It’s go time.

The last thing you need are more “to-dos.”

So, instead … today’s newsletter is entirely different from anything else we’ve sent.

🎁 Katy Mimari (CEO at Caden Lane) on how to not be OOO this Black Friday

🏠 Matt Bertulli & Mike Beckham on providing at work, outsourcing at home

🤐 Simple Modern on 6 steps to launch a new product vertical + a secret

Don’t miss that last one!

Katy Mimari

Founder & CEO, Caden Lane

Not OOO: Why & How to Bring Your (Holiday) Work Home

Becoming an adult is realizing your parents were the holiday magic — hanging decorations, baking cookies, creating traditions, staying up late to watch Christmas movies.

It was always them.

As we lean into our busiest time of year, I’m reminded what we do out of office matters far more than what we do within.

The thing is …

Very few of us will be OOO this week or next.

Instead, we’ve been training all year for the days ahead — analyzing, measuring, testing, adjusting, planning, and launching.

My anxiety over Black Friday, Cyber Monday started moments after the last. Next year needs to be bigger, better, more profitable, more spectacular! For 12 months, I piled on the pressure. The best way to describe November is a sprint of daily chaos in every part of my business.

Not even a deep-tissue massage could come close to releasing a fraction of the tension in my body.

Sound about right?

The holidays are stressful enough. Add in the biggest five days of revenue your company will have all year, and no amount of pumpkin pie can take the edge off.

We’re told over and over to “set realistic expectations” or “create boundaries with family and friends.”

That’s much easier to say than do.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll refresh your Shopify store every 10 minutes because it’s a close second high to your wedding day or the birth of your children.

The reality is that it’s our high — not our family’s. And yet, year after year, I’ve been practicing a healthy balance of both.

“How?” you ask. ~~Wine and little sleep.~~

Since we won’t truly be out of office, let’s bring the best of our holiday work home.

Communication

Our partners can’t read minds. In particular, husbands.

Although we know they are aware of Black Friday, I think it’s important that we communicate what’s happening in our businesses to our families.

The more I share — especially in my excitement — the more my family has learned to love the rush. “Mom, what are your sales at now?” makes my heart jump every time I hear it.

Involve your family. Share the excitement.

This isn’t a job; it’s our passion. And our loved ones will be so happy to see us excited, too!

Gratitude

In this season of thankfulness, joy is the simplest form of gratitude.

So please don’t forget to thank your significant other for handling the stress and preparation that comes along with making your Thanksgiving memorable.

Many of us live in a state of anxiety as we manage the demands + distractions that characterize our fast-paced jobs.

But if you can, steal a few free moments to look around at your family and friends. Take joy in the life you’ve worked so hard to create. Be grateful for the amazing humans in it.

Grace

Give yourself some grace to enjoy the success. Did you ever dream you’d be hitting those numbers?

If your holiday sale flops, give yourself a double dose. I’ve had plenty of those times myself.

Most importantly, remember …

We’re all figuring this stuff out together!

I know as much about running a business as I do about parenting — I’m just trying to be my best version of both.

And if your mother-in-law pipes up because you have to step away, turn on your Shopify notifications before coming back. Let those cha-chings drown her out with the volume coming in.

Katy Mimari is the founder and CEO of Caden Lane — a nine-figure DTC baby brand — and a mom to five kids. She’s appeared twice on the Operators Podcast.

Her latest episode, Boardroom to Playroom, was among our most popular with +107k plays on YouTube alone.

Independent of Katy’s written contribution, she inspired both co-hosts to write their own reflections ↓

Mike Beckham

President, Simple Modern

Episode 80 was all about balancing work and home life.

One of the things that I wish I had emphasized during the episode was the strain of providing for a household.

We have spent a lot of time on the podcast talking about the difficulties of growth. However …

The most challenging experiences in my career have been operating a company that was losing money.

First and foremost, the goal of having a job is to provide for people who depend on you. Worrying about whether you can afford your kids’ braces or pay next month’s mortgage creates an intense amount of stress.

