# The Knot: Carley Roney & David Liu

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2018-03-12
- Length: 54m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu

## Summary

Carley Roney and David Liu, founders of The Knot, explain how their disastrous rooftop wedding inspired them to build a wedding planning platform for non-traditional couples, launching initially on AOL with a focus on community and irreverent content. They detail the company's evolution from a small digital studio to a public company, navigating the dot-com bust where their stock crashed to 26 cents and they were delisted from the NASDAQ, before eventually growing into the lifestyle brand XO Group. The episode also covers their strategic pivot to online gift registries and their expansion into other life stages like pregnancy and home decor, while highlighting the personal and financial risks they took as founders.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=0) Introduction: The Knot and Mobile Vinyl Recorders
- [3:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=182) Carley and David's Meeting and Disastrous Wedding
- [10:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=643) Early Ventures: Smithsonian CD-ROM and Co-Founding
- [15:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=923) Pitching The Knot to AOL and Ted Leonsis
- [24:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=1464) Building the Platform: Content, Community, and Early Revenue
- [31:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=1866) Launching the Online Gift Registry and Raising Capital
- [36:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=2161) Going Public, the Dot-Com Bust, and Delisting
- [41:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=2507) Survival, Relisting, and Expansion into XO Group
- [45:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=2713) Founder Dynamics and Personal Reflections
- [51:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-03-12-the-knot-carley-roney-david-liu#t=3095) Postscript: Mobile Vinyl Recorders

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up, established companies

## Mentioned

- The Knot (product)
- AOL (company)
- XO Group (company)
- Mobile Vinyl Recorders (company)
- Smithsonian (company)
- Brides Magazine (product)
- Modern Bride (product)
- Martha Stewart (other)
- The Nest (product)
- The Bump (product)
- Wedding Channel (company)
- Bloomingdale (company)
- Nicole Miller (other)
- Sassy Magazine (product)
- Converse (company)
- The xx (other)
- Coachella (other)

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- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 9 - Rusty Meadows (10/21)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-05-afterschool-podcast-episode-9-rusty-meadows-10-21) (Core77 Podcast)

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