In 2023, lower than two years into beginning their firm, founders Lisa Watkins and Katie Hill’s WanderFull landed on Oprah Winfrey’s Favourite Issues Listing. This was after their debut on the Javits Middle in New York Metropolis, the place their product drew each curiosity and loads of wholesale orders. Lisa credit WanderFull’s getting seen by Oprah’s group to its distinctive, problem-solving product: a classy crossbody bag designed for carrying a water bottle. “The key of our success is fixing an issue that folks had, which is all the time holding a water bottle in a single hand,” she says.

When creating a distinct segment product, it isn’t all the time apparent that there will likely be a requirement for it. Forward, Lisa and Katie dive into how they got here up with their specialised bag, and the way it received seen by tastemakers and consumers alike.

Do not miss an episode! Subscribe to Shopify Masters.

Recognizing a pattern

The thought for WanderFull got here from a mix of the founders’ pursuits. Lisa knew she wished to start out a enterprise. Katie was well being aware and making an attempt to cut back her affect on the setting, which meant she all the time carried a water bottle round along with her. She proposed the concept for a water bottle bag to Lisa, however Lisa wasn’t offered on it instantly.

Lisa recollects a day when she was on her option to Katie’s home to work on enterprise concepts and she or he threw her 32-ounce water bottle into her tote bag. By the point she arrived, the complete factor had spilled and soaked her pc. “I stated, ‘You understand, Katie, I believe the universe is telling us that it is a nice thought. Let’s do it,’” Lisa recollects.

Katie additionally knew how one can spot a pattern. “We additionally began to see issues come down the runway, not essentially luggage, however simply totally different ways in which designers had water bottles slung over a mannequin,” Katie says. 

Overcoming manufacturing hurdles

Katie and Lisa set to work designing the primary WanderFull bag, however their preliminary manufacturing run was a bit disappointing. “We put eyes on each single unit,” Lisa says. “Solely about half of them met our satisfaction.” 

In the long run, Lisa is glad she and Katie put within the time to get the standard of the product proper earlier than they started promoting on-line. “If we had despatched them on to a warehouse, it could have been a catastrophe,” Lisa says. “That would have actually sunk us from the start had we not discovered among the points,” Katie provides.

Promoting wholesale

That dedication to high quality paid off nearly instantly. Katie and Lisa started promoting on-line, and never lengthy after, a lady reached out about placing in a big wholesale order so she might promote WanderFull luggage at pop-up exhibits and markets.

This unlocked an entire new development alternative for WanderFull. Katie and Lisa began exhibiting at pop-up exhibits themselves. “After three exhibits, individuals saved coming to us saying, ‘Oh, my goodness, like, you guys actually have one thing right here. You’re so fashionable,’” Katie says.

Their first present on the Javits Middle in New York Metropolis resulted in additional than 100 new retail accounts, an achievement that underscored the viability of their product.

Lisa emphasizes, “We have been wildly profitable at that present as a result of nobody had ever seen this concept earlier than. The shops pay the payments and maintain the lights on, and it’s an ideal avenue for suggestions.”

Participation in these commerce exhibits not solely attracted consumers, but in addition drew the eye of editors and tastemakers, together with Oprah’s group. Getting on the Favourite Issues Listing boosted gross sales on the direct-to-consumer facet of the enterprise, and the corporate has grown 1,500% since final yr.

Rising as enterprise companions

Two years into the corporate, Katie and Lisa are grateful to be on this journey collectively. They describe themselves as yin and yang, all the time complementing one another. “[Lisa] is the gasoline, I’m the brakes, and we all the time meet someplace within the center,” Katie says.

They credit score their success to creating a product they knew was wanted and that they hadn’t seen wherever else—and to placing their very own spin on it. WanderFull luggage now are available in many alternative colours and materials, and with varied straps, so clients can select a bag that matches their fashion.

However Katie says none of it could have occurred if she hadn’t discovered the proper enterprise companion in Lisa. “One of many keys to our success is simply our differing strengths that we deliver to the desk,” Katie says. “I believe that’s a part of our secret sauce.”

To be taught extra about WanderFull, hearken to Katie and Lisa’s full interview on Shopify Masters.