Hey guys, if you haven't heard about anchor it's the easiest way to make a podcast. Let me explain it's free. There's creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or your computer. Anchor will distribute your podcast for you so that it can be heard on Spotify Apple podcast and many more you can make money from your podcast with no minimum listenership. It's everything you need to make a podcast in one place download the free anchor app or go to Anchor dot. F m-- to get started. I'm an anchor and I can't say enough about it. So Get started down. Hi everyone. You're listening to Super women today. My guess is Ariel K the founder of parachute. I had the chance to interview her some time ago actually before she had a baby. She sends had a beautiful baby and we talked about all things launching a DDC brand of an area that was ripe for disruption. So take a listen. I'm with Ariel K the founder and CEO of parachute. Hi. Hi, what is parachute? I know what it is. But you know parachutes a Home Essentials brand we make all sorts of cozy comfortable products from sheets duvet covers robes towels. We also make some baby products, but really anything that you can start and end your day with that's going to make you feel more comfortable and more relaxed. We'll make it So between your first job to parachute, what was that path? Like and then how did you have this moment of I'm going to start a Home Essentials brand. That's that's a loaded question. So I didn't really follow a conventional path. I had a lot of different jobs over that period of time I started I was living in New York. I started in PR doing fashion & Beauty PR. I worked for a few different agencies. And then I decided that wasn't for me. There were a lot of things that I liked about PR and a lot of the storytelling and getting to connect with other small Brands, but ultimately wanted something different ended up moving into an advertising type role which I found to be more creative and more interesting and then decided I'd like had no idea what I wanted to do. So I went back to grad school, but the thing that was happening on the like behind the scenes was this love for home and interior design, so I started Interior design Home Design blog when I was I guess wrapping up my first PR Gibran 2007 so early blog time they weren't that pretty and but really it was just a creative outlet for me and a place to analog my interests and passions and I was helping some friends in the city decorate their apartments and having them photographed and featuring them and it was really fun. And so that continued as I then continue my professional career with Which after grad school ended up at a big Ad Agency where I was for almost five years and I've just always been a home enthusiasts. And so in that process, I became the super consumer which helped to inspire parachute. So I guess there's two different things. There was my career in advertising which I had four or five years at digitas Big agency here and I was on the Strategic side of creative. So doing a lot of consumer Behavior research really thinking about how to build Brands how to inspire people and I loved that and then I was doing this kind of side gig of pretending to be an interior designer and in 2012. I sort of hit a roadblock and was feeling less inspired at work wanting to do something more entrepreneurial wanting to have a bigger impact and had this moment of you know, what if I could emerge my interests of Home Design and brand building and connecting with people and this is around the time that the direct-to-consumer landscape was really shifting. NG and I was seeing these Brands start and like gained momentum and like worry Parker and ever Lane and I was so inspired and as a consumer as look at this is this makes a lot of sense to me and realized there wasn't anything in the home space and one thing after another I decided that parachute was a concept that I wanted to follow really believed in so when you started parachute and you saw this void in the marketplace, I try and find voids all the time and my spare time. I'm like, what's what am I going? When events? Yeah that no one has done. How did you sort of begin to understand that it was a void in the marketplace? So I mean this is a category where people historically have pretty much entirely shopped offline. They're 90 percent of purchases were being made offline. So there wasn't really this digital world for Home Products. And then when I took a step back and looked at this home category, I realized that your bedroom is such an intimate part of your home and you spend a third of your life in bed. bed and sleep impacts everything and so you know as I started kind of running through different scenarios of what to start and how to get into people's lives and how to create a brand and build trust the bedroom kept coming back to me as a perfect place to begin because I felt like you could create loyalty and there was this ability to mix that the physical products with this, you know, Wellness component and a more sleep centered brand and I realized that there had never been a brand of sheets that had ever asked me how I slept at night and that felt like such a big missed opportunity to connect deeper with people and create a product that you know wasn't just something that you're going to take out of the packaging and then forget what it was and not have any you know relationship with so, I mean, I a lot of research and a lot of a lot of tireless nights, but you know, ultimately it seemed like that was a really great place to begin so clearly because you had PR experience advertising and branding and then you found this void you didn't You don't have some of the struggles that some women have when they launch companies if they don't have PR branding background. So I'm curious to know like what were your obstacles? Oh my gosh. So many so yes, I have branding and marketing and you know, I had this Vision but the you know, really the nuts and bolts of business were a huge mystery to me. I mean, I had never had never worked in