Kristine Locker’s Post

I’ve been excited to share this update - such an awesome company for consumers and retailers alike. We partnered with the incredible Emily Hosie at Rebelstork to lead their Series A. The company is reshaping returns from necessary evil to accretive revenue and improved environmental footprint for retailers, all while providing an extremely valuable consumer experience. Some WILD stats on returns - $743 billion of merchandise was returned last year - Baby gear accounts for ~ $16 billion of that total - 10.6% is typical return rate across all goods in the US - E-commerce returns account for ~25% return volume, only poised to expand Rebelstork’s online marketplace sells overstock items as well as returned baby gear at 50% discount or more Rebelstork’s technology streamlines the flow of returned merchandise from a brand or retailer into the startup’s own warehouses + built a unique tagging system so brands have visibility into where their products end up. Every item is quality inspected. Brands and consumers can have peace of mind. Rebelstork has already partnered with some awesome brands and retailers - you can find goods from Baby Bjorn, Stokke, Bugaboo, Nuna and more. Excited about this one! If you use Rebelstork, drop me a line on how it went.

The Ultimate Gamble.... Founding a #Startup Starting a business is like walking into a casino—you know the odds are against you, but you play anyway. eZpZe's journey has been one wild roll of the dice, and now we’re celebrating in style. This launch party will be an evening of high stakes, high spirits, and a nod to the thrill of taking risks. Who knew that a midnight debate over whether to starve or grocery shop could lead to something so ground breaking? Fast forward to September 16th, and eZpZe is ready to roll the dice with a casino-themed launch party that’s as bold as the start-up journey. Here’s the thing about founders—we’re the ultimate jokers. We take wild ideas, laugh in the face of conventional wisdom, and bet on the belief that we can change the world. eZpZe is my version of that joke, but with a punchline that’s set to make life easier for everyone. Get on a night of excitement, and if you’re feeling daring, consider sponsoring our event. Sponsors will get an exclusive badge, making you a legend in the eZpZe community and showing your support for innovation. Come embrace the #madness, celebrate the bright side of entrepreneurship, and see how this will turn from a crazy idea into a game-changing reality. Details : September 16, 17:30 Grosvenor Casino - Huddersfield Folly Hall Mills, St Thomas' Rd, Huddersfield HD1 3LT Rob Jackson Michaela McGarry Callum Hughes Samuel Mateer Gary Dale Mark Costello Robert Crawley Benjamin T. Tom Whitton Sam Marchant Ryan Braddock Sam Hields Amirah Darr Adam Hepworth James Fry Zoe Webb Steve Rush Christian H. Bradford Thomas Goodall Dan Kirby George Stuffins Tricia Troth Naima Elmasri Mars Menzies Abbie Armstrong Emily A. Dan Platt Ellis Heighes Tomas Holderness Tony E. Kula Bobby Healy Beth Grundy Charlotte Bailey Zandra Moore George Fairhall #eZpZe #StartupJourney #CasinoLaunch #Innovation #FoundersLife #UltimateJokers #SponsorsWelcome #TakeTheLeap

Numbers, to me, have always been more than just digits. They're milestones, memories, a story of what we have done wrong and how we can never come back from it, lol. JK. My story with numbers began when I launched our creative agency seven years ago. I thought I was setting myself free from the "corporate boss," only to realize that every new client added was like taking on another boss. My biggest nightmare. But looking back, each number, each client represents more than just a transaction. They're chapters in our story, proof of the hustle we poured into our agency and then, with that same dedication, into dockaboat.app. This trust we built with giants like MTV, HBO Max (before their breakup), SHEIN, Whatnot, Chevron, Paramount+ and with so many startups—startups that reminded me of us when we were just starting out—is what makes the present so exciting. We've managed budgets from a few thousand dollars to the kind that makes your head spin, and each has taught us something invaluable. It's somewhat similar to trading in the stock market (I really hope someone gets this). The big leagues taught us lessons that we've brought back home to dockaboat.app, shaping our strategy, our why, on our terms. I come from a psychology and marketing background, a detail that often raises eyebrows in a world where being an engineer seems like the only key to credibility. Yet, what we've achieved, the results we've driven, they stand as proof that there's immense value in what we do. Thank you, Daniela Medina, for hustling it out with me all of this years. BTW, 269 users in two weeks. I'm sure Jack Kuveke would have the perfect joke about this. 🙏 Let's go! #buildinginpublic #startup #dock #boatingindustry #blueeconomy #angelinvestors #marineindustry #marketing

