287: How July Founder Richard Li Grew His Luggage Company From $0 to $5 Million in 1 Year

Ezra Firestone’s businesses generated $70M in revenue last year, but he says he’s just “some guy.” He started his first ecommerce store in 2006, selling Marge Simpson wigs. Despite being a high school dropout with no experience or education, he was determined to make his business work. Two decades later, he’s invested and co-founded five successful businesses, including Smart Marketer, an ecom education platform that helps entrepreneurs run stores that generate over $20 million in yearly revenue. In this episode, Firestone leans on his decades of experience to outline the fundamentals of a revenue-generating ecom business. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why you don’t have to be “book smart” to be successful Firestone’s step-by-step sales funnel Why you need a basket-building product at the beginning The benefit of a merchandising strategy The three core aspects of business What conversion-based commerce means A TikTok Shop secret How he almost went broke selling 8,000 Marge Simpson wigs Why having fun helps you win in business And much more ecom strategies and advice… Click here to start your business for $1. You’ll get all-access foundr+, where you’ll find more in-depth, proven strategies from founders like our guest today and support and advice from our global community of 30,000 founders. If you loved this conversation and learned something new, rate and review this episode. Stay in touch with us, follow foundr on your favorite platform: Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook X LinkedIn Magazine

10 Mai 202439min

At 67, Guy Kawasaki is still evangelizing about products. After building a tech career at Apple under Steve Jobs, Kawasaki set out on a winding career path, including founding startups, giving viral Ted Talks, investing in unicorns like Canva, and writing 16 books. Eight years after his last podcast appearance, Nathan Chan catches up with Kawasaki to distill his decades of wisdom down to the essential functions of creating a painkiller product that people love. In this interview you’ll learn: The two key functions of entrepreneurs Why remarkable people have a growth mindset When Steve Jobs tricked Guy while working at Apple Getting mistaken for Jackie Chan What makes a mission-led a**hole worth working for How to create painkiller products for customers To build confidence in small successes Why failure is okay, but you should try and prevent it What is evangelism marketing and how to use it for business And much more founder advice and stories… Click here to start your business for $1. You’ll get all-access foundr+, where you’ll find more in-depth, proven strategies from founders like our guest today and support and advice from our global community of 30,000 founders. If you loved this conversation and learned something new, rate and review this episode. Stay in touch with us, follow foundr on your favorite platform: Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook X LinkedIn Magazine

3 Mai 202455min

A year after filming, Alicia Scott anxiously watched her appearance on Shark Tank surrounded by friends and family. Her pitch was first on the episode, and she nailed it by securing a deal from Emma Grede, the business mind behind Kardashian brands like SKIMS and Good American. Scott then pulled up her Shopify store. The numbers were shocking. In one weekend, she made six months' worth of revenue. Two years after the air date, Scott's built Range Beauty into a million-dollar ecommerce beauty brand that’s inclusive of all skin shades and types.  In this episode, you'll learn: To start your business by social listening How Range Beauty 10x sales after Scott quit her job Why you should date your manufacturers What Shark Tank is like for an indie brand What it's like to have Emma Grede as a mentor and investor Why losing her first brand name was a blessing in disguise How to differentiate your brand in the beauty industry You need to love sharing your pitch Challenges as a Black founder in the beauty space To treat your audience like investors And much more beauty brand advice...  Click here to start your business for $1. You’ll get all-access foundr+, where you’ll find more in-depth, proven strategies from founders like our guest today and support and advice from our global community of 30,000 founders. If you loved this conversation and learned something new, rate and review this episode.  Stay in touch with us, follow foundr on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook X LinkedIn Magazine

26 Apr 202449min

When Gordon Ramsay follows your Instagram account, you take notice. That’s how Daniel Winer, co-founder of Hexclad, started his business relationship with the superstar TV chef, which has become a full-fledged partnership. Winer launched Hexclad in 2016 by maxing out credit cards and emptying his savings. Today, the $400 million business is a DTC darling in the cookware industry, endorsed by celebrities and Michelin star chefs.  In this interview, you’ll learn:  How Winer lost hundreds of thousands in his first business The hostile reaction he got from investors while pitching Hexclad Risking everything he had for Hexclad’s breakthrough  How to deliver the right message for your business  Why Costco was a cheat code for Hexclad  How to make a compelling value proposition The steps to develop a unique product  How he got Gordon Ramsay as a partner  Advice on monetized relationships with celebrities   And much more DTC business advice…   Click here to start your business for $1. You’ll get all-access foundr+, where you’ll find more in-depth, proven strategies from founders like our guest today and support and advice from our global community of 30,000 founders. If you loved this conversation and learned something new, rate and review this episode.  Stay in touch with us, follow foundr on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook X LinkedIn Magazine