an inventory based business. I had never made products before I knew what I liked. And I knew what I didn't like and I Kind of strong opinion around what Aesthetics I wanted to kind of capture but the actual making of a product was new to me how to buy a product how to bring a product in from Europe because I had decided, you know, very early on that. I wanted to manufacture in Europe because that was where this quality and Heritage and I felt like I could build trust there, but I also am horrible at Excel and and math and you know, I mean there was there were a lot of things that were really in over my head. I mean I had such a crash course in building a business and to be honest. I'm still learning all the time. But yeah, I mean I definitely had a part of the puzzle, you know where I felt some confidence, but I think you know when I think back to those days my confidence levels were pretty low and I was also very naive which I think is, you know, sometimes your greatest gift when you're starting a business is not really knowing and understanding the complexity of what you're getting into because if I knew what I we would ride Run, I would never you know, and there's like no chance that I would have left my job and you know a salary and you know, I had all sorts of totally, you know off expectations of what this was going to look like. So I'll never forget when I didn't pay my first electrical bill. I didn't think anything could actually happen to and till these Teamsters showed up like shoe huge like men that were triple my size know like we're not leaving until you give us a joke for the electricity like maybe I should have Take working. Yeah longer just a little I mean I thought I was going to be able to leave my job and I had this great idea and I would move to LA and I would raise money and I'd be able to pay myself a salary and you know, I just continue to build this business and then we would launch and it would become and it was just so off base like what a hilarious Vision that I have. I mean, it could not have not happened more like that. So but I mean thank God for that, you know naivety because I would never have I would never have done it. That's right. So did you start fun? Thing right away. I started meeting with investors pretty early on I did not was not able to raise money until after I launch the business. So I took meetings where I could and I had friends introduced me to people and I you know, I thought there was a world in which I would get some pre-product Capital because I was sort of on the cusp or that was still happening a bit and more common, but I but yeah, no people were not as excited to give me money as a first time. Entrepreneur without having product without having any sort of product Market fit and so but the meetings were helpful and they actually helped, you know me think through you know, what does progress look like and you know, people would say, oh, this is a great idea and you seem really cool. But let's see some let's see you get a little bit further and so I built relationships with people and some of whom actually did end up investing quite a bit later, but it was helpful money also would have been helpful, but it was a helpful experience. So, Did you launch it with that like we launched and you know, we couldn't get a loan, you know, my brother mortgage his house. He maxed out his credit cards. So we waited seven years before taking and funding. So how did you bootstrap it in? The beginning used the small amount of savings that I had. I also borrowed some money from my parents and had two friends that ended up giving me a small investment and then I actually which took me I mean it was under $30,000 at this point of what I had. Add which was helpful for a building a website basically and not much more and then I ended up joining an accelerator program. So that was what I was able to give me the money to then buy our first batch of product and accelerators and incubators are great for people that are pre-launch. Although some now require you to have launched a product. I mean, there's a lot of different types of of these programs that you can join, but for me as a first-time founder and as a sole founder at with zero team It was great to have a place to go and so I joined accelerator called Launchpad and they gave us they gave me a check which went into my bank account one day and immediately left the next day to buy product. Isn't that the worst feeling it was one day but it also like you know as these things happen and it happened like I needed to get that order placed, you know ASAP. Otherwise, I wasn't gonna have it in time and so it all sort of worked out. But yeah, it was a very it was very fluid movement. That's just in and out. And out and so then I launched and you know, we because of my background in PR and marketing. I really believed in having press as I knew that press was gonna be really important for that launch moment. And so I invested in having some PR assistance and as a result, we got this huge amount of press and that was really helpful with getting sales and then I was able to subsequently raised some Capital quite fast, and so I'd love to walk have you walked He threw the minute of you launch. You have a website when it became live and no longer like private. What was that moment like totally surreal. I mean one of the most exciting moments and it had been a lot of work and I couldn't really believe that it was happening. I mean at this at this point also still just me so, you know, the first few weeks we had sort of soft launched and I had you know sent it to my friends and ask them to send it to their friends. And for the first I was a the first few weeks. Free this press moment. I could kind of connect the dots of who everyone was purchasing and you know, it was like six degrees of separation at most but then you know, and I was basically packing boxes all night. I was working during the day and then at around midnight, I would stop and pack boxes until 3 a.m. 4 a.m. And then get back to working and then this press moment had and all of a sudden we went from, you know to three orders a day to 30 in our first day and then 40 and you know kind of tapered off after the mmm. Initial press buzz, but it was amazing. And so, you know, then all of a sudden UPS was coming and needing, you know, these like bigger carts to take out the boxes and it was really cool. I'll never forget those moments. I'm still nostalgic about those moments. Yeah, like when I was shipping my first order to a big department store. I have my fifth floor walk-up and the UPS guy was like, I'm not bringing those boxes down five stairs. Yeah. I was like, oh fuck. I mean we are first round the first batch after I launched the first That went out were mostly based in LA and I drove them to everyone's houses myself because I wanted to save money on shipping costs total and spend three days in the car, which was like so dumb but fun. I remember one person who was like who I knew who had been sort of an advisor Leon was like my husband called me was like we got this girl showed up wearing heels to drop off this box like this. Did you order like what is going on? And she was like, yes the startup life. That's What you do? But yeah, then you know, it was similar. I mean I had a storage unit because I didn't have a place to put them and I would go there and I like perpetually had these bruises on my arms and legs from lifting heavy boxes. And I was those the full was a full situation. So being that you are one person doing it all I empathize with you because that was my me with my brother on like my call a friend for help every once in a while. What is it like now going from that to now obviously you have a team had to use Of make sure that you keep the original values or or not of what you started with now a team that's been super important to me. The the culture of parachute is something that I think about every day. It's you know, probably what keeps me up at night most is making sure that we do have values that are really strong and that we are building an environment that people love to work in and everyone works hard and but it's really all about the people and I think customers can see that to I mean, I think there's so much about your brand that comes through. Through all the people that are creating it but the it's been an experience. I mean bringing we're now a team of about 50 people and our HQ and it's been great. I mean hiring people that are smarter than you and more talented than you and can help with, you know, a lot of the different parts of the business that you're not the best at. I mean, it's amazing. I mean I've learned I learned something new every day for my team and I think that's what building business is all about. I mean when you launch a business you're in the business Is a problem solving and solving like big challenges. I mean that that never goes away. I don't imagine ever being the well-oiled machine that doesn't have to solve problems. Like I mean, that's what you do. And so making sure that you're surrounded by people that also love to solve problems is really important. I think it's a great way to look at it because I feel like some people including myself and I had to disabuse myself of this idea that like at some point you get to Coast or just a becomes easy and then you like me that's that's actually never going to happen, but that's What business is right? It's like you said it's problem solving there was definitely a moment probably two years in where I realized that this was only getting harder. It actually wasn't getting easier. And I think I also expected there to be the switch where all of a sudden it felt like we had gained some momentum or all of a sudden it entered this phase where it was just going to get easier and that's never happened. It's really only gotten harder. But also more fun. I mean it's like the problems get bigger to solve and like My point like we're in the business of solving problems and and that's what's fun and rewarding and exciting but it's not easy. Like it's definitely not easy. So one of the things you also decided to do which probably made it even harder was you were direct to Consumer online only at and then you launched to Brick and Mortar stores. What made you want to go offline? Yeah. So now we actually for for okay. Well, I'm we're opening a fifth and a few weeks. Jeez. We're right. No, we're that's why we're all about the retail, you know for me. I it's really so much about connecting with people. We view ourselves and have always viewed ourselves as a relationship business not a transactional business. The transaction is so secondary to the way that we're trying to build which is really thinking about connecting with people and adding value and and so there's a part of that that is just so it's so different offline when you're actually face to face with people people can see our products and then, you know goes back. Back to the way that our products were pastora clear purchased offline. And so I think our products are pretty amazing and they're really soft and they feel great and they're beautiful and we we've been able to create these environments that are so inspired and really help bring our products to life in this physical environment. I think we're not a traditional home store, you know, it's not this big huge multi-floor experience that where you're asking 25 people were the products are before you find them, you know, we're creating these and very intimate places that kind of feel like you're in a home and then there a way for us to get our products out there and for people to feel them but also we host events and do workshops and really kind of make it this living breathing cool place to be so now that this, you know direct-to-consumer and Home Goods has sort of become, you know, there's other players in the space. Now, how do you make sure your message still is different and that you offer different value proposition to Customers they know not to go to others that we will not name. Yeah. I mean, I think it's a huge part of the business is educating your