Betting on Yourself, Breaking Into Tech, & Refusing to Take No for an Answer w/ Melodie van der Baan, Co-Founder & CEO, Max Retail

In this episode of Outsider Inc., host Ian Hathaway chats with Melodie van der Baan, co-founder and CEO of Max Retail. Melodie shares her unconventional journey from skipping college to diving into real estate, losing everything in the housing crash, and then transforming into a mobile designer clothes distributor. Her challenges and experiences eventually led her to start Max Retail, a platform for converting unsold inventory into revenue, which now serves over 2,000 retailers across the U.S. The discussion highlights her perseverance, customer focus, and innovative approach to the retail industry.

 

Show Notes:

 

(02:41) Skipping college and diving into real estate as a teen

(05:22) Losing everything in the housing crash

(08:14) Life on the road: selling designer clothes from a Sprinter van

(12:49) Launching a retail shop and confronting the inventory problem

(18:56) Starting Max Retail during the pandemic

(25:03) Breaking into Techstars after multiple attempts

(32:17) Scaling to 2,000+ retailers and raising $20M+

(41:09) Lessons on persistence, resilience, and customer focus

(47:56) Beyond the Bio with Melodie van der Baan

 

✅ Host: Ian Hathway - Co-Founder & Managing Partner, FOVC

✅ Guest: Melodie van der Baan, Co-Founder & CEO of Max Retail

 

Produced by Spellbinder Media. Executive Produced by Bridge Five Ventures. Copyright ©️2025, Bridge Five Ventures, LLC, All rights reserved.

 

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