Matt Fiedler was a product manager at a tech startup when he and his roommate, Tyler Barstow, had a very analog idea for a company: vinyl records. In 2013, they launched Vinyl Me, Please, now an e-commerce site that, for $29 a month, sends curated records to subscribers, from the vintage (Black Sabbath’s Paranoid ) to the obscure (Watch Out! by 1970s Zimbabwean band Wells Fargo). But, in 2015, Fiedler made miscalculations that led him to an emotional breakdown—and the near-unraveling of his business.
I didn’t know much about running a business. We started out doing wholesale, but pivoted to a manufacturing model. We’d find albums and secured rights to them before getting them pressed by our manufacturer. Usually we’d receive the next record a week before shipping, and then we’d ship the albums out ourselves. Right before Thanksgiving 2014, we were waiting for December’s record of the month, but it never came. When I emailed the manufacturer, we were told that it was delayed by six weeks. There was no way we could get it to our subscribers on time.
This story is from the September 2018 edition of Inc..
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2018 edition of Inc..
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
7 Ideas : Sheila Johnson
The iconic founder of BET and Salamander Collection draws inspiration from basketball courts and symphony halls.
What's Eating Steve Ells? What Steve Ells is Eating
The founder of Chipotle wants to shake up the restaurant industry again, this time with robot kitchens and plant-based food.
5 Team Player
How Stephen Curry, the NBA’s greatest shooter ever, assembled an all-star business team that wins on social mission as much as money.
Regionals BLAZING A TRAIL TO THE INC. 5000
We're a nation of competitors. Always have been-from the sharp-elbowed scramble for land unleashed by the Homestead Act to the improbable televised spectacle that is the American Cornhole League.
The Cult of the Entrepreneur and How to Avoid It
Imperious, infallible, and fawned over by employees and customers: Don't fall for it. You can succeed without being an asshole.
Insta-Worthy RetailEverything, Everywhere, All at Once
How the designer behind some of today’s buzziest businesses lands in-person experiences that are too good not to gram.
Sallie Krawcheck
On battling burnout, insomnia, and the loneliness of being a WFH CEO.
Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia Is Betting on a New Wave of Design-Led Startups
The former chief product officer of Airbnb helps set the vision for Veeraj Chugh’s high-end webcam startup, Opal Camera.
Be Cool. Or Not
How the creators of one of the most influential brands of the past decade learned that cool is in the eye of the beholder.
Yes, You Can Break Free of Your Brand
People change. Interests evolve. The Cupcake Queen learned that firsthand.