The VentureFizz Podcast: Jules Pieri - Co-Founder & CEO of The Grommet banner image

The VentureFizz Podcast: Jules Pieri - Co-Founder & CEO of The Grommet

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For the 56th episode of our podcast, I interviewed Jules Pieri, Co-Founder & CEO of The Grommet.

The Grommet is a community that has reshaped the way people discover, share, influence, and buy products online. The company’s mission is rooted in what they call “Citizen Commerce,” and they have helped launch many products that are now household names like Fitbit, SodaStream, OtterBox, S’well water bottles, and many more.

To kick off our interview, I ask Jules about “the shoes.” It is a story about Jules and how she was pounding the pavement in the early days of building The Grommet to the point where she wore out these shoes and they fell apart right before a meeting with potential investors. It is a legendary story of entrepreneurial grit and perseverance that is a common theme throughout not only Jules’ professional career but her whole life.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover:

  • Jules’ background growing up in Detroit and the early foundation years.
  • Her work on the iconic Reebok Pump sneaker.
  • What she learned working very closely with legendary tech CEO, Meg Whitman.
  • The details on The Grommet, a successful consumer marketplace that is now majority-owned by Ace Hardware.
  • Her scrappy PR strategy, and how she has been able to get coverage in major publications like The New York Times, Fortune, Inc., and many others.
  • Advice for entrepreneurs, especially women, who are raising venture capital.
  • Plus, a lot more.

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Keith Cline is the Founder of VentureFizz. Follow him on Twitter: @kcline6.

About the
Company

Grommet is the place for the not-so-commonplace. Since 2008, Grommet has been the place where you get more out of shopping small—from finding ingenious products you never knew about, to supporting small businesses that might be right in your neighborhood. These businesses aren’t very big (yet), but their ideas are. Grommet seeks out and curates these unique and useful products, giving every underdog their day, and bringing these products to consumers.

 
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