13. Steph Hon | Cadence (modern movement products)

The Founder

Steph Hon is the Founder and CEO of Cadence.
Like many of us, Steph found herself always on the move. Whether public transit or rock climbing, across towns or between countries, she seemed to always face this pain point around transporting her personal care products when she was on the go. If it wasn’t the heavy second bag or the fear of leaks and spills, it was the general discomfort of buying single use plastics and their negative impact on the environment. She wanted to create a solution that would empower her on the go just like she felt empowered at home. So she created one and named it Cadence.
At Cadence, Steph and her team have a lofty mission – to end single use, travel sized plastics. As a brand, they build intuitive movement solutions for the modern day consumer. Their first product, the capsule, is the next generation way to carry your health and wellness products while on the go. Could be vitamins, sunscreen, shampoo, hair gels, or anything else you need when you’re moving from one place to another – dry or wet, lotion or powder, liquid or solid, the capsule can handle it. The capsule is a hexagonal container made from recycled, ocean bound plastics that has no-show magnets inside so they can connect to one another. When you connect multiple capsules, it builds a honeycomb system that will stay together when you throw it in your bag. While the capsule is just the first in a long line of Cadence products, the commitment to beautiful design and quality is sure to persist as the brands grows.
This was an inspiring interview that taught me a lot about what it takes to launch a DTC brand and how to handle early roadblocks along the way.
Tune in to hear Steph's story!
Use code “Founder” at checkout to get 15% off all Cadence products.
EPISODE TOPICS:

• (2:26) Cadence snapshot today
• (4:17) Background
• (5:11) Spark for cadence
• (6:42) Design process
• (9:40) Customer profile
• (11:30) Use cases for the capsule
• (12:56) Customer education
• (14:03) Marketing tactics
• (16:00) Brand collaborations
• (17:42) Product roadmap
• (19:22) Competition
• (21:42) Covid-19 impact
• (23:45) Manifesting the future
• (26:45) Hiring
• (31:29) Why was creating the capsule so difficult?
• (33:21) Investor lessons
• (39:06) Mentor advice
• (40:04) Frustrating/validating moment
• (46:26) Advice to younger self
• (49:37) Founder mentality
• (50:05) Exciting trends
• (52:02) Morning routine
• (53:42) Secret weapon
• (55:54) Learning & resources
• (57:17) Steph's startup manifesto
• (59:15) Steph's founder nomination

Cadence - www.keepyourcadence.com

• Follow Cadence (@keepyourcadence) on Instagram
• Follow Steph (@stephhon) on Instagram // LinkedIn
• Steph's learning and resource recommendations

The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com

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