David Sanborn manages strategy and operations for GIZMO, a developer and manufacturer of consumer electronics. He is also the Co-founder of Kiid Coffee, a unique food brand that uses creative marketing to target nutritional gaps in children’s food. As an inventive entrepreneur, David has built and sold several brands, including Basics Brands, which he expanded into the pet retail space before selling it. 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [00:21] David Sanborn describes his journey of building a brand from the ground up
• [03:45] The value of networking in building business relationships and identifying growth opportunities
• [07:12] Leveraging partnerships to streamline product development
• [10:35] How to navigate the challenges of launching a brand
• [21:11] Why David launched Kiid Coffee
• [31:08] The changing landscape of SaaS and marketing plugins in the e-commerce industry
• [34:15] How innovative companies address eCommerce problems with unique strategies

In this episode…

Starting a brand from scratch, creating an unparalleled product, and selling it successfully are seemingly basic yet daunting challenges in today’s competitive eCommerce marketplace. What does it take to cut through a saturated market and carve out a space for your products?

David Sanborn, a serial entrepreneur, has conquered the challenge of branding and innovation in the modern digital landscape. He maintains that strategic partnerships and mentors are invaluable resources for product development. These industry professionals can share ideas and strategies that can expedite launch and enhance innovation. Before launching your product, test its market fit to allow for customer feedback and ample refinement. Additionally, digital marketing is essential for brand awareness, so by integrating a mission-driven approach into your creative strategies, you can stimulate authentic consumer engagement and cement a long-term presence in the market.

In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant meets with David Sanborn of GIZMO to share innovative approaches to launching an eCommerce brand. David breaks down the intricacies of product development, the importance of market-fit testing, and how to stand out in a competitive market through creative marketing and genuine value creation.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Aaron Conant on LinkedIn
• BWG Connect
• David Sanborn on LinkedIn
• GIZMO

Quotable Moments:

• "You have to be a good marketer… An amazing product without anyone knowing about it may as well not exist."
• "Every product has to have thought about marketing from the very beginning."
• "Not everything is just right there on page one of Google, but you can get there."
• "I'm jumping back in as a brand because I find it so fun to solve a problem and understand the consumer."
• "Kids drinking coffee is not the craziest thing; it's a concept that immediately gets a reaction."

Action Steps:

1. Utilize networks, including manufacturers' in-house resources, to efficiently develop and iterate product concepts: This leverages expertise and can speed up the development process.
2. Craft a brand story that resonates and compels sharing: This can create customer connections and drive word-of-mouth marketing.
3. Research thoroughly before investing in patents or complex development procedures: David Sanborn’s cautionary tale of expensive patents that weren't necessary reinforces the importance of validating the market first.
4. Cultivate resilience and be resourceful when tackling challenges in business: David’s experiences showcase the power of not getting discouraged but instead leveraging setbacks as learning opportunities.
5. Consider partnerships and influencer collaborations wisely to elevate brand visibility and credibility: David’s success story about networking underlines the potential of the right partnerships to scale a brand effectively.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.