Brett Heyman, founder of Edie Parker and Flower by Edie Parker, shares her journey navigating the complexities of launching and scaling a cannabis-adjacent brand. This episode offers critical insights into securing investment in regulated industries, leveraging viral marketing for rapid growth, and maintaining brand identity while expanding into new, challenging markets. A must-listen for anyone building a brand in a niche or heavily regulated space.
Key takeaways
Leverage your industry background and network; Heyman’s PR experience and contacts were crucial for Edie Parker’s initial success and expansion into new verticals.
Embrace creative product development and social media trends (e.g., the "Burn Bag" and TikTok) to drive rapid growth and brand visibility, even for niche products.
Develop a clear, adaptable distribution strategy, like Flower by Edie Parker’s dispensary-focused approach, to cater to unique market demands and regulatory environments.
Maintain strong brand DNA while diversifying, ensuring new ventures like Flower by Edie Parker align with the core aesthetic and values of the parent brand.
Understand and cater to the specific engagement levels of your target consumer base, as highly engaged customers can drive significant growth and word-of-mouth marketing.
Thirteen years ago, Brett Heyman launched Edie Parker. Focused on acrylic clutch handbags, which soon became customizable, the brand married Heyman’s lifelong love of collecting vintage with her experience in luxury accessories PR, working for brands including Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci. She got the company off the ground by securing retail partners including Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman and leveraging her stylist contacts to get the bags in the hands of celebrities.
“My background was so helpful [in starting the company],” she said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. “I always tell [budding] founders that it's really great to work in the industry that you want to break into, [in order] to meet people and to [make] some contacts and have a leg up. … I knew a lot of people. Plus, I knew what was missing. And I knew how to promote it and who to get to promote it.”
In 2016, Heyman expanded Edie Parker’s product assortment to the home decor category. And three years later, she launched the cannabis-adjacent spinoff brand Flower by Edie Parker. Its products include lighters, grinders and rolling papers, all in Edie Parker’s signature colorful, retro aesthetic. Oh, and there’s also a handbag with a retractable lighter that’s taken TikTok by storm and changed the business. With its growth fueled by the Burn Bag's sales, just four years in, Flower by Edie Parker now makes up 50% of the company’s total sales. On the podcast, Heyman discusses how she’s catering to Flower’s “much more engaged,” “much more excited” shoppers, plus how she’s holding true to her brand’s DNA while building a business in a federally illegal industry.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Leverage your industry background and network; Heyman’s PR experience and contacts were crucial for Edie Parker’s initial success and expansion into new verticals.
What does this episode say about finance & fundraising?
Embrace creative product development and social media trends (e.g., the "Burn Bag" and TikTok) to drive rapid growth and brand visibility, even for niche products.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Develop a clear, adaptable distribution strategy, like Flower by Edie Parker’s dispensary-focused approach, to cater to unique market demands and regulatory environments.
What does this episode say about paid acquisition?
Maintain strong brand DNA while diversifying, ensuring new ventures like Flower by Edie Parker align with the core aesthetic and values of the parent brand.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Understand and cater to the specific engagement levels of your target consumer base, as highly engaged customers can drive significant growth and word-of-mouth marketing.
