Ep 46: Andres Sampka
Ins & Outs of starting a hardware business and using subscription pricing to disrupt the package delivery industry
Andres Sampka is the CEO and Co-Founder of Parcelsea, an Estonian last-mile delivery startup developing smart mailboxes that accept and deliver your packages in a secure and contact-free way, without you even being home.
In this episode we unpack what goes into starting a hardware intensive business (in a garage), the subscription pricing model for hardware tech, building an MVP, adding innovative services to your (not so ordinary) mailbox, as well as how you can protect your IP from the likes of Jeff Bezos.
CLICK one of the links below to listen to the episode
The topics covered in this episode (with Timestamps)
🔈 [03:10] - INTRODUCTION AND DEMOCRATIZING THE PACKAGE DELIVERY INDUSTRY
The Parcelsea product
The problems in the package delivery industry we all face
The growth of the e-GDP from the pandemic
Saving the world while saving time&money
🔈 [09:15] - ON THE BUSINESS MODEL AND SCALABILITY
The Parcelsea business model
Multi-user sharing
Scaling the business in different countries
Using previous hardware experience to solve for scalability
🔈 [14:35] - ON BUILDING A USER FRIENDLY HARDWARE PRODUCT
Coming up with the first version/MVP
Trade-offs between customer requests and cost efficiency
The innovator’s dilemma
Powerpoint as first MVP
Make or buy trade offs
Educating the users
🔈 [22:00] - ON FACTORS TO HELP LAUNCH FAST
Team with previous experience together
Knowing what to do prior to starting
Being lean
Validating with users early
🔈 [25:40] - ON JOB TO BE DONE FRAMEWORK AND AN ACTUAL GARAGE
Starting a hardware business in the garage
Using Clayton Christensen Job to Be Done Framework
🔈 [27:50] - ON SUBSCRIPTION PRICING FOR HARDWARE
Pricing a new concept
Removing entry barriers
Creating a platform vs selling a piece of hardware
🔈 [30:55] - ON PROTECTING YOUR IP/BUSINESS
Avoiding getting killed by Jeff Bezos and/or Elon Musk
Speed and traction
Sticky business model
Scaling the production
Managing funding
To reach out to Andres use:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andressampka/
Website: https://parcelsea.com/et
Support for this episode comes from Nexpay > https://paynexpay.com/
Support for this episode comes from Venetor > https://www.venetor.co/
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The full interview with Andres is available NOW on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts
