“Influencer marketing and creator marketing is a lot more than just sending creators product and having them post.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“The fastest way to level up your content is by delivering creators a strong creative brief.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“In your creative brief, you want to include three to four brand values and three to four product benefits that you want the creator influencer to mention.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“If the content didn’t meet your expectations, it’s okay to provide feedback. Just make sure that it’s constructive and actionable.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“You need to have firm beliefs on why you are choosing certain creators for a campaign. Is it because of their content, audience, a combination of both?” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:10] The wrong way to think about creator and influencer marketing[01:45] The most important thing you should do to level up creator content[02:15] Checklist for making the best creative brief[03:50] How to get creators excited about working with your brand[05:15] The products you should send to creators[06:00] Rules for effective communication with creators and influencers[06:45] How to make sure you get the best content from creators[07:35] The one thing you need to make sure to tell creatorsLevel up your creator and influencer marketing campaigns in five easy stepsWhen influencer marketing got its start, it was very much the Wild West. Most brands were just sending product and waiting for influencers to post.Now, there is much more involved in the process.If you really want to get the most out of influencer marketing, you are going to need to do more than just send product to an influencer or creator.That part is important, but it’s also important that you get the most mileage out of your campaign. This means focusing on the content as much as picking the creator with the right audience.Focusing on the content can allow you to get more value out of influencer marketing. You can repurpose content in ads, social media, your website, emails, and more.This content usually performs much better than in-house content so getting this right can add big benefits to your marketing strategy down the line.The road to better content from creators starts with a strong style guide. You need to tell creators how you want the content shot, what shouldn’t be included, and provide great examples.If you don’t have great examples, pick up some photos from Unsplash, do a quick search on Google images, or share screenshots from a brand whose content you enjoy.Looking for more tips?Stay tuned to this episode as we dive into further detail about the style guide and offer four more tips to follow to maximize the value of working with creators and influencers.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:DTC POD episode on whitelisting and dark posting: https://trend.io/blog/influencer-whitelisting-dark-posting-podcast

“Even if it’s just one or two degrees of innovation, being slightly innovative allows a brand to connect with people in a different, unique, and authentic way.” @goodwipes #DTCPOD“Any category that you go into is going to be competitive, whether that's online or in brick and mortar. Most likely, there will be something that exists that’s somewhat similar to what you are trying to achieve.” @goodwipes #DTCPOD“What made us most productive in our conversations with retailers was having a strong founder story and backing it up with market research and analytics.” @goodwipes #DTCPOD“Great brands need great operating teams. The brands that survive have great operating teams whether they make millions or thousands.” @goodwipes #DTCPOD“I see competition as a positive because it helps validate that the market exists.” @goodwipes #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:05] About Sam[01:20] About Goodwipes[03:05] Why Sam and Charlie started Goodwipes[07:25] Sam and Charlie’s path to founding Goodwipes[08:55] How Sam and Charlie put together the money to start Goodwipes[10:20] How Goodwipes became a category leader[13:00] Sam’s thoughts on why we’re seeing a product reinvention revolution[16:05] Sam’s advice for getting your product in retail[19:10] What Sam thinks is possible for other brands looking to do product reinvention[21:10] How Sam is staying ahead of competitors[23:55] Sam’s advice for others trying to do product reinvention[25:50] Brands and people that Sam follows and looks up to[28:55] Sam’s advice for overcoming challenges[30:15] What’s next for GoodwipesHow to reinvent an existing product in a category that hasn’t seen much innovationSam Nebel, Founder of Goodwipes, joins the POD to talk about product reinvention. Sam knows a thing or two about product reinvention.His company, Goodwipes, sells disposable wipes.Even though disposable wipes have been around for a while, Sam and his Co-founder Charlie decided to take a stab at reinventing the space.No one was really innovating in disposable wipes so they decided to bring their wipes to the market as a high-quality, premium, and eco-friendly option.To bring a better product to the market, Sam and Charlie spent a good part of a year doing research and development.To reinvent a product category, you need more than a great founder storyThe part that put Sam and Charlie over the top was their attention to understanding the market. They had a fantastic founder story, but to convince retailers they needed more.Their understanding of the toilet paper market and how they could acquire customers was a big reason that retailers decided to supply their products.Sam and Charlie also had a great understanding of shoppers. They knew that many adults really didn’t want to shop for disposable wipes but were open to more brands that were value-driven.Goodwipes was able to capitalize on that market gap to grow.Even though Goodwipes had a first-mover advantage, they are constantly working to grow and maintain their share of the market.Stay tuned as Sam discusses his thoughts on product reinvention, whether there is still space to reinvent products, and how Goodwipes is staying ahead of competition.