped them persevere. On this episode we talk about working with family, finding the right operational partners, work/life balance, taking care of yourself, and much much more.

Ophelia and her pertner Abi are building a movement in NYC. To the untrained eye, it may appear they're just launching a streetwear upstart. But start digging around a bit and you'll realize that the purpose and passion they're bringing to this venture is attracting a loyal group of followers- and customers- in a way that only authenticity can. Part creative space, part apparel brand, all community driven- Bobblehaus is the new type of business model todays consumers are looking for. 

There is no shortage of new personal care companies vying for the top spot of beauty/skincare DTC darling. That said, few are focused on providing high quality and affordable products for men. The industry is inundated with brands just for women, and Matt Mullenax (Founder & CEO of Huron) is determined to change that. He started Huron in his kitchen to deliver a superior product than what he was used to finding in the pharmacy. We talk about validating your idea before making a hefty investment, being customer centric, learning to delegate and much more. 

I'm joined by the one and only Ugly Hugh, co-founder of Ugly Brands. We chat about all sorts of challenges involved with launching a DTC beverage company, including: his war against "Big Soda," overcoming sever operational issues at launch, how to pick your next SKU, and much more!

DTC WTF is a new podcast produced by Uppercase Brands that delves into the biggest mistakes that successful eCom founders have ever committed (and the lessons learned from them). Unlike other startup podcasts, we resent revisionist history and don’t shy away from the blunders that helped define founders and the brands they’ve built. We talk about what led to these potentially company ending events, the aftermath, how they were overcome and what was learned. It's my hope that new entrepreneurs can learn from our mistakes and avoid some pain in the future.