Well Made

Scaling a craft brand isn’t easy, not only on manufacturing, but company values and ethos. Alex Matisse's company East Fork is producing traditional pottery that’s distinctly modern while forging a big, ambitious path forward. East Fork makes sought-after stoneware using clays from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Their minimalist mug is so popular that it sells out in minutes. East Fork plates and bowls come in seasonal glazes that mirror the energy of a family kitchen and the blanket warmth of a cup of cocoa. Co-founders Alex Matisse, his wife Connie Matisse, and friend John Vigeland are craftspeople at their core, but now they’re bringing their art to the masses by turning their simple handmade forms into scalable production methods. On this episode, Alex shares how East Fork is growing big but staying small. Alex talks about the turning point when they bought a gas kiln from the Netherlands (7:30). He shares the insistent design process of The Mug (9:29). He gets real about the blunt impact he felt as the CEO when East Fork grew to 50 employees (10:39). He talks about keeping rituals like their bi-weekly team lunches (16:30). Alex discusses his high aspirations to grow beyond Heath and into the realm of Homer and Laughlin (18:22). He talks about why they started hiring photography and marketing roles in-house (30:02). Alex talks about standing on his own in spite of the expectations and legacy of his family name (32:25). Also mentioned on the show: Heath Ceramics The Homer Laughlin China Company Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family by Bob Chapman Well Made Episode 45 with Helen Rice: Breathing Life into Brands The cut-outs by Henri Matisse Why funky ’70s-style fonts are popping up on brands like Chobani and Glossier by Eliza Brooke Link and images can be found on the Lumi Blog.

Kerry Cooper has 20 years of executive retail expertise. She helped build cornerstone ecommerce platforms for Walmart and she’s lead marketing and operations for ModCloth and Levi’s. Now, as President of Rothy's, she’s stepping into a new challenge of expanding the sustainable shoe startup globally. Rothy’s makes stylish, close-knit flats from the fibers of recycled plastic bottles. The massive appeal of their shoes goes beyond functionality, their 3D knitting is less wasteful than the cut-and-sew approach. As consumer demand for eco-conscious footwear skyrocket, Rothy’s is strategically separating themselves from the sustainable shoe pack by expanding to China where their locally owned factory churns out their slip-on by the minute. On this episode, Kerry talks about how sustainability is sewn into Rothy’s (13:50). She shares her polarizing views on raising capital and learning from investment mishaps (15:10). She talks about building products and teams at companies of all sizes — from 60 employees to 1.5 million. (18:50). Kerry shares what she loved about leading teams at Walmart.com (22:21): the value of servant leadership (27:30) and institutionalizing correction of errors. (29:11). Lastly, she talks about how Rothy’s is finding its footing in the Chinese market (32:00) by learning how to best market to overseas customers and leaning into the digital ecosystem of WeChat, Tmall, and KOL influencers (35:21). Also mentioned on the show: How China’s Recycling Bans Have Impacted The Fate of Curbside Recycling in the U.S. 11 Strategies to Make Your Packaging More Sustainable Lumi Sustainability Properties Well Made Episode 62 with Ryan Babenzien: Moving the Rock from Zero to One Wirecutter Rothy's is hiring! Link and images can be found on the Lumi Blog.

There are a kajillion microscopic cells in the human body, and at least half are bacteria. Seed is a life science and consumer health company exploring the vast connections between microbiomes and health. Their Daily Synbiotic is a supplement that promotes the community of microbes that dwell inside us. Ara Katz co-founded Seed when the birth of her son helped flourish her interest in the microbiome. The company is focused on educating people about the power of the microbiome. On this episode, Ara Katz talks about translating the science of 38 trillion microorganisms living in and on our bodies (7:54). Stephan and Ara ponder panspermia (26:25) and sending bacteria to space (27:35). Ara helped produce several films before founding consumer goods companies. She shares how she directs Seed’s marketing and user design through a three-act structure (29:01). Ara reflects on normalizing bacteria (32:01) and making microbiome patties for honey bees (33:45). Stephan and Ara talk about living in a “plastiferous” time (35:19), using mushrooms-based packaging (41:57), and telling the story of our microverse (53:55). Also mentioned on the show: Sender R, Fuchs S, Milo R. Revised estimates for the number of human and bacteria cells in the body (PLoS Biology, 2016) Human Genome Project Seed Reference Library Seed Labs Microbiome 101 Seed Sustainability Seed is hiring! Shop Seed (Use code WELLMADE for 20% off your first month subscription of the Daily Synbiotic.) Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

Floyd is challenging the way people buy and keep with ready-to-assemble, flat-pack furniture. Designed in Detroit and founded in 2014, co-founders Kyle Hoff and Alex O’Dell built Floyd as a solution to disposable big-box furniture. They started by only selling a stand-alone, industrial table leg that was portable and could be clamped on any flat surface. They would slowly expand to beds, bookshelves, and tables. By building off the same sustainable and responsive design language as the Floyd leg, each new product is a considered addition for the home. On this episode, Kyle and Alex talk about scaling international growth when their Kickstarter raised 14 times more than their original goal (6:32). Alex talks about how Grand Rapids, Michigan is the secret land of furniture (9:32), how Cranbrook Academy is a wizarding world of historical art inspiration (11:29), and how iconic Herman Miller products influences their design thinking (13:48). They talk about finding inspiration from Ikea’s experiential model while building a competitive alternative to their consumerist culture (16:23). Kyle shares how Floyd layered competencies over time to evolve from a bare-bones minimum viable product (21:41). Alex talks about aligning with your partners, dealing with rejection, and the influence of the Motor City while fundraising (30:55). Finally, Kyle and Alex talk about planning long-term (38:23) and embedding enduring value into Floyd (50:23). Also mentioned on the Show: Herman Miller Charles and Ray Eames Stay Floyd Floyd R&D Lab Floyd is Hiring!

EILEEN FISHER is closing the loop on their apparel through Renew. The brand starts with high-quality fabrics and designs and takes back their used clothes in any condition. Since 2009, Renew has recovered over one million garments. The pieces go on to be cleaned, then they're resold, deconstructed and remade into new garments, or regenerated into other innovations. At their east coast recycling workshop, the Tiny Factory, Renew is developing ways to extend their products’ lifecycles while implementing ethical and sustainable systems. Cynthia Power is the Director of EILEEN FISHER Renew and she's at the frontline of Tiny Factory. By taking responsibility for what their brand puts out into the world and its end-of-life impact, Cynthia believes they can work toward a less taxing model through shared learnings. On this episode, Cynthia talks about welcoming change and letting your interests be a career guide (2:00). She talks about the importance of labor in the apparel industry and respecting the origins of clothing (12:03). Cynthia shares the history of Renew (16:33) and gets real about the business and creative challenges of implementing renewable textile solutions for the EILEEN FISHER mainline (27:40). She explains the principles of circular fashion — keeping fabrics in use longer and at their highest value (29:15) — and continually creating best practices around manufacturing at the Tiny Factory (39:17). Lastly, Cynthia talks about EILEEN FISHER’s open source mentality (42:21) and slowly making strides toward a more responsible future. Also mentioned on the show: Well Made Episode 19 with Iris Alonzo: Talking Trash zero waste daniel Well Made Episode 52 with Nellie Cohen: Celebrating the Stories We Wear H&M Sustainability The Circular Design Guide Vision 2020 Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