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:The Goodwipes website: https://goodwipes.com/Follow Goodwipes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodwipes/Connect with Sam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-nebel-6417362b

Being an early employee at Daily Harvest and getting a front-row seat to Daily Harvest’s growth was incredibly helpful in understanding how to grow a business.” @mayssa_c #DTCPOD“Something that I really love about the CPG world is that the best products rise to the top. It’s not always the ones with the biggest PR team or coolest brand.” @mayssa_c #DTCPOD“We think a lot about brand and how do we make consumers in our community know that we are a brand about eating more candy, not less candy.” @mayssa_c #DTCPOD“For the consumer, buying DTC is very different than buying off of Amazon or buying from a bodega so the unboxing experience is key.” @mayssa_c #DTCPOD“We are careful about adding new ways to engage with our community because we want them to be more additive rather than an annoyance.” @mayssa_c #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:05] About BEHAVE[02:30] A little about Mayssa’s path to BEHAVE[08:05] Mayssa outlines the steps that happened to bring BEHAVE to the market[11:00] How Mayssa funded BEHAVE and managed her capital[13:15] Mayssa shares her thoughts about how important funding and press is to growth[16:25] The keys to creating a disruptive product[19:45] Everything Mayssa does to build and grow BEHAVE’s community[24:45] Mayssa’s process to build BEHAVE’s brand personality[30:15] How Mayssa is creating disruption post-purchase[33:45] Mayssa’s suggestions for building a disruptive brand[36:35] What’s next for BEHAVE?Building a disruptive brand in a timeless productMayssa Chehata, founder of BEHAVE, joins the POD to talk about how how to create a disruptive brand.BEHAVE is a brand that is disrupting the candy industry both in its product which is a low-sugar candy and in its positioning which is more geared towards adults.Even though BEHAVE is new to the market, Mayssa has actually been working on the product for a couple of years.She came up with the idea two years ago and started working with a chef last year to develop the product. Although the product launch was derailed for a couple of months due to the pandemic, Mayssa and her team spent many months fine-tuning every detail of the brand.By creating a product that’s different, Mayssa has been able to get a lot of attention from investors and the press. That attention has further accelerated the growth of the product.Disruptive brands are more than cool websites and unique productsMayssa is constantly working to create the most disruptive brand possible. That starts with the way she manages capital all the way to the post-purchase experience.Although BEHAVE has received funding, Mayssa did a great job executing her go to market strategy almost single-handedly. BEHAVE didn’t add team members until close to launch.Mayssa has also optimized the post-purchase experience.BEHAVE’s strategy includes creating unique packaging that is more welcoming and enjoyable than your typical brown Amazon box.Stay tuned as Mayssa shares her best tips for creating a disruptive brand (including what signals to look for) and outlines how to build a brand with personality.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:BEHAVE’s disruptive website: https://www.eatbehave.com/BEHAVE’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatbehave/Connect with Mayssa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayssa-chehata-86b21140/

“The initial seed capital that you need to go from zero to one is usually something you will have to raise on your own.” @DanielRodic #DTCPOD“The most important thing is not the dollar amount or the valuation tied to funding, but that every single line in a contract technically has some cost related to it.” @DanielRodic #DTCPOD“At Clearbanc, we don’t make founders give personal guarantees or make liens on assets. We just charge a flat fee.” @DanielRodic #DTCPOD“Clearbanc funding is built to fund repeatable forms of growth and investment where you have a pretty predictable rate of return.” @DanielRodic #DTCPOD“We see a lot of founders leave money on the table by not taking funding when the business economics say they should and the money could help scale.” @DanielRodic #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:10] About Clearbanc[03:00] When should eCommerce brands consider funding[04:05] What VCs are looking for if you’re trying to raise equity financing[04:50] When equity dollars make sense[06:15] Hidden traps to be aware of when receiving outside investment[08:50] How Clearbanc’s financing is different from other financing and funding [09:55] Clearbanc’s investment decision process[11:50] How Clearbanc helps founders win[16:10] Daniel dives into matching investor expectations with a business[18:15] The key growth metrics you should be following[19:55] Preselling and how Clearbanc accelerates presells for brands[23:05] What brands should spend Clearbanc funding on[25:10] What brands should spend equity funding on[26:45] What to look for when spending and marketing and creating sustainable growth[30:30] Common mistakes by founders when it comes to fundingEverything you need to know about when to raise money for your brand and where to spend itDaniel Rodic, Head of Market Development at Clearbanc, joins the POD to talk about growth capital and equity funding for DTC brands.Clearbanc is the biggest eCommerce investor and has invested over $1 billion in over 3,300 companies!Daniel is a Forbes 30 under 30 alum and former podcast host himself.Many fast-growing consumer brands often raise money through equity financing. This is when investors trade money in exchange for equity from the founders.This is a common way for brands to help fund growth expenses and reach goals faster. Although equity funding is a common way of scaling a DTC brand, it’s not the only source of funding brands should be looking for.That’s where Clearbanc comes in.Clearbanc offers non-dilutive funding for brand founders looking to scale fast. Instead of taking equity, they charge a flat fee to brands. Clearbanc helps brands get capital and helps them spend it the best way possibleClearbanc doesn’t just give capital to brand founders. They also help them to succeed.Founders can decide to spend the money the way they want. If they are looking for guidance on where to spend though, Clearbanc has tools and people ready to help.Their data-driven platform can help founders understand where they rank among other brands. Also, they have strong partnerships that provide brands the people and tools they need to execute.Clearbanc’s goal is to make sure that once you receive capital, you’re able to use it to continue to grow your business.Stay tuned as Daniel also discusses what key growth metrics you should be looking at, when to get funding, and where to spend the dollars you get.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Clearbanc and Trend’s partnership: https://beta.clearbanc.com/techpartners/TrendClearbanc’s website: https://clearbanc.com/Get funded by Clearbanc: https://my.clearbanc.com/direct/signup-valuationConnect with Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrodic/

“If you’re looking to scale user-generated content and influencer-generated content, Trend can help you do it at $100 per creator.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“To run a successful creator or influencer campaign, you want to make sure you pick creators and influencers that fit your brand.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“The reason creator and influencer content works so well is that it often looks native to the platform. It doesn’t look like it’s coming from a brand.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“By using custom brand content in ads from creators and influencers on Trend, Mizzen+Main was able to increase ROAS by 2.7x.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Don’t just stop at generating the post from a creator or influencer. Use that content on your website, emails, social, and ads to get more mileage out of your partnerships.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:20] What parts of Mizzen+Main’s creator strategy we are going to cover[01:30] How Mizzen+Main activates creators and influencers[03:00] How to pick the right creators and influencers for your brand[03:40] Where Mizzen+Main is using custom brand content by creators[04:20] Why creator and influencer content will perform better than your own content[05:00] Where else to use user-generated content and influencer-generated content[05:50] Why all of your ad content should use UGC and IGC[07:10] Breaking down Mizzen+Main’s whitelisting strategy and results[08:15] What Mizzen+Main did after whitelisting to get even more results[09:30] How to start replicating Mizzen+Main’s content strategyHow Mizzen+Main increased purchases by 2.3x and return on ad spend by 2.7x with custom creator contentToday, we are breaking down Mizzen+Main’s winning creator strategy that’s increased purchases and boosted ad performance. Mizzen+Main has run campaigns on Trend, so we’re excited to break down their strategy.For context, Mizzen+Main is a clothing brand that specializes in performance fabric menswear. Mizzen+Main’s strategy for activating creators and influencers has helped boost conversions and stay top of mind for consumers.There are two big reasons Mizzen+Main has been so successful in working with creators and influencers:They make sure to pick creators and influencers that fit in with their brand.They make sure to get the most mileage out of these partnerships, using influencer-generated content in multiple ways.Continuing to get more mileage out of creator content is key in generating a return on your investment. You can’t just rely on an influencer’s post to make you money.Stay tuned as we cover where Mizzen+Main activates creators, how they pick the right ones, where they use the custom brand content they get, and what results they have generated.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Mizzen+Main’s website: https://www.mizzenandmain.com/Facebook ads library: https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/Trend breaks down Mizzen+Main’s creator and influencer strategy in a blog post: https://trend.io/blog/mizzen-and-main-dtc-marketing-micro-influencersMizzen+Main dark posting case study: https://www.facebook.com/business/success/mizzen-and-main

“When you find good people keep them close, even if you don’t know yet how you might work with them.” #littlerituals #DTCPOD“Once you take venture capital funding, the pressure to grow is on and you have to commit to a certain timeline for growing, a certain rate of growth, and a certain rate of spend.” #littlerituals #DTCPOD“Even if your unit economics don’t show growth right now, there has to be reason to believe at scale you will get there.” #littlerituals #DTCPOD“You have to have some sort of content strategy to keep your community engaged and some sort of community strategy to bring people together around your brand.” #littlerituals #DTCPOD“In the early days, storytelling is everything, even if you don’t have a strong business yet.” #littlerituals #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:05] About Sonia and her background[03:05] Why Sonia made the transition to founder from investor[04:05] What Sonia is building at Little Rituals and what the product stands for[05:30] Learnings as an investor that Sonia is bringing to Little Rituals[09:55] How Sonia’s experience in tech has helped her build Little Rituals[11:45] As an investor, Sonia shares what founders often miss[13:45] Indicators for brand success that Sonia looks for[17:00] How Sonia determines whether a brand will make it or break it[18:45] How Sonia is making sure Little Rituals has a compelling growth story[19:50] Sonia’s most creative brand strategies she’s seen[21:30] How to handle being out of stock and avoid missed revenue[24:40] Sonia’s advice to brands trying to raise funding[27:20] Common challenges Sonia sees and how to get over them[30:05] What’s next for Little RitualsWe spoke to a former investor now turned founder to learn what makes brands growSonia Nagar, founder of Little Rituals, joins the POD to talk about her experience as a former brand investor and now current founder.Little Rituals offers organic caffeine-free teas and vegan vitamins for little ones (kids) to learn emotional and social skills.Before founding Little Rituals, Sonia had experience in the tech industry and was last an investor for brands at a venture capital firm.During her time as an investor, Sonia learned what brands that win do well and some of the pitfalls brands face.During the early stages of a brand, storytelling and the ability to acquire customers outside of performance marketing are huge.Ads should not be your sole acquisition strategy. This expense usually increases as your brand grows so it can make it difficult to grow if you rely on ads too much.Investment shouldn’t always be your first strategyBootstrapping is a great way to grow a DTC or CPG business. Actually, it’s preferred.The more you can hold off on outside investment, the more you can prove out your business and the more of your business you get to keep.It’s very easy to start a store with Shopify today. With so many plugins too, try to build as much as you can on your own before raising money or spending.Once you start growing, be on the lookout for your performance in key metrics like LTV, CAC, unit economics, organic acquisition, and ROAS.Stay tuned as Sonia shares with us what founders often miss, how she determines whether a brand will be a success, and more.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Little Rituals’  website: https://www.littleritualskids.com/Little Rituals’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littleritualskids/Sonia’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonias3/

“If you want to get even more mileage out of influencer and creator partnerships, you should try whitelisting and dark posting.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Return on ad spend can go up by 20% when using whitelisting and dark posting.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“A big benefit of whitelisting and dark posting is that you are essentially adding new audiences you can use in ads.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Receiving access to an influencer’s business manager on Facebook also allows you to create lookalike audiences from their existing audience.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“You want to run a campaign with 10, 20, or even 30 influencers and creators so you can get a good idea on what content performs best organically.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:05] What is influencer whitelisting[02:00] What is influencer dark posting[03:15] Why to do whitelisting and dark posting[05:30] How to convince influencers and creators to whitelisting and dark posting[05:45] How whitelisting and dark posting allows you to build new audiences in ads[07:30] How to set up influencer whitelisting and dark posting (for influencers + brands)[10:05] Incentives to offer influencers and creators for whitelisting and dark posting[10:45] How to pick the best content to whitelist[13:00] How to pick the best content for dark posting[13:40] One of the best ways to use dark posting to generate ROIEverything you need to know about influencer whitelisting and dark postingWhitelisting and dark posting can be a great way to get extra mileage out of your content. It allows you to run ads with influencer content through an influencer’s account.Instagram users can see someone else’s post for about 24-48 hours in their organic feed. For stories, it’s only 24 hours. Once a post is gone from the organic feed, it’s doesn’t receive very many views.You need a strategy in place to maximize the dollars you spend on influencer marketing. That’s where whitelisting and dark posting comes in.Working with an influencer’s business account on Facebook also gives brands access to their audience. This allows brands to create lookalike audiences from creator accounts on Instagram.Before you get started with whitelisting though, you need to get the creator to agree to do it. There are a few different offers you can make focused on exposure and money.Stay tuned as we cover how to get your whitelisting and dark posting set up, how to help influencers set up their Facebook business manager, and how to pick the best content for this.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Guide on how to set up whitelisting (for influencers and brands): https://www.lumanu.com/post/how-to-guide-influencer-whitelisting

“The most important thing for digitally native brands is that they stand for something beyond just the product.” #theverticale #DTCPOD“People don’t want to just buy stuff they want to feel like they are a part of something and feel a connection.” #theverticale #DTCPOD“We really want to be an authentic third-party voice that customers can trust and trust purchasing from.” #theverticale #DTCPOD“Every single brand we work with we want to make sure we’re providing value back to them.” #theverticale #DTCPOD“While most consumers are excited about purchasing from DNVBs, they really need a simplified shopping experience to be more willing to purchase.” #theverticale #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:20] About The Verticale  [02:15] About Jaclyn, the CEO of The Verticale[02:50] About Michelle, the COO of The Verticale[04:05] DNVB vs DTC[05:25] The characteristics of vertical eCommerce vs other eCommerce[07:15] What makes a strong brand according to The Verticale[09:50] How The Verticale works with brands to tell their story[10:50] The Verticale value set[12:10] How The Verticale is creating customer trust [14:05] What type of brands The Verticale works with[16:30] How The Verticale vets brands[19:10] Why Jaclyn and Michelle are building The Verticale[21:15] Why it’s getting tougher and more expensive to build brand equity[22:30] What Jaclyn learned about consumer habits after talking to 200 shoppers[25:20] The broken process of product discovery[27:10] What’s next for The VerticaleThis DNVB marketplace is changing the consumer product discovery processThe Verticale co-founders Jaclyn Grauman and Michelle Silverstein join the DTC POD. We are talking about how the consumer discovery process is broken and how The Verticale is fixing it.As the number of eCommerce brands increases, it’s becoming more difficult for consumers to remember and decide where to buy.Trust for new brands is low and the total number of brands makes it difficult for consumers to remember when to buy.You might be shopping on Instagram and come across hundreds of products. Those brands are not vetted and it may take you hours to find a decent product. Even after you purchase what you think is a good product, you may receive the product and find out it’s not as good as expected.Finding great, mission-driven brands shouldn’t be a choreThe Verticale is hoping to cut through all the brand noise. Even though there are a lot of bad products on the market, there are still a lot of strong, mission-driven brands.The mission-driven brands usually deliver well on product quality. Also, they usually have a strong brand story that is reflected in the product.The Verticale is attempting to put these mission-driven brands and products together. They want to make it easier for the consumer to find great DNVB and DTC products.The burden of finding whether a product or brand is good shouldn’t be on the consumer.Stay tuned as The Verticale founders discuss their vetting process for brands, how they are improving consumer trust, and how to get ahead of rising acquisition costs.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn. Mentioned Links:The Verticale’s marketplace:  https://shop.theverticale.com/The Verticale’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theverticale/

“If you’re sourcing and creating high-quality user-generated or influencer-generated content, throw it on your product page.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Using Trend can help guarantee that your brand consistently generates high-quality custom brand content.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“You don’t always have to talk about product features. In fact, you should try to sell benefits or outcomes whenever possible.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Sprinkling in things like an FAQ or upsell opportunity can not only help seal the deal for a customer but can also increase average order value.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“If you have a product page you would like us to teardown, email jaydesai@trend.io.