Nima Jalali - Salt & Stone's Founder Breaks Down His 9 Figure Brand

我是说，你们卖得比宝洁、联合利华这些公司还好，这些公司都不知道存在多少年了，差不多一百年了吧。

I mean, you're outselling P and G, Unilever, like some of these kind of I don't even know how long have these companies been around for, like a hundred years.

那你觉得还有哪些关键因素让你能超过他们？

Like, what are some of those other kind of big levers that you think you pulled that allow you to outsell them?

就是对细节的关注和一种执着。

It's it's attention to detail and an obsession.

如果我问你最喜欢的披萨店是哪家，你肯定不会说是达美乐或者棒约翰。

If I asked you what your favorite pizza place is, right, you're not gonna say Domino's or Papa John's.

你会说是街角那家店，老板凌晨四点半就起来发酵面团、自己做酱料，就是特别痴迷那种，对吧？

You're gonna say the guy down the street that wakes up at 04:30AM to ferment his own dough and make his own sauce and is just like obsessed, right?

这就是大公司做不到的，所以他们才会收购这些品牌。

Like, that's what the big guys can't do and that's why they buy these companies.

因为创始人就是有那种热情，对吧？

Because there's the founder has that passion, right?

所以当我们谈到品牌的时候，这种热情会渗透到方方面面。

And so that leads over to everything when we talk about a brand.

所以，你在大品牌那里得不到这种细节的关注，然后他们可以，你知道，请一个CEO，那个CEO，也许有时候，也许那个CEO真的很在乎这个品牌，但大多数时候，我是说，他们拿很多钱，他们在乎的是薪水。

And so it's just you don't get that level of detail with a big massive brand, and then they can, you know, bring on a CEO, and that CEO, maybe at times, maybe that maybe that CEO cares about the actual brand deeply, but more times than not, I mean, they're getting paid a lot of money and they care they care about the salary.

没有人会比一个把自己的名字挂在品牌上的创始人更用心、更执着，因为他把一切都押在上面了。

They're not no one's gonna have the level of care and obsession than a founder with his name attached to it, and it's got everything on the line.

这是无法复制的。

Like, there's no replicating that.

这就是为什么你会看到这些创始人品牌冒出来，把大公司打得落花流水，因为大公司都在吃老本。

And that's why you see these founder brands pop up that just crush the big guys because the big guys are on cruise control.

现在你跟这么大的公司合作，你是怎么保持这种对细节的关注的呢？

How do you keep that attention to detail now with partnering with such a big boy?

你是一直亲力亲为吗？

As you continue continuously staying hands on?

一直亲力亲为。

Staying hands on.

我是说，你看，我觉得这个品牌的魅力一部分就在于我自己，以及我对这个品牌的热情。

I mean, look, I think part of the allure of the brand was was myself and how passionate I am about the brand.

所以就是要确保我们不会丢掉这一点，确保这一点永远都在。

And so just making sure we don't lose that, and making sure that's there forever.

而且，我也不可能永远在这里，所以将来某个时候要交接给新领导的时候，得确保那个领导也有这份心，想尽办法让他有这份心。

And like, I'm not going to be here forever, so as we transition at some point, you know, to a new leader, making sure that leader has that, trying whatever we can to make sure the leader has that.

这是有可能的。

And possible.

但这种情况真的不多见。

It just doesn't happen a lot.

你看像耐克这样的品牌，他们一直都很火。

You look at a brand like Nike, they've always been relevant.

他们一直都很酷。

They've always been cool.

所以这是有可能的，但我能说出很多品牌，被收购之后，就慢慢不行了。

And so it is it is possible, but I can name a bunch of brands that are just they get bought and then they just they just turn to shit.

我们之前请了Represent的乔治来录了一期很棒的节目，对，他就聊了他的工作。

We had George from Represent on an amazing episode, and yeah, he just talks about, like, his job.

他当时是部分收购。

He had a a partial buyout.

就是为了让品牌保持活力，同时保留他自己的印记。

It's just to keep the brand kind of relevant and keep his imprint on the brand.

我觉得你也是这样的。

I feel like that's that's the same with you.

没错。

That's right.

其实我关心得多得多。

I mean, I care I care a lot more.

我关心的不只是让品牌保持酷，我还关心很多别的东西，比如产品本身、市场营销，你懂的，我关心很多方面。

I care more about, like, not just keeping it cool, but I care about a lot of the things like the product, the actual product itself, the marketing, you know, I care about a lot of it.

所以真的不只是保持酷，但当然那也是其中一部分。

So it's not really just not just keeping it cool, but certainly that's part of it.

Asia说你还在看网上的所有评论。

Asia said you're still checking all of the reviews online.

这是真的吗？

Is that is that factual?

是真的。

That's a fact.

你知道，我们网站上每一条评论都会发到我的邮箱里。

I don't, you know, every review that gets put on our website, it comes to my inbox.

所以我会一条条看，不管是好评还是差评。

And so I read through them, good or bad.

差评我会特别在意，然后看看是不是真的有需要解决的问题。

I take the bad ones personally and figure out if, you know, if there's a real problem that we need to solve.

所以，直到几年前，我还在亲自回复Instagram上的私信，四年前还在自己做客服。

And so, up until a couple years ago, I was still replying to DMs on Instagram and doing customer service myself four years ago.

就像，我的手机和电脑上都有客服邮箱。

Like, was I had the customer service inbox on my phone and my computer.

所以我先处理自己的私人邮箱，然后切换到Salt and Stone的客服邮箱，把那些都处理完。

And so I'm going through my own personal inbox and then I switch over to the Salt and Stone customer service one and and do all that.

我是说，你得跟客户保持联系，听听他们在说什么。

I mean, you gotta be connected to your customer and hear what they're saying.

我觉得这是最好的方式。

I feel like that's the best way.

前4000个订单，我的邮箱都是shopiconicgmail.com。

I was shopiconicgmail dot com for the first 4,000 orders.

然后你就会发现关于你品牌的所有小细节，所有问题、麻烦，以及你需要制定标准流程的地方。

And you just figure out any and every little thing that you ever could wanna know about your brand, every issue, problem, what you need to SOP.

对于任何创始人来说，我觉得至少前几年，创始人自己必须亲自做客服。

For any any founder out there, I feel like at least the first couple of years, have to be customer service as the operator.

完全同意。

Totally.

一旦创始人跟最终客户脱节，那就完了。

Once the founder becomes disconnected from the end customer, it's it's over.

完全同意。

Completely agree.

丝芙兰，那可是个巨头。

So Sephora, it's a monster.

我觉得很多人对这件事有误解。

I feel like a lot of people get this one wrong.

我是说，当时发生了什么？

I mean, what happened there?

是他们来找你的吗？

They come to you?

还是你主动去找他们的？

Did you go to them?

我知道你一开始就搞得很大。

I know you went big right out the gate.

跟我们说说当时的情况吧。

So tell us what happened there.

因为那感觉就像是美妆界的中心。

Because that's like, I feel like the center of all things beauty.

我一直都知道我想进丝芙兰，有一天他们给我们发了邮件。

I I always knew I I wanted to be in Sephora, and they emailed us one day.

