#325 - The Art of Modern Retail: Kellen Roland on Strategy, AI, and Mentorship

Kellen Roland served as first CEO of JOOPITER alongside Pharrel Williams and VP of Sales of Herschel Supply Co, and brings 18+ years of expertise in the luxury and consumer sectors.  He has a triple role as a founder, investor, and strategic advisor. He fosters business growth through insightful leadership and AI integration, invests in promising businesses like TRUFF, and offers strategic advice to brands such as Slowtide. With an acute sense of cultural trends and storytelling skills, he establishes authentic links between brands and audiences. Notably, he worked at Agenda Trade Show, Herschel Supply Co., and iamOTHER, founded The NTWRK Agency, and eventually built JOOPITER alongside Pharrell Williams. At present, he shares this extensive learning at his own consulting business, KRMC.In this DTC Pod episode, Kellen Roland gives insights on building strong retailer relationships. He emphasizes the importance of delivering unique value to create lasting partnerships in retail. He also discusses negotiating techniques and the need to maintain a healthy balance of markups and margins, appealing to vendors while preserving brand profitability. Kellen encourages brands to be agile; taking customer feedback seriously and quickly adapting to changing preferences is key for success in the fast-changing DTC landscape. Through his strategic insights, Kellen cements the framework for a successful retail strategy that is as much about captivating storytelling as it is about shrewd business deliberations.Join 15k founders and marketers & get our pod highlights delivered directly to your inbox with the DTC Pod Newsletter!On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:1. Strategic DTC Brand Launch2. Entrepreneurship and Relationship-Building3. Agility and Adaptability in Retail4. Ethics in CPG and Brand Responsibility5. Traits of Highly Successful People6. Practical Benefits of AI in Business7. The Value of MentorshipTimestamps01:30 Kellen Roland’s background, early career and passion06:48 Herschel’s success, the importance of clear vision and timing11:45 Creating win-win situations for retailers as a brand13:01 How to pitch new products to retailers17:04 Traditional brand launch versus modern direct-to-consumer approach21:14 The importance of demand planning and brand agility25:23 Brands to watch out for: Graza, Nguyen Coffee, Rocky’s Matcha, Goodles32:52 Working with Pharell Williams on JOOPITER35:53 Traits for leveling up to Kobe-level success40:41 Commitment, resilience, and persistence amidst challenges44:17 Using AI to manage schedules, solve problems, and scale operations49:08 Coaching and revenue growth, building a consulting business52:08 Seeking mentors, not copy-pasting success formulasShow notes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here.Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internetOlivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplementCastmagic - AI Workspace for ContentFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok  Kellen Roland - Founder of KRMCBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of CastmagicRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic

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