From 1 x 1 to €100M: Unboxing the Restocks Masterclass Hey LinkedIn fam! 👋 Remember that little Dutch sneaker marketplace that launched from a 1x1 meter space and became the leading sneaker marketplace in Europe? Yeah, that was us. Restocks went from a tiny corner to a €100M valuation, and now it's time to spill the tea. 🍵 Every Thursday, I'm opening up the Restocks playbook. We're talking real, no-filter lessons from the trenches of building a marketplace empire from scratch. What to expect: → The journey from a 1x1 space to European market leader → Scaling #secrets that aren't in any textbook → Tech hacks that saved our butts (and some that didn't) → How we built a #community, not just a customer base → Mistakes that cost us, and how you can avoid them Whether you're a #startup #founder, #marketplace enthusiast, or just someone who loves a good business rollercoaster story, there's something here for you. No sugarcoating, no BS. Just raw insights from someone who's been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale. First lesson drops this Thursday. You in? Drop a 👟 in the comments if you're ready to step up your marketplace game! #RestocksMasterclass #StartupLessons #MarketplaceStrategy #EntrepreneurialInsights

From failure to a $8M success story! 🚀✨ In 2022, Rishabh Verma and Harmin Shah had to make a tough call—shutting down their e-commerce venture, WMall. But instead of giving up, they pivoted and built ShopDeck (Previously NuShop) from scratch—a platform empowering D2C brands to thrive online. Fast forward to today: ShopDeck has raised $8M in Series B funding 💰, led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with backing from Elevation Capital, Chiratae Ventures, and General Catalyst. They help merchants build, customize, and optimize their storefronts 🛍️ while managing catalogs and pricing strategies. In just 2 years, ShopDeck has helped 500+ brands launch their online presence—many selling for the first time! From fashion to home décor, they’re reshaping long-tail D2C categories and empowering small businesses 🌟. This story is a reminder: every setback is a setup for a comeback. 💡 What’s your favorite startup pivot story? Let’s inspire each other! #D2C #StartupSuccess #Resilience 🚀

Imagine stumbling upon a billion-dollar idea at a random party. That's exactly what happened to Michael Dubin, founder of Dollar Shave Club in 2010. Having been laid off, Dubin had just moved to Los Angeles with no job and no plan. At a Christmas party, an old family friend, Mark Levine, asked for his help selling 250,000 razors he had acquired from Asia. For most, this would be a bizarre request, but for Dubin, it was a lightbulb moment. What if there was a service that eliminated the hassle and expense of buying razor blades? Dubin recollected his own experience of standing in line, seeing racks of Gillette razor blades sold for $20, and found the entire process of buying and pricing razor blades ridiculous. He saw an opportunity to cut the price from $20 to $1 with home delivery. No hassle. No queues. Within a week, he registered the domain dollarshaveclub.com. The concept was simple but genius: buy razors from Korea, sell them on a subscription basis in the US. No more overpriced blades, no more trips to the store. Just fresh razors delivered to your door every month. They started doing good business. But they felt they needed #VC money to really get the business of the ground. But pitching this idea to venture capitalists was like trying to sell ice in winter. No innovation, no patents, just a different way to sell a common product. And Dubin? No business experience to boot. But what he did have was a knack for storytelling. So he put it to use. With a budget of only $4,500, Dubin created a 90-second video titled "Our Blades are F***ing Great" and uploaded it to YouTube. The video, which took just a day to shoot, went viral. When it launched on March 6, 2012, the DSC website crashed almost immediately. The next day, they had 12,000 new subscribers for their $1 per month razor service. Within a few days, 3 million people had watched the video. It racked up 4.75 million views in the first 3 months. Suddenly, VCs were all ears, and Dubin secured funding from big names like Kleiner Perkins and Andreessen Horowitz. By 2016, Dollar Shave Club had 3.2 million subscribers. Dubin would eventually sell the company to Unilever for a jaw-dropping $1 billion in cash. Why was the Dubin so successful? He wasn't afraid to enter a space crowded with well-entrenched incumbents. He saw that people already spent a fortune on razors, so he just needed to offer a differentiated, convenient alternative. Dollar Shave Club's innovation lay in its business model: a subscription service that customers loved! At the end of the day, Dubin solved a simple problem: men hate buying overpriced razor blades. He turned that insight into a billion-dollar solution! Not bad for a guy who was once seemed lost in life at a party, right?

