171: How to Build a Brand… from Halloween Costumes to Personalized Wardrobe Delivery – Jalem Getz of Wantable

171: How to Build a Brand… from Halloween Costumes 🍂 to Personalized Wardrobe Delivery 👚 – Jalem Getz of Wantable

Background on Jalem Getz of Wantable:

Jalem Getz is the CEO and founder of Wantable, Inc, a personalized eCommerce company focused on women's fashion and fitness products. Their goal at Wantable is to develop a deep relationship with their customers and offer them a platform for discovery. Because each customer is unique, Wantable dynamically adjusts the product assortment for each user.

Prior to Wantable, Inc, Jalem founded BUYSEASONS, Inc. in 1999 and served as President and CEO until December 2010. BUYSEASONS is the largest retailer and supplier of costumes and party supplies on the Internet. Prior to starting BUYSEASONS in 1999, he co-founded specialty retail company GMI in 1995 at age 22. During his tenure, GMI became one of Wisconsin’s fastest growing companies, and the largest seasonal retailer in Milwaukee, before he sold his interest to his business partner, Jon Majdoch in 2000. GMI is still in business and successful today, a testament to their commitment to building self-sustaining organizations. Jalem is 47 years young and lives in the Cayman Islands.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[1:08] Jalem Getz is the CEO of Wantable, which is an online personal styling service for both men and women. They curate apparels for their customers to try at their home before purchasing the items.
[5:11] Wantable currently has 150 employees with 2 locations in Wisconsin. In terms of revenue, they are between the $40 to 60 million mark.
[7:35] Logistics and supply-chain is very critical in this type of retail business.
[17:25] In the mid-90s, Jalem opened a successful Halloween business. In their first year, they were about $500 thousand in revenue.
[21:18] Jalem discusses the reasons why they were very successful in their Halloween business.
[24:13] Parting ways with John, his business partner, was not a difficult process for Jalem.
[26:50] A seasonal business is an all-hands-on-deck business according to Jalem.
[29:18] Luck has played a big part in the success of BuySeasons, especially when they were building the website for BuySeasons twenty years ago.
[37:58] He learned that the distribution system strategies are usually based on the needs of the business.
[46:01] There are three things that Jalem looks for when he is in the process of selling his company.
[49:11] In Jalem’s perspective, starting a company requires three important ingredients.
[52:37] Jalem shares his views about working with your spouse.
[55:46] After selling BuySeasons and spending a few years traveling and enjoying life, he decided to start another company again. Thus, Wantable was born.
[1:00:47] In over a decade, Jalem did not take a salary from Wantable. On day one, he sold his Lamborghini and put the money into the company as a gesture that it’s time for him to return to work.
[1:07:47] In the early days of Wantable, he stayed in Wisconsin working along with his team.
[1:15:15] Pick and choose the advice that you get is Jalem’s last piece of advice for the listeners.

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Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖 📚 Favorite Book(s)? American Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman, Pete Larkin, et al, Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins, Adam Skolnick, et al., Blink by Malcolm Gladwell and Hachette Audio, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, Norbert Leo Butz, et al, The subtle art of Not giving a Fuck by Manson Mark (all are recent reads in the last 6 months)
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? LOL – I compete with Amazon 🙂 But I'd have to say my NYE Suit from Opposuits
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? MS Excel – boring, but the most important business tool available.
💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? My current company is small, so making the jump from a “company” to a “brand”

Key Point from the Interview:

“Anybody can open up a Shopify store and put up a beautiful website and start selling, but that’s just the beginning. At the end of the day you have to be able to efficiently deliver products, take care of customers and meet their needs, ‘cos if you don’t, they’re going somewhere else.”

Resources Mentioned:

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