123: Selling A Hardware Product on B2B Platforms

With Gil Bar-Lev, Founder of HomeRoots

Gil Bar-Lev is the founder of Homeroots, a North American business-to-business product marketplace that connects new innovative furniture products with furniture stores, distributors, and buyers. Earlier in his career, he was the one who brought together Amazon and Toys R Us in 2002. Today, Gil is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can successfully build a hardware product business, then how to start and scale selling through B2B marketplaces online.

Today you will hear us talk about:

• What are B2B platforms?
• Have a passion for what you love in your hardware product startup
• If you develop a product, go all in.
• Never give up, if you are passionate about your product
• Figure out your target audience
• Create differentiation or an improvement
• Willingness to listen
• Pivot if needed after listening to customers
• It’s hard to get feedback
• The quality of a new hardware product is critical.
• Stay competitive by keeping quality high
• The industry in business-to-business sales could be multiple times the size of the sexy sales channels like direct-to-consumer.
• The first order is so amazing
• Don’t price too low originally, as you may lose a lot of interest from bigger buyers as you created too little margin
• Leverage relationships with these buyers when you start getting connected
• Encourage a feedback loop and channel
• Don’t get defensive of feedback, try genuinely to help.

EPISODE LINKS

Gil Bar-Lev / HomeRoots Links:

• Website: https://www.homeroots.co/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilbar-lev/

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

• Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

• Website: https://www.makodesign.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako Links:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
• Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.