In 2012, Tuft & Needle co-founder JT Marino set out to fix the broken bed industry. The digitally native brand began by shipping mattresses in boxes with a focus on consumer experience. In their first six years, JT and his co-founder Daehee Park bootstrapped the company to $170M in sales, then in September 2018, they merged with the largest U.S. mattress manufacturer, Serta Simmons Bedding. Now, as Chief Strategy Officer at Serta, JT has the challenge of retrofitting and dismantling existing systems at the traditional retailer. JT is doubling down to accelerate Tuft & Needle’s offline growth and guide Serta’s operations into the future, creating the lasting change Tuft & Needle had originally set out to achieve. On this episode, JT talks about teaming up with their competitors to fundamentally transform the retail industry. Tuft & Needle didn’t take outside capital but pitched to VCs four times. Hear how pitching taught JT and Daehee how to build an operating plan, forecast and manage finances, and make a key executive hire (24:02). JT talks about turning down partnership opportunities and capital to stay true to their brand ethos (28:35). He emphasizes the importance of the digital customer journey (31:24) and adjusting their strategy to get ahead of the game (37:57). JT shares how they use promoter scores and customer satisfaction measurements to guide their omnichannel approach (43:16). Finally, he talks about their larger mission to transform Serta’s ecommerce channel (54:31), bringing two team cultures together (56:13), and building product companies that push the industry forward (1:01:00). Links and images can be found on the Lumi Blog.

Logistics is one of the most complex pieces of running an ecommerce company. Cost-effective shipping solutions that don’t compromise customer experience are not one-size-fits-all, and keeping up with the expectations set by Amazon Prime is a constant struggle. Most often, 3PLs (third-party logistics service), are responsible for storing and shipping products for ecommerce. Casey Armstrong is the Chief Marketing Officer of ShipBob, a 3PL that operates a growing network of distribution centers in major U.S. cities. They’re helping ecommerce businesses run a flexible and speedy supply chain. With tools getting more sophisticated, Casey says long term success comes back to actionable customer data. On this episode, Casey answers fundamental questions businesses should ask when outsourcing their fulfillment. He shares the cost structure of 3PLs and gives insight into best practices around geography and vendor management. Casey talks about deciding what’s important for your business when splitting inventory, kitting, and shipping cold or bulky items (9:36). He gives indicators for when an ecommerce company should outsource fulfillment (23:46). Instead of solely focusing on the top funnel, Casey gives different levers brands can pull from to improve their bottom line (37:32). With companies like Shopify and Instagram reducing barriers to stay close to the wallet, Casey and Stephan talk about the future of the ecommerce stack, navigating new technologies, and improving instant, one-click checkout (42:25). Also mentioned on the show: Well Made Episode with Paul Munford: Building on Greenfields Well Made Episode 73 with Jenny Gyllander: Testing Things Rebel Girls Case Study My Calm Blanket Case Study iloveplum Case Study Links and images can be found on the Lumi Blog.

We first spoke to Ollie in 2017, less than a year after they launched. Gabby Slome was on the podcast talking about building a brand on great ingredients and an innovative model for shipping ready-to-serve, refrigerated dog food. Now, two years later, Ollie is scaling to keep up with their growing customer base. When launched, Ollie was shipping their human-grade dog food in single-use plastic trays. As their customer and canine base grew, they got the customer feedback they needed to scale and adapt their initial packaging experience. Last week, they launched a totally revamped packaging suite that uses less plastic and takes up less space. Now, food is shipped in vacuum sealed film packs and customers can store the meals in the newly designed, reusable Pup-tainer for freshness. This fresh start for Ollie was over a year in the making. On this episode, we’re talking to Nancy Walton, Ollie’s Senior Operations Manager about the serious supply chain strategy behind this exciting milestone and their new packaging redesign. Caitlin Strandberg is a principal investor at Lerer Hippeau, a seed investor in Ollie. She's joining Stephan on this episode to give big picture perspective on how this packaging update marks a milestone moment for Ollie, not unlike other startups at this scale. On this episode, Nancy talks about interacting with customers early on (6:41) and adapting their cold chain (11:36) to support their growth. Caitlin shares the key indicators that it’s time to make the second bet on your minimum viable product (14:40). Nancy highlights the new Ollie unboxing (17:45), sharing how they addressed the challenges of the old packaging through user research (20:54). As the team at Ollie tested their product, their packaging solutions evolved. Nancy shares how Ollie responded with slimmed down food packs that pair with the new Pup-tainers and optimized their SKUs and spoons to address consistency in portioning and packaging waste (22:43). Nancy and Caitlin give advice on making actionable data-driven supply chain decisions (27:10). Caitlin talks about translating best practices for growing companies from early predecessors (44:53). And finally, Nancy and Caitlin talk about how creating a repeatable magical moment is the key unlock for burgeoning brands (48:11). Also mentioned on the show: Well Made Episode 20 with Gabby Slome: Dogfooding Plated Casper InVision Stripe Gin Lane Get to Know Ollie's New and Improved Packaging Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