然后我们就见了面，就是那种“你好，很高兴认识你”的客套。

And so we met with them and it was, hey, nice to meet you.

然后说保持联系什么的，我当时心都碎了。

Let's let's stay in touch, you know, and that I was crushed.

我就觉得，完了，没戏了。

I just felt like, that's the end.

你知道，你见了丝芙兰的人，然后呢，结果三周后丝芙兰另一个采购联系我，说咱们见个面吧。

You know, you got your Sephora meeting and then but, you know, three weeks later I got hit up by another buyer at Sephora and they're like, hey, let's meet.

所以那是个漫长的过程，就是一直见他们，最后他们决定这个品牌适合他们。

And so it was this long process that, you know, of just meeting them, and ultimately, they decided the brand was for them.

结果证明这是个很棒的决定。

And it turned out to be a great decision.

你知道，我们的沐浴露和除臭剂在那里都是销量第一，合作一直很愉快。

You know, we're the best selling body wash in there, the best selling deodorant in there, and it's been a beautiful partnership.

你觉得你在那里卖得这么好，主要原因是什么？

What what do you think is the main reason why you're getting such good sell through there?

我觉得这完全取决于我之前说的那些，从产品角度、视觉角度来说都是如此。

I believe it's all the it's everything that I was talking about from a from a product perspective, a visual perspective.

设计很漂亮。

The design is beautiful.

品牌名字也很美，而且正在变得有标志性，我觉得这个品牌就是有那种独特的气质。

The brand name is beautiful, and it's becoming iconic, and it's something that, you know, I believe the brand has the it factor.

你会看到那些模仿者出现，你觉得他们可能也会做得不错，但市场就是不接受他们，你知道吧。而这个品牌就是有那种魅力，看起来漂亮，闻起来香，效果也好，正是丝芙兰需要的，我觉得也是他们想要的。

And it's like you see the copycats come up and you feel like they might do well, but the universe just doesn't accept them, you know, and the brand is is got it and it looks beautiful, it smells beautiful, it works, and it's exactly what, you know, Sephora and I feel like what they need, you know.

那里有很多品牌在竞争，看谁最响亮、谁最花哨，而我们进来的时候更内敛、更优雅，面向的可能是稍微成熟一点的顾客。

They there's a lot of brands in there competing for who's the loudest, who's the most colorful, and then we come in a little bit more reserved and beautiful and for the, you know, the shopper that is maybe a little bit older.

就是说，这个产品并不是为十三四岁的小孩设计的，而是为那个稍微年长一些的消费群体打造的。

Like, it's not really, you know, made for like the 13 year old, 14 year old in mind, you know, it's, you know, creating a product for that that slightly older demographic.

看看丝芙兰，再看看亚马逊，我觉得这真的非常罕见。

Looking at Sephora and then looking at Amazon, I think it's very, very rare.

我觉得大家都会认同，在丝芙兰和亚马逊上以同样的价格点取得这样的成功，是非常难得的。

I think everyone out there would agree to have the same price point on both Sephora and Amazon have such success.

这背后的策略是什么呢？

What was like the strategy behind that?

然后，你们又遇到了哪些需要克服的困难？

And then what has been kind of like the hurdles to go over?

你怎么看这件事？

What what do think about that?

我从来不觉得我们只是丝芙兰的品牌。

I never think of us as a Sephora brand.

我们在丝芙兰卖得好，而且在那里卖得好也是理所当然的，但我们是一个面向所有人的品牌，这就是为什么我们在亚马逊上也能取得商业上的成功。

We do well in Sephora, and it makes sense that we do well in Sephora, but we're an everybody brand, you know, and that's why, you know, you see the commercial success we're having on Amazon.

你知道吗，很多男性也在用我们的产品。

You know, a a lot of men use our products, you know?

而且，从历史上看，去丝芙兰购物的主要是女性，对吧？

And so, you know, and historically, it's women shopping at Sephora, you know?

所以呢

And so

在亚马逊上还有什么大的动作吗？

Anything else big to kind of look on on Amazon?

我知道你们的平均售价明显比其他人都高。

I know that your average sale price is significantly bigger than everybody else's.

你们在除臭剂这个品类里，我这里有数据，占了6.3%的份额。

You you have what I have here on deodorant, 6.3% share of the category.

这太厉害了。

That's insane.

在你们的亚马逊策略里，有没有什么可以指出的关键点？

Is there anything in like your Amazon playbook that you can point to?

那是你们当初选择入驻那里的重要原因吗？

That was like a big reason why you guys went there?

事情是这样的。

Here's the thing.

我们在除臭剂上拿到过最佳卖家第一名，而且那是在我们还没在亚马逊上打广告之前。

We had the number one best seller badge on deodorant before we even advertised on the platform.

所以你知道怎么回事。

So you know how it is.

作为消费者，你发现一个品牌，发现一个产品，然后就会去亚马逊看看，能不能明天就送到。

As a consumer, you find a brand, you find a product, and then you kinda jump to Amazon and go, could I get this tomorrow?

或者能不能当天就送到。

Or could I get this same day?

所以很多人都是这么做的。

And so a lot of people are doing that.

话虽如此，现在的策略是我们会在上面打广告，主动出击，这也是为什么这个平台对我们来说这么重要。

That being said, now the strategy is we advertise on it, we're on the attack on the platform, and that's why it's been such a huge channel for us.

但我们在那里起步和发展，其实并没有太依赖这个平台。

But to get our start and our momentum on there really happened with not that much focus on the platform.

我觉得这听起来真的很厉害。

I mean, this sounds like really crazy.

我是说，我们聊了有一阵子了。

I mean, we've been going for a minute here.

我觉得你们就是靠最好的产品直接赢的。

I feel like it's just like you guys are just winning on the best product straight up.

这就是你们赢的原因。

Like, that is why you guys are winning.

我们可以说这是最好的品牌，但我最终觉得，如果没有疯狂的复购率，那也赢不了。

We can say it's the best brand, but I I ultimately feel like that doesn't win unless you get crazy repeat rates.

所以就是对产品细节的极致关注。

So it's just a maniacal attention to detail on the product.

而且这从设计开始，因为在线上你只能看到产品的外观，我们可以尽力描述它的气味，但你最终无法真正知道。

And it starts with design, because online you're just seeing the way the thing looks, and we could do our best to describe to you how it smells, but you ultimately don't know.

但有一件事是肯定的，你看到产品的照片，这就是为什么设计如此重要。

But one thing for certain is you see the photo of the product, and that's why design is so important.

同意。

Agree.

我每天都要用 Wispr Flow 好几个小时。

I use Wispr Flow for hours every single day.

我觉得我思考的速度比打字快多了。

I think way faster than I type.

我每分钟大概能说两百二十个词，但打字只有四十五个。

I speak about two twenty words a minute and type only 45.

Wispr Flow 正好弥补了这个差距。

Wispr Flow closes that gap.

它是一个语音转文字工具，在电脑或手机上的任何地方都能用。

It's a voice to text tool that works anywhere on your computer or phone.

你只要说话，光标所在的地方就会出现干净整洁的文字。

You talk and clean formatted text shows up wherever your cursor cursor is.