customers and being really focused. I think one of the things that I learned from my background and branding and in marketing is how important a clear point of view is and having a real message and staying consistent and true to that message even as you grow and expand and for us that means entering new categories and launching a lot of new products, but you know, it's all about quality. For us and you know consistent quality cohesive story telling now that we're spending money on different marketing channels. We really try to invest in marketing channels where we can tell our story and where we can give people information so that by the time they land on their site they know what's different about us and they know why they've arrived and what they can expect but that's a continued. I mean, that's something that we focus on everyday is how do we how do we differentiate? You know, how do we maintain this freshness while appealing to our You know, both are returning customers and expanding our customer base so that we're continuing to grow and evolve and I think what's so great about being a digitally native brand is that you really know who your customers are and we've invested so much in those feedback loops and listening and really growing with our customers not you know, we're trying to build a brand that people don't grow out of people really grow with and I think that sets us apart. I think you said something that most people just assume is normal. But like know who your customer is because some people think that their customer can be everybody and it's really not know. It's segmented. It's specific and that can be a lot of segmented specific people. But trying to like cast The Wide Web and then wonder why you're failing. Yeah. I mean, I think it's really important to to know who you're talking to and how they like to be communicated with and you know, we joke that everyone sleeps and everyone showers. So like yeah, everyone could be our customer, but when I when we come down to you know, How were communicating and who the parachute customer is and what our voices it is really important to be specific and then to be consistent and so people know what to expect and I think you know because there is a lot of competition and because there's a lot of noise in general and the market building a brand that people can trust is so important but you can also lose that trust so quickly so really, you know being very careful and thoughtful about how you know, you're evolving I think is critical. So one of the Things I love this womb-like environment to be shared in is struggles or moments of like I don't think this is going to happen or moments of not making it would do you have any stories like that? Yeah kind of this one's actually, you know, I mean, I think there's been so many highs and lows throughout this process, you know, there's been moments early on inventory was a big struggle for us. We just I just didn't have the experience of how to purchase it accurately and so we were in and out of stocks sometimes Going through products before they even arrived those were some really hard moments early on because I felt like we had failed our customers and we had you know, if we didn't have inventory for three four months, you know, would anyone ever come back? And so that was certainly really challenging and just really I mean, it's frustrating, you know, it's sort of like a good problem to have if you think about the problems you can have but when you're growing and when you so want to give people a good experience and you can't it's just sucks, you know. Fundraising is also not always come easy. There's been highs and lows there and that's a process that really takes me away from the business. You know, it's also a process where you learn so much about how to run a business but you know, there's certainly been moments where I'm like are we going to not be able to do this and close around and is the business can have to fold and I mean those those are real fears that have happened, you know, I've also struggled with you know personnel and you know team growing and growing changes and out growing spaces. I mean So many but it really makes you stronger as a leader and I think how you approach those dark moments and how you them move through them is really valuable and I feel like this is becoming a theme but like problem-solving become so important and you know being resilient is really important. I think when you when you're doing something that you truly love there's this Silver Lining that is kind of present, you know, at least has been for me even in those darkest moments. It's like I do have something to really be grateful for I get to wake up. Up everyday and be surrounded by people that believe in this passion of mine and this idea that started from nothing and so it's time to just get up and figure it out, you know, and I think it's okay to have moments where you want to give up and scream and you feel like it's just over and then you know, but if you can see through and see through to that, you know gratitude it's make you can find a way out of it and just as a note you could have those moments every day where you want to give up. Oh my gosh, literally every day and I do I think that's like No, it doesn't go away totally and that's the craziest part about being an entrepreneur is at the highs and lows can happen in a moment of five minutes. I mean, you could literally feel like you're on top of the world and then two seconds later feel like you're about to lose it and then somehow managed to feel great again, you know, it's this roller coaster of emotion and I think that's why in some ways being entrepreneurs is so exhausting, you know, there's the manual labor. There's the like hustle there's those tireless nights, but the emotional you know up and down is Is a really exhausting part of the business that I don't think a lot of people give credit to or recognize it's a lot it's a lot to be always on. It's a lot to be that you know backbone and to really push through and and have a brave face