Protecting your skin from the sun is important, yet sunscreen is a surprisingly sleepy category. Initially conceived as a product for schools in 2007, now you can shop for Supergoop! on their website and on shelves alongside beauty products at Sephora and Nordstrom. The brand is changing the reception around suncare with first in-their-class, feel-good SPF essentials like their Superscreen moisturizer and new Shimmershades. As President of Supergoop!, Amanda Baldwin is leading the mission-driven sunscreen brand and layering a digital footprint over top. Amanda brings a long history in operations and marketing cosmetics and luxury goods from LVMH, Estée Lauder, Dior, and L Catterton. As a former private equity investor, she brings a broad perspective to the table. Now she’s building scalable and sustainable business solutions for Supergoop! On this episode, Amanda talks about their omnichannel strategy to avoid counterfeits (9:43). Sunscreen is a challenging category because it’s regulated by the FDA. Amanda talks about navigating regulations and getting ahead of them (16:51) by continually evolving and improving formulas (23:24). Amanda shares how to think like an investor in your career and business (28:01). She explains the power of learning all that you can while working at enterprise companies and finding your value add (33:22). Amanda admits building a team is often a trial-and-error, matchmaking process (39:46). Lastly, Amanda shares how the importance SPF use informs the exciting product innovations they’re making at Supergoop! (41:37). Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.

It was Jenny Gyllander's passion for branding and her studies and experiences in venture capital that led her to start Thingtesting — an Instagram account dedicated to DTC product reviews with a twist. On the Thingtesting Instagram, Jenny, a former CMO of Slush and investor at Backed VC, offers her perspective from the lens of an everyday user and venture capitalist. A year later, she’s amassed over 22K followers, an accompanying newsletter, and website. On this episode, Jenny illuminates on the backstory on how she found herself in marketing to venture capital to best VC on Instagram (1:56). Jenny’s tested everything from prescription face wash to probiotics, she shares the three factors she looks for as a venture capitalist (6:18). A year and a half ago, Jenny didn’t know the term DNVB was, she shares how she uses the platform as a tool for constant learning (11:55). Stephan and Jenny discuss the difference between the US and European retail market (17:23), and the problems with homogeneity in the DTC space (25:12). Jenny shares how she balances her curation (29:39). As Thingtesting grows, Jenny considers her long term plans, hoping to make product discovery easier and crowdsource feedback (33:06). Jenny questions how she’ll stay scrappy while fostering her growing community (35:02). Finally, Jenny talks about her larger role as a thingtester (42:46). Also mentioned on the show: Slush “Dear VC, now it’s your turn to pitch” – an exploratory study on Venture Capital firms’ brand and reputation by Jenny Gyllander Well Made Episode 70 with Paul Munford: Building on Greenfields The Best VC on Instagram by Hunter Walk Well Made Episode 62 with Ryan Babenzien: Moving the Rock from Zero to One Wirecutter Unboxing Things Show Well Made Episode 69 with Porter Road: Breaking Up the Meat Monopoly Links and images can be found on the Lumi blog.