Steeped in Possibili-Tea with Sashee Chandran, Founder and CEO of Tea Drops
Stairway to CEO
· with Sashee Chandran
· July 13, 2021
· 55 min
Summary
Sashee Chandran, Founder and CEO of Tea Drops, shares her journey of building a rapidly growing DTC brand on Shopify. Learn how she bootstrapped her innovative dissolvable tea concept, secured $5M in Series A funding, and leveraged strategic brand building to attract high-profile endorsements, achieving a 350% annual growth rate. This episode is a masterclass in product innovation, funding, and achieving significant brand traction in the CPG space.
Key takeaways
Focus on a truly unique product to disrupt traditional markets, like Tea Drops did with dissolvable, bagless tea, to achieve rapid growth (350% annual growth).
Bootstrap initial business phases to prove your concept and retain equity, then leverage strong growth metrics to secure significant Series A funding ($5M for Tea Drops).
Cultivate a compelling brand narrative and product aesthetic that attracts influential endorsements (Michelle Obama, Oprah Magazine) to exponentially increase brand visibility and consumer trust.
Transitioning from a corporate marketing role (eBay) provides invaluable experience for building a direct-to-consumer brand, especially in understanding market engagement and customer acquisition strategies.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) models on platforms like Shopify enable agile brand building, direct customer relationships, and rapid scaling for CPG companies.
Overcome personal development challenges, like public speaking, as a founder to effectively pitch your vision and grow your business.
Prioritize product innovation and unique value propositions to stand out in crowded markets and attract early adopters.
Sashee Chandran is the Founder and CEO of Tea Drops. Named one of the fastest growing DTC brands on Shopify with a 350 percent annual growth rate, Tea Drops are bagless, organic, dissolvable tea blends for the modern tea drinker. They are playfully shaped blends of tea leaves and spices, essentially bath bombs of tea that dissolve in your cup. In this episode, Sashee shares with us her entrepreneurial journey from growing up in Los Angeles, working at her mother's crystal store, to working in marketing at eBay, to inventing Tea Drops in 2015 and recently closing a five million dollar Series A round, led by Brand Project. She talks with us about how she bootstrapped the business, overcame her fear of public speaking, and built a successful brand loved by Michelle Obama, Chrissy Teigen, Tory Burch, and Oprah magazine, among others.
Frequently asked about this episode
What does this episode say about brand building?
Focus on a truly unique product to disrupt traditional markets, like Tea Drops did with dissolvable, bagless tea, to achieve rapid growth (350% annual growth).
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Bootstrap initial business phases to prove your concept and retain equity, then leverage strong growth metrics to secure significant Series A funding ($5M for Tea Drops).
What does this episode say about entrepreneurial journey?
Cultivate a compelling brand narrative and product aesthetic that attracts influential endorsements (Michelle Obama, Oprah Magazine) to exponentially increase brand visibility and consumer trust.
What does this episode say about funding & growth?
Transitioning from a corporate marketing role (eBay) provides invaluable experience for building a direct-to-consumer brand, especially in understanding market engagement and customer acquisition strategies.
What does this episode say about brand building?
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) models on platforms like Shopify enable agile brand building, direct customer relationships, and rapid scaling for CPG companies.