Dreams fuel the journey, but action ignites the path. Get started with shopqmall.com today, no step is too small. ⁠ ⁠ #MotivationMonday #DreamBig #StartNow #shopqmall #grabitonqmall #shoplocal #supportlocal #ecommercemadeeasy #ShopWithEase

Do you remember your first entrepreneurial venture? The one that made you think, 'I can really create something from nothing'? 👇 Here's mine: At 17, after finishing high school early, I juggled jobs at McDonald's and Burger King. But when my 1987 Honda Civic broke down, I faced a real challenge. 💰 With a $600 investment, I fixed a car worth $3,000 and sold it for $1,800. It wasn't luxurious, but... I was turning old cars into profitable deals. I learned the value of hard work and smart investments. I was building a business from the ground up. 👉 And that's when I thought, 'I'm making money doing... THIS?!' I embraced my role and learned to adapt. I... brace yourselves... 'pivoted' multiple times. 🤭 From flipping cars, I moved to refurbishing furniture. Then, I grew a furniture business with a warehouse and staff. Faced with the 2008 recession, I learned resilience in business. Finally, I transitioned into the packaging industry. ❤️ I found my passion in sales and business strategy. From an entrepreneurial teenager to a sales executive at Mill Rock Packaging, my journey has been diverse. ✨ These are the roles where I learned to shine! And it all started with fixing an old car and selling it for a profit. Well, we all start somewhere. This is all to say: 👉 Good things take time. Embrace every step of your journey. 👉 Never stop learning and adapting to new challenges. 👉 Feeling stuck? It might be time to pivot. 👉 Value your skills and experience; they're worth more than you think. Hope this helps! Aaand... Michael's trip down memory lane. Over! Phew! 👇 Like my first entrepreneurial venture? Where did you start? Do tell. PS: Photo taken at Chocolat in San Diego. Megan's dad used to own this business!

The final destination in our Mixtons angels series and it's one you may not expect.. Back in 2021 after bootstrapping to 10,000+ customers in year 1 (operating out of Simeon's kitchen), we knew we were onto something, but in order to take it up a level we needed cash. I'd learnt that the true signs of early "product market fit" lay in our customers hands; Would they miss us if we ceased to exist? Would they back us and invest in the vision? I collated a list of everyone who had purchased more than 3 times that year (assuming these were 'super fans') and sent a blanket email titled "WOULD YOU INVEST IN MIXTONS?". Sent to 1,250 people. I didn't expect much back. Perhaps a few curious souls or sneaky competitors. To my surprise, I woke up to 112 people who'd clicked yes. I scrambled a pitch deck together and sent it to those who'd confirmed. After a few days, I started getting some emails with questions. In the end, 12 customers ended up investing more than £2,000 each in the brand. This was pre-retail launches, pre-cans, pre-7 figure revenue, pre-largest events presence of any cocktail brand in the UK. This was based on our liquids, a vision and a team. Personally, it will always be up there with my favourite parts of our journey. Thanks to each and every one of you for believing ❤️ PS. We're currently raising (EIS)! With 2x retail launches upcoming, record revenue growth and some VERY exciting new listings. DM me or email [email protected] for a deck! 🙏🏼