This week’s episode of the Zero to a Million Podcast with Zach Rego features Ori Zohar, Co-Founder of Burlap and Barrel. Bootstrapping a spice business has its share of challenges, but Ori shares the innovative ways he kept the business profitable and how he grew acquisition with little to no investment.
By creating an online forum and passionately posting even when there was no engagement, he laid a solid foundation for his community when super influencers started posting their own content, much to the delight of the community. Ori also discovered that creating an engaging buying experience for repeat customers is much better than trying to focus on bringing in new customers.
SHOW NOTES
HIGHLIGHTS
- Growing 4-5x by developing an excellent online platform
- Embracing the advantages of a small company for genuine connection
- A spice forum became the company's hub for content and engagement
- Website feedback and a fun buying experience for repeat customers
- Collaborations and formulating spice blends
QUOTES
Ori: "If chefs who have access to all the best ingredients in the world are getting this excited about the spices, then maybe there's an opportunity. Also, not just for more chefs and more spices, but also it's at home cooks haven't tried something like this before."
Ori: "The pandemic broke people's regular behavior of going into the grocery store because grocery was out or nobody wants to step foot. People started Googling best spices, best cinnamon, best bay leaves, all that stuff, and we were right there ready for them."
Ori: "When we hit about a thousand members, all of a sudden we had 3 or 4 people that were these more heavy-duty super influencers that they wanted to post, they're posting everyday, they were sharing these incredible meals, they were such talented cooks. It was really impressive to see it all."
You can connect with Ori in the links below:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/orizohar/
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/burlapandbarrel/
- Website - https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/
- Email - ori@burlapandbarrel.com
For more tips for starting and launching your eCommerce business, be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify today!