like also when other people are doubting you so what do you do to relax after those moments, you know, I've definitely especially in recent times have have tried to focus more on self love and care, you know. Funny because we're business that talks a lot about getting a good night's sleep and resting and taking care of yourself. And we really do as a company try to practice what we preach and and that way I mean, it's it's it's important that our team has a life out of work and that, you know, people are getting inspired by the beach and living outside of our four walls. I think I've never been one of those people who thinks that you need to work at all hours of the night in order to be successful. I think you can be really productive during a normal work day. But for me, it's working out. I like to work out as often as I can almost every day yoga on the train. I mean I'd kind of mix it up, but I need to get a good sweat in it's also like good time to just not be able to pick up your phone, which is helpful. And for me, I like need I need forcing functions around that because it's hard to put it down. It's hard to stop and turn off. I've started meditating in the past year sort of late to that game, but it's been helpful. I actually recently just started doing Breathwork classes which are totally new experience to me, but I've been really helpful. So I mean taking personal time a walk around the block fresh air, you know, it can come in different forms, but I do think it's important to disconnect and and to be kind to yourself totally so you have a mantra called you belong here tell me about this. That is something that I actually it's been in my life for like 10 years. I had I got it Annie. Neon sign on my wall in New York when I lived in New York that said You belong here and for me, it's just about the moment and let being present and being grateful and and recognizing that your sword in the right place at the right time and like it's very simple, but it's it's nice and and having it on my wall actually at home. I feel like has been such a warm and like comforting thing to see when you walk in the door for friends and family, and we had a recreated at my wedding. That's awesome. Yeah. So one thing I like to get out of everyone that I interview is something that we'd be surprised to know about you. Let me personal can be work. I've had all sorts of people sharing different things. I and my past life. I was a classically trained opera singer. Whoa, that's crazy. Did you perform at I performed my entire life? I've wanted to be a pro. I went to school to be a singer. Wow. That's awesome. Now, I just do karaoke. Key, listen, when I do karaoke, I sound like Yoko Ono so I appreciate anyone that can sound good. It's that's fun for me. So what are the other reasons why I started this podcast was to give actionable advice to my listeners as there as they're listening to this. What is something you would love to share as a great advice that someone can take I often say because I think it's something that I continue to remind myself every day is don't sweat the small stuff. I think it's so important. Until you can be your own biggest. You can be your biggest Advocate, but you can also be your biggest hurdle and roadblock and progress and so for me learning how to let go of perfection how to let go of this idea that I had to be right all the time. I mean, it's just it's been so helpful and so, you know not letting these ideas of what it should be or what it needs to be getting the way and really focusing on progress and moving forward is really Hopeful yeah getting rid of the egos are real. Oh gosh real good one it's and that's one of those things that you always are working. Thank you for being here. Of course. That was Ariel K. You can find out more about her brand at parachute are of you today is from Mommy to l and H. I discovered this podcast after I heard you as a guest on another podcast that I listen to I loved hearing your point of view on different topics. So I subscribed here. I'm a stay-at-home. Mom of two little boys 3 and 5. I'm an older mom. And I often feel like I've aged right out of current culture. Ha I really enjoy listening to all the guests you have and feel like I'm being reintroduced if you will to Modern culture. I love hearing the stories of success and failures of your female guest list as well as yours. Your voice is very soothing for podcasting as well. I look forward to seeing my notification that a new episode is available. Keep up the good work. Yay. I'm glad you're back in modern culture. I'm honored that you said I could be the culture purveyor for you. So thanks for tuning in Mommy to L&H.
Bed. We spend a third of our lives there, and yet oftentimes, our beds, or what we put on them, become somewhat of an afterthought. Ariel Kaye sought to change that. After spending some years in advertising, Ariel came to a point where she was looking for more excitement, and more of a direct way to connect with people. She had always been passionate about interior design and home goods, going so far as to maintain her own blog on the subject in her free time. As she was pondering a change in career, it dawned on her that there were little to no direct to consumer options for bedding. That is when the idea for Parachute Home was born. Now in its fifth year and about to open the fifth brick and mortar (! ), Ariel fondly recalls the early days when she would drive around in her car, delivering orders directly to buyers in Los Angeles. Growth and success have come with their own challenges. Here Ariel discusses entrepreneurial ups and downs, what makes her passionate about her company, and how at the heart of it all it’s really about building relationships. Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Big Ideas   The changes that come with viewing your business as relationship-based rather than transaction-based. [15:56]  The invaluable importance of knowing your customer base well and growing with their needs. [17:27]   ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. 