Native's Lean Team Success

Moiz Ali shares his perspective on lean team operations, particularly through his experience running Native (deodorant company) which operated with minimal staff while achieving significant revenue. He emphasizes the importance of staying lean and avoiding unnecessary overhead costs.

Key Points:

• Lean Team Structure:

  • Operated with just 8 people at $50M revenue run rate
  • Grew to only 30 people at $100M+ revenue
  • Handled customer service personally until reaching $550K in revenue

• Operational Philosophy:

  • Avoid overhiring and unnecessary headcount
  • Focus on revenue per employee (reference to Goldman Sachs standard of $1M per employee)
  • Keep operations fiscally conservative

• Office and Overhead:

  • Maintained minimal office space (used paper sign on door instead of fancy signage)
  • Avoided expensive office buildouts
  • Proud of being frugal rather than embarrassed

• Examples of Lean Success:

  • References Brumate (drinkware company) doing $30M with just one employee
  • Used outsourced agencies for flexible scaling instead of full-time hires
  • Focused on dollars and efficiency over appearance

• Warning Signs:

  • Seeing 20 people doing $2-4M in revenue is a red flag
  • Too many people in office instead of doing valuable work
  • Burning too much money on unnecessary headcount

• Perspective on Growth:

  • Better to have outsourced agencies that can flex up/down
  • Focus on efficiency and productivity per person
  • Avoid traditional corporate bloat and unnecessary positions