BusinessHow I Built This
Guy Raz is joined by Kip Tindell, co-founder and former CEO of The Container Store, to take questions from early-stage entrepreneurs. They share tactical advice on zero-budget marketing for novel products, scaling B2B wholesale channels over retail, and transforming viral product launches into enduring consumer brands. Tindell also reflects on sustainable business growth, post-retirement life, and the changing landscape of retail customer service.
- Kip Tindell deliberately capped The Container Store's annual revenue growth at 20% for decades to prevent operational strain. Read →
- David Hyam saw wholesale revenue pass 50% of total sales at Hazel Grove Customs because bulk orders remove the fulfillment drag of shipping individual $6 or $7 retail items. Read →
- Kaitlyn Kael generated $635,000 in revenue in eight months for Kaomi Sleep on zero outside capital, using a pre-order model fueled by 197 million organic social views for The Sherpanest. Read →
- Juliette Bruce invented CoolaWand, a reusable wand designed to cool hot food and drinks for kids, but faced a zero-dollar budget to educate consumers on an unfamiliar product category. Read →
BusinessHow I Built This
Kim Vaccarella shares how observing her children's Crocs at the Jersey Shore inspired her to design a durable, washable EVA foam tote called Bogg Bag. Despite early manufacturing catastrophes, personal financial devastation, and putting the company on pause, community demand after Superstorm Sandy revived the venture. Vaccarella bootstrapped the brand for a decade while working a full-time corporate lending job before scaling Bogg Bag past $100 million in annual sales.
- Kim Vaccarella funded her initial production run with a $120,000 check for 25% equity from a colleague's spouse. Read →
- Kim Vaccarella put $30,000, her family savings and her kids' college fund, into an initial run of 1,200 Bogg Bags that arrived ruined with black streaks. Read →
- Bogg Bag generated $50 million in 2023 with five full-time staff and warehouse workers, none of whom had prior retail or corporate backgrounds. Read →
- Kim Vaccarella sat on hundreds of unsellable EVA foam totes after an overseas manufacturing run produced cosmetic black streaks across the material. Read →
- Kim Vaccarella got the idea for Bogg Bag on the Jersey Shore after buying Crocs for her kids and realizing the EVA foam material stayed cool and pliable in the sun. Read →
- Kim Vaccarella bootstrapped Bogg Bag for a decade while keeping her day job in corporate lending before scaling past $100 million in annual sales. Read →