Summary
Overview
In this Advice Line episode, Guy Raz is joined by Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin International, to help three entrepreneurs tackle their business challenges. They advise Daniel Mall of Earth Suds on getting consumers to adopt dissolvable shampoo tablets, Meredith Hudson of Sideline Bags on managing inventory constraints while experiencing rapid growth, and Ryan Hellriegel of Rolflex on breaking into B2B markets for therapeutic massage tools. Chet emphasizes guerrilla marketing tactics, building strong supplier relationships, and staying true to what works rather than following conventional wisdom.
Introduction and Chet Pipkin's Background
Guy Raz introduces the episode and welcomes back Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin International, the company synonymous with computer cables and accessories. Chet reflects on starting Belkin in the early 1980s by soldering cables for computer shops when connectivity was a major problem. The company was eventually sold for over $800 million in 2018, and Chet now works with tech startups, co-founded a hotel in Lake Tahoe, and focuses on education initiatives.
- Chet started Belkin at age 21 after dropping out of college when he realized computers couldn't easily connect to each other or printers
- He couldn't afford to start a PC company, so instead became like 'Levi Strauss selling jeans to miners' - providing the tools and accessories
- Belkin was sold in 2018 for reportedly more than $800 million
- Chet now co-founded Desolation Hotel in South Lake Tahoe and works with tech startups
" I think one of the best ways to kill a startup is to overfund it. So not having enough cash isn't always a bad thing. It makes us really get to the essence of what it is we need to do. "
" If you can come up with a simple, elegant way to solve that problem, you'll get the rest of it figured out. If it's a solution in search of a problem that doesn't really exist, I don't care how much money you have, I don't know you're ever going to get there. "
Earth Suds: Getting Consumers to Adopt Dissolvable Shampoo Tablets
Daniel Mall from Toronto calls in about Earth Suds, which creates dissolvable tablets for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and hand soap. Inspired by plastic waste on beaches, Daniel developed the product in his college kitchen after thousands of experiments. Currently doing over $100K in sales and carried by some hotels, Daniel seeks advice on how to move beyond travel use cases and make the tablets part of everyday routines for consumers.
- Earth Suds makes dissolvable shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and hand soap tablets that eliminate 90% water content and plastic waste
- The company is on track to do over $100K in sales this year and has sold over 200,000 tablets worldwide
- Named by National Geographic for reducing ocean plastic waste
- Currently mostly online sales plus some retail stores, hotels, and Airbnbs
- Hotels have been slow to adopt despite incoming legislation banning mini-bottles in California (2023), New York, and Washington (2027)
" I'm on the road a lot. There's products I want to use, and I can't bring them with me. And with this way, I can. I also like it on the hospitality side because this will produce a lot less waste. "
" Your liquid shampoo is like 90% water. So we're emitting huge amounts of carbon emissions just to ship around a product that is mostly water that you use in a shower where water is present. It makes no sense. "
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