Isabel Kim

I'm a bit over the increasing amount of Linkedin Bros popping up in my feed. 🙄 Building a business and solopreneurship is freaking hard, despite what you may see here most frequently. ‘Generated millions of dollars for hundreds of DTC brands’... Really? Or did you just take credit for falsely attributed revenue and got lots of badly qualified leads through the door who then churn immediately because you overpromised and underdelivered. 🤷‍♂️ I’ve been lucky to work with some great clients who understand the value of a personalised approach and incremental value over time. But it's a full-time job to educate customers about the real value of professional and experienced support over someone giving away free cookie-cutter audits with no value. Because there usually is no one-size-fits-all magic bullet. Plus, the truth is, as you build a business, most of your time will be spent on admin, building your brand and assets, accounting, legal, and – if you’re anything like me – daily questioning yourself and what you're capable of. Most solopreneurs are lucky to make minimum wage in their first year and lots don’t make it past the 6-month mark. And that’s not because they’re not good at their job or their idea wasn’t great. It’s just that there’s SO much other stuff that nobody prepares you for. It’s rough, but it can also be the most rewarding and fulfilling experience. There's an awesome, supportive, and real community here on LinkedIn, which unfortunately is not always favoured by LI's 'confidence over competence' algorithms. So, here’s to all the solopreneurs, freelancers and small business owners out there grinding every day and delivering excellence. Keep pushing! 🥂 #TheMoreYouKnow #Solopreneur #SmallBusiness #Freelancer

50

11 Comments

What are the Top Tech Hubs in the U.S.? 👀 Carta just released their rankings - here are my observations based on the insights: 1. Will SF always be #1 or will NYC ever reach the top spot? As someone that's biased towards Silicon Alley > Silicon Valley, the Big Apple still reigns supreme to me, but overtaking the Bay has always seemed like an impossible feat. One thing is for certain, both will always be in the top 3 unless other markets change drastically. 2. Boston, Austin, DC, and other secondary markets continue to improve their stats, but I'm curious to see what emerging hubs will make the list next year. 3. Have all of the Tech Bros left Miami? Where are they in the rankings? Arguably though, LA was always the original "Silicon Beach". 4. When I think of diversity, an almost dying concept 😕 , and the amount of funding that Black/Brown founders receive, we must also keep in mind where they live. Atlanta is #1 in the country for Tech Diversity but missing on the list. I also think of Tulsa, and the energy that's being poured into creating the new Black Wall Street. When we look at the areas of the country that deploy the most capital, what demographics are being supported the most? 5. As far as sectors, I'm shocked to not see AI here, but it is interesting to see which Hubs are known for specific verticals. When I think about ecosystem development and empowering the Tech Hubs of today and tomorrow, there are 4 things I think each city needs to offer to maintain it's status. Access to capital, access to customers, access to community, and access to jobs. What do you think is essential for a market to be deemed as a "top hub", what cities are missing from the list?! #Tech #TechHubs #Startups #Entrepreneurs #Founders #VC #Ecosystem #EconomicDevelopment

90

22 Comments

After throwing 13 events (business and social) in 4 cities across the United States. Here are 5 things I have learned about event logistics: 1. At least 50% of people bail on free event invites. If you are throwing a business meetup that isn’t a seated dinner at a trendy restaurant, you will need to send out at least 10x more invitations than you think you need to. 2. Pick a venue where your event is the only thing going on. You’ll be inclined to do it at a public bar because it’s cheaper, but this makes the event too casual and significantly harder for people to free flow and organically meet the most amount of people in the given time for the event. Use a peer to peer event rental space site like peer space. 3. Everyone needs a name tag 3.5 You should pre write them. I will die on this hill. 4. Don’t serve red wine or beer. These are the most common things to order at a bar, but do not offer either of these things. 5. You need to have a follow up system for your RSVPs to message people at least 3 times, including the day of the event. This is no different than saying that 30% of sales coming from the follow up. Your list of RSVPs showing up is a sales process - irregardless of whether your event is for business or social purposes.

14

5 Comments

I’ve researched the 15 DTC brands who are crushing it so far in 2024 so you don’t have to. Here’s who they are, what they do, and why I’m keeping my eye on them: 1. Athletic Brewing Co.: Non-alcoholic craft beer. Riding the low-no alcohol wave. 2. Allbirds: Eco-friendly footwear/apparel. Sustainability is a huge consumer demand. 3. Stitch Fix: Tinder, but for tailored clothes. Crushed in 2022, love the practicality and return rate. 4. Misfits Market: High-quality, local groceries. Eliminates food waste + saves customers money. Double W. 5. Wyze: Ridiculously affordable home security. Putting Ring and SimpliSafe on notice. 6. DRMTLGY: Medical-grade skincare. Bringing credibility to a highly competitive space. 7. Magic Spoon: Grain-free, protein-rich cereal. Retail presence is growing, actually tastes good. 8. Burrow: High-quality, online furniture, great service. Opposite of IKEA on the furniture spectrum. 9. Bite — Because It’s The Earth: Plastic-free toothpaste. No bad chemicals, eco-friendly, compact product. 10. ŌURA: Health tracker in ring form. Market superiority, not gimmicky like other smart tech. 11. VACAY: Vegan RTD cocktails. Minimalist ingredients, capitalizing on RTD trends. 12. United Sodas of America: Natural, organic sodas. Fun packaging, fun website, fun messaging. 13. Sculpd: Crafts kits, made easy. Highly tactical, habit-forming, and loyalty-inspiring. 14. True Classic: Accessible, well-fitting t-shirts. Staple men’s fits made easy to shop/buy. 15. Lume Cube: Premium personal lighting. Everyone’s a creator and lighting is underrated. Which DTC brand am I missing here? Tag them in the comments or let me know.

15

1 Comment

Founders, if you hire someone junior as your first PMM And expect them to do EVERYTHING You NEED to Invest in their development It’s been about a year since I started a job board for founding PMM roles. Since then I've seen 545 founding PMM job openings. The titles being offered were: ➡️ 366 “Product Marketing Managers” ➡️ 114 “Senior Product Marketing Managers” ➡️  Only 65 were for something like Principal, Leader, or Director Although many of the PMM job descriptions asked for 5+ years experience. It’s likely that they’ll end up hiring someone more junior. I see this all the time. Even still. The average PMM with a few years experience hasn’t had the chance to do everything listed in this example job description. And believe me, most job postings look like this. For many founding PMMs, a lot of the job is brand new. Not to mention: 🚨 Nobody else in the company has product marketing experience 🚨 You don’t have the time to personally coach them 🚨 They are getting hammered with requests 🚨 They have zero influence across the company The odds are stacked against them. And your product marketing function too. I understand that not every startup can afford to hire an experienced product marketing leader as their founding PMM. Even if you have the budget, they’re hard to find. But you CAN afford to provide them with the three Cs: ⚡️ Coaching ⚡️ Courses ⚡️ Communities A hungry PMM, paired with the right support network and resources, can make a big impact at an early-stage startup. You’re not only investing in their personal growth But the success of your product marketing function Which can make or break your business.

130

16 Comments

Great case study showcasing some of the work we do to give clarity to the murky world of manufacturing and use technology to speed up the entire process. If you're struggling with offshore manufacturing or just want to see if it can be done better, DM me or write in the comments and we can jump on a call.

7

A recruiting agency made $82k in their first month of recruiting on Paraform - that's $1M in equivalent annual billing! John Keenan and his brilliant team at Continuity Partners (shoutout Brianda Reyes Castro and Lona H.) are making a placement every week on Paraform at some of the most exciting companies. John was one of the early recruiters at Palantir Technologies, and joined Continuity Partners in 2007 - he claims (and hiring managers on Paraform seem to agree) working with him will be the most fun you can have talking to a recruiter. How was his team so successful? He broke it down for us: “Recruiters make money by doing the same search over and over. Not by placing one-offs. The best way to grow your business is to find a lot of people, find a lot of jobs, and build a pipeline...and Paraform makes that much easier, it's awesome.” Want to read the full story on how he does it? Check out John's article in comments 👇 Congrats John and team — we’re looking forward to seeing your continued success!