好了。

Alright.

我来给你演示一下。

Let me show you.

我现在就要回一封真实的邮件，不用打字。

I'm gonna answer a real email right now without typing.

你可以看到，Tyga在问我们对下一集预告视频的反馈意见。

You can see here, Tyga is asking for feedback on our intro video for the next episode.

看看我是怎么回复的。

Watch how I respond.

如果你能做一些修改，把红色调亮一点，字体缩小一点。

If you could just make a few changes, make the red a little bit brighter, the typography a little bit smaller.

音乐方面，如果你能给我一些其他选项，还有第一张照片，也多给一些选项。

For the music, if you can just give me some other options, and that first photo, some more options as well.

每个给我三个选项，并且确保在周五下班前发给我。

Please give me three options for each, and make sure you send it to me by end of the day, Friday.

谢谢。

Thanks.

所以你可以看到，文本干净多了。

So as you can tell, the text is way cleaner.

我说话有时候只说半句，还会含糊带过。

I kinda speak in half sentences and sometimes mumble on.

这样写出来的内容就很干净，格式完美，也不会犯那些小错误。

This makes it very clean, formatted perfectly, and avoids all the small mistakes.

这个产品对我来说真的是离不开的。

This is a product that I cannot live without.

我保证你一定会喜欢的。

I promise you that you will love it.

如果你们想免费试用Wispr Flow Pro一个月，点下面的链接，用优惠码open residency。

If you guys wanna get one month free of Wispr Flow Pro, click the link below and use code open residency.

我们再来看看其他合作案例。

Let's get into some more partnerships.

Brain Dead、Stoocy、Outdoor Voices、Aritzia、Cherry LA、Kendall Jenner的eight eighteen、Airwon Smoothies，这些品牌面向的都是不同的文化群体。

Brain Dead, Stoocy, Outdoor Voices, Aritzia, Cherry LA, Kendall Jenner's eight eighteen, Airwon Smoothies, all kind of different cultural audiences.

你是怎么看待这些合作来加速品牌发展的？

How do you look at kind of these partnerships to accelerate brands?

所以最开始，你知道，直到今天也是，就是想着，什么对我们的营销团队来说有意思？

So originally, was it was, you know, in very much to this day, it's like, what will be fun for our marketing team?

从品牌角度来说，什么比较合理？

What makes sense brand wise?

就是，我们怎么才能让这么多新用户注意到我们的品牌，但方式上又能让我们自己玩得开心？

Like, how can we get all these new eyeballs on our brand, but do it in a way where we're gonna have fun with it?

你知道，Aritzia就是一个很好的例子。

You know, and Aritzia was a great example of that.

你知道，他们的品牌做得非常好。

You know, they have an amazing brand.

他们比我们大得多，你知道，而且这也是我脑子里一直有的目标，就是我们怎么才能从这些合作里获得很多，同时也能在活动、产品设计上玩得开心。

They have and they're much larger than us, you know, and that's that's always the goal in the back of my head too, is how can we gain a lot from these collaborations, but also have a lot of fun with it, campaign wise, product design wise.

所以，这真的不是什么赚大钱的策略，我们不是为了这个才去做的。

And so it's it's it's not this like huge money making strategy is not why we go into it.

这些合作确实能赚钱，但目标就是，制造点动静，然后玩得开心。

They are they do make money, but the goal of it the goal for it is, let's make noise and let's have fun with it.

简单又深刻。

Simple and profound.

所以重点是大规模的分销计划，而不是利润。

So a big distribution plan, not so much about the profits.

那从产品的角度来看，你怎么看待这些联名？

And then from a product perspective, how do you look at these collabs?

是全新的产品吗？

Is it net new product?

还是拿现有产品加上你们的标志？

Is it taking an existing product and putting your logo on it?

具体是什么样的？

What does that look like?

我们喜欢为每次联名定制专属的香氛。

We like to have custom fragrances for each one.

所以，每个香味都会体现那个品牌的特色。

So, like, each each scent will be that brand's expression.

所以，我们为Aritzia的合作款推出了一款新香。

So, we had a new scent for the Aritzia collab.

它叫百合和柚子，是我们都很喜欢的一款，我们和他们合作，做了一些调整，为他们量身定制。

It was called Lily and Yuzu, and it was something that we we loved, we had, we worked with them, made some tweaks to it, and personalized it for them.

对我们来说，推出这款香很棒，就像是在想，如果Aritzia真的做香水，那会是什么味道？

And it was great for us to put out this scent and it was like, okay, if Aritzia ever did a fragrance, what would it smell like?

就是这个。

Here it is.

所以做这样的合作真的很有趣。

So working on that is so much fun.

所以光是新香这一件事，对我们来说就很重要。

So just the new scent alone is a big deal for us.

回顾所有这些合作，你觉得哪一个对你们品牌影响最大？

If you were look back at all these collabs, which one do you think is the most impactful for your brands?

在不考虑钱的情况下，哪个合作带来了最多的关注，帮助了你们的定位？

Under the notion that money is not a thing, what has driven the most amount of kind of awareness and helped your positioning?

我觉得要么是Aritzia，要么是Outdoor Voices，因为那还是Outdoor Voices风格不一样的时候。

I would say either either Aritzia or probably Outdoor Voices because this is back when Outdoor Voices was a different brand.

那是Thai Haney还在管的时候吧？

This is the the Thai Haney days when she was running it?

那时候它特别酷，特别火，我们一进来就吸引了好多新目光，因为那时候我们还不是家喻户晓的品牌。

And it was it was it was very much cool, and it was relevant, and we we came in and got a bunch of new eyes on the brand where it's like, we weren't a household name at that brand.

只要能帮我们往那个方向走，我觉得都是很大的胜利。

And anything that helps us get there, I find is a bit a big win.

回顾一下Kendall Jenner的818，那好像是最近的事，那次合作最大的收获是什么？

Looking back on this Kendall Jenner's eight one eight that happened, like, pseudo recently, what was the the big thing that came out of that?

Jenner效应到底是什么？

What what is the Jenner effect?

你不用非得告诉我。

I need to not need to hear it from you.

就是说，很快就卖光了。

I mean, it sold out quick.

它真的卖得非常好。

It did really, really well.

而且很酷的一点是，我们可以测试一些有趣又不一样的新香味，但可能我们不想一下子推出15款香水。

And the the cool thing is we get to test new scents that like feel fun and different, but we're not maybe we don't wanna put out like 15 fragrances.

这给了我们一个机会

And this gives us a chance

去推出更多我们真正喜欢的款式。

to put more out that we're that we're in love with.

所以，这款漂亮的香草和龙舌兰香水，就是我们推出的其中一款。

And so, this is beautiful vanilla, this like agave, beautiful fragrance that we got to put out.

当然，当肯达尔和克里斯·詹纳在社交媒体上发帖推荐的时候，肯定会有帮助，所以……

I mean, and it certainly helps when Kendall and Kris Jenner are posting about it, you know, and so

那具体是什么样的情况？

What does that look like?

这就像《创智赢家》里他们按下按钮的效果吗？

Is this like the shark tank effect when they press the button?

是不是一下子就爆了？

It's explosiveness?

具体是什么情况？

How does that go?

这个很难说，我确实可以让我们的首席营销官来分析一下，这些帖子带来了多少销售额，又有多少不是。

It's hard to it's hard to and I could definitely have our our CMO breakdown what amount of the sales are from those posts and what are not.

不过，我们现在的位置很好，不管是谁在发帖，我们的合作款都卖得很好，而且很快就售罄了。

But, like, we're in a great position right now that our collaborations are doing well and selling out very quickly regardless of who's posting about it.

我刚私下听说了阿拉斯加航空的合作。

I was just told offline about the Alaska Airlines partnership.

我非常喜欢这个合作，以及它背后的理念。

I absolutely love that and the thesis behind it.

你跟我们讲讲这个吧？

Why don't you tell us about that?

因为我觉得这个想法值得更多人好好思考。

Because I think that's something that more people should think through.

其实，我最近才第一次亲眼看到。

So, I actually just saw it from my first time.

我的意思是，我所有的朋友在阿拉斯加航空的洗手间里都会给我发照片，然后……

I mean, all my friends send me photos when they're in the Alaska Airlines bathroom and

你喜欢这个。

You love that.

你喜欢这个。

You love that.

我当然喜欢。

I love it.

我怎么可能不喜欢呢？

I mean, why wouldn't I love it?

太棒了。

It's amazing.

但我是前几天或者上个月才第一次亲眼看到的，当时就觉得，偶尔会有那么一瞬间，你会想，哇，这是我们做出来的。

But I saw it for my first time the other day or last month, and it was like, every once in a while you have these moments of like, wow, like, we we did this.

所以那一刻就是在飞机上，走进洗手间，看到你的产品就在那里，感觉太不真实了。

And so that was that moment on the flight, walking into the to the bathroom cabin and seeing your product there is just unreal.

说不出话来。

No words.

你只会想，天哪。

You're just like, holy shit.

有道理。

Makes sense.

你们是远程办公的。

You guys are remote.

听说你们可能以超过5亿美元的价格卖掉了公司，而且你说过你们完全远程完成了超过1.65亿美元的业务。

Mean, rumor has it, you may or may not have sold for over $500,000,000 You have said that you've done 165,000,000 plus fully remote.

这怎么可能？

How is that even possible?

在那么大的规模下？

Like, at that type of scale?

那么，你在远程办公时保持效率的那些重要方法是什么？

Like, what are those big things that you do to keep efficiencies remotely?

我尽量找那些在远程环境中能如鱼得水的人。

I try to find people who thrive in a remote setting.

当你谈到那些工作和生活没有明显界限的人时，他们并不是必须一直工作，而是无论做什么都追求卓越。

And when you talk about people who have sort of no distinction between work and life, it's they're just not that they have to work all the time, but they're just trying to achieve excellence in their life no matter what.

他们对自己的职业和所服务的品牌有一种自豪感。

They have a sense of pride for their career and the brand they're working with.

他们就是那种实干家。

It's like a doer.

就像那种如果碗没洗完就不会休息的人。

Like the type of person that's just they're not gonna rest if the dishes aren't done.

这其实是一种性格，你知道的，要么有，要么没有。

And it's like, it's a personality, you know, and you either have it or you don't.

所以，你可以写一些关于员工应该怎样的文化准则，但我觉得那没什么用。

So it's like you can't You can write these like culture things like of like what people should be, but I find that kinda useless.

你只需要找那些天生就是自我驱动型的人，他们想远程工作，不是因为能遛狗或者别的什么。

You just you look for personalities that are just like self starters, people who wanna be remote, not because they get to walk their dog or whatever.

而是因为他们效率更高，他们关心自己在做的事，想创造有意义的东西。

It's because they're more efficient, and they care about what they're doing and they want to build something meaningful.

这样的人是存在的。

Those people exist.

只是更难找到。

They're harder to find.

一旦找到了，就得留住他们。

And when you get them, you got to keep them.

所以建立组织，至少目标是让每个人都具备这种性格。

And so building an organization, at least the goal is, to have everybody have that personality.

你可能会遇到一个履历很亮眼的人，在某个大品牌工作过，做过这个做过那个，但见面之后，你心里会想，也许这个人远程工作表现不会太好，对吧？

So you meet somebody with a track record that they're with so and so brand that's just massive and they've done this, done that, and you meet them, and you just feel like, you know what, maybe this person's not going to be great remote, right?

他们可能不适合远程环境。

And they're not going to thrive in a remote setting.

所以，你只能放弃他们。

And so, you have to pass on them.

所以，要确保每个人都具备这种特质。

So, making sure that everyone has got that built into them.

然后从领导力的角度来看，要找那些像迷你创始人、各自领域的迷你CEO一样的人。

And then from a leadership perspective, finding people who are like mini founders, like mini CEOs of their own category.

这样一来，招聘过程就变得很难。

And so it makes the hiring process hard.

我们有一个优势，就是我们远程办公，所以人们很看重这一点。

One thing we do have going for us is we are remote, so people value that.

真正看重远程工作的人会优先选择来我们这里工作，而不是每天花三十分钟开车去办公室，再开三十分钟回来，或者类似的情况。

The people who actually value remote work will prioritize that and come work for us rather than have to go sit in an office and drive thirty minutes there and thirty minutes back or whatever it is.

这扩大了人才库，

Opens up the pool

让更多人可以加入。

for more people to come.

没错。

That's right.

你可以在任何地方找到优秀的人才。

You find amazing talent anywhere.

你可以在中西部或者其他地方找到人才，不会因为办公室在纽约市，就非得找能通勤过来的人。

You could find talent in the Midwest or wherever, and you're not limited by, oh, well, our office is in New York City, so we have to find somebody who can commute in.

那些迷你CEO是什么样的？他们又是怎么向你汇报的？

What do those mini CEOs look like, and how does that kind of ladder up to you?

我和他们合作很紧密。

So I work closely with them.

我和其中几个想保持一对一沟通的人有一对一的会议，但我跟他们聊得太多了。

I I have one on ones with a couple of them who've wanted to keep it, but I talk with them so much.

比如我的首席营销官，感觉我们每小时都在互相发消息，一会儿上线一会儿下线，所以既然我们一直在聊，为什么还要安排一对一会议呢？

Like, my CMO, there's just like it feels like every hour we're we're pinging each other for something, jumping on, jumping off, and it's like, why would we set a one on one for somebody I'm talking to all the time anyways?

所以，我觉得在Salt and Stone最成功的人，就是和我保持那种关系，总是主动联系我的人。

So, I'd say the most successful people at Salt and Stone have that kind of relationship with me that are just always hitting me up.

我也总是主动联系他们。

I'm always hitting them up.

不是那种，好吧，咱们每周见一次，聊聊你这周过得怎么样。

It's not like, okay, let's meet once a week and talk about how your week went.

所以，就像是你身在其中。

And so, it's like, you're in it.

我们一起在里头。

We're in it together.

我们会一直保持沟通。

We're gonna be communicating.

这些都是好问题啊，兄弟。

These are good problems, man.

这些都是

These are all

这些听起来都是非常好的问题。

these all sound like really, really good problems.

