Yardbird co-founder Jay Dillon shares their journey from Craigslist to a national brand with showrooms, detailing their direct-to-consumer approach, manufacturing insights, and market trend understanding. This episode is a masterclass in achieving product-market fit on a shoestring budget and scaling through strategic retail expansion. Learn how to leverage marketplaces, optimize your supply chain, and adapt to evolving consumer behaviors for explosive growth.
Key takeaways
Validate product-market fit quickly and affordably by leveraging existing marketplaces like Craigslist to generate initial sales and gather feedback, as Yardbird did to sell $100,000 in two weeks.
Implement a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model to gain control over manufacturing, supply chain, and customer relationships, enabling better margins and product quality compared to traditional wholesale.
Strategically expand from online-only to an omnichannel presence by opening physical showrooms in key markets to enhance brand visibility and customer experience, driving consistent year-over-year growth.
Cultivate direct relationships with manufacturers to ensure product quality, control costs, and adapt quickly to market demands, differentiating your brand from competitors reliant on middlemen.
Monitor and adapt to changing consumer behaviors and market trends, such as the millennial shift to suburban living and increased outdoor interest, to proactively position your brand for sustained growth.
Sometimes, the best way to figure out product-market fit is to go on Craigslist.
That’s what outdoor furniture brand Yardbird did in 2016 when it first launched. Co-founder Jay Dillon had spent some time in Hong Kong learning about outdoor furniture manufacturing. He brought back some items to Minneapolis and marketed them on Craigslist. “We sold about $100,000 within two weeks,” he said on the Modern Retail Podcast.
Over the years, Yardbird has outgrown its scrappy online marketplace roots. The company has its own website, as well as seven showrooms around the country in cities like Minneapolis, Denver and Washington DC. More are slated to open this year, and Dillon said business has been consistently doubling year-over-year.
But 2021 is certainly an interesting year -- especially after a pandemic. The outdoor furniture category saw a big boost, and many new competitors entered into the mix. Before 2020, many of Yardbird’s competitors were what Dillon described as “middlemen.” These were large furniture showrooms operating out of big cities like Chicago that sold most of their goods to big businesses like “ski shops in Colorado that are looking to offset their seasonality.” He added, “almost none of these guys are sourcing direct from factory.”
But now new brands are emerging that, like Yardbird, take great pains to have connections with where the furniture is manufactured. “We view that it’s just largely great for the consumer,” said Dillon.
Things are beginning to return to normal, and that could mean the outdoor furniture sales bonanza may begin to temper. Dillon, however, is optimistic because many people have changed the way they lived. Millennials are “moving to suburbs, and increasingly wanting to be outdoors,” he said.
As long as that continues, that means more business for him.
Validate product-market fit quickly and affordably by leveraging existing marketplaces like Craigslist to generate initial sales and gather feedback, as Yardbird did to sell $100,000 in two weeks.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Implement a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model to gain control over manufacturing, supply chain, and customer relationships, enabling better margins and product quality compared to traditional wholesale.
What does this episode say about supply chain & operations?
Strategically expand from online-only to an omnichannel presence by opening physical showrooms in key markets to enhance brand visibility and customer experience, driving consistent year-over-year growth.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Cultivate direct relationships with manufacturers to ensure product quality, control costs, and adapt quickly to market demands, differentiating your brand from competitors reliant on middlemen.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Monitor and adapt to changing consumer behaviors and market trends, such as the millennial shift to suburban living and increased outdoor interest, to proactively position your brand for sustained growth.
