Hardware Podcasts

Sun Bum: Tom Rinks

How I Built This · 27 Mar 2023 · 1h 15m

What this episode covers

Tom Rinks, co-founder of Sun Bum, explains how he built the sunscreen brand into a $400 million business by mashing up surf culture, Scandinavian furniture design, and Japanese streetwear into a distinctive wood-grain bottle and stone-faced gorilla mascot. He details his earlier career, including a five-year legal battle with Taco Bell over the iconic Chihuahua mascot, which he won after they stole his concept. Rinks also discusses his strategy for scaling Sun Bum through guerrilla marketing, selective retail placement, and eventually handing CEO duties to an experienced operator before selling to SC Johnson.

Most relevant to

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

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Taco Bell, SC Johnson, Art Van Furniture, Meyer, Perrin Screen Printing, Rinks Canetti, Sidley and Austin, Playtex, Rock and Republic
Products
Sun Bum, Daily On Tequila, Made by Dentists, Coppertone, Neutrogena, Hawaiian Tropic
Also
Michael Asara, Adam Francis, Renee Canetti, Joe Shields, Vivian Dryer

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