你们用招聘中介吗？

You guys use recruiters?

你们是怎么招到这么多人才的？

How are you how are you getting all this talent?

我的意思是，显然你们品牌很好，大家都想为你们工作，但你们有没有用过什么招聘技巧或者招数？

I mean, obviously, you have a great brand that people wanna work for, but there is there any kind of hiring tactics and tricks that you've used?

我们最近才开始用招聘中介。

We started using recruiters not that long ago.

我之前花了很多时间在LinkedIn上。

I was spending a lot of time on LinkedIn.

我们很多最优秀的员工都是我在LinkedIn上找到的，给他们发消息，尤其是品牌变大之后，他们会回复，我就能约到他们见面，然后成功把他们招进来。

A lot of our best employees have come from me, scouting them out on LinkedIn, sending them a message, especially as the brand got bigger, they would reply and I'd get meetings with them and we'd be able to successfully hire them.

所以我每天花很多时间，好几个小时在LinkedIn上，看各种人才，就像扮演体育球队总经理的角色一样。

So I spent a lot of time, hours every single day on LinkedIn, looking at different talent, just playing that like sports team GM role.

你懂我的意思吧？

You know what I mean?

就像，我得在这儿找到我的明星球员，在那儿找到我的明星球员。

Like, I gotta find my all star here, my all star there.

他们怎么一起合作呢？

How are they gonna work together?

所以我觉得这事儿挺有意思的，但说到底，它特别费时间。

And so I found I had a lot of fun with it, but ultimately, it takes a lot of time.

我现在还是会这么做。

I will do it now.

如果有人要离职，或者我们要招新岗位、重要岗位，我就会花好几个小时在LinkedIn上，努力找顶尖人才。

If if somebody has to leave or we're we're hiring for something new and meaningful, I'll I will spend hours on LinkedIn and try to find top talent.

我有个朋友，他把公司做到了九位数的规模，而他大部分时间都花在这上面。

One of my buddies, like, that was, like, he scaled the company to 9 figures, and that was, what he spent most of his time on.

回头看，我以前总觉得他疯了，但其实，这真的是非常明智的时间利用方式。

And looking back, I always thought he was crazy, but that's, a very, like, very good usage of your time.

就是人才招聘嘛。

It's just talent acquisition.

没错。

That's

我基本上就是个招聘专员。

I'm a I'm basically a recruiter.

就是说，你的团队有多强，你就有多强。

Like, you're only as good as your team.

所以到了这个阶段，你还能把时间花在别的地方吗？

So what else are you gonna spend your time on at this point?

你已经有漂亮又完美的产品了。

You got the beautiful, perfect product.

所有事情都在顺利推进。

You got all these things going.

现在如果有人离开，你首要任务就是找到那个顶尖人才，那个在某个领域里的迈克尔·乔丹。

And now if somebody leaves, it should be a priority for you to find the a plus player, the Michael Jordan of of whatever that category is.

我看你的时候，感觉你很明显，尤其是在最开始只有你和几个人的时候，你一个人干了所有岗位的活儿。

When I look at you, I feel like you've obviously especially in the beginning when it was like just you and a couple people, like you were doing every single role.

但在我看来，你是个非常有创意的人。

But when I look at you, I think you're a highly creative individual.

你是个品牌型的人，也是个有远见的人，我觉得。

You're a brand guy, a visionary, I would say.

而且你看那本书，那本书写得很好。

And when you like look at the book, it's a great book.

书名叫《火箭燃料》。

It's called Rocket Fuel.

书里讲有远见的人，还有整合者。

There's a visionary, then there's an integrator.

可能现在听我们节目的很多人，他们首先都是创意和品牌出身，然后被推到了CEO的位置上。

There's probably a lot of people out there listening that are like almost creative and brand people first, and they're kind of thrown into this CEO role.

你一开始是从滑雪这种小生意做起的，然后一下子被推到了这么大的公司。

You literally came snowboarding, kind of a smaller business, and then you're thrust into this massive company.

对于这些创意出身的领导者，你有什么建议吗？

What's your advice that you would give to these creative first leaders?

我会说相信你的直觉。

I would say trust your instincts.

如果你觉得自己有个想法，觉得自己是个有远见的人，那就相信它。

And if you feel like you have an idea and you feel like you are a visionary, trust it.

然后你就会被推着去做很多不同的事情，扮演很多不同的角色。

And then you get thrown into having to do a lot of different things and wear a lot of different hats.

你只能硬着头皮去学，去摸索。

And you just have no option but to learn these things and figure them out.

我觉得这归根结底还是要对你做的事情有热情。

And I think that that comes back to having the passion for what you're doing.

因为如果你真的讨厌它，或者就是搞不明白，或者不想去搞明白，那你就得请人帮忙了。

Because if you truly hate it or just can't figure it out or don't wanna figure it out, you're gonna have to hire help.

你不能像我那样，前三年完全靠自己一个人撑着。

You can't do what I did, whereas like I ran this thing all by myself for the first three years.

所以这很难。

So it's hard.

我的建议，其实也算不上什么建议。

My advice, it's it's not so much advice.

就是说，希望作为创始人，你有那份热情。

It's like, hopefully, as a founder, you have that passion.

希望你有那种让你寝食难安的东西，就是那种你睡不着觉，就盼着这件事能成功的感觉。

Hopefully, you have that thing that eats away at you that you're just like, cannot sleep because you want this thing to be so successful.

我觉得这种东西，要么有，要么没有。

And I think you either have it or you don't.

说得狠，但确实是这么回事。

Brutal, but true.

不过，你关键招了哪些人？

What were those key hires though?

因为我相信肯定有那么一个时刻，你会觉得，好吧，这业务发展得太快了。

Because I'm sure there was a moment where you're like, okay, this thing is scaling fast.

我得招更多人手了。

I need to get in more people.

回顾这段旅程，你觉得哪些关键招聘是重要的转折点，最终让你腾出时间，帮助公司扩展？

When you look back at this journey, who what were those big inflection points of the hires that ultimately freed up your time and allowed you to kind of help scale the company?

我的第一个员工，这个我记得很清楚。

My my first hire was comes to mind.

你知道，那时候所有事情都是我在做。

You know, I was doing everything.

所有的运营、发货，所有的事情，还有下单、找供应商、应收账款，比如跟零售商收款，品牌的每一个小细节。

All the ops, the shipping, like everything, the ordering, you know, to the manufacturer, finding suppliers, AR, like collecting payments from retailers, every little piece of the brand.

那真是美好的旧时光啊，宝贝。

Those are the good old days, baby.

天哪，那时候真的特别开心。

I mean, man, it was so fun.

我不是说那时候很辛苦。

Know, I don't talk about it like, man, that sucked.

就是特别有意思。

It was just so fun.

亲手打造一个东西，看着它一步步变成现实。

Building something, seeing it come to life.

还有比这更棒的事吗？

Like, what's better than that?

你还能

What else are

做什么呢？

you gonna do?

我记得最初赚到几百万的时候，每天拼命工作到脸都熬干了，然后睡在懒人沙发上，没有工作日和周末之分。

I remember the first couple million and just working till my face was burnt off and then sleeping on bean bags and no weekdays, no weekends.