136

13 Comments

Remember when the CEO of Ryanair floated the idea of charging passengers to use the bathroom? That guy's a rockstar. Just kidding. I started thinking about that because I was recently checking out from a newer DTC brand's storefront, and a "free shipping threshold" banner popped up. Seeing that always makes me a little crazy—in the same way having to pay to hit the bathroom on a flight would. The idea tickles that same nerve we all have as consumers. 99%+ of you feel the same. You have an expectation that anything you order online will arrive within 2-3 days and for the price of whatever you’re ordering + tax (and not a cent more). Me too. It’s the Amazon Prime effect. And if that shipping is going to take something like 5-7 days, AND cost money? Forget it. This has been something newer DTC brands have had a tricky time navigating from the jump. And if you think about it logically, it’s a pretty crazy standard. Not that long ago, 5-day shipping was actually...pretty good. And even the idea of a free shipping threshold is not a bad one. You’re encouraging your customer to increase their order value and giving them something in return immediately—kind of brilliant for a younger DTC that doesn’t have the same resources as the big dogs. But the way it’s pitched within the customer journey is just not effective enough. Customers, especially first-time customers, have a pretty high bounce rate in this context. I watched a demo recently led by a really well-known technologist that had me thinking about this. He was basically interacting with a chatbot that provided hyper-personalized product recommendations, like a version of WireCutter that is active and personal to only you and the specific product you were looking for. In the demo, the "customer" was asking the chatbot for recommendations on strollers. After some back-and-forth on lifestyle/product preferences, the bot started making really well-informed and relevant recommendations. Here's what had me losing my mind—I went hard when doing my own research on strollers. Tons of reading and browsing and more. Maybe a little too much research—and this bot was actually making the same recommendations I would make if someone were asking me. The application of the above is enticing and reminded me of my frustrating experience with the free shipping threshold. Say you were checking out below the threshold, and you get the notification or message “Hey, I know you hate this free-shipping threshold—here’s the cheapest way to cross it that we think will suit you the most”. It then introduces a product you actually want, which gets you over the line, allowing you to learn about it and check out on the same page. How much likelier are you to stick around and convert, versus just a banner that essentially tells you you're not getting free shipping unless you buy more? THAT'S Gen AI optimizing the customer journey, and those are the kinds of developments we're working on at FERMÀT.

21

12 Comments

The Apple/Epic beef is tragic (for both companies). Let's count the ways. 1. AAA games are (finally!!) strategic to Apple's go-to-market Apple wants to iterate on Apple Silicon until gamers can't tell the difference between games running on a Playstation and a MacBook, iPhone Pro, Apple TV, and iPad. It also needs a growing library of compelling, immersive experiences for the Vision Pro. AAA game studios like CD PROJEKT RED are using Epic's Unreal Engine to build the next entries in their popular franchises (The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077). Deep software / hardware support for Epic Games's Unreal Engine would make it cheaper and faster to bring games of that caliber to Apple's entire ecosystem devices... AND offer a path to "spin-offs" specifically designed for the Vision Pro. The Apple/Epic beef makes that level of support unlikely. 2. Apple (finally!) has the beginnings of a compelling value prop to AAA game studios: * Port your titles to Apple Silicon using our DirectX converter * Deliver them across Apple's entire device ecosystem without rewriting a ton of code. But the perception of Apple as a rent-seeking "gatekeeper" hostile to major developers' business models complicates the story. The Apple/Epic beef just reinforces this perception. 3. Epic and Tim Sweeney have a huge vision for immersive gaming and 3D worlds. The Apple Vision is the best hardware to make it so. While the VR / metaverse hype cycle has definitely crashed, immersive gaming and 3D worlds remain highly promising use cases for spatial computers. The Vision Pro has the most powerful hardware and compelling user interface in the category. And Apple has every advantage in hardware and software necessary to keep it that way... Epic's "metaverse" vision would get a huge boost from a positive, mutually-aligned relationship with Apple. What's the opposite of a positive, mutually-aligned relationship with Apple? Beef.

1

Most DTC founders second-guess their decisions because they don’t know how those decisions will impact their cash position. “If I double down on this campaign, will I be able to buy inventory next month?” “Can I afford to hire someone to help me with website design?” Very reasonable questions, but the answers are hard to find when you rely on spreadsheets and have 100 other things to do. Using Viable, founders can easily forecast cash flow and understand what investments they can make without risking the business. #cashflow #dtc #ecommerce

