Special guest Dan Demsky, co-founder of Unbound Merino, joins us for a quick trip down memory lane as he plays back the past four years: the apparel brand’s crowdfunding origin to its rapid rise to five-million-dollar in annual eCommerce sales.

Our conversation isn’t exactly what you’d expect. We talk through digital marketing and Shopify et al. But Dan’s really all about the product. It all goes back to what his customers are looking for and how Unbound Merino deliver a 360 retail experience.

That borderline obsessive approach is what helped what was originally a travel-centric apparel brand beat the pandemic and growth even faster than before.

Along the way, Dan shows us how to hack a crowdfund, an amazing video trick that catapulted his campaign and Unbound Merino’s overall digital marketing philosophy.

This episode is especially geared towards emerging Shopify brands who are looking for more than marketing tips and want to understand how a nimble young brand makes business decisions through each ladder step of their growth.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

[3:05] The story behind Unbound Merino’s growth and how Dan Demsky came up with the original idea.

[7:20] How Crowdfunding was their way to assess product-market fit for their idea of a more accessible merino wool 

[9:40] How the crowdfunding campaign propelled the Shopify eCommerce store. 

[10:15] Dan’s secrets to crowdfunding the ways that they hacked Indiegogo’s system. How he “frankensteined” together a successful campaign

[14:31] The video contact strategy that Unbound Merino used to get $10,000 in the first hour of their campaign. 

[19:31] Why Dan thinks working with his best friends is ideal for running a business. And how a business firing 

[22:51] How did Unbound Merino grow after the initial crowdfunding campaign and which campaigns they tackled first? How it went from a crowdfund to a Shopify store.

[24:45] What was Unbound Merino’s formula for higher conversions on Facebook ads?

[27:11] How to think and connect with your core customer. Unbound Merino’s methods of surveying and understanding what their customer thinks and wants. 

[31:21] Building a superior product that generates world of mouth and creates repeat customers. 

[33:13] Dan’s example of what not to do: a face mask product that could have been successful but wasn’t because they didn’t invest in the customer experience. 

[36:15] Unbound Merino’s focus on product quality and the real cost of cheaper, lower quality materials. 

[37:21] Dan’s tips towards a superior packaging and unboxing experience. 

[40:41] Unbound Merino’s company philosophy and what’s helped them scale the business. 

Unbound Merino