This episode features Hans Schrei, CEO of Wunderkeks, who built a thriving cookie business with a powerful social mission. Learn how he scaled from farmer's markets to massive online sales, navigated fundraising, and integrated community building into his brand to create safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community. This is a must-listen for ecommerce operators looking to build a mission-driven brand and achieve rapid growth.
Key takeaways
Identify and lean into a strong social mission: Wunderkeks demonstrates how a clear social purpose (creating safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community) can differentiate a brand and drive sales beyond the product itself.
Master the transition from local sales to online scalability: Hans Schrei's journey from farmer's markets to massive online orders offers a blueprint for how small businesses can achieve viral growth.
Leverage your personal story to build brand authenticity: Hans's personal experiences as a queer individual from Guatemala deeply inform Wunderkeks' brand identity, fostering genuine connection with customers and creating a compelling narrative.
Fundraising is a learning process: The episode highlights key lessons learned from fundraising, suggesting founders should be prepared for challenges and strategic in their approach to securing investment.
Build community through your product: Wunderkeks uses cookies not just as a treat, but as a vehicle for connection and community-building, illustrating how products can facilitate shared experiences and rituals that strengthen brand loyalty.
Joining the show today is Hans Schrei, a passionate entrepreneur who is using his business to create safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community, one cookie at a time. Hans is the Founder and CEO of Wunderkeks, a company that not only sells unbelievably delicious cookies but sees every sweet treat as a pathway to the rituals that allow us to connect with one another. In our conversation, Hans reflects on his upbringing in Guatemala and the challenges of being queer in a conservative Catholic society before recounting his journey as an entrepreneur and the story of how Wunderkeks went from being sold at farmer’s markets to gaining massive online orders, practically overnight. Hans also shares some of the key lessons he’s learned from fundraising and leaves listeners with the one piece of advice he believes is imperative for founders to persevere and thrive.
Frequently asked about this episode
What does this episode say about brand storytelling?
Identify and lean into a strong social mission: Wunderkeks demonstrates how a clear social purpose (creating safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community) can differentiate a brand and drive sales beyond the product itself.
What does this episode say about community building?
Master the transition from local sales to online scalability: Hans Schrei's journey from farmer's markets to massive online orders offers a blueprint for how small businesses can achieve viral growth.
What does this episode say about mission-driven business?
Leverage your personal story to build brand authenticity: Hans's personal experiences as a queer individual from Guatemala deeply inform Wunderkeks' brand identity, fostering genuine connection with customers and creating a compelling narrative.
What does this episode say about startup growth?
Fundraising is a learning process: The episode highlights key lessons learned from fundraising, suggesting founders should be prepared for challenges and strategic in their approach to securing investment.
What does this episode say about brand storytelling?
Build community through your product: Wunderkeks uses cookies not just as a treat, but as a vehicle for connection and community-building, illustrating how products can facilitate shared experiences and rituals that strengthen brand loyalty.
