Financial Commandment #1: Your Money, Your Responsibility
In this post you’ll learn: He almost didn’t review his tax return that year....
Sean Frank is the COO at Ridge Wallets, an everyday essentials brand that started on Kickstarter in 2013 and blew well past its goals in the first and second campaigns. Since then, they have bootstrapped their way to $100 million in sales without any investors or credit (until recently!).
In this episode, we’re diving into how Ridge Wallets grew to the size they are today in an industry that is notorious for sucking up cash, as well as the unique influencer strategy that helps Sean get the most exposure for the brand with the least amount of work. Sean also shares the one key metric that he uses to dial in his headcount to keep the business lean without overloading his team, and we talk about why the next two years may be the hardest for those in the eCommerce game.
You’ll learn:
- The lowdown on Ridge Wallets. (5:50)
- The magic sauce that has helped Ridge Wallets grow to the size they are today. (7:45)
- The financing (or lack thereof) that they employ. (12:15)
- How they have stayed lean. (17:30)
- Their approach to influencer marketing. (20:50)
- How they’ve managed the iOS change and data tracking. (23:00)
- Why Sean believes that the next two years will be the hardest for eCommerce. (29:20)
- What Sean’s life looks like building a company the size of Ridge Wallet. (36:50)
- Lightning round with Sean. (39:15)
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Sean Frank from Ridge.com)
What Was Mentioned
- Sean Frank: Website
- North Beam
- The eCommerce Playbook: Ecommerce Data from ~230 Businesses & $2.3B+ in Revenue
- Content and Research Assistant Job Posting
- eCommerceFuel Forum
- Klaviyo
- One Click Upsell – Increase Sales 15%+ with Pre-and Post-purchase Upsells. (On average, Shopify users increase sales 15% immediately after installing the app!)
Photo credit to Ridge Wallets’ website.
Post by Andrew Youderian
Founder and Chief Instigator, eComFuel
Andrew quit an early finance job to sell CB radios online — an admittedly unorthodox career path. It set him on a course to found and sell multiple businesses, host a decade-running podcast, lecture at Harvard Business School and create eComFuel, the leading community for 7- and 8-figure online business owners. Andrew is fascinated with branding, AI, building community, investing and growing meaningful businesses that don't require sacrificing what truly matters.
