Lina Calabria: Raising Outside Capital, Despite Bootstrapping Bellroy to Profitability
Description
Lina Calabria is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Bellroy, an Australian accessories brand making carry goods, such as bags, wallets, pouches, phone cases, and key covers. It is a Certified B Corporation.
Bellroy sells its products online as a direct-to-consumer brand and through retailers in 120+ countries.
Lina has 20+ years of engineering, entrepreneurial, and supply chain experience. Since co-founding Bellroy in 2009, Lina has held various roles within the company, including COO, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:
1. Why Lina and her co-founders decided to start Bellroy
2. What it’s like to work with family and manage co-founder dynamics
3. Bellroy products and why the team started with the wallet
4. How COVID-19 has impacted new product launches and sales
5. Lina’s thoughts on Bellroy having a physical presence in a digital first world
6. How to use technology and virtual reality to enhance the online shopping experience
7. Why sustainability is important to the Bellroy brand
8. What is a B-Corp and why B-Corp status is important
9. Why the team decided to raise external capital, despite bootstrapping to profitability
10. What’s next for Bellroy
BOOKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
1. Bellroy
2. Follow Bellroy on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter
3. Follow Lina on Twitter
4. Certified B-Corps
And finally, we are running a COMPETITION! All you need to do is to review the show on your podcast provider and send a screenshot of the review to karen@musedmondays.com. The best review will win a luxury scented candle!
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In addition you can follow your host Karen Forster (@karenbforster) on Instagram and Twitter.




