Pink Lily Story: How Organic Growth Transformed an E-Commerce Retailer - Chris Gerbig

Listen to Chris Gerbig, co-founder and president of Pink Lily, in this episode of Retail Corner on how to focus on growing the brand naturally. The story of Pink Lily is very inspiring and a must for entrepreneurs to get some insights. You will listen to our host talking with Chris on the following points: Would you mind sharing a bit about your background with the audience and how Pink Lily came to be? How did Pink Lily manage to achieve $4 million in sales within its first year of launching? What strategies or factors contributed to its rapid growth and profitability? How has technology influenced the fashion and retail industries, and what specific advancements have had the most significant impact? Can you explain the role of retail e-commerce in the fashion industry, and how companies can leverage data to derive meaningful insights for their businesses? When considering the impact of social media on a brand, what are some key benefits that come from integrating brand ambassadors into the business model? Looking ahead, what trends do you foresee in the fashion and retail industries, both in terms of technology adoption and consumer behavior? About our guest, Chris Gerbig: As a self-proclaimed business and finance nerd, Chris Gerbig’s professional journey started as you might expect. He earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Western Kentucky University, then spent nearly a decade in personal finance and banking, corporate finance, and global supply chain management for companies that include Bank of America, Fruit of the Loom, and Dollar General Corporation. But he became tired of corporate America, wanting more time with his family and fewer hours spent in a cubicle. Simultaneously, as he and his wife, Tori, began selling items on online marketplaces to pay off student loans, inspiration struck, and they decided to take a risk. In 2014, the two founded Pink Lily to bring women an ever-changing assortment of apparel, footwear, and accessories, and the lifestyle brand quickly became one of the fastest-growing online retailers in America. In the years since, Pink Lily has continued to bring fashion, positivity, and community to its customers as a family-owned and family-run business. As president, Chris is responsible for finance/accounting, recruiting, IT, operations, supply chain, and legal. Even while working full-time at Pink Lily, Chris also completed his MBA at Tennessee Technological University, graduating magna cum laude. Chris is most proud of profitably growing a side hustle into a mega lifestyle brand without any outside funding or investments. To date, Pink Lily has sold over $200,000,000 worth of products online, and Chris has invested in and managed over 120,000 square feet of real estate. These accomplishments have earned him a spot on the Inc. 5000 list three times. Chris has a wealth of experience, education, and real-life knowledge that he loves to share with other aspiring entrepreneurs. He has written multiple articles for Forbes' Business Development Council. He is open to speaking engagements on business and entrepreneurship topics such as e-commerce, startups, finance, technology, and real estate. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-gerbig-mba-a1a68451/ Website: https://pinklily.com/ About Retail Corner Podcast: Host: Carlos Diaz Producer: Sachin Kumar Bhate Podcast Sponsor: Proxima360 Listen to other podcasts at: https://proxima360.com/retail-corner.podcast or https://retailcorner.live Subscribe our Podcast: Apple iTunes: https://apple.co/3eoeUdT Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3dvjpDJ Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/3DFHXHw Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3tkbhk1 Interested in being on our podcast? Submit request at: [email protected]