#020 - Executing lean and agile retail growth for your startup or SME, with Benjamin Ertl of Retailbound, USA

The Hardware Entrepreneur

I had as guest Benjamin Ertl, Director of Business Development at Retailbound. He works in retail, helping entrepreneurs on how to get their product to customers in a lean and agile way.

He gives you an intro to retail field, and to his company. Due to their uniqueness in essence they enable companies to operate lean and agile especially during the risky phase when a business model has not been validated yet, so taking on more staff would be a risky move. Since when working with them one doesn’t have to take on more personnel, this means one can operate leaner, and agile as they’re flexible based on the needs.

Benjamin finds himself lucky that he was mentored and educated for the last two and a half years on the complexities of retail personally by his company’s President - Yohan Jacob. Swimming competitively in college for four years and having an older brother has made him very competitive - which translates well for retail.

Raw transcript is available at: https://www.thehardwareentrepreneur.com

Please have a look at the highlights below and enjoy listening.

• How retail works for hardware products – [2:43]
• What’s the main value-add of Retailbound? – [4:07]
• A retail team to help you become retail ready – [5:12]
• How did Benjamin end up in [retail]bound? - [8:27]
• Their services offered and their business model - [10:58]
• What is retail coaching? - [14:10]
• The future of retail from startups’ perspective - [14:46]
• If you should limit distribution - [16:30]
• If you could go back in time, what notes would you give yourself? – [18:57]
• Which book had the biggest impact on Benjamin’s career? – [19:50]
• Segmenting, planning and doing sports – [21:06]
• When in Rome do as the Romans do – [22:40]
• What is the best way to reach Benjamin? – [24:30]