Female Startup Club Self-Made: How to Bootstrap a Brand to $10M in Sales, with Blume’s Founder Karen Danudjaja (part 1)
Dec 12, 2024
Karen Danudjaja, the founder of Blume, shares her inspiring journey from real estate to creating a thriving wellness brand focused on fun superfood lattes. She discusses the challenges of bootstrapping her business to $10 million in sales and her strategy for acquiring the first 1,000 customers. Karen emphasizes the importance of community, the evolution toward direct-to-consumer sales, and the lessons learned from securing $2 million in funding. Her insights are invaluable for aspiring entrepreneurs navigating the startup landscape.
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Origin Story of Bloom
- Karen Danudjaja started Bloom to solve her personal need for healthy coffee alternatives.
- She combined wellness and café culture to make superfood blends with no refined sugar and organic ingredients.
Bootstrap While Employed
- Start your business while keeping your day job to reduce pressure and financial risk.
- Use early profits to test, learn, and iterate before scaling up.
Getting First Customers by Sampling
- Karen landed her first customer by personally approaching a smoothie shop owner she frequented.
- She gained early retailers by sampling mixes and knocking on local doors to build trust and sales.