Bullymake: A Pet Subscription Box for Power Chewers
Bullymake is a pet subscription box, which targets power chewing breeds (that is, dogs that destroy all of their toys).
Colin Hatzmann is the founder of Bullymake and last week he was kind enough to jump on the phone with me to answer a few questions. Colin has been running Bullymake for about a year now, and it sounds like business is going very well.
Read on to learn about Colin’s inspiration and processes, his experience using WooCommerce Subscriptions to run a subscription box business, and his advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs.
A Toilet Paper Subscription Business With a Twist
Toilet paper. We all need it, and I expect most of us know the frustration of unexpectedly running out. It’s the perfect example of an everyday item that is ideally suited to a subscription delivery model.
TPFactory is making the most of this common sense business opportunity, but with a twist. Customers can select a charity partner of their choice to receive 5% of their monthly subscription fee as a donation.
I had the opportunity to chat with Lee Jossel, the founder of TPFactory a couple of weeks ago. He shared his experience running this toilet paper subscription business, which is powered by WooCommerce and WooCommerce Subscriptions.
HDPiano: Bootstrapping a Successful Video Subscription Business
HDPiano is different to many of the other subscription businesses we’ve spoken to as part of this interview series.
Because their product is a video subscription business—a membership to view videos of piano lessons—HDPiano don’t have to worry about shipping, inventory or many of the other hassles that consistently plague eCommerce entrepreneurs.
Another distinguishing fact about HDPiano is that YouTube is their top lead generator. Founder Sean Lee, told me that to date they haven’t spent anything on paid advertising to build HDPiano’s audience.
Read on to find out how Sean was able to build HDPiano from humble beginnings with a $500 personal investment with no programming skills.
You’ll also learn a little bit about Sean’s digital nomad lifestyle in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and how Tim Ferriss’s The Four Hour Work Week influenced his approach.
Proper Socks for the Modern Gentleman: An Interview with Bertrand’s
This week we have another eCommerce interview out of the UK, this time with Bertrand’s Proper Socks.
Bertrand’s Proper Socks is using WooCommerce and WooCommerce Subscriptions to sell funky, high-quality men’s socks to the discerning online customer.
I spoke with Founder Xixi Zhu over Skype about the origins of Bertrand’s Proper Socks, what they’ve been up to recently and their plans for the future.
ModCloth’s Inspiring ECommerce Story
If you’re an eCommerce store owner, particularly in the fashion industry, you’re probably an admirer of the vintage online retailer ModCloth.
What started as a college side business for Susan Gregg Koger and her then boyfriend (now husband) Eric Koger has become an eCommerce success story. Today, ModCloth has:
– over 7,500 items listed on its site;
– shipped more than 2 million orders last year; and
– a team of over 350 employees across San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Las Angeles.
Susan spoke on May 27 as part of the Stanford DFJ Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Series. She shared the ModCloth story and offered a range of thoughtful and honest advice for young entrepreneurs.
What’s Life Without Risks? Our Interview with Snaps
Josh Gare is the founder of Snaps, an eCommerce retailer of high-quality, yet affordable, sunglasses in the UK. We were excited when Josh reached out to us about Snaps, and jumped at the chance to hear more of his story.
You see Josh isn’t your typical entrepreneur (if there’s such a thing). He’s currently finishing his final exams for his economics degree at the University of Bristol. He’s also had a number of successes building iOS apps, something he’s been doing since he was 16 years old.
Read on to hear more about how Snaps has used clever partnerships to overcome early marketing challenges, the process they went through to find suppliers, and their plans for the future.
Content Marketing For Subscription Businesses
Content marketing is a form of marketing that any subscription business can use to its advantage. The great news is that there are very low barriers to entry, meaning any online subscription entrepreneur can give it a go.
When done well, content marketing can help you attract new customers to your online store. It can also allow you to add value to your existing customers’ experience.
There are four main areas of content marketing that we will cover in this post:
1) What is content content marketing?
2) Content is easy in WooCommerce/WordPress.
3) What is SEO and why does it matter?
4) What’s relevant? Making sure your content adds value for customers.
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas with WooCommerce
For many of us around the world, Mother’s Day is approaching on Sunday May 10th.
Mother’s Day is a great opportunity to show your Mum some love and appreciation, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start.
To help inspire you, we’ve found a selection of WooCommerce stores that offer a range of Mother’s Day gift ideas.
4 Menswear Businesses Built on WooCommerce
Now is a great time to be in menswear eCommerce. Men are shopping for clothes more than ever before.
Quartz attributes this phenomenon to the rise of the new male fashion consumer, as well as the lumbersexual, #menswear, and athleisure trends.
Whatever the cause, we thought we’d look at four WooCommerce businesses aiming their sights at menswear eCommerce.
Renting Out Clothes With WooCommerce
Clothing rental subscriptions make a lot of sense. Customers are happy, because they receive regular deliveries of new items to wear. They also get to benefit from the expertise of professional stylists.
When a customer gets tired of a particular item, they can easily send it back for somebody else to enjoy. That means less waste and fewer items sitting forgotten in the back of cupboards.
I recently spoke to one such business owner, Vladimir Paniouchkine, the CEO and Co-Founder of The Mr Collection, a clothing rental subscription business for men.
Vladimir gave me some great insights into the origins and experience of running The Mr Collection and its sister business The Ms Collection.