If you haven’t already, please study our free Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. We’ve talked about niche, proprietary e-commerce brands and how entrepreneurs are building businesses around different concepts. Founder Eric Shannon shared the story of Big Barker, a dog bed for large dogs, with me in 2017. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your
If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. We’ve talked about niche, proprietary e-commerce brands and how entrepreneurs are building businesses around different concepts. Founder Eric Shannon shared the story of Big Barker, a dog bed for large dogs, with me in 2017. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey.
We’ve talked about niche, proprietary e-commerce brands and how entrepreneurs are building businesses around different concepts. CEO Eric Shannon shares the story of Big Barker, a dog bed for large dogs. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind
Sramana Mitra: From a consumer’s point of view, it’s confusing. How do you convey that there’s something that is worth paying a premium for? Eric Shannon: We just have a standard reply. We’re not going to reference any competitor directly here. All we can say is do your research, check their warranty, do they have
Sramana Mitra: How long did it take you to get up to a point where banks were willing to give you lines of credit for inventory? Eric Shannon: We never had a problem. I never got a no when I asked. By the time I asked, we were well in the seven figures in revenue.
Sramana Mitra: How long did it take you to get to a million dollars in revenue, and was that how you got to a million dollars in revenue? Eric Shannon: The first 12-month period in which we did a million dollars in revenue was probably 75% Amazon. Sramana Mitra: Got it. What was the second
Eric Shannon: In my previous business, we had worked with a guy who has a workshop in California. This guy is just a world-class expert when it comes to polyurethane, which is what foam is made of. In his workshop, he’s been making furniture and bedding since the late 1970s. I went to him and
Sramana Mitra: What kind of trajectory was that company on? You were doing e-commerce? Eric Shannon: Yes, exactly. It was strictly dog supplies and things that you couldn’t find at the pet store. Sramana Mitra: For example, what were you selling? Eric Shannon: The same categories that you would find at a pet store. We