Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Key Takeaways Growth creates stress tests for inventory, fulfillment and forecasting — brands need systems that scale before chasing bigger retail deals.
Saying yes to retail without defending your economics can erode margins. Retail knows numbers — you should too.
Like most founders, the early days of my company were very much geared towards solving a real problem. I wanted to create products to fill a market gap a loved one had personally experienced: finding effective, holistic and affordable solutions to common foot conditions like bunions.
Product development and direct-to-consumer sales were my initial focus as CEO, but as the brand grew and I began to recognize the inherent potential in what we were building, retail expansion became a natural progression.
For many business leaders, the path to scaling a business and expanding appropriately into retail can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. What really puts a brand at greater risk is relying on one retail channel, rather than an omnichannel approach. Each channel represents its own value proposition, comes with its own rules, and requires unique forethought in terms of operational backbone.
In this article, I’m breaking down the six tips I’ve found most valuable in scaling my company, ZenToes, from an initially direct-to-consumer brand to a multi-channel retail darling.
Sign up for How Success Happens and learn from well-known business leaders and celebrities, uncovering the shifts, strategies and lessons that powered their rise. Get it in your inbox.
1. Start with ecommerce to prove market fit
Ecommerce is an ideal starting point and invaluable testing ground for emerging brands. It allows founders to validate product-market fit, test messaging and gather direct consumer feedback before scaling into larger retail partnerships. Our direct-to-consumer model allowed us to build trust, refine our assortment and truly understand our customers’ wants and needs.
... continue reading