#268: Athan Didaskalou - July, Building A Luggage Brand With Rocketship Growth

Episode brought to you by Trend & Finaloop.On this episode of DTC Pod, Athan joins Blaine for a deep dive in what it takes to launch one of the fastest growing travel brands. Here's a few of the questions we answer on the show:1. How did July create the world's lightest carry-on luggage?2. How did they find market validation before even talking to one customer?3. What is July's biggest secret to rapid growth?4. How is retail driving the brand forward in 2023?5. How many product iterations have they gone through in 4 years?0:00 - 1:30 - Introduction to July00:02:32 - Partnered to enter mobile market dominated by Samsonite.00:05:39 - Entered luggage market, opened store, faced 2020 slowdown.00:12:57 - Founders Club presold products, leather tags popular, containers sold quickly.00:21:11 - Started with no 3PL, shipped product ourselves, nurtured early stages.00:22:51- Customer feedback key, world's lightest double wheel created.00:29:04 - Investment in physical retail, China launch during COVID, lux & lightweight luggage.00:36:42 - Two new polycarbonates created for US and Australian, expanding to Europe.00:41:00 - Richard helped company sell in China, built international personalization engine.00:47:23 - Remote US launch, UK launch with physical presence from day one.00:53:15 - UK launch, experimenting with new products, creatively fulfilling category.Shownotes powered by Castmagic Episode brought to you by Finaloop, the real-time accounting service trusted by hundreds of DTC Brands. Try Finaloop free - no credit card required. Visit finaloop.com/dtcpod and get 14 days free and a 2-month P&L within 24 hours.Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokAthan Didaskalou - Founder of JulyRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated