Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had a surprising number of conversations about subscription box products. We interviewed a subscription meal kit service on the pod, a couple members of our Unreal Collective Accelerator have been brought it up…
And I’ve been able to give a lot of insight and perspective, because I’ve learned about those models. But the story of how and why I learned about those models is funny…
About a year ago, I got an email from a freelance journalist writing a piece for Bloomberg.
I’m a reporter with Bloomberg Businessweek currently working on a story about subscription box profitability from investors’ perspective. I came across your work and thought you’d be a great person to speak to about this story.
I’d love to get some current expert thoughts (and numbers as examples) on companies like Birchbox and Blue Apron’s struggle to profit and their prospects for future profitability, if any.
I was with a friend of mine at a coffee shop, showed him the email, and said, “I have no idea where she got this idea from. I am not the guy to answer this!”
He said, “Yeah but you can figure that out.”
And he was right — my immediate response was to say, “Not my wheelhouse — I’ll let her know she needs to find someone else.” But with a couple hours of research from sources I knew and trusted, I had a lot of compelling data and a good response.
So the piece ran, I got a mention in Bloomberg, and now I have a relationship with a press contact who has reached back out several times now.
This situation, in some way, happens all the time. Not knowing the right answer in the moment does not disqualify your ability to find the right answer or learn the skill. And you never know what may come from walking through that door.