19 Apr 202445min

If you want to build a website for your business that stands out, Avishai Abrahami believes that you need to care about what your customers are trying to do. Avishai is the CEO and co-founder of the website platform Wix. Founded in 2006, under Abrahami's leadership, Wix has grown to 254M users in 191 countries and 22 languages and went public in 2013 with a $800M valuation. In this episode, Chan and Abrahami break down the fundamentals of business websites and how AI speeds up development for founders with limited resources. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to bring your personal story into your website Why great products focus on what the customer wants Why Abrahami doesn’t think a 12-hour working day is difficult His takes on AI and what it looks like in five years Why he only makes four decisions a quarter How AI makes a first version website better Why founders need to be obsessed What makes a great website for founders And much more founder and web design advice… Click here to start your business for $1. You’ll get all-access foundr+, where you’ll find more in-depth, proven strategies from founders like our guest today and support and advice from our global community of 30,000 founders. If you loved this conversation and learned something new, rate and review this episode. Stay in touch with us, follow foundr on your favorite platform: Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook X LinkedIn Magazine

12 Apr 202454min

An investor told Joe Thomas and his co-founders that they could exit to Salesforce for millions if they made their video recording software for sales teams. Thomas and his co-founder said no. Instead, they built Loom into a globally used tool with five million users in 230+ countries. In November of 2023, Atlassian acquired Loom for $975 million. Learn how Thomas trusted his gut and made Loom a must-have for the digital workforce.  In this episode, you’ll learn:  The 8-year overnight success story of building Loom   Loom’s key differentiator in the market  How to not bury the lede of your product market fit  Why early-stage founders need to maximize their learnings The value of a weekly Sunday dinner About making a product customers will like and pay for The product-led growth trap  Why every 90 days are different as an entrepreneur  How Thomas monetization Loom  To create a max diff survey for product upselling Choosing the uncertain path  And much more product development advice… Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. If you’re looking to start your own business, download our FREE 500 Winning Product Ideas Guide to kickstart your entrepreneurship dream.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook X LinkedIn Magazine

5 Apr 202444min

How do you go from dead last to the No. 1 restaurant in the world? By channeling your anger. Listen to Nathan Chan and restaurateur-founder Will Guidara discuss the strategy behind making Eleven Madison Park into an icon and the stories that inspired the hit television show The Bear.  In this episode, you’ll learn:  How Guidara went from restaurateur to consultant founder Why he gamified everything for his team About the fueling power of anger Why coming in last changed everything for Guidara To invest in unscalable things  The story that inspired an iconic TV scene Off-brand ideas will bring your customers joy Why hospitality is competition-proof  About an online business with impeccable hospitality The value of spending time with your customers About the “one push-up” mentality  And much more customer service advice… Click here to start your business for $1. You’ll get all-access foundr+, where you’ll find more in-depth, proven strategies from founders like our guest today and support and advice from our global community of 30,000 founders. Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr Podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

29 Mar 202445min

Email is still the highest converting and cheapest marketing channel for ecommerce. But how can you scale your program, protect against unsubs, and stay engaged with your audience? Ecommerce email marketer Chase Dimond returns to the podcast for a state of email marketing in 2024, including what AI tools are helping brands reach their audience efficiently. Dimond is an ecommerce email marketer and partner at Structured. Since launching in June 2018, Structured has helped clients send over a billion emails, resulting in over $150 million in email-attributable revenue.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why email accounts for up to half of ecommerce revenue  7 steps to set up your email marketing program  Why email only converts if you have good leads coming through How frequently you should send emails  Why a preference page will save unsubscribes  Frequency vs variety  Why you should allow people to self-select  About AI email tools  Dimond’s AI hacks for scaling content  What is predictive analytics  And more email marketing advice… Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

22 Mar 202440min