E-commerce Brand Portfolio

Sean plans to build a portfolio of trend-focused e-commerce brands after exiting Ridge Wallet. He aims to net $100 million from selling Ridge to a strategic buyer, then launch multiple small e-commerce brands that capitalize on emerging trends.

The Business Model:

• Exit Ridge Wallet (likely to one of 10 strategic buyers in the industry)
• Use proceeds to create a "family office" type operation
• Launch multiple small e-commerce brands targeting emerging trends
• Hire service providers to run these businesses

Strategy for Success:

• Focus on fast-growing trend markets
  • "The best way to grow is in a growing market"
  • "You can be average in a growing market and grow very very fast"
• Identify emerging trends early
  • Current examples: no-screen time products, creatine, microplastics alternatives
  • Past examples: bone broth, keto, collagen, raw honey
• Pivot when trends shift
  • "Once you get some sort of success it's pivoting"
  • Example: If in bone broth, pivot to "protein focused bone broths or bone bars"

Inspiration from Successful Models:

• Service providers pivoting to brands with lean teams:
  • Brez (cannabis/mushroom drinks): ~20 people, $5M/month revenue
  • Create Gummies: 8 people, projected $40M/year
  • Hollow Socks: 5 people, projected $30M/year

Approach to Trends:

• Ride the growth phase of trends
• Be prepared to evolve products as trends shift
• Maintain lean operations with small teams
• Leverage experience from service businesses to efficiently build and scale