It is hard to earn a living.

This feels especially true today due to changes in technology and the shifting economic climate. I hope you enjoy what you do for a living, but it is still work.

To quote Mad Men: “That’s what the money is for.”

Part of being a good spouse and a good parent is trading time for resources so the people you care about can thrive. That is honorable and should be celebrated.

The reason why everyone who works wishes they had a little more time with the important people in their life is because they are making that sacrifice every day.

That isn’t selfish ladder climbing; it’s loving your people.

Great leaders take the same attitude toward their team.

The leader works hard and makes sacrifices so the team can experience safety and security in their jobs.

Poor providers create stress whenever they lead others; good providers create an environment of security and confidence in the people they lead.

Our culture doesn’t do enough to celebrate the work and sacrifice of providers.

Matthew Bertulli

CEO, Lomi & Pela Case

Building a company while building a family isn’t easy.

On Episode 80 of the podcast, Mike and I had our friend Katy Mimari on to tackle this topic.

I didn’t really know how people would respond. It isn’t hardcore ecommerce, but based on the number of messages I got, it’s clearly something many of us relate with.

So, I wanted to do a little follow-up here in the newsletter and focus on an area all three of us agreed on …

But maybe didn’t get super tactical about.

Hiring help at home. Should you? Where? How? The emotions (guilt) around it all.

Let’s dig in.

One of the benefits of a successful business is financial gain.

We have the freedom of choosing to alleviate some of the “balancing” pain that comes with raising a family while building a company.

Choosing not to do this in any capacity is usually rooted in emotional reasons, not practical ones.

Operators endure immense stress building our business. I think those experiences often teach us this is how all of life needs to be in order to live it well.

Sure, struggle isn’t a bad thing. But unnecessary struggle — especially in small things — is kind of stupid.

My wife and I have some really basic rules around what we outsource (hire) versus what we do ourselves.

Our goal is simple … don’t outsource being good parents.

For us, this means dropping off and picking our daughter up from school ourselves. We go to whatever activities she’s involved in as well. We spend a lot of time together.

Basically, prioritize being present.

Here’s where Katy will make fun of me for only having one kid and this being easier. (And she’s right!)

Anything that involves spending time as a family, we do it.

Anything that needs to happen in the periphery, we outsource. Cleaning the house, logistics, random shopping or errands, etc.

Our belief is both quantity and quality of time spent matters a lot, especially to our daughter.

I have zero guilt about paying people to do other things that allow us to optimize time as a family. Those same investments give me the time to stay healthy and enjoy time with friends doing things I love to do. Same with my wife.

What’s the point of having any amount of financial freedom if you aren’t willing to spend it to get the other types?

Health. Relationships. Family. Joy.

THE FEED

Operators x Portland Leather Goods’ (Soon-to-Be) 10-Figure Founder & CEO

How to Launch New Channels & Identify Incremental Value in Your Ad Spend

Mike Beckham

President, Simple Modern

New Products into New Vertical: 6 Steps + The Operators First Giveaway!

At Simple Modern, we have been working over the last 6 months to expand into a new product vertical we believe can significantly alter the trajectory of the business.

It’s complimentary to drinkware.

But also such a significantly different product type we’ve created a subsidiary complete with a new brand, new manufacturing, new website, new Amazon + ad accounts …

We even appointed a new CEO to run it.

As we move into launch mode, I want to share six steps we’ve followed to set ourselves up for success.

I also want to invite you to be the very first to experience it.

From the Makers of Simple Modern Redacted

1️⃣ Pick an asymmetric opportunity

Consumer products have a lot of downsides as a business model, but one of the major upsides is that successful products are incredibly asymmetric.

They can easily be 100x or 1000x returns over time.

Look for opportunities that provide this kind of explosive upside and prioritize them when you can.

2️⃣ Nail the product & production

It does not matter how well you do anything else with a launch … if the product is a dud.

