sugarfina

This season on Step by Step, we are asking what does “seamless” mean to my eCommerce business and how do I demystify that in a way that helps me select the right solutions and softwares that make a seamless experience come to life? Join us as we hear from Michael Chen, Director of eCommerce Operations at Sugarfina, to break down the term “single handshake” and look more closely at consolidation of operations in your eCommerce business. Listen now!

In this episode:

• {0:08:20} - “From the backend side, there are a lot of softwares we have to use to eliminate all the friction points from the time {consumers} find the website and go on the website to check out and pay. That should be really, really smooth.” - Michael
• {0:14:32} - “Right now everything is in Magento. We have Adobe Live Search, we have Product Recommendations, and everything is working in one place. So I don't have to go to different places, which save a lot of time and headache.” - Michael
• {0:16:01} - “Saving money is an important thing, but I would look at it as is the software actually better. If you're going to consolidate, is it actually better for the business? There are a lot of factors, so I wouldn't say saving money is the most important thing. There's a lot of research you have to do.” - Michael
• {0:18:32} - “To extract the most amount of value from any piece of software requires an intimate understanding and time spent in using the software, and the hard things become easy over time. So you grow into these capabilities. You don't just turn it on on day one.” - Phillip
• {0:23:51} - “You have to be focused on forward progress and continual improvement because your competitors are, and if they're doing it, you have to be more efficient and more optimized.” - Michael

Associated Links:

• Learn more about Michael Chen and Sugarfina.
• Listen to more Step by Step episodes.
• Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
• Get your copy of Archetypes, our recently published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
• Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world! 
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Rosie and Josh have a sweet story indeed (starting strong with the puns here). As founders of Sugarfina, a high end, fun, and unique confectionary company, their journey started on an early date watching Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. In a classic “there must be a better way” moment, they both wondered why candy wasn’t that much fun or memorable for adults too. Just 6 years in, Sugarfina has 50 retail locations around the US and now Hong Kong, 85 people at headquarters and over 500 including all their stores. They’re also at over $40MM in revenue with zero marketing spend. It’s hard to describe how incredible this really is. That said, people say their candy is as “beautiful to look at as it is delicious” so it’s no surprise they’ve really made their mark. In 2017, they were described as “The Tesla of Candy” which was just about the highest compliment Josh could have ever imagined as a big fan of the disruption Elon Musk continues to demonstrate. This was my first husband and wife joint interview (though third husband and wife run company!), and it was as much fun as you think it might be with a couple very much in love that gets to travel the world to be inspired to make the next incredibly delicious and beautiful candy! Somehow, they still manage to live in moderation and not overdo it on the candy… Check them out on instagram at @Sugarfina and on their website where you can order or find their stores at sugarfina.com

If you've given or received a gift in the last six years, you've probably heard of Sugarfina, the luxury candy brand made for grown-ups. The champagne gummy bears and other adult-friendly candies wouldn't exist had it not been for Rosie O'Niell and a particularly good date she went on to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with her now business partner and fiancé, Josh Resnick. Prior to starting her own whimsical venture, O'Niell was working in brand management at Mattel for Barbie. "When I did eventually step away and start Sugarfina, it's like I knew how to do it and I didn't even realize I knew how to do it," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 30 of Second Life.

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Sweet Tales of Entrepreneurship & Scaling Up with NetSuite:

We're back at Oracle NetSuite SuiteWorld convention in Las Vegas. Our first guest went from roofing, to real estate, to... hand bags? Tony Drockton has had an unorthodox entrepreneurial journey, but 10 years ago he stepped up as CEO and 'chief cheerleader' at Hammitt, a luxury fashion brand based in Los Angeles that emphasizes quality craftsmanship and a customer-forward design language. Tony offers some surprising advice for individuals looking to make a splash in the dog-eat-dog fashion industry - Don't become an entrepreneur, learn why. Next, you may be familiar with the industrious story of Alex Scott, a young girl who battled pediatric cancer and raised $1-million to fund cancer research. Although Alex has passed, her legacy continues through Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation which has raised over $150-million to date. Senior Project Coordinator, Patrick Scott, shares how ALSF is funding impactful research and empowering families affected by childhood cancer. Then, Sugarfina is the boutique candy company delighting the taste buds of consumers through 50 retail locations and a sweet online store. Senior Director of Operations, Danny Coorsh, explains how NetSuite's business management software has allowed Sugarfina to dramatically scale up operations in just five short years.

• [00:00:00] Roofing, Real Estate, and Handbags?
• [00:05:42] Hammitt's Customer-Focused Designs
• [00:11:30] How to Grow Beyond Life in the Cubicle
• [00:18:21] Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
• [00:27:49] Develop a Strong Omni-channel Presence
• [00:33:22] Scaling Up Operations with NetSuite