Ep. 35 Aishwarya Iyer from Brightland on Finding her Brand’s Superpower and Creating a Cult Product

Brightland might be the first sustainably sourced DTC olive oil company to exist, and it has achieved cult-status for its freshness, its colorful and beautifully designed bottles, and its personal touch. All of this is thanks to Brightland’s founder, Aishwarya Iyer, who joins us this week to share her story, and some tips for finding your own success story.

It often seems like crossing the distance between an idea and its execution is impossible, especially when you have a product in mind but no clue where to start. In this episode of Ecommerce Building Blocks, Jason wants to find out from Aishwarya Iyer how she went from corporate communications to founding Brightland, the much-heralded sustainably sourced California olive oil company. Aishwarya eschewed the typical marketing tricks used by DTC founders and chose to lean into her skill set. She focused on what she could do, and on how she could educate herself in areas where she needed to learn making every step of the production process into something personal and meaningful.

Topics Discussed:

-The difference between product affinity and brand affinity, and why it matters for your marketing strategy

-How Aishwarya Iyer got the idea for Brightland

-Her thought process in telling the story of Brightland

-Why she began with PR and Communications instead of branding

-How Aishwarya Iyer legitimized her product even without a background in food

-Using your superpowers as your marketing compass

-The preparation that went into creating Brightland’s supply chain: olive education, establishing relationships with farmers, creating packaging

-How packaging and shipping are intertwined, and how to prepare for common pitfalls

-How to use DTC’s major communication advantage when you experience delays

-What makes a cult favorite?

-How Brightland takes their customers on the journey with them, and why that is so valuable.

-Aishwarya Iyer’s if she could do it all over again advice to herself as a young entrepreneur

➡️ Building Blocks website: bbclass.co

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Brightland: https://brightland.co/

Aishwarya’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/aishwarya228

Aishwarya’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwarya-iyer-44112a19a