# Afterschool Podcast, Episode 9 - Rusty Meadows (10/21)

- Show: [Core77 Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast)
- Published: 2013-11-05
- Length: 54m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/corejr/afterschool-podcast-episode-9

## Summary

Rusty Meadows, manager of the temporary tattoo company Tattly and founder of the Nearly Impossible conference, discusses the evolution of his business and the new event. He explains how Tattly emerged from a failed online store idea to focus on design-led temporary tattoos, navigating early challenges in shipping, packaging, and wholesale sales. Meadows details the structure of the Nearly Impossible conference, designed to help makers solve specific physical product hurdles through shared stories and expert labs.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21#t=0) Introduction: Rusty Meadows and Nearly Impossible
- [3:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21#t=223) Rusty's Background and the Shift to Indie Branding
- [9:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21#t=599) Tattly's Origin: From Swissmiss Store to Temporary Tattoos
- [22:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21#t=1349) Early Operations: Shipping, Packaging, and Wholesale Challenges
- [27:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21#t=1658) Scaling Tattly: Weekly Product Releases and Designer Relations
- [31:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21#t=1915) The Nearly Impossible Conference: Philosophy and Structure
- [40:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21#t=2411) Conference Logistics: Venue Sourcing and Budget Constraints

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Logistics & fulfilment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/logistics-and-fulfillment)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Tattly (product)
- Nearly Impossible (other)
- Swissmiss (other)
- Studio Mates (other)
- The Feast (other)
- Quarterly (product)
- Fab (other)
- Rifle Paper Co. (company)
- Impossible Project (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [25: Q&A](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2017-03-30-25-q-a) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [Minted: Mariam Naficy (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-12-09-minted-mariam-naficy-2018) (How I Built This)
- [Live Episode! Milk Bar: Christina Tosi (2019)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-10-25-live-episode-milk-bar-christina-tosi-2019) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Alexa Hirschfeld of Paperless Post](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-02-26-advice-line-with-alexa-hirschfeld-of-paperless-post) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Tim Ferriss (August 2025)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-06-04-advice-line-with-tim-ferriss-august-2025) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Core77 Podcast.