After graduating in 2015, Hagan turned down an offer with Tesla Motors to pursue Glo full-time. After some early success with Glo Cubes, a mother reached out to share how the product had helped her autistic son overcome his fear of water. The story influenced the development of the Glo Pals a product that engages children in sensory exercises and brightens bath time. Today, you can find Glo products in more than 1,400 stores across the USA and Canada.

We're sitting down with Hagan to learn about the aha moment that sparked his brand's purpose. Today, you can find Glo products in more than 1,400 stores across the USA and Canada. We're also joined by Rocky Brody from Freightos, answering all your freight questions at a time of unprecedented supply chain disruption.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• How Glo got started
• How the Glo Pals product helps kids with autism
• How long Hagan was interning at Tesla
• How Hagan divided his time between promoting different companies
• How Hagan has approached restaurants and bars about Glo Cubes
• Glo Pals’ first retail partner
• The mix of volume that gets moved through different retailers
• How many Sesame characters Glo Pals has
• How Glo’s manufacturing works
• How Glo navigates bulk ordering
• When in the Glo journey Hagan realized the company needed redundancies on the manufacturing side
• How Hagan came across Freightos and how his company uses it
• How Freightos helps facilitate the journey
• Trends in shipping pricing and timing
• Whether or not it makes sense to manufacture in the US
• How people decide on which quote to book
• Transparencies in cost and time
• How Glo is preparing for the holiday season
• The revenue split in BTC vs. retail
• Fun marketing initiatives
• Number one tip for entrepreneurs

Related Links

Hagan Walker

Anthony Orisses started the lifestyle brand RARE CUT in the middle of COVID, when remote work was decimating apparel sales. Using an entrepreneurial mindset, Anthony quickly surpassed $50,000 in sales within the first 30 days of going live.

We’ll learn the secrets behind his launch, his commitment to local craftsmanship, and what’s next as the world goes back to in-office work and live events.

We'll also hear from the CEO of Arka, Phil Akhzar, on how brands can leverage branded and unbranded eco-friendly packaging solutions to drive loyalty and post-holiday retention.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• What Anthony’s inspiration was
• How Anthony achieved Kickstarter success
• How Anthony is getting the word out about his brand
• The hardest lessons about what would actually work
• Early horror stories in the founding of Arka
• Anthony’s favorite pocket squares
• How Anthony sources designs
• Anthony’s network of manufacturers
• Rare Cut’s packaging
• What Arka is all about
• The catalyst to start Arka
• The biggest misconceptions brands have about companies like Arka
• Holiday shopping and shipping
• Interesting and innovative ways people are starting Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales
• Number one advice for entrepreneurs and founders

Related Links

Anthony Orisses

Rare Cut

Phillip Akhza

Arka

In 2016, Curt Nichols started Glade Optics as a side project while working at a market research firm. As he helped consumer-facing companies navigate the shift from physical to digital stores, he saw brands unlock massive returns by applying DTC principles to highly commoditized product categories. In this episode, we're chatting with Curt to learn how he launched Glade and grew it from a seasonal business into a year-round leader in mountain gear, using targeted community outreach, deep customer insights, and targeted post-purchase upsells.

We'll also hear from the CEO of CartHook, Emily Foreman, on how brands can replicate these post-purchase offers to collect untapped revenue and drive higher AOV.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

• How Curt started Glade Optics
• How Curt got the manufacturing process started
• The seasonality of Curt’s business
• Why Curt decided on goggles
• What a partnership looks like in Curt’s industry
• How the Glade Optics catalog has evolved
• How to drive a strong customer experience with CartHook
• How CartHook uses credit card information
• The impact of the iOS update
• How Curt utilizes CartHook connections
• The biggest failure on post-purchase expenses
• The biggest lessons learned in using CartHook
• How people use CartHook to increase order value
• How launching sunglasses has helped even out sales through the year
• Lead time between new products
• Number one advice for other brands

Resources:

Curt Nichols

Glade Optics

Emily Foreman

CartHook