DTC599: NEZ Co-founder Sherry Jhawar Shares DTC Learnings

Good morning,

Today we’re bringing you something new. 👀 We reached out to some past DTC Podcast guests and asked them to takeover an issue of DTC.

Each week until the end of August, you’ll get direct learnings from one of these brand owners/operators.

Starting off the series is Sherry Jhawar. 🤝

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Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

⭐ Sherry shares her biggest learnings after spending the past 15 years working in consumer startups.
✍️ And…how to write a strong campaign brief for influencers without stifling their creativity.

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Neat and Nifty, Hotpod Yoga, and Kikoff. 👋

📚 Biggest Learnings After 15+ Years Of Consumer Start-Ups

I absolutely love consumer brands and have worked with some of the largest consumer brands in the world, as well as with many startup and rising consumer brands for over 15 years.

I was part of the founding team members of eos, makers of the the ever-popular egg-shaped lip balm, and through the marketing agency I co-founded, Blended Strategy Group, I have had the opportunity to work with incredible brands like OLLY, Rael, Nudestix, GXVE Beauty by Gwen Stefani and Live Tinted by Deepica Mutyala.  

Most recently I have entered the consumer brand space as a founder myself, launching the brand NEZ - the first occasion-based deodorant customized for every mood, moment, and sweat situation.

Working with rising consumer brands over the last 15 years, here are my biggest learnings – these things are easier said than done in many cases and even sometimes I too need to remind myself to take my own advice!

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1️⃣ Being too fixated on competition.

Many times, brands get very caught up in what competition is doing, which impacts decision making and focus.

While, of course, it is important to be aware of competition, if you are looking to your left and right and behind you, you will likely trip or slow your own pace.  

Do not get overly fixated on competition…always keep a healthy balance of being aware but not letting it dramatically impact your own vision and plans.

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2️⃣ Letting the “cool kids” in the industry get into your head.

Sharing information and getting other founders and brand executives' opinions can be helpful, but also can also cause you to lose your way.

Oftentimes, there are people we all “look up to” and think they can do no wrong – but they are not the founder of YOUR brand, so remember to take their opinions with a grain of salt and follow your own gut.

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3️⃣ Believing you can do every role yourself.

As a founder and/or CEO, you want and should know the inner workings of all the functional areas of your brand. However, that doesn’t mean you can do every role yourself.  

You need to hire around you to be able to share in the workload and responsibilities.

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Keep scrollin’ for more learnings from Sherry! 👇

📚 Biggest Learnings After 15+ Years Of Consumer Start-Ups: Part Two

4️⃣ Not hiring experts in core functions early enough.

As a startup grows, functional expertise is really critical to success.  

Trying to learn operations or finance for a CPG company as you are growing can be really hard and lead to many costly mistakes. It is important to think through for your business what areas are most important and would benefit from having someone with a lot of experience in that area.  

For example, if you are starting to sell your products in retailers, having an Operations lead that has worked with a 3PL and knows all the inner workings of shipping to retailers, can be the difference between a successful retail launch and mediocre one.  

Do not be scared of people with experience, they will be excited by the CEO/Founder’s vision and learn from you and everyone else on the team too, just as you will from them.

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5️⃣ Making Decisions For Other People and Not Yourself.  

If you are a brand founder, it is critically important to remember this is your brand and journey.  

You need to do things that are right for you and not just because “society” or “social media” says that is what you have to do next.

Grow at your own pace. Raise money when and if you need to and want to. Go to retail if that is a path you want.  

I remember advising a brand founder once and she had the opportunity to potentially launch her brand at a major retailer but would have to substantially change her product to meet the margin requirements and price point of that retailer. She told me, “People will think she is crazy if she passes up a chance to be in this retailer but she felt that the changes she would need to make to the product would ruin her vision for how this product would revolutionize the category,” and I told her, “This is not about ‘people’. It’s about her and why she started this brand and her vision and it is ok for her to not pursue the retailer if she doesn’t believe it will be right for the brand long term”.  

She passed on the retailer opportunity and continued to grow her brand which is absolutely thriving in DTC and Amazon and she never had to change her product. Do NOT feel pressure to make decisions other people think are “right”.  

Only you know your own goals and what will make you feel happiest and most at ease with your decisions.

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Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.

👀 If You’re a DTC Brand Founder, Executive, or Team Lead, Read This

What are you doing on September 18-19th? 🤔

Nothing locked in yet? Great, you’re in luck! DTC is running our third C-Suite Mastermind in Victoria, BC.

This one-of-a-kind experience of focused learning, networking, and workshopping is designed to propel your brand to the next level. 🚀

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💬 Drew Arciuolo, VP of Marketing at VKTRY, said:

“[C-Suite] was absolutely transformational. At the time we were a mid-seven figure brand, we weren’t quite profitable and were hitting our ceiling … I could not have learned more in that two-day span than I did … We’re now doing four or five times the revenue monthly, we’ve surpassed eight figures, and had triple digit growth last year.”

With only 50 seats available, C-Suite is NOT your typical conference.

You can’t win the lottery without buying a ticket, and the next C-Suite success story won’t be yours if you don’t attend… 👀

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🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE

Don’t forget to check out Sherry’s episode on the DTC Podcast.

We discuss how she started her revolutionary clean deodorant brand and how to use micro-influencers to build social buzz.

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👉 Listen to the episode with Sherry here.

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