Factories, Feedback, and Furniture with Stephen Kuhl, Co-Founder and CEO of Burrow
10/17/23 • 55 min
Description:
Today Lee is joined by an incredibly innovative entrepreneur, the Co-founder, and CEO of Burrow, Stephen Kuhl. Burrow is a company that makes buying furniture simple with swift delivery, easy assembly, and a multitude of options. In this episode, Stephen shares his love for customer research and outlines how he was inspired to go to business school before delving into how he and his business partner came up with the idea to start Burrow. We discuss their incredible journey from rejection to massive success, their experience throughout COVID, what’s in store for them in the future, Stephen’s interesting leadership style, and so much more!
Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:
AWESOME CX by Transcom provides high touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at [email protected] to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats.
In This Episode You’ll Hear About:
• [00:03:26] How Stephen’s passion for skiing made him accident-prone and pushed him into a traditional career path.
• [00:10:11] How the overwhelming desire to fall asleep at his bank job made Stephen realize it wasn’t for him.
• [00:13:17] Stephen’s first business venture, the ‘true start’ of his career, and his journey into investing.
• [00:18:21] How being part of investment inspired Stephen to apply to business school and his experience of it.
• [00:20:49] Meeting his Burrow co-founder, the start of their innovative furniture company, and Burrow’s unprecedented fundraising success.
• [00:27:35] Their gross margin challenges and ‘faking it’ to get factories to work with them.
• [00:37:55] Burrow’s milestones, how COVID-19 affected them both positively and negatively, and their ‘secret sauce’ to success.
• [00:37:55] What’s next for Burrow and why Stephen loves doing customer research the most.
• [00:47:46] The importance of having a coach as an entrepreneur and Stephen’s straightforward leadership style.
To Find Out More:
Quotes:
“If I didn’t care about the product that the company sold, it didn’t really matter what work I was doing.” [0:15:55]
“I – wanted to make more money so I went into investing.” [0:17:19]
“You know what’s better than investing in consumer companies? Working at [those] companies!” [0:18:57]
“By second year [of college] I think half of my class [thought] I dropped out because I was living in New York [working on Burrow].” [0:26:52]
“You sort of just have to pretend that something is really good even though you’re not there yet.” [0:31:56]
“The fake it till you make it thing is real!” [0:32:19]
“Luck is huge, right? I think most people don’t give enough credit into how much luck plays into [success].” [0:33:11]
“If you bought furniture in 2020/2021, most companies were quoting you like six months to a year to deliver it – and for most [things] we pretty quickly got [delivery] back down to one to two weeks.” [0:43:04]
“We’re just scratching the surface with new products!” [0:44:34]
“Give clear feedback, set clear direction, check in with people frequently, and then – you definitely need to empower people and accept that they won’t do things like you would do [them] but as long as the outcome is similar, you should not care.” [0:50:07]
Description:
Today Lee is joined by an incredibly innovative entrepreneur, the Co-founder, and CEO of Burrow, Stephen Kuhl. Burrow is a company that makes buying furniture simple with swift delivery, easy assembly, and a multitude of options. In this episode, Stephen shares his love for customer research and outlines how he was inspired to go to business school before delving into how he and his business partner came up with the idea to start Burrow. We discuss their incredible journey from rejection to massive success, their experience throughout COVID, what’s in store for them in the future, Stephen’s interesting leadership style, and so much more!
Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:
AWESOME CX by Transcom provides high touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at [email protected] to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats.
In This Episode You’ll Hear About:
• [00:03:26] How Stephen’s passion for skiing made him accident-prone and pushed him into a traditional career path.
• [00:10:11] How the overwhelming desire to fall asleep at his bank job made Stephen realize it wasn’t for him.
• [00:13:17] Stephen’s first business venture, the ‘true start’ of his career, and his journey into investing.
• [00:18:21] How being part of investment inspired Stephen to apply to business school and his experience of it.
• [00:20:49] Meeting his Burrow co-founder, the start of their innovative furniture company, and Burrow’s unprecedented fundraising success.
• [00:27:35] Their gross margin challenges and ‘faking it’ to get factories to work with them.
• [00:37:55] Burrow’s milestones, how COVID-19 affected them both positively and negatively, and their ‘secret sauce’ to success.
• [00:37:55] What’s next for Burrow and why Stephen loves doing customer research the most.
• [00:47:46] The importance of having a coach as an entrepreneur and Stephen’s straightforward leadership style.
To Find Out More:
Quotes:
“If I didn’t care about the product that the company sold, it didn’t really matter what work I was doing.” [0:15:55]
“I – wanted to make more money so I went into investing.” [0:17:19]
“You know what’s better than investing in consumer companies? Working at [those] companies!” [0:18:57]
“By second year [of college] I think half of my class [thought] I dropped out because I was living in New York [working on Burrow].” [0:26:52]
“You sort of just have to pretend that something is really good even though you’re not there yet.” [0:31:56]
“The fake it till you make it thing is real!” [0:32:19]
“Luck is huge, right? I think most people don’t give enough credit into how much luck plays into [success].” [0:33:11]
“If you bought furniture in 2020/2021, most companies were quoting you like six months to a year to deliver it – and for most [things] we pretty quickly got [delivery] back down to one to two weeks.” [0:43:04]
“We’re just scratching the surface with new products!” [0:44:34]
“Give clear feedback, set clear direction, check in with people frequently, and then – you definitely need to empower people and accept that they won’t do things like you would do [them] but as long as the outcome is similar, you should not care.” [0:50:07]
Previous Episode
Cutting Crusts Instead of Corners with Dillon Ceglio, Co-Founder & CEO of Chubby Snacks
Description:
Sharing his story today is Dillon Ceglio, the Co-Founder and CEO of Chubby Snacks, a brand modernizing the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Catching up with Dillon, we hear all about his upbringing in a small city in New Jersey and how it sparked a competitive mindset in him and cultivated his taste for entrepreneurship that would flourish later on in life. He also shares the story behind why he tattooed his SAT score on his body, highlighting the idea of stepping stones on life’s trajectory, and shares the story behind how Chubby Snacks came to be! To hear more about navigating retail challenges, exploring manufacturing options, and dealing with a cease-and-desist letter from Smuckers, be sure not to miss out on this episode!
Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:
AWESOME CX by Transcom provides high touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at [email protected] to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats.
In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:
• [00:02:48] Where Dillon calls home now, about his hometown, some childhood memories, siblings, and what he was into as a kid.
• [00:04:15] What sparked his competitive mindset, his first exposure to entrepreneurship, early jobs, and what he aspired to be when he grew up.
• [00:06:00] Dillon’s childhood challenges, being cut from his first sport, his struggle through tough formative high school years, and why he tattooed his SAT score on his body.
• [00:08:40] His college story, dropping out of state school, switching his mindset, viewing community college as a business opportunity, and a life-changing moment he experienced.
• [00:10:35] Gaining confidence in who he was, the track he was on for his career, and looking at college and his degree as a stepping stone in his life’s trajectory.
• [00:12:40] The journey behind what inspired him to get into entrepreneurship, how he created his first app and started his first company.
• [00:17:30] His evolving journey from a digital marketer and landing on performance marketing for e-commerce brands.
• [00:18:45] How he came up with the idea for Chubby Snacks and shifted gears from e-commerce to food and beverage.
• [00:21:28] What it was like being hit with a cease-and-desist from Smuckers, how they navigated the entire situation, and why they decided on a cloud-shaped sandwich.
• [00:25:21] How they came up with the name Chubby Snacks and how their operations have been the differentiator for their product.
• [00:32:30] He talks about fundraising and finding investors by showcasing their story, work ethic, and vision.
• [00:34:10] The challenges they’ve overcome, dealing with B.S., and maintaining perseverance.
• [00:36:08] What it was like getting into retail, focusing on moving products already on the shelf, and why they’re all moving to San Diego.
• [00:40:52] Dillon’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and what’s next for Chubby Snacks!
To Find Out More:
Quotes:
“My mom was a personal trainer and spin instructor as a kid, so I got to see firsthand what it meant to be in the best shape of your life at a very early age, and I thank my mom a lot for instilling very healthy habits for me.” [0:03:20]
“[Being an athlete growing up] ultimately created this competitive mindset for m...
Next Episode
From Sears Intern to Celebrity Brand CEO with Sarah Jahnke, Co-Founder and CEO of Homecourt
Description:
Sarah Jahnke is the Founder and CEO of Homecourt, a home fragrance brand co-founded by Courteney Cox and made with non-toxic skincare-grade ingredients. During this episode, she joins Lee to share her story. Tune in to hear what it was like to meet Courteney Cox for the first time over Zoom, her journey to fundraising for the first time, how she has grown into her leadership role, and much more.
Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:
AWESOME CX by Transcom provides high touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at [email protected] to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats.
In This Episode You’ll Hear About:
• [02:20] Sarah Jahnke’s story of growing up in Michigan and New York, starting her first business at 12 years old, and performing all her life.
• [10:14] Her career journey, including an internship at Sears e-commerce, a role at PwC, returning to Business School, and working for legacy fragrance brands.
• [15:49] Meeting Courteney Cox via Zoom in brightly colored linen.
• [18:46] How Sarah developed the concept for the brand from a candle brand to a luxury home fragrance brand; which includes skincare-grade ingredients.
• [20:17] Product and brand development through the lens of luxury beauty.
• [23:01] What ‘scentscaping’ means at Homecourt, and which fragrances Courteney prefers.
• [24:50] Starting at Homecourt on January 1st 2021, and fundraising for the first time.
• [28:55] How the brand has been received by customers and the press.
• [31:21] In-person points of discovery for the brand at gyms and hotels in LA.
• [32:37] The product and price range including everyday cleaning products and sustainable packaging.
• [33:50] How Sarah has experienced her first role as CEO.
• [40:41] Naming the business and what they had to keep in mind.
To Find Out More:
Quotes:
“Having been in the fragrance market, I knew that there was a lot of opportunity to bring more prestige fragrances into new formats.” [0:19:43]
“I said, why don’t we disrupt the household products category with fine fragrance and this luxury beauty philosophy?” [0:20:00]
“If you get to experience our products, you’ll see a very high-end niche-style perfumery with very high-quality ingredients that would typically be reserved for Eau de Parfum.” [0:20:42]
“We use 100% post-consumer recycled material in all of our packaging; from the bottles to even the unit cartons.” [0:21:14]
“We’re really bringing fine fragrance into these new formats.” [0:22:44]
“I had so many great people in my corner through networking and meeting other entrepreneurs in LA who were able to help me and guide me.” [0:27:08]
“The press loves us and thinks that we are innovators in the space. We’re not pigeonholed as just another celebrity brand. It’s truly seen as authentic to Courteney.” [0:29:15]
“I feel very proud that the quality of our product is what’s being recognized and is what’s bringing people to the brand and also keeping them there.” [0:29:46]
“Even with Courteney being the co-founder, and having millions and millions of followers, and really being the number one way people discover the brand, as a fragrance brand, it’s really important to also be able to try the products in person.” [0:31:37]
“Being an entrepreneur is my ultimate life lesson of letting go.” [0:36:06]
“The why doesn’t matter. It’s happening. So how are you going to react to it?” [0:38:50]
“Trust the timing and how all the dots can connect.” [0:44:09]
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