Nima Jalali built SALT & STONE out of his apartment into a $100M+ brand, without ever pitching a single retailer. After an ACL injury redirected his path, he created something he desperately wanted but didn't exist, a high quality, clean deodorant, that actually performs. SALT & STONE has now become one of the fastest growing brands in the space to-date by doing things differently. Even right now, every 60 seconds a SALT & STONE deodorant is bought. In this candid conversation Nima opens up about transitioning from a pro s...
Nima Jalali built SALT & STONE out of his apartment into a $100M+ brand, without ever pitching a single retailer. After an ACL injury redirected his path, he created something he desperately wanted but didn't exist, a high quality, clean deodorant, that actually performs. SALT & STONE has now become one of the fastest growing brands in the space to-date by doing things differently. Even right now, every 60 seconds a SALT & STONE deodorant is bought.
In this candid conversation Nima opens up about transitioning from a pro surfboarder into the Founder role, what it takes to build a killer team, and what keeps him going. He reveals the counter-intuitive strategy that got Sephora to come to him, and how he iterated his deodorant formula through 5 generations before calling it perfect.
You’ll Learn:
- Why going through 5+ product iterations beats launching "good enough"
- The digital excellence strategy that makes retailers chase you (not the other way around)
- How to build legacy brand positioning even as a one-person startup
- Why getting a "no" from retailers too early can kill your momentum
- The mindset shift from solo athlete to team builder
- The key to building a digital identity that inspires & attracts customers
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introducing Nima Jalali, Founder & CEO of SALT & STONE
3:00 Transitioning from Pro Snowboarder to Business Owner
4:55 The 5 Generations of Product Perfection
6:45 How to Think Like Nike When You're a One-Man Show
8:13 What Nima Did to Build a Brand Sephora NEEDS to Have
10:09 Steps to Achieve Digital Excellence
12:39 SALT & STONE’S Philosophy on: Ingredient Sourcing, Product Development & Testing
19:06 How to Set Your Business Up to Grow Into a Legacy Brand From Day 1
22:07 The Retail Strategy That Never Fails
28:35 Tackling Global Expansion & Managing Expectations as a Founder
29:55 Single Most Impactful Thing NIma Did in The First 6 Months That Made SALT & STONE Successful
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