Start with End in Mind – a Start-up Story

The Third Growth Option with Benno Duenkelsbuehler and Guests

How do you compete with commodity product in Big Box retail and direct to consumer? Sure, the glib answer is about vision and marketing and connecting the dots. But really, how do you get to 8- and 9-figure revenues, within years, not decades?

Dean van Zyl moved to Virginia, USA from Swaziland, Africa and founded National Adhesive, selling caulk and sealants to retailers across North America.

3:37 – “I had been to Home Depot, and walking down the caulk and sealant aisle , it was incredibly confusing… I said I know I can do this better, I can communicate this product better.”

6:40 – “We’re not only going to bring me-too products to market, but we’re going to teach people how to use them. And we can’t stop there… we make the whole (customer) journey easier.”

8:53 – Talking about using Vivid Vision (Cameron Herold’s concept of describing your business like a movie script of how it will look in the future: “We have a path… before an employee joins us, we share that with them… does it resonate or not…these are my people or these are not my people.”

12:12 – “The old adage is shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll hit the stars… vs. setting low goals and hitting those.”

13:16 – “You certainly can’t be accused of low ambitions, which are the highest form of crime.”

15:36 – on in-store merchandising and marketing “as you put your phone on there (the packaging, in the store), we’ve got AR (augmented reality) …, showcasing what the product does… and one click thru, it takes you to the Digital Human.”

19:09 – talking about the retail revolution from department stores 100 years ago, to big box, to now “there is this digital support system and platforms and videos… that you are harnessing to help sell-thru of the product.”

21:18 – “The commodity itself is no longer the primary focus… it’s the journey to get to using the product.”

21:35 – “It’s about how the product looks on the iPhone to the consumer… they’re going to check it out (on their phone) while standing in aisle 17.”

You are welcome to reach out to Dean van Zyl on LinkedIn.