When Joe Kudla, 45, left his consulting job in 2014 to launch his activewear brand, Vuori, he didn't anticipate burning through his bank account less than two years later.
Kudla raised $700,000 from friends and family to get Vuori off the ground. He put his clothing in local yoga studios and fitness centers across California, but it barely sold.
"We were left with few options, and we were running out of money very fast," Kudla says. "I was really frightened we were going to lose the business."
Kudla knew he needed to make a change — and fast. He requested feedback from Vuori customers, who told him his vision was off-base. Fixing the problem meant switching to a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model, with social media ads targeting an audience with broader interests.
The shift would be pricey and deeply risky, but Kudla was determined to keep his company alive — so he took the leap.
Within months, the company saw $2 in sales for every dollar spent on advertising. By the end of 2017, Vuori was profitable.
Today, the company, which has a $4 billion valuation, operates 30 retail stores across the U.S. and U.K.. It plans to open 100 more.
