Chapters

The early days of a startup are a singularly unique experience. You are bringing something new into the world. No one knows who you are, and no one cares. It is obvious how difficult it is to gain traction and become relevant.

The Beginning of the Beginning

When we started Simple Modern in 2015, the hydration market was full of well-established, well-run, strong brands. During the first couple of years, I was repeatedly asked questions like, “Aren’t you just selling a knockoff?” and “Why would anyone want to buy your product over the other options that already exist?”

Also, money is always scarce. Every startup that I have been a part of has been bootstrapped. While I am partial to this funding method, it all but guarantees that money will be tight for at least the first few years. Our foundering team did not draw any salary until the company was almost a year old. Our office in the early days was an upstairs room in my house or the local Panera Bread. We scrounged for ways to do things less expensively and conserved the limited resources we did have for inventory purchases.

In contrast, during our first year of operation, two of our hydration competitors were bought by large corporations for sums approaching half a billion dollars each. After a couple of years, we swallowed hard and invested the money to attend the International Home and Housewares trade show. The day before the show was used by exhibitors for booth setup. While we admired the six-figure displays that other competing brands had created for the show, we sheepishly set up shelving that we had purchased at IKEA. At one point, we watched employees from a competitor walk by our booth, literally pointing and laughing at us.

Ironically, the difficulty of building a startup is also an important part of why the experience is so rewarding. Without the advantages our competitors enjoyed, we had to think creatively. We compensated for our relative lack of resources with sweat equity. There were long days and nights, but in the process, our early team bonded deeply. We developed a tenacious underdog mentality and a correspondingly big chip on our shoulders.

I saw growth in my personal character and humility as my role called me to help lead us through challenging situations. As the business grew, it filled us with immense gratitude because we knew how difficult it had been to accomplish. When we talked about the future, it felt like a big place full of possibility and promise. The early days were an incubator of relational, personal, and professional growth for all of us.

My experience had taught me about the emotions behind running a startup. Before I co-founded Simple Modern, I had been a part of starting and scaling several e-commerce businesses. As a company grows, it is easy to focus on the future not yet obtained instead of enjoying the present.

I would often spend my time thinking about acquiring the next group of customers, improving our processes to reduce chaos, implementing the latest technology, and achieving greater stability. As a result, I consistently had a feeling of wanting to graduate to the next phase. But when I looked back on those years, I realized that it was truly the process and not the destination that I had enjoyed.

The clip below from The Office sums it up perfectly:

Because Simple Modern was not my first rodeo, I made a conscious effort to live in the present. Those early days were some of the best days of my life.

Growth

I vividly remember taking my son to Disney World for the first time in the spring of 2016. Simple Modern had just started selling water bottles the week before we left for our vacation. During our trip, I was struck by the number of water bottles and tumblers in the park. I began to take mental notes about the brands and types of water bottled I spotted the most frequently.

When I returned, I set up a company Slack channel called #inthewild where our team could post pictures when we spotted others using our products. Early on, I was surprised at how infrequently we posted on the channel. It turns out that you need to sell a LOT of products before you start to see them organically.

We were fortunate that Simple Modern quickly experienced product fit in the marketplace. As we released products, we saw our sales and brand presence continue to increase. A little after the company’s second birthday, Target offered Simple Modern nationwide distribution.

When my family revisited Disney World in the summer of 2019, I spotted several of our products each day. Not only were we successfully selling more units, but our brand was beginning to really resonate with customers. People loved our combination of premium quality, generous prices, and dedication to generosity.

As our sales and customer base grew, everything else followed suit. We moved into our first office in May 2017, and by the middle of 2018, we had already begun looking at options for a larger office.

The team also continued to grow. From our initial core team of 10, we slowly grew to 15. We had a strongly ingrained “slow to hire” mentality, but by the time we made our next batch of hires, it was obvious we had waited too long. After months of not hiring, we hired five people during one particularly hectic week in fall 2019.

The new reality was also impacting the company’s bank account. For the first time, it felt like we had a little financial breathing room. Although our circumstances had changed, things still felt very much like a startup. There were very few established processes, and most core leaders still wore several different hats out of necessity.

At times, chaos reigned as we sprinted to keep up with our growth. I reminded my teammates to soak in the experience. I would say things like, “Even though things feel stressful and crazy right now, don’t be in a hurry to get to the next phase. In the future, you will remember these days and wish you could experience them again.”

The End of the Beginning . . .

As we have built Simple Modern, I have been squarely in the season of raising young children. When we founded the company, my son was four years old, and my daughter was not quite one. The experience of being a father has been one of the most enjoyable highlights of my life.

Recently my wife and I cleaned out some old toys, and I was struck with a pang of sadness and nostalgia. I looked at toys that my children had once adored, and I thought about playtimes gone by. It was a poignant reminder that my kids are growing up. Someday soon, they will no longer be children. I have always been aware of that reality, but that moment underscored a gradual transition happening every day.

My work life has been filled with signs of transition as well. Last year, our team moved into an incredible office that could serve as the company headquarters for years to come. We have grown from three co-founders to around 75 amazing full-time teammates in just a little over seven years. We now serve millions of customers worldwide and have the privilege to partner with some of the world’s leading retailers.

There have been several events and experiences over the past couple of years that have been sobering, concrete reminders that Simple Modern is no longer in its infancy. I realized that it was just like watching my kids grow up: the company’s growth has been happening gradually all along, but particular moments have highlighted to me that we are at the end of a season.

As I reflected on this reality, I was reminded of Winston Churchill’s words:

“Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

I firmly believe that our company has a tremendous future. I’m encouraged by the products we are developing, the customers we get to serve, and the growing number of opportunities that our company has to give generously. We have the most talented team that I have ever had the opportunity to work with, and it seems obvious to me that there are decades of growth and expansion in front of Simple Modern.

That being said, at the same time, it feels right to reflect at the close of a chapter in our story. The main question I am asking myself is, “As our company continues to grow, what should never change?”

First annual Simple Modern retreat (2017)

. . . But Always Day ONE

Over the last 25+ years, Amazon has grown from a garage startup to perhaps the most significant company in the world. As it grew, one of the attitudes that Jeff Bezos consistently championed was a “Day One” mindset.

“Day One” thinking acknowledges that although the internet has made a tremendous impact on our lives and our society over the last 30 years, we are still at the very beginning of its story. As Amazon grew, Bezos wanted the focus to lie on the vast possibility ahead instead of how much Amazon had accomplished and grown. When asked what “Day Two” is at Amazon, Bezos said this:

“Day 2 is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful decline. Followed by death. And that is why it is always Day 1.

I’m interested in the question, how do you fend off Day 2? What are the techniques and tactics? How do you keep the vitality of Day 1, even inside a large organization?”

This way of thinking has helped Amazon stay innovative, agile, and creative even as they have scaled to a behemoth company with almost a million workers.

It is still “Day One” at Simple Modern. We have come a long way from the plucky startup that we founded six years ago, but we have just begun to scratch the surface of the impact that I believe we are destined to make.

We started Simple Modern based on the belief that there is a better form of capitalism. We believe that so strongly that our company mission statement is “We Exist to Give Generously.” As we experience a growing company’s changing seasons, my goal is to keep our startup spirit and commitment to generosity central in everything we do.

When I am 80 (if I make it to that point), what will I remember about the last few years? More than anything else, I will remember the relationships. The singular best part about Simple Modern is being surrounded by people that I deeply respect and enjoy.

Being a startup CEO has helped me to grow immensely as a person. I have learned that career success pales compared to relational connection, and I have seen just how many weaknesses I have. I need to be challenged and loved by others who are for me.

When I was younger, I thought the goal of leadership was to build organizations. Over time I realized a simple fact: In life, we are all passing through. Every person who works at Simple Modern will someday exit, even me. Organizations are simply containers that we pass through over the course of our lives. I believe that what defines great organizations is that they help the people who pass through them flourish.

As the chapter turns, I am thankful to have been a part of creating an organization that puts people first.

Questions For Reflection

“What is an area of my life where I am in a hurry to graduate to the next phase? How is that impacting my ability to learn from and enjoy the experience today?”

“What will I remember about this season of life when I am 80? What are the areas that I am investing my time, money, or effort that will not matter to me when I look back on my life?”

“Where am I experiencing grief from a difficult transition? Who can I process these feelings with?”

“Am I taking regular time to reflect and express gratitude, or am I overly focused on the future?”

“Where am I scared to transition to the next season even though it is time?”