Bogg Bag: Kim Vaccarella. The $100 Million Business She Almost Abandoned

Kim’s inspiration to launch a business came from an unlikely source: Her son’s Crocs. She thought the durable, washable material would make a great beach bag. So she designed one. But after investing her savings—inlcuding some of her kids’ college fund—Kim was crushed when her first major shipment of Bogg bags was defective. It knocked her so off balance, that she put the entire business on hold.

Then something unexpected happened.The few thousand customers who already had a bag….clamored for more. So Kim decided to start over. She borrowed $120,000, found another factory, shared trade show booths with four other founders, and slowly built Bogg Bag into a $100 million phenomenon.

What you'll learn:

• How getting nowhere with Crocs gave Kim the motivation to make Bogg Bag herself.
• Why her first $30,000 production run nearly killed the company.
• Why a founder isn’t always the best judge of her product
• How Superstorm Sandy gave new life to Bogg Bag
• How Kim built Bogg Bag for years while keeping her full-time job and raising two kids.
• How COVID turned Bogg Bag from a beach product into a “beach and beyond” product.
• How Kim got a massive acquisition offer–and why she turned it down.
• Why Kim thinks Bogg Bag can eventually become a billion-dollar brand.

Chapters:

06:36 - Growing up without financial security

08:17 - From high-school dropout to a six-figure career

17:19 - Reading “Mommy Millionaire” and dreaming of inventing something

19:41 - The Crocs-on-the-beach moment

24:56 - Kim hits a wall with Crocs, so she decides to make Bogg Bag herself

33:33 - The early prototypes and a nervous visit to a boutique: “I don’t know what this is, but I think I need it.”

41:16 - The first big shipment, a $30,000 defect, and a decision to pull the plug

47:13 - A massive natural disaster presents an opportunity

52:15 - “Now I gotta make this damn bag”

54:45 - A factory showdown in China

59:52 - Starting over with $120,000

01:01:51 - The trade-show “timeshare” in a tiny booth

01:07:12 - Finally quitting her day job

01:10:42 - COVID boosts the business

01:13:28 - The acquisition offer that could have changed everything

01:23:40 - Learning to lead a much bigger company

01:26:13 - The dream of a family legacy

This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Sam Paulson.

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