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:25] What Everbrand is doing differently with stock content[01:55] How Everbrand uses UGC and IGC on their product page[02:45] What Everbrand uses in addition to stock and custom brand content[03:20] What is Everbrand’s site is built on[03:50] How Everbrand displays product reviews[04:25] How Everbrand communicates value to consumers on their product page[05:20] What Everbrand is doing to visually communicate product benefits[06:10] The CTA you need to add to your product page[06:50] How Everbrand is improving their product page with Instagram content[07:30] What Everbrand is doing to answer questions without support tickets[08:30] How Everbrand creates a strong connection with shoppersWe’re tearing down one of the most complete DTC product pages we’ve ever seenEverbrand is an eCommerce brand Trend customer with one of the best product pages we have seen.Their product page includes great stock content, user-generated content, helpful information about the product, and more.We decided to breakdown the elements on Everbrand’s SweatFlow Legging page that make it one of the more complete product pages we’ve seen.This page does a great job selling benefits, adding upsell opportunities, and answering questions that shoppers may have.Stay tuned as we breakdown the different types of content Everbrand has on its product page and how you can copy it.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Everbrand’s website: https://everbrand.us/Everbrand’s SweatFlow Legging product page: https://everbrand.us/products/the-sweatflow-legging-v2

“I remember walking the halls of EXPO West and not really seeing any multicultural food brands. That was my ‘aha’ moment to build this brand.” @jennygao #DTCPOD“I spent years sourcing the best quality ingredients all across China for my restaurants, my private dining concept, and knew that great flavors were universal.” @jennygao #DTCPOD“The fact that we small-batch craft the sauces in my hometown and we use extremely specific ingredients helps set our product apart.” @jennygao #DTCPOD“We decided to switch to pre-orders when we ran out of inventory and were clear in communicating when customers could expect their product.” @jennygao #DTCPOD“When we had to change out supply chain from China to the US because of COVID, I actually encountered some of the same challenges I had overseas.” @jennygao #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:15] About Fly By Jing and Jing before she started her business[03:40] How Fly By Jing got its start[06:45] Why Jing decided to go the CPG route[09:00] How Jing used Kickstarter to fuel her business[10:00] How Jing was able to bridge the missing gap of high-quality Chinese products[11:40] Challenges Jing faced bringing high-quality products from China to the market[12:20] Jing talks about her brand’s moat[13:30] How Jing was able to scale her product[15:30] Jing discusses how she handled demand from her Kickstarter[18:30] Why Jing saw a demand increase at the beginning of COVID[21:30] How to handle being out of stock and avoid missed revenue[24:20] How Jing dealt with supply chain issues overseas due to COVID[27:05] Jing’s advice for other founders[30:20] Who and what inspires Jing[32:35] What’s next for Fly By JingSmart founders find market gaps and capitalize on themJing Gao, founder & CEO of Fly By Jing, joins the POD to talk about importing products and dealing with increased demand.Fly By Jing is  a brand that brings the deep and complex flavors of China to the world through artisanal food products.Jing’s “aha” moment into the CPG space started with a visit to the EXPO West conference. During the conference, Jing realized how underrepresented multicultural brands were.Before Jing started Fly By Jing, she had experience in creating restaurants. Using her experience, her motivation to bring an Chinese CPG product to the US market, and her understanding of Chinese flavors, Jing created Fly By Jing.Ever since the beginning, Jing wanted to make sure she was bringing authentic flavors to the market. For Jing, that meant using a supply chain solely based out of China.It was a challenge to manufacture the product overseas but Jing knew doing so would help achieve her goal of creating a superior product.Sometimes, external factors can still derail a great productAlthough Jing had found her moat, external factors challenged business growth.When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Jing’s supply chain hit a snag. She had to quickly pivot and meet orders that had already been placed.To add presure, marketing efforts pre-COVID were finally starting to pay off. Jing had a ton of demand on hand but not as much supply.Jing was able to shift manufacturing temporarily to the US to deal with increased demand. She also did a great job managing expectations and creating a pre-order process on her site.Even with the state of the world in flux, Jing was able to meet her orders and have very little cancellations.Stay tuned as Jing covers how she built demand for her product, how she leveraged Kickstarter, and how she solved challenges bringing in a product from overseas.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Jing’s article on what she learned from making hot sauce at scale: https://medium.com/s/story/what-i-learned-from-making-hot-sauce-at-scale-2cbb8ec709baJing’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennygaoFly By Jing’s website: https://www.flybyjing.com/Fly By Jing’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flybyjing/