10

1 Comment

Hello, I'm Anthony and I'm looking for a A+ killer Head of Growth for Equip Foods! Here are some wild stats on Equip: 🚀 Mid 8-figures in revenue, bootstrapped, and highly profitable (no VC BS) ✌️Only 2 FTE at the moment (no micromanaging or endless meetings) ❗️Only currently focusing on one marketing channel (affiliate/influencer) 🛍️ Industry best CR, LTV, and subscription #s (clear product market fit) 🥤Real food supplement products that are clean, transparent, and of the highest-quality that people absolutely love (actually doing something important in CPG) Perfect role for anyone who gives a damn about health, wants to get their hands dirty and build out a growth process, have huge amounts of agency and autonomy, and keen to make a dent every day when they show up to work. Here's a link to why we exist: https://lnkd.in/gGb-qCA4 Here's a link to the job description and app: https://lnkd.in/gxwE7xk7 (TIP: DO NOT APPLY IF YOU ARE PLANT-BASED) Please tag anyone you think could be a good fit! (P.S. I've been a tad quiet here. Are you interested in anything else about this business? Should I share more on LinkedIn?)

74

14 Comments

What's great about being a BDR? 👀 If you would have asked me 5 years ago about 🔵 Q1 results of a Fortune 500 Retail or CPG company 🟡 Brands primed for a M&A 🟣 Annual revenue/sales of a DTC start up I would 1️⃣ Give you a baffling look 2️⃣ Think this is boring 🙄😂 3️⃣ Try to pivot the convo to anything else 😭 In the past 3 years I've learned so much about these industries and Enterprise industries in particular and it has been so rewarding. You can tell me any #DTC or #CPG Start Up and I can guess their revenue, retail partners and targeted consumers without much hesitation. When someone tells me a company I know automatically if they have a parent company or are listed on NASDAQ! Like I've said before being a #BDR has so many benefits and transferable skills you can bring into any career and I'm so passionate about helping others get into this field! I'm excited about my next opportunity and bringing my passion for prospecting into my next role! If you're looking for your next #TechSales role feel free to message me, I'm here to help you, we're all in this together! 💜

17

2 Comments

“Grinding” and being a busy fool is easy. What's hard is staring at a blank whiteboard and figuring out what you (actually) want and what you (actually) need to do. Schedule an hour today to plan your next 5 years. You're one Figjam session away from a huge perspective shift.

6

1 Comment

Uber and Lyft both launched UberX in Raleigh on the same day. Fast forward 6 months, Uber had 90% market share in the area. Here's how we won: 1. Uber's main KPI at the time was ETAs. When a rider was ready to take a trip, we wanted them to get a driver in under 5 minutes. So we launched in a very small geographic area, and our team worked our butts off to match rider and driver demand so ETAs were under 5 minutes. Thus, we launched Uber in Raleigh in a 7 mile circle in downtown Raleigh in April 2014. Lyft, on the other hand, launched in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill on that same day. They thought covering the entire area (each of those areas are 30-45 min from each other) would help them win since they were first. However, their result was 10-20 minute ETAs for the entire area. So while Uber wasn't available in Durham & Chapel Hill, Lyft's experience was already sub-par. 2. For our team to hit 5 minute ETAs in our small geo, we needed more drivers on the road AND we needed existing drivers to drive when the demand was. So we did tons of top of funnel marketing: ads, driver referrals, and flyers were the best performing methods. And for existing drivers, we looked closely at the real-time data and we'd design targeted incentives. When we saw rider demand not being met, we'd target X number of drivers with extra financial incentives to drive during those times so all ETAs were under 5 minutes. Yes, we burned money to meet rider demand. And it worked. 3. As we grew our small geo in Raleigh and more and more rides were under a 5 minute ETA, we started to build a driver base in Durham and Chapel Hill. We did driver onboarding events, we advertised that we were "coming soon" and we built up supply so come launch day, we'd cover the area well. And 3 months after we launched Raleigh (and 3 months behind Lyft), we launched Durham and Chapel Hill nearly hitting sub-5 minute ETAs on day 1. 4. Uber had local city teams at this time. Meaning my team's sole focus was on the Raleigh-Durham area. We lived, ate, and breathed Uber Raleigh. I worked day and night to grow my market and ensure happy riders and drivers. I answered every single driver support ticket myself. Lyft, on the other hand, had their company in SF overseeing the United States. They didn't have dedicated city teams. This meant when there were events going on in Raleigh, we knew about it and we'd make sure Uber drivers would be there. I don't know what Lyft did, but their presence lacked, and we'd win the big events. Fast forward 6 months from launch, Uber had a >90% market share in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. It taught me a valuable lesson: you don't have to be first. You just have to be focused on what matters most.