We’ve found that the most successful way to develop a great product is to work with a manufacturer that supplies successful players in the vertical you wish to enter.

In this case, we found a partner who already has two companies doing over $50M run rates in the space we’re entering.

3️⃣ Gather customer feedback

The internet makes it easier than ever before to understand what customers want. We have used surveys and focus groups to understand more about the product category.

The worst mistakes we’ve made have always been when we decided to move decisively in a new direction without making sure it was what our customers wanted.

Business is a pretty simple game.

You serve customers; they pay you for it. Don’t get ahead of yourself when launching a new product.

Talk to customers and potential customers to ensure you are funneling your efforts into an area that excites them.

4️⃣ Appoint a single-threaded leader

Organizations will always prioritize the cash cow.

This focus can prevent new and disruptive growth paths from ever reaching their potential.

We set this new venture up as a subsidiary of Simple Modern, but we created a new CEO position for this business unit.

It isn’t always necessary to go to this extreme, but at a certain scale you need at least one person who is completely focused on the success of the new venture.

5️⃣ Plot the path to potential victory

It is essential that you have a plan for success that involves more than hope and “good marketing.”

You should be able to point to …

Strategic and structural advantages that will allow you to carve out a piece of the market.

We feel confident in this case that our distribution relationships, existing brand equity, and number of units sold each year give us a clear advantage over competitors in this new market.

In addition, you should understand your sales channel plan and have a clear vision of how you get your first 1,000 customers in your primary channel.

6️⃣ Be ready to live with the results

Nothing is guaranteed.

You can do all the above steps and still have a product that fails to achieve traction.

But the list above helps you to position yourself for success, and that’s all you can ask for when trying something new.

Now, the invitation

Next week, we’re going to reveal our brand-new baby for the first time … right here.

And we’ll be giving it away for $1 exclusively through the Operators Newsletter!

But only to the first 500.

You’re already a subscriber, so all you have to do is sort through the flood of other Cyber Monday emails, open the newsletter, and follow its instructions.

I can’t wait.

THE TRENDS

This week’s top-five trending news stories, curated by the editor of CPG Wire

1. Oura’s Valuation Hits $5B: TechCrunch

Finnish smart ring maker Oura secured $75M in funding from Dexcom, and its valuation surged to $5B. Dexcom is a publicly traded manufacturer of glucose biosensors, which Oura will incorporate into its products. Oura was founded in 2013 and expects annual sales to hit $500M this year.

2. Clean Skin Club Scores $32M: Business Wire

Clean Skin Club, a leading purveyor of facial hygiene products, raised $32M in fresh funding from Amberstone and Astō Consumer Partners. The company will use the funding to fuel retail growth and product innovation. Founded in Weston, FL (2019), Clean Skin Club is a top seller on Amazon and recently launched at Target.

3. Huel Continues to Deliver Impressive Growth: Twitter

UK-based meal replacement brand Huel isn’t slowing down any time soon. For the 12 months ending in July, Huel’s revenue increased 16% to £214M, while pre-tax profit jumped 194% to £13.8M. With Huel killing it and Yfood being valued at $469M, it makes you think about what could’ve been with Soylent.

4. Japanese Beauty Giant Backs Apothékary: Femtech Insider

Apothékary, a Virginia-based producer of herbal remedies for various common ailments, secured an investment from Shiseido, the Japanese beauty giant that owns Drunk Elephant and Dr. Dennis Gross. Apothékary was founded by Shizu Okusa in 2020 and just scored distribution at Ulta Beauty.

5. Crown Affair Secures $9M in Series B Funding: SEC

Fast-growing haircare brand Crown Affair raised another $9M from True Beauty Ventures, the venture firm behind brands like K18, Vacation, and Dieux. Dianna Cohen founded Crown Affair in 2019, and the brand now retails at Sephora.

Wherever Black Friday through Cyber Monday finds you, we’re wishing you the absolute freaking best.

Even though this started by saying the last thing you need are more “to-dos” …

Here’s five: