Jan 25, 2016 8 Questions with: Amy Wang
I went to an intimate event a few months ago when Amy Wang and Jacquie Chang, both co-founders of OrangeGlad were sharing their entrepreneurial story. I loved hearing their down-to-earth trials and learnings, seeing their passionate ambitions, and chuckling at their growing pain stories (imagine a two story spontaneous chute assembly line with parents and volunteer hands). Their concept of curated artisan desserts serves to match the foodie craving consumers with artisan chefs across the world, combined with an e-commerce marketplace. We sampled some of the desserts that evening, took home an OrangeGlad box, and before the end of the week I couldn’t help but order a subscription for a gift. Hats off to Amy and Jacquie for starting young and pursuing their dream, building a niche subscription service, and creating a bit of “sweet happiness” for all who encounter OrangeGlad.
Tell us how OrangeGlad came to fruition – from concept to product development, to partner sourcing to backend operations, to launch and customer acquisition.
I was an art director at an international skin care company where I met my business partner for OrangeGlad, Jacquie Chang, who was the Marketing Director at the time. One day we were craving for some desserts, but we were also stuck at our office job, so we searched online for things that we could buy over the Internet, and discovered a whole new world of artisan dessert on the Internet. After a little bit of research, we found out that some of these artisan chefs were struggling, and they were a little bit lost in today’s fast growing Internet marketing battle. We realized that there was a need for an online platform that gives these chefs a place to shine. Consumers today are still only exposed to selections locally, and not acknowledging the options across the country, or even globe. With our transit technologies today, purchasing a delicious cheesecake from across the country is actually not that bad at all. So we decided to step in, and help connect the artisan desserts and the dessert lovers, since they obviously need a “blind date” — that’s sort-of what OrangeGlad is.
Describe how OrangeGlad has evolved as a company since inception?
At first, we thought let’s give this a try, and we expected OG to be a side gig. However; within the 20 days of launching we had our first 100 sign ups already. Besides the excitement and joy it brought us, we knew it was time to plan this as a real business.
How was the venture fundraising process and K5 accelerator program?
Three months into the business, OG has been growing at a very steady pace, so that’s when we decided to look into getting funding. None of us came from a business background, so we knew that we were lacking knowledge if we were to present ourselves to the investors. So we worked long hours in our first small office and google-educated ourselves about fundraising for 3 weeks. In the end, we made a video presentation, a pitch deck, and a 15 min pitch. We took those to our first investor meeting, and we got accepted into the accelerator program we applied to.
What have been some of the most rewarding milestones/initiatives at OrangeGlad? In what way?
I would say that the most rewarding moments working at OG would be when an Artisan chef tells us how much they appreciate what we’re doing, and that we’ve really made a difference for them. It’s also rewarding every time we see an email from a happy customer telling us how much sweeter we’ve made their days (I’m not kidding, they go out of their ways to email us to tell us how awesome they think we are), and those moments are truly priceless…..knowing that you’ve made a difference in someone else’s life. And that’s what we thrive for, spreading happiness.
Describe some of the interesting growth challenges you are tackling right now.
We are constantly trying to reach out to a wider market, going outside of the bargain hunting subscription crowd. I think this will be a long-term battle but we are working hard towards bringing a better experience every day.
Where do you hope to take OrangeGlad in the long term?
I’ve always envisioned OG to be the go-to Internet platform for discovering and gifting Artisan sweets.
As a kid, what did you want to be?
Haha, as a kid, I’ve always wanted to be a Mom… and run a bakery. Today, I have two beautiful girls and a business that makes a difference for the dessert industry.
Where do you personally find inspiration?
I find that my OG team gives me the most inspiration.