🟠 BrandLand #04. Sander de Klerk, co-founder & Chief Rolling Officer of The Good Roll
"We don't need more clients, we need to find funding to build more factories" - Balancing sustainability & profitability 💰♻️
Welcome to e-com BrandLand 👋: We tell stories about impactful brands from around the world 🌍
🎙️ Today we are presenting interview #04
Today’s e-com BrandLand guest is… 🙌 Sander de Klerk, co-founder and chief rolling officer at The Good Roll, an impactful brand based in Amsterdam that makes the world a less shittier place one wipe at a time 🚽. The company produces toilet paper 🧻 out 100% of bamboo & recycled TP. 50% of the profits are allocated to building toilets in Africa. Sander is the founder of multiple startups in the food and entertainment industry and is also an artist manager for over 15 years.
👉 If you enjoy good marketing strategies, check their website out. It won’t let you down, we promise!
Topics at a glance:
💬 Conversation topics
✍️ Key learnings from the interview
🕑 Time stamps and topics
💬 Conversation topics
It goes without saying that The Good Roll’s story is reaching people hearts (and their toilets😜). Sander states that their secret is to really stay true to the brand’s identity. Sander shares that he sees a high potential in B2B revenue stream💰:
I think it's 60% B2C, 30% B2B and 20% retail… I think that the biggest shift is going to be the B2B in the future. We really believe that the B2B is going to be much faster than the B2C… You can make faster steps into the B2B. - Sander
Sander explains that they have “too many clients“. They first need to find funding to build more factories to get the supply chain ready. In addition to discussing that, we also touch upon…
…the beginnings of The Good Roll
…his transition from the entertainment industry to the sustainability sector
…how they manage salary levels in Ghana & how they manage the farmers
…how the The Good Roll Foundation is managed
…how he personally manages stress and takes care of his mental health - make sure to check this one out and try it yourselves
…why he prefers working from Africa
…the impact of travel and cultural experiences on business decisions
…in which social media they are focusing on to grow The Good Roll
…how they are transitioning toward profitability and managing burn rates
…the role of equity crowd investing in fundraising & future growth strategies
And much more!
✍️ Key learnings from the interview
Our personal key learnings from the interview are the following:
Surround yourself with the right people 🤝: Having the right team and advisors around him is crucial to make informed decisions and potentially scale the business.
"Get the right people next to you to help you... You need people who sometimes say hey... wait with this decision or first think and then do." - Sander
Have your own supply source to not rely on big companies: Sander explains the importance of having your own supply source and shares the moment when he realised the need to have control over their supplies:
There’s less paper availability. So that's why four years ago I had the idea; I have to find a new source of making toilet paper in the future… I don't want to rely on factories where I buy my paper from, because they can decide every time what they want. …during corona the big guy said: hey, you cannot get your paper, I'm sending it to the Lidl or other big companies, you're too small. So that's when I thought I want to have my own supply chain, and now I'm not relying on any big companies because I can do it on my own. - Sander
And what’s better than having your own supply source? Yes, you’re right! Having your own sustainable supply source ♻️. The company’s approach of buying from local farmers, paying fair wages and educating them in order to get the best quality contributes economically and environmentally 👌
Personal growth and taking care of one’s mental health: Sander highlights the importance of mental well-being in improving focus and reducing stress. How does he achieve it? 👇
Having regular sessions with a mental coach - for him and all employees
Regularly meditate
Cold therapy every morning - jumping in an ice bath 🥶
Believe in the business model and have an ambitious mindset: We all know that growth takes time. Sander emphasises the importance of believing in your vision, especially when facing challenges. Belief will make overcoming those challenges easier.
My ambition is to make impact and not only on the farm, but also in building toilets…80% of schools in Ghana don’t have any toilets. So we built about 240 blocks already. And it's beautiful to see that people are going to the toilet and that you can make a difference by selling toilet paper which everybody, the whole world uses. - Sander
His passion doesn’t stop there, he also adores Africa 🌍:
If I didn't have a family I would stay there for a couple of years because I love to be there, I love the people, I love to do business over there. - Sander
🎯 Focus on your core strengths: Sander explains the importance of avoiding the "competitors FOMO". The Good Roll keeps focus on their star product 👉 toilet paper out of bamboo. Sander shares the same vision regarding geographical expansion; the focus is to provide all sanitation needs in Ghana before expanding to other countries.
Just because a competition is doing it, it’s not the right thing for you. - Sander
Balancing growth and impact ⚖️: The Good Roll is growing exponentially, and it is important to ensure that the business maintains its core values to continue creating positive impact in the world.
Balancing Growth and Profitability 📈: Sander's perspective on balancing growth and profitability has shifted in the recent months. He now emphasizes the importance of making a profit rather than solely focusing on high burn rates.
Our personal highlight of the conversation is Sander’s passion to make this world a better place 🌍. The Good Roll is really staying true to their values and that’s admirable. An applause for them 👏. Watch/listen to the inspiring story of The Good Roll by clicking play below 👇
Below you can find the exact times when discussing a specific topic. This allows you to move back and forth where you find the most interest. Enjoy it! 👇
🕑 Time stamps and topics
(00:00) Snippet
(00:52) Intro & current set up of The Good Roll(03:39) Previous experiences(08:40) Biggest challenges during the first years(12:05) Bamboo farmers in Ghana - how is it managed?(25:20) Yes or no questions(30:28) Marketing & sales(36:18) The Good Roll foundation(38:20) Financial set-up(42:03) Personal questions (salary, biggest fuckup and favourite brand besides agood company)
Thinking about bringing your e-com brand to Switzerland? 🇨🇭
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Jens Bergermann: Working in purchasing & sales of consumer brands for over 8 years.
Previously helped to scale DeinDeal.ch and Amorana.ch until exits. Passionate about branding and distribution strategy. Let’s talk!
Nicolas Huxley: Building brands on Shopify for over 9 years.
Previously founded Elephbo.com and Tauschtoni.com. Love to build and support brands with purpose. Happy to jump on a call!
👈 Previous interview
On the previous interview, we had a chat with Henrik Jonsson, co-owner and Head of Global Sales of agood company ♻️, an impactful brand from Sweden that creates circular products for everyday, making consumption more conscious. They prioritise sustainability, innovation, design and transparency, offering a range of products from stone notebooks to plant based phone cases ♻️ . The company manages its own foundation - agood foundation - and is committed to diverse charity programmes, such as Malala Fund 📚 and charity:water 💧.
If you missed it, you should check it out here:
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