McKinsey Growth, Marketing & Sales’ Post

In just a few years, Rob Fraser has turned OUTWAY into a multi-million dollar success story, known for its ultimate performance socks. Now, he's joining us in three days, on March 27, 2024, at 12:00 PM EST, at the "Future of DTC" webinar to share his insights and strategies. What's the next big wave in DTC that founders can't afford to overlook in 2024? How would Rob start OUTWAY if he were to do it all over again today? And, perhaps most intriguingly, what tech stack powers OUTWAY's success in the ever-evolving eCommerce landscape? This is a rare opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge from someone who has successfully navigated the complexities of building a brand from the ground up in the competitive DTC arena. 📌 Don't miss out on this invaluable session. Secure your spot today: https://lnkd.in/dDbsfADr 🔗  Tag anyone who's passionate about DTC, e-commerce, or just loves a good startup success story. Let's learn together how to adapt and thrive in the dynamic world of direct-to-consumer sales! #DTCWebinar #FutureOfDTC #Outway #RobFraser #EcommerceSuccess #StartupStrategy #TechStack2024

Last year, I took my company through a pivot. A hard decision for any founder. I decided to switch Cargofy to a subscription model. When working on this pivot, I was having flashbacks to 2017 when I was just starting to build my startup. There were endless tests, bugs, and sleepless nights back then. 6 years after I was going through the same.  Changing your business model during a crisis in your industry is fucking hard. I asked myself all the time, “Stakh, why are you doing this? Will this even work?” But it was impossible to ignore the market. You never should. The subscription model is the future of my industry. Most of the e-commerce companies don’t want to deal with the hassle of delivery anymore. They're looking for a third party that can handle everything for them. For carriers, big and small, subscribing to a provider is an opportunity to access big data. They can better analyze financial information, gain insights about shippers’ debts, and manage contracts in one interface. Plus, they can offer more services to shippers like real-time tracking. Everyone wins. Making that pivot helped us survive 2023 and even reach our break-even point during a crisis. Pivoting is always hard for a founder, but you gotta know the market you’re in and adapt – always adapt.

🆕💡 Spotlight: From the Team 💡🆕 🗓️Every Thursday, we spotlight a piece from our official blog: “Our Two Bits.” This week, we want to throw it back to a piece by our CEO, Arash Asady: “When you shop, you can build wealth. That's the thesis behind Bits of Stock, a startup that specializes in stock rewards and loyalty programs.” 🗄 Read the whole thing here → https://lnkd.in/g2YF9R64 #customerloyalty #Fractionalrewards #productblog

In 2017, Chris Mole, based in the UK, founded Molzi, a full-service digital marketing agency catering to Amazon sellers. As pioneers in the field, the company witnessed significant growth. By 2020, amidst the lockdown-fueled e-commerce boom, Molzi doubled its team size to over 70 employees and generated revenues exceeding £4.5 million. In 2021, their success caught the eye of Brainlabs, who acquired Molzi, paying 75% of the purchase price upfront and committing the remaining 25% to an earn-out agreement. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: ✔Leverage ‘hook products’ to reel in new customers. ✔Employ top talent affordably using Chris’ innovative hiring approach. ✔Build to sell without planning to sell and why it matters. ✔Time the sale of your business to maximize its value. ✔Forge connections with potential buyers long before you’re ready to sell. ✔Shrink your earn-out period and boost your upfront cash. #businesscoaching #executivecoaching #smallbusinessowner #exitplanning https://lnkd.in/git-c_zu

Start your business with Trade License Zone. Just tell us a few details about your idea and we’ll do the rest. Our company formation packages are clear, transparent and easy to follow -- so you’ll understand the what, why and when before you part with a penny! Get in touch to find out more. Visit www.tlz.ae for big savings on company setup. #TrustInTLZ #PricePerfect #StartTheSmartWay #BusinessSetupNOW#BusinessSetupTODAY #StartNOW #FireYourBossToday

Calling all E-commerce trailblazers! Join us this tomorrow at 12 PM for a meetup where business owners come together to share insights, tackle challenges, and foster growth in E-commerce! Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting, this meetup is your space to teach, learn, and grow together. 📈 More information: https://lnkd.in/gbEjX5is #business #growth #ecommerce #startupsiouxfalls #startinsiouxfalls

