Drybar: Alli Webb

How I Built This · 9 Jan 2017 · 32m

What this episode covers

Alli Webb, founder of Drybar, explains how she pivoted from a mobile blow-dry service to a national chain of 70 salons by identifying a gap in the market for dedicated blow-out experiences. She details the early validation process, the design of the first Brentwood location with architect Josh Heitler, and the strategic decision to franchise to scale rapidly while maintaining brand control. Webb also discusses the operational challenges of growing from a one-person hustle to a company with 3,000 stylists and the importance of hiring experts to fill her knowledge gaps in retail management.

Mentioned

Companies
Drybar, Rogers and Cowan, Artifone
Products
Instrument One
Also
John Sahog, Peach Head, Josh Heitler, Daily Candy

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 1h 00m

    #59 Welcome to the Oat Haus! Celebrity Collaboration, Sprouts Launch, and Mental Health with Ali Bonar

    Ali Bonar, Co-Founder and CEO of Oat Haus, discusses the evolution of her oat-based spread brand from a side hustle to a national retailer presence. She details the strategic launch of the Brownie Batter flavor in collaboration with Jameela Jamil, the challenges of securing a national Sprouts Grocery launch, and the importance of hiring scrappy early employees like VP of Sales Todd and VP of Marketing Lisa. Bonar also opens up about her mental health journey, the isolation of scaling a business, and her methods for maintaining founder wellbeing.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 28m

    Founders Feature: Lucy Dana of One Trick Pony

    Lucy Dana, founder of One Trick Pony, explains how her brand pivoted from a standard jar to an upside-down packaging design that eliminates oil separation in their two-ingredient Argentinian peanut butter. She details the operational headaches of early production, including lid fitment issues and a container shipment disaster, and how solving this customer pain point shifted the brand from fighting for retail placement to receiving inbound interest from major club retailers. Dana discusses leveraging viral social media content to drive this demand, her background at Uber and Blue Bottle Coffee, and her strategy as a solo founder scaling from natural channels to mass retail.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 32m

    Founder Feature: Maxi Heidenblut of Häppy Candy

    Maxi Heidenblut, founder of Häppy Candy, explains how she bootstrapped a better-for-you gummy brand with 70% less sugar and no artificial sweeteners while working a full-time finance job in New York City. She details the year-long formula development with a co-packer, the high minimum order quantities (MOQs) that forced heavy upfront investment, and her strategy of using free samples and influencer barter deals to launch. Heidenblut discusses expanding from independent retailers like Gourmet Garage to national chains via trade shows like Fancy Food Show and Expo West, while managing DTC channels on Amazon and Shopify with a focus on organic growth and reviews.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 23m

    Founder Feature: Taylor Espinoza of Unicorn Bites

    Taylor Espinoza, founder of Unicorn Bites, explains how she transitioned from practicing law to building a 100% date-sweetened, allergen-free mini cookie brand. She details the product development process, which involved hundreds of recipe iterations at farmer's markets to find the right sweetener and texture, and discusses the specific challenge of keeping the soft-baked cookies durable during warm-weather shipping. Espinoza outlines her retail strategy, focusing on local expansion in New Jersey and New York before targeting major natural retailers like Whole Foods, while navigating the financial constraints of high ingredient costs.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 30m

    #179 - Bootstrap Heroes: Hazard's Hop Water, SWAIR, Gourmend Foods

    Host Daniel Scharff interviews Ryan Hansen of Hazard's Hop Water, Carrie Sporer of SWAIR Hair, and Ketan Vakil of Gourmend Foods about bootstrapping their consumer packaged goods brands to six-figure revenues without venture capital. Hansen details scaling a non-alcoholic hop water brand to $500k by targeting golf courses and breweries, while Sporer explains how SWAIR reached $350k in revenue by focusing on fitness enthusiasts and managing co-founder dynamics. Vakil shares how he built Gourmend Foods to nearly $850k in revenue by reformulating low-FODMAP broths and leveraging online sales and dietitian networks.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.