24

2 Comments

MAX (formerly HBO Max) did something last month that every DTC brand should learn from. Let's dive in... One of the biggest sporting events of the year happened in March: NCAA March Madness. With many of the games being streamed on MAX, HBO decided to offer a 40% discount on their service for customers who sign up for annual billing. That means new, existing, or returning subscribers could get access to MAX & March Madness for a major discount - all by paying for the next 12 months in advance. For the customer: an absolute steal. For MAX: an increase in customer AOV and LTV. By discounting their streaming service, MAX locked in loads of customers to a year-long, pre-paid contract - enabling them to gather the revenue upfront and use it to confidently plan, budget, and make decisions for the next year. Annual plans, like what MAX offers, is certainly not new to us consumers for software like streaming services, but for some reason this price lever is rarely used on physical goods. The power of pre-paid subscriptions can be and should be, used by every DTC brand out there. If you're interested in setting up pre-paid subscriptions on your store, send me a message - Prive has you covered! 

17

psa:  don’t apply for yc. at least before knowing how it can change your company’s growth trajectory.  lots of people (online & offline) who want to apply to yc come to me and ask questions (probably because of my funny headline). - what are the benefits? - should i apply? - was it worth it? for me, these are the top 3 benefits of joining: 1. clarity  since the moment you fill out the yc application, it’s really hard to hide. the application process pushes you to clearly define your company from top to bottom. - user understanding - market strategy - expansion plans - competitors - pricing strategies 2. leverage  the yc network is crazy.  by joining, you get access to people you never would otherwise. best part is: yc companies do business with each other—that leverage can accelerate your business 10x faster. 3. Social proof  most founders have a hard time fundraising. yc’s endorsement is a powerful tool for increasing your credibility and attracting more investors. not to mention, having other yc companies on your client roster is usually a nice add-on in their view. my advice for founders looking to apply: do it. worst case - you get some experience and clarity from the application process best case - you unlock a new world of opportunities by joining win-win.

12

1 Comment

Instacart isn’t the secret it used to be. It’s helped grow some real brand giants: Liquid Death, Chomps, Good Culture, Applegate… But Instacart isn’t the only show in town. DoorDash is making a run for retail delivery. And it’s Ad platform is starting to catch fire. Here’s how each platform shakes out for brand growth. INSTACART. Pros: -> Sophisticated analytics. -> Allows for customer retargeting. -> Growing rapidly across *all retailer types*. -> Advanced placement and targeting methods. -> Largest share of Delivery, 3rd in Online Grocery. -> You can “back into” some retailer specific targeting. Cons: -> Competition is slowly increasing. -> No retailer-specific sales reporting. -> Can’t negate poor performing search terms. -> Campaign AI is inefficient (like most ad platforms). DOORDASH. Pros: -> Ultra high intent platform. -> Extremely low brand competition. -> Much larger share of c-store delivery. -> Massive potential from restaurant customer base. Cons: -> Less sophisticated analytics. -> Fewer available Ad Placement Types. -> Only 10% of Grocery Delivery Market. -> Can’t negate poor performing search terms. So which platform is best for growing retail velocity? This is another case of “it depends”. For most brands, it’s probably Instacart. But retail media is not a one-solution game. We work with a brand that is using nine retail media platforms. And they’re the fastest growing brand in their category. The question is less, “what’s your retail media platform?” The question is, “what’s your retail media stack?” ——— 🔹Driving shelf turn in Kroger, Whole Foods, Albertsons, Costco, Walmart, Sprouts, and More 🔹DM me or book an appointment for help. #ecommerce #retailmedia #retailgrowth #retailvelocity #cpg #cpgbrands #instacart #tradespend #retailbuyers #categoryreview

20

9 Comments

Ways restaurants are making profits (read "not just revenue") in 2024 - Dynamic Pricing - Catering - Winning the hyper local knife fight - Really well executed value meals with strong upsell motion - High converting online ordering (bye bye boring templates) - Smart predictive food ordering to prevent waste - Intelligent dispute recovery from 3PD's I know I'm missing things. What did I miss? #restaurants #profitability #leadership #entrepreneurship

29

25 Comments