EP9: Growing sales from Independent stores, to Home Depot, Amazon, and other big box retailers, stories from sourcing products in Europe, and surviving Tariffs with global brand expansion | Atul Vir, CEO of Equator Advanced Appliances

What you’ll learn:   Atul Vir is resilient when it comes to facing adversity in business. Tariffs hit 70% of his product line. But that is just another story him will overcome. He tells us about the challenges of manufacturing a specialty consumer product company abroad, shares his strategy for bringing his products to the global market, and gets honest about trade tariffs.    About our guest:   Atul Vir is a hands-on CEO, seasoned entrepreneur, inventor, business ethics thought leader, speaker and author living the American Dream. He’s lived on 4 continents, making his way from India to Europe to Africa and, finally, to the United States. His business acumen has been featured on CBS, HGTV, Oprah, Fortune, Popular Mechanics, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His company, Equator Advanced Appliances, has been listed as one of the Top 100 fastest growing companies in Houston for 3 years in a row. He also holds 18 patents for appliance technology. His award-winning products are sold in the home, recreational vehicles and marine markets.    Key takeaways from this episode:

 

• Sourcing products in Europe: challenges and global trade transformation – 7:20

• Why strong product strategy is the key to competing against larger companies – 9:16

• Manufacturing in India: what to expect – 10:00

• Problem-solving your product line for consumers in developing countries – 11:09

• Who are the major selling channels and why? – 12:59

• How big-box retailers democratized marketing and sales – 15:33

• No two retailers are the same: how to manage buyer expectations – 18:15

• Biggest focus of growth for Equator Advanced Appliances – 20:46

• Patents: are they right for your business? – 24:10

• Patents: navigating the challenges that come with getting one – 29:50

• Tariffs and the reality of its impact on your company – 33:31

• Biggest learning lesson as an underdog entrepreneur – 37:25