我现在依然很拼。

I still put in the work.

但尤其是当事情有起色的时候。

But especially if it's working.

如果事情有起色，而且你一个人包揽所有事，所有时间都在工作，那时候我也没有家庭负担，你知道，有个女朋友，但没孩子，所以我可以没日没夜地拼命干。

If it's working and you're doing it by yourself and you're doing everything and all you're doing is work, I didn't have a family at that point either, you know, I had a girlfriend, but I didn't have kids, you know, so I could just go relentlessly, like all the time.

而且当一切顺利的时候，品牌在成长，这是你第一次除了职业单板滑雪之外自己独立做事情。

And when it's working out in, you know, the brand is growing and it's this thing, it's your first time doing something on your own other than pro snowboarding.

这真的太有意思了，兄弟。

Like, it's so fun, man.

这是最棒的。

It's the best.

这就是你为之而活的东西。

It's what you live for.

你刚才说的这一点，我觉得对任何在听的人来说都很重要，就是你必须找到一个位置，让你的付出直接和结果挂钩。

You said something there that I think is like, for anybody out there listening, like, you have to find a way to put yourself in a spot where the efforts of your input directly tied to the output.

我记得，就是越努力，运气就越好。

Like, I just remember it was, like, the harder I worked, the luckier I got.

越努力，赚的钱就越多，那只是开始。

The harder I worked, the more money I made, That was like the beginning.

我记得就是觉得一天的时间根本不够用，我就想每天从早干到晚，因为我直接看到了回报。

I just remember it's just like there was just not enough hours in the day, I just wanted to work every day, all day, because I just saw a direct benefit.

我觉得你得找到那个点。

I think you have to find that.

没错。

You do.

我是说，你看，一半的事情就是敢去做，做个行动派，你懂吗？

I mean, look, half of the thing is just going for it, is being a doer, you know?

所以行动派永远比空想家强，你知道吧，就是那种光坐在那儿琢磨、把想法写下来的人。

And that's why being a doer will always outperform a thinker, you know, someone who's just gonna, you know, just sit there and dwell on it and write their ideas down.

而且，这需要算计吗？

And, you know, is this calculated?

就是，你有个想法，直接去干就行了。

Like, you have an idea, you just got to go.

那些成功的人就是这样的。

That's those are the type of people who are successful.

如果不行，就再来一次，一次又一次，你懂的，总有一次会成的。

And if that doesn't work, you just do it again, over and over again, you know, and and something will work.

但你得做个行动派，因为愿意直接去干的人不多。

You just got to be a doer though, because not a lot of people are willing to just go.

分析瘫痪。

Analysis paralysis.

分析瘫痪会

Analysis paralysis will

害死人。不过回到刚才的问题，我觉得最有影响力的招聘是我大概创业三年后招的第一个人。

kill But just to to get back to the answer, I'd say the most impactful hires were my first hire about three years in.

她特别擅长运营这类事情，而且她真的什么都愿意做。

You know, she excelled at all the things like operations and she she I mean, she would do anything really.

她不擅长的是品牌，而这正是我擅长的，品牌和产品。所以她把那些事都从我这儿接走了，那段时间就我和她两个人。

Where she didn't excel was brand, and that's where I excelled brand and product, and so she took all that stuff off my plate, it was just me and her for a little bit.

这对我来说太重要了，因为我脑子容量有限，这样就能腾出来，完全专注于产品，完全专注于营销和其他我真正喜欢的事情。

And and that was huge because my brain that only has so much space got to free up into completely focusing on product, completely focusing on on marketing and and these other things that I really like.

那是个大决定。

That was a big one.

然后我们第一个数字营销副总裁的招聘也很重要。

And then our first VP of digital was a big one.

你知道，很长一段时间里，我都在做广告，研究Meta广告，第一次做这些事情。

You know, like, for the longest time, I'm making ads, I'm figuring out meta advertise I'm doing all this stuff for the first time.

比如，学习怎么跑Google广告，所有这些。

Like, learning how to, you know, run Google Ads, like, all that stuff.

我是我们广告代理商的联系人，他们负责跑广告什么的。

I'm the point of contact for our agencies that are running ads and all that.

然后当我找到一个人，他说，不，这就是我的专长。

And it's like when I found somebody who's like, no, this is my thing.

比如，我对数字营销充满热情。

Like, I'm passionate about digital.

我对网站充满热情。

I'm passionate about websites.

我对广告充满热情。

I'm passionate about passionate about ads.

而且我，我知道怎么投放这些广告。

And I and I know how to run these ads.

这真的是一个转折点。

Like, that was a game changer.

所以我不需要再做那些了。

So I didn't have to do that anymore.

然后，你知道，我现在的首席营销官，她对我来说也是一个很大的转折点。

And then, you know, my CMO that I currently have, you know, she was a big game changer for me as well.

我一直在找那些能接手我做的事情的人，那些事情我虽然在做，但并不是我热衷的或者擅长的。

Trying to find these people that are that are taking these things off my plate that I was doing, but I wasn't passionate about or really good about.

所以找到比我更优秀的人，把他们带进来，这非常重要。

So finding people that were better than me and bringing them in, that was huge.

以你们现在的规模，你更愿意雇一个在欧莱雅工作十年的人，还是自己创业失败三年的人？

Right now, with the scale that you guys are at, would you rather hire someone ten years at L'Oreal or three years of building their own failed brand?

这是个尖锐的问题。

Hot take.

说来听听。

Give it to me.

我得先见见这个人。

I would just have to meet the person.

我得感受一下他的性格。

I would just have to feel out the personality.

几分钟之内我就能判断出这个人性格上合不合适，要不要录用。

I know within a few minutes if I'm gonna hire the person or not, personality wise.

你现在还亲自参与招聘吗？

Still very involved in the hiring process?

非常参与，每个人我都会见。

Very I meet everybody.

在发出录用通知之前，每个人我都会见一面。

Everybody before we we offer, I meet.

所以，我会花更多时间在高层的候选人身上。但如果我的运营负责人过来说，嘿。

So, it it I spend more time with the people that are on the higher level, But if my operations person comes and says, hey.

我找到了这个人。

I found this person.

我们打算发录用通知。

We're we're gonna we wanna extend an offer.

我总是说，哦，让我跟他们聊五分钟。

I'm always like, oh, let me have a five minute chat with them.

就是见见人，对个脸。

And just just to put a face to the name.

如果感觉特别不对劲，这种情况发生过，不多，就一次，我当时想，我觉得这个人不适合我们。

And if something feels really off and it's happened, not a lot, it's happened once where I'm like, I don't think this person's for us.

感觉世界上所有最好的公司都是这样。

It feels like all of the best companies in the world.

我从来没见过最好的公司人员过剩。

I never see the best companies overstaffed.

他们总是稍微有点人手不足。

They're always understaffed a little bit.

我觉得你们团队成员和营收的比例就很好地说明了这一点。

And I feel like just like your ratio of team members to revenue definitely speaks to that.

而且我觉得你们一开始就几个人，就做出了几百万美元的营收。

And I feel like you did a couple million dollars in revenue out the gate with like two people, three people.

我觉得这样的运营方式肯定更高效。

And I feel like that just is a better operation to to run for sure.

我也这么觉得。

I think so.

我的意思是，始终保持这种创业心态，让员工愿意吃苦耐劳，而不是被松散管理，他们就是愿意深入一线。

I mean, having it always operate and have that startup mentality, have people wanting to be scrappy and not soft manage people, and people who just wanna get in the weeds.

他们天生就喜欢深入一线。

They just inherently want to get in the weeds.

当你拥有这样的员工时，你就不需要太多人。

When you get people like that, you don't need you don't need a ton of people on your team.

人少也能做出成绩。

You can you can make a difference with with less people.

我同意。

I agree.

本期节目由Momentous赞助播出。

This episode is brought to you by Momentous.

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Most Americans today are walking around deficient in omega three, vitamin d, and magnesium.

这三种是能量、恢复和睡眠中最基础的东西。

Three of the most foundational things in energy, recovery, and sleep.

即使你已经在服用补充剂，这个行业监管也很松散，你真的不知道你吃的是什么。

And even if you're already taking supplements, the industry is so loosely regulated that you really don't know what you're taking.

我私下认识Momentous背后的团队，这就是我信任它的原因。

I know the team behind Momentous personally, that's why I trust it.

每一款产品、每一批都经过第三方检测，并获得NSF运动认证。

Every product, every batch is third party tested for NSF certified for sports.

所以标签上写的就是瓶子里装的。

So what's on the label is exactly what's in the bottle.

这就是为什么超过200支职业运动队信任他们，也是为什么我所有的补剂都是他们的产品。

It's why over 200 pro sports teams trust them and why my whole stack is theirs.

每天服用欧米伽-3、维生素D、镁和肌酸。

Omega three, vitamin D, magnesium, and creatine every single day.

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If you're putting real effort into your health, you wanna know that it's actually working.

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希望你们喜欢这期节目。

Hope you guys are enjoying the episode.

我们整理了一份免费的PDF指南，内容涵盖Nima的设计理念、他的合作策略，以及他如何成为亚马逊和丝芙兰上销量第一的除臭剂的战术。

We put together a free PDF playbook on Nima's design obsession, his partnership strategy, and the tactics behind how he became the number one selling deodorant on Amazon and Sephora.

链接在下方描述里。

Link down below in the description.

享受节目剩下的部分吧。

Enjoy the rest of the episode.

咱们进入正题吧。

Let's get into the fun part here.

大多数创始人，他们把毕生精力都投入到品牌里，最后却一无所获。

So most founders, I mean, they pour their whole entire lives into a brand and they walk away with nothing.

你多次套现，在十八到二十四个月内两次尝到甜头。

You've taken chips off the table multiple times, two bites of the apple in under eighteen to twenty four months.

我想，你不如带我们回顾一下，想讲多少讲多少？

I guess why don't you just walk us through as much or as little as as you wanna tell us?

咱们就一个一个来聊聊这些套现经历。

Let's just kind of go through each one of these bites.

因为我觉得有些创始人，甚至都不知道还有这种选择。

Because I feel like some founders, like, don't even know that this is, an option.

但显然，你们一直非常盈利，所以你们有选择的余地。

But obviously, you guys are very, very profitable throughout, so it gives you optionality.

不过，你能不能从宏观角度带我们回顾一下，所有那些流动性事件，以及你是怎么看待它们的？

But don't you just walk us through from a macro perspective, just like all the kind of liquidity events and how you looked at them?

其实我之前完全不知道，原来不用真正卖掉公司大部分股份，也能在财务上实现一次退出。

I actually I had no idea that you could have a sort of, an exit moment financially without having an actual exit, right, in selling majority of your company.

所以，最大的那次是两年前。

And so, I mean, the the the big one was two years ago.

那对我们来说真的是改变人生的大事，我说我们，就是指我和我的家人。

That was that was, you know, a life changing event for us, you know, when I say us, for for me and my family.

我的家人，不管是直系还是远亲，从来没有人有过那么多钱。

Nobody in my family, you know, immediate or distant, has ever had that kind of wealth.

所以那是个机会，能让我和家人拿到几千万美元，确保我的孩子过得好，而且我晚上睡觉也不用担心，万一品牌倒了，我还得想办法重新开始。

And so, that was the chance to, you know, get tens of millions of dollars, you know, for me and my family and make sure, you know, my kids are fine and I don't have to, you know, go to sleep at night, you know, worried that if the brand goes out, I'm gonna have to, you know, figure things out.

那次我们引入了一家私募股权公司，整个交易就是我把钱落袋为安，但同时也保留了对公司的控制权。

And so that that was one where we brought in a private equity firm and that whole deal was me taking chips off the table, but also maintaining control of the company.

所以感觉真是双赢。

So it just felt like such a win win.

大多数人创业时只拥有公司50%的股份。

Most people start a company owning 50%.

50%，他们一开始是跟合伙人一起创业的。

50%, they start with a partner.

而我创业的时候是100%持股。

I had started the company owning 100%.

所以我有个绝佳的机会，既能继续掌控品牌，又能把钱落袋为安。

So I had this amazing opportunity to still control the brand and and take the chips off the table.

所以呢，

And so

所以，从二级市场的角度来看，跟大家说一下，你的现金进来了，股权被稀释了，但这些钱都没有进公司的资产负债表。

So, from a secondary perspective, just for people out there, your cash came in, you got diluted, and none of it went to the balance sheet.

你只是把钱落袋为安了。

You just took the the chips off the table.

没错。

That's right.

没错。

That's right.

那件事，你知道的，那真的是一件大事。

And that was, you know, that was that was one that was a big a big deal.

经历尽职调查，还有那四十五天的等待，等着交割、资金到账，所有这些事情。

Going through the due diligence and the forty five days waiting to to close and fund and all that stuff.

你心里就想，这事儿能成吗？

You're just like, is this gonna happen?

我觉得能成。

I think so.

然后某天早上醒来，收到一些消息，你又觉得，这事儿成不了了。

And then you'd wake up one morning and get some news and you're like, this is not gonna happen.

所以最后真的成了，那一刻简直难以置信，你知道，钱不是万能的，但我觉得你很快就能明白这一点。

And so having it get there, I mean, is just an unbelievable moment, you know, and money's not everything and and but and I think you you kind of learn that quickly, you know.

我比以往任何时候都更努力地工作。

I I worked harder than ever.

就像资金到账那天，我还在电脑前工作，但绝对是一个难忘的里程碑。

Like, the the day the funds hit, I was on my computer working, but definitely an unbelievable milestone for sure.

咱们从那天开始，说说你脑子里的想法吧。

Let's go inside your brain from the day.

假设有一份意向书，或者某种承诺，一直到资金真正到账的那天。

Let's just say there's an LOI or there's some sort of commitment to the day the funds actually hit.

那段时间你脑子里是什么感觉？

What is that like in your brain?

因为那期间什么事都可能发生。

Because like anything can happen then.

那四十五天里，你脑子里都在想些什么？

What what's going on in your brain in those forty five days?

一片混乱。

Chaos.

就是一片混乱。

It's just chaos.

比如，很难入睡，尤其是越接近那个时间点的时候。

Like, it's it's hard to sleep, especially as you're getting closer.

而且我听起来，我不想让人觉得钱就是一切，因为不是。

And I it sounds I don't want it to sound like money's everything because it's not.

但区别就在于，交易成不成，就是你能不能为孩子做不同的事情，你知道，那会是完全不同的生活。

But it's like, it's just the difference of making the deal happen and not making it happen is just like, you're gonna be able to do different things for your kids, you know, and it's just gonna be a different life altogether.

所以你会试着调整心态，告诉自己，如果这事没成，我们也没关系。

And so, you try to kind of have the mindset of, okay, if this doesn't happen, we're fine.

我们已经建立了一个很棒的品牌，你知道，它做得很好。

We've built a beautiful brand, you know, it's killing it.

我们会继续走下去，但很难，因为越接近，你总会发现，在这些交易里，总会有事情冒出来。

We're gonna keep going and everything, but it's hard because as you get closer, you're like, you know, inevitably in these deals, like, things pop up.

比如问题，然后突然法务团队要介入，你知道，离交割、离资金到位只剩十天了。

Like, questions, and then all of a sudden, the legal team wants to jump on and you, you know, you got, you know, ten days left until close, until fund.

你心里会想，好吧。

You're mentally like, okay.

这事会成的。

This is gonna happen.

然后突然之间，你就想，天哪。

Then all of a sudden, you're like, holy shit.

这下可完蛋了。

This isn't gonna happen now.

这就像坐过山车一样。

It's just a roller coaster.

我记得那笔交易，有人告诉我还有两周就能拿到资金。

And I remember on that deal, I was I was told, like, two weeks until funding.

我说，好的。

And I said, okay.

那就开始吧。

Let's go.

结果最后拖了四十五天。

And ended up going to it it could go forty five days.

我们是在第四十五天才拿到资金的。

We ended up funding on the forty fifth day.

真是的。

So Damn.

所以心理上，我以为两周，结果到了两周。

So mentally, I'm like two weeks, and then we get to two weeks.

我就想，到了吗？

I'm like, are we there?

他们就说，哦，还没。

And they're like, oh, no.

我们其实得用满四十五天。

We we actually gotta use the whole forty five days.

所以，这真的就是心理上的折磨。

So, I mean, it's it's just mentally grueling.

心理上太煎熬了。

It's mentally grueling.

但是，你知道，是的。

But, like, you know Yeah.

回顾一下，对于那些最终想要

Looking back for people out there that eventually do want

实现这种流动性事件的人，你觉得，回顾来看，有哪些关键的事情需要准备好？

to have this liquidity event, what are those key things to to be buttoned up on, do you think, looking back?

我觉得，有一个好的银行家是一方面。

I mean, having a good banker is one thing.

这非常重要。

Like, that's very important.

Raymond James团队为我们做过两次。

The Raymond James team did it twice for us.

我会永远感激他们，特别是那边的Vinette和Jonah。

Like, I'll always be grateful for them, to Vinette and Jonah over there.

他们彻底改变了我们的生活。

They've changed our lives forever.

非常棒的人。

Amazing people.

有一个懂流程的银行家很重要，但还要聘请那些有经验的CFO、财务人员，那些做过这件事的人。你知道吗，第一笔交易之后，我请了一位总裁，她之前在一家大型公司经历过收购。

Having the banker that that knows the process, but then hiring, you know, the CFOs, the finance people, the people who've done it, you know, and I brought a president on board after the first deal who who had gone through an acquisition for another large company.

而且，她真的是个明星。

And, I mean, she's an all star.

我们基本上很快就把她从CFO提拔为总裁了。

We we promoted her from CFO to president like right away basically.

但她之前做过这件事，这也是吸引我们的原因之一，有她的好处就是她知道怎么做，知道收购你品牌的公司想要什么，以及你需要如何把所有东西都准备妥当，像放在银盘子上一样交给收购方。

But she had done that and that was one of the one of the allures, you know, one of the the benefits of having her is she she she knew how to do it and what the person that the company acquiring your brand was gonna want and how you're gonna wanna have to, like, you know, have all those things handed on a silver platter to to the to the acquirer.

我要问你一个非常私人的直接问题。

I'm gonna ask you a very personal direct question here.

你可以回答，也可以不回答。

You can answer it or not answer it.

你有那两笔大的，但在此之前，你还有一笔，就是一夜之间成了百万富翁。

So you had those two big chunks, but then before that, you had a chunk where, like, overnight, you became a millionaire.

所以你有三笔，一笔七位数，一笔八位数，然后一笔九位数，如果按这个算的话，我觉得是这样。

So you had kind of three chunks, a 7 figure chunk, an 8 figure chunk, and then a 9 figure chunk, given if you just kind of do the math there, I would say.

每一次之后，你的生活有什么变化？

How does your life change from each one of those?

那是什么感觉？

What is it like?

这个问题没人比你更适合回答，因为你有很明显的分界线，比如今天我还是六位数。

There's no one better to answer this question than you because you have like hard lines in the sand where it's like, I I'm six figures today.

明天就七位数了。

I'm seven figure.

就是那么直接。

And it's it's right there.

所以生活里最大的不同是什么？

So what are the big things that are different, like, in life?

嗯，是从第一笔交易开始，还是说现在？

Well, from the first transaction or you mean now?

就是生活怎么变的？

Just how does life change?

我觉得，最近这几笔交易我不太清楚。

I would think that I don't know about these these last transactions.

我还没到那个阶段，但我还记得那天我的账户从负数变成0066再到7。

I'm not there yet, but just like I just remember the day that I went from negative in my account to 0066 to 7.

所以，跟我们讲讲这从心理上对你作为一个人有什么影响。

So, like, just walk us through the psychology of what that does to you as a human.

其实，说到底，我的热情在于建设。

I mean, look, ultimately, my passion is is building.

就是我的家庭、我的孩子，还有打造我的品牌。

It's it's my family, my kids, and it's building my brand.

以及这些类似的事情，把这些东西变成现实。

And and these kind of things, bringing these things to life.

这就是我的热情所在。

And this this is my passion.

所以，我觉得它带来的最大好处就是，我晚上能睡得踏实一点了。

And so it really the the main thing that I like that it did is that I can sleep a little bit easier at night.

当然。

For sure.

但我可以用正确的方式来打造品牌。

But I can build the brand in the right way.

如果我的首席营销官过来提议，比如做200块广告牌，我不会问投资回报率是多少。

I'm not penny pinching if my CMO comes over and and asks, oh, let's do 200 billboards, I'm not saying what's the ROI.

而是会问，你觉得这个主意好吗？

It's like, you feel good about it?

如果觉得好，那就去做。

Like, yeah, let's do it.

你可以更多地从品牌健康的角度来做这些决定，而不是一味地抠门或者用错误的方式做事。

You can make these decisions more for the health of the brand and not really just be kind of like penny pinching and and doing things the wrong way.

所以，这是最大的突破。

And so that that's been the biggest unlock.

这就像把打造品牌变成了一种游戏，而不是一切都为了利润。

It's kind of gamified building the brand as opposed to having everything be for the bottom line.