Bogg Bag: Kim Vaccarella. The $100 Million Business She Almost Abandoned
About this episode
Kim’s inspiration to launch a business came from an unlikely source: Her son’s Crocs. She thought the durable, washable material would make a great beach bag. So she designed one. But after investing her savings—inlcuding some of her kids’ college fund—Kim was crushed when her first major shipment of Bogg bags was defective. It knocked her so off balance, that she put the entire business on hold. Then something unexpected happened.The few thousand customers who already had a bag….clamored for more. So Kim decided to start over. She borrowed $120,000, found another factory, shared trade show booths with four other founders, and slowly built Bogg Bag into a $100 million phenomenon. What you'll learn: How getting nowhere with Crocs gave Kim the motivation to make Bogg Bag herself. Why her first $30,000 production run nearly killed the company. Why a founder isn’t always the best judge of her product How Superstorm Sandy gave new life to Bogg Bag How Kim built Bogg Bag for years while keeping her full-time job and raising two kids. How COVID turned Bogg Bag from a beach product into a “beach and beyond” product. How Kim got a massive acquisition offer–and why she turned it down. Why Kim thinks Bogg Bag can eventually become a billion-dollar brand. Chapters: 06:36 - Growing up without financial security 08:17 - From high-school dropout to a six-figure career 17:19 - Reading “Mommy Millionaire” and dreaming of inventing something 19:41 - The Crocs-on-the-beach moment 24:56 - Kim hits a wall with Crocs, so she decides to make Bogg Bag herself 33:33 - The early prototypes and a nervous visit to a boutique: “I don’t know what this is, but I think I need it.” 41:16 - The first big shipment, a $30,000 defect, and a decision to pull the plug 47:13 - A massive natural disaster presents an opportunity 52:15 - “Now I gotta make this damn bag” 54:45 - A factory showdown in China 59:52 - Starting over with $120,000 01:01:51 - The trade-show “timeshare” in a tiny booth 01:07:12 - Finally quitting her day job 01:10:42 - COVID boosts the business 01:13:28 - The acquisition offer that could have changed everything 01:23:40 - Learning to lead a much bigger company 01:26:13 - The dream of a family legacy This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Sam Paulson. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .