How to Build a $100 Million Brand From a Personal Need
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview, hosted by Serena Smith, with Nima Jalali, a former pro snowboarder and founder of the personal care brand Salt & Stone. He says an ACL injury pushed him into health and wellness, he built the brand from his apartment into one on track for over 100 million dollars in annual revenue, and that six deodorants are sold every minute. He covers building a brand that feels big, a legacy mindset, landing Sephora without outreach, digital excellence, influencer ads and working smarter by hiring better people. Sponsor: Shopify, which presents the show and links a free trial in the description. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the legacy brand discussion, a middle section on retail and ads, the closing on working smarter and the description, and does not cover every part of the roughly 33 minute conversation. All business claims and figures are the speakers' own and are not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
A personal need
He says after tearing his ACL he got into health and wellness, cared more about what he put on his body and created the product he could not find.
Why a brand
He says a snowboard career expires, but a brand does not come and go with athleticism, so he wanted something to work on for life.
Operate like a startup, look big
He says internally he tells the team to be scrappy, but he always wanted the brand to appear big to customers.
Legacy inspiration
He says he took inspiration from heritage brands expected to last 100 years rather than celebrity or influencer-led trends.
Retailers came to them
He says they have never done outreach to a retailer, and aimed to be a brand Sephora has to have.
Digital first
He says to focus on email, ads and website, make them best-in-class, and not knock on retailers' doors too early.
Working smarter
He says he hires people better than himself at ad strategy and design, and protects time with family with uninterrupted dinners.
The Conversation Breakdown
A personal need
⏱ Untimed topicHe says after tearing his ACL he got into health and wellness, cared more about what he put on his body and created the product he could not find.
Why a brand
⏱ Untimed topicHe says a snowboard career expires, but a brand does not come and go with athleticism, so he wanted something to work on for life.
Operate like a startup, look big
⏱ Untimed topicHe says internally he tells the team to be scrappy, but he always wanted the brand to appear big to customers.
Legacy inspiration
⏱ Untimed topicHe says he took inspiration from heritage brands expected to last 100 years rather than celebrity or influencer-led trends.
Retailers came to them
⏱ Untimed topicHe says they have never done outreach to a retailer, and aimed to be a brand Sephora has to have.
Digital first
⏱ Untimed topicHe says to focus on email, ads and website, make them best-in-class, and not knock on retailers' doors too early.
Working smarter
⏱ Untimed topicHe says he hires people better than himself at ad strategy and design, and protects time with family with uninterrupted dinners.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Show up big - his brand principle
Make every touchpoint feel established even when the team is small.
Be a brand retailers need - his retail rule
Win digital first so retailers come to you.
Hire better than you - his leverage rule
Hand work to people who are better at it, so you do not do every little thing yourself.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Audit your website, ads and email against the best brand in your category.
- ✓Write down one legacy brand you admire and what it does consistently.
- ✓Name one task you can hand to someone better at it this month.
- ✓Treat the revenue and sales figures as the speakers' own and verify them before repeating them.
Notable Quotes
“we don't want to appear small from the customer perspective”
“We try to operate our organization like a sports team.”
“Create a brand that these retailers need to have something that's different than everything else on the market.”
The One Thing to Remember
Nima Jalali says Salt & Stone grew by feeling big from day one, building a legacy brand, excelling at digital and letting retailers come to them.