🤔 Have you heard of a "Launchpad Business"? While listening to (yet another) episode of My First Million, I learned that a launchpad business is a business that doesn't necessarily propel you into fame and success from the start 🤑, but instead sets a very strong foundation for the next steps in your entrepreneurial career. 🚀 A launchpad business creates an opportunity to set roots now but leverage and monetize later. As Birdhouce is my first business I remembered that I intentionally decided to jump head first into a business that has as much surface area to cover as possible for very selfish reasons. 🚀🚀🚀 Here's why: 1️⃣ Birdhouce is a product design company, which means I have to network with product designers, industrial designers, architects, and artists in order to create something truly attractive and unique as I am putting something completely new into the market. 🎨 2️⃣ Birdhouce is a technology company. The tech we use to automate production and convert complex custom designs to production files in just seconds forced me to seek out some of the best computational designers as the 3D models we use are generated using advanced algorithms. 🤖 3️⃣ Birdhouce is also an e-commerce business. This meant that I had to find other e-commerce brands quickly, and learn from them how to grow online, what is the best packaging supplier, what they use for 3rd party logistics, and much more. 🛍️ 4️⃣ It is also a manufacturing company. Since we have to make sure that we deliver high-quality products to our final customer, this means that we have to find the right partner workshops to fulfill the orders. This also means that we constantly have to prototype and test materials and qualify different workshops' manufacturing processes. 🏭 5️⃣ Finally, Birdhouce is a furniture brand that forces me to learn quickly about branding and marketing, brand positioning, and how to nurture customer relations. Makes you wonder, how big is your launchpad? 🤔

Controversial decision…we’ve moved out of our 3rd party fulfilment centre…🫢 Some may view this as a ‘step back’ but really it was just another lesson learnt in the messy reality that is running a start up. I can come on LinkedIn and share so much of the “good stuff”; new shiny B2B contract, amazing press article to share, ambitious milestone reached on socials, but that’s just all fluff…. Pivoting and taking leaps forward and steps back to then scale up are true measures of what it takes to run a business. So yes moving out of fulfilment in one sense is a shame and may look like a step back to some. But when you feel you’re loosing the heart of your brand and what makes it special then you have to take a step back and re-align. We’ve pivoted at least 20 times since we started this business, and plenty of times we’ve taken steps back to move forward. Things don’t always work out as you expect so you’ve got to learn to make quick decisions for the benefit of the business. If it was a straight forward linear line more people would run start ups. But it’s not. It’s chaotic, it’s messy and it’s on-the-job learning at its finest. So here is to taking back control….(with the help of a few new internal team members 😀). Lots more sorting to do in the office but #BlackFriday we will be ready for you! 😅 #startuplife #startupjourney #runningabusiness #ecommercebusiness #ecommercelogistics #smallbusinessowner #smallbusinessjourney #femalefounders

How well did Klaviyo, Arm and Instacart actually do in their first test on the public markets? Speak to any CEO connected the time their institution goes public, and they volition archer you that the IPO is conscionable different measurement connected their journey; the institution is not done yet; we’re conscionable getting started. This is true. It is besides existent that going nationalist is besides a large milestone for immoderate company. The Exchange explores startups, markets and money. Read it every greeting connected TechCrunch+ oregon get The Exchange newsletter each Saturday. CEOs similar to downplay the infinitesimal arsenic much incremental than transformational. You, connected the different extremity of the telephone oregon video call, motion your caput knowing that you are being told a spot of spin, and knowing that the CEO besides knows that you know. It’s a dance. Still, that CEO is close that going nationalist is not the extremity of their journey. Now they’re the CEO of a listed company, and person to beryllium down with analysts and investors regularly to reply for their company’s performance. That’s a change. To that end, three caller tech IPOs conscionable reported their fiscal show for the archetypal clip arsenic nationalist companies, and I privation to speech astir their results. Not lone due to the fact that I americium acold excessively funny however these erstwhile startups did, but due to the fact that going nationalist often entails definite costs that tin marque newly-public companies look massively unprofitable close retired of the gate. Also, immoderate headlines that I person seen this greeting person maine scratching my head. So, let’s bash a speedy summary of results from Arm (chip design), Klaviyo (business software), and Instacart (grocery transportation and ads) and inquire however they execute erstwhile we let for IPO-related costs. After all, the amended (or worse) these companies fare, the much (less) apt we are to spot different backstage tech shops effort to travel suit.  Earnings rotation call Arm reported gross of $806 cardinal successful its 2nd 4th ended September 30, up 28% from the $630 cardinal it reported a twelvemonth earlier. The company’s beardown gross margins of much than 90% were not capable to make capable gross profit, however, to screen its whole-cloth operating expenses of $916 million, starring to a $156 cardinal operating nonaccomplishment and a $110 cardinal nett loss. The institution was profitable successful the aforesaid 4th a twelvemonth earlier. https://ift.tt/YhutOwZ

In the dynamic landscape of commerce, pop-ups are proving to be a game-changer for small businesses. For small business owners navigating tight budgets, the flexibility of pop-ups offers a cost-effective avenue to showcase products, engage with customers, and test markets—bridging the gap for those who can't afford traditional storefronts. Pop-up shops aren't just a trend; it's a strategic move, providing invaluable exposure and fostering innovation. Are you a small business owner? Explore the possibilities, seize the advantage, and consider the transformative impact of pop-up retail on your entrepreneurial journey!  #PopUpRetail #SmallBusinessEmpowerment #InnovationInCommerce