
Featured case: The Grommet: Managing
Operations at a Fast-Paced Start-Up
The case |
Who – the protagonist
Ray Hallare, recently promoted Director of Operations at The Grommet. What?The Grommet is an online platform that champions and sells unique products made by ‘little guy’ companies with few opportunities to widely promote their innovative creations. A ‘grommet’ can be many different things, from household products and office equipment to pet accessories and beauty products.
Why?
The founders, Jules Pieri and Joanne Domeniconi, wanted to empower creators and enable purchasers to make a difference with their purchasing decisions. Key company values include sustainability, doing business ethically, environmentally-friendly practices, job creation, preservation of traditional skills, and the invention of new technology. Supporting under-represented entrepreneurs, such as the young, old and women, was also key. When?The Grommet was set up in 2008 to connect consumers with creators of unique products who had no other platform to sell. The aim was to launch undiscovered products and help them succeed. By 2012, shipments were three times those of 2011, and the Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten had agreed to invest in the company. By 2013, the company was handling 400-500 products on a rolling basis at various stages from initial selection to post-launch.
|
Interested in finding out more? |
![]() Download the case and teaching noteEducators can login to view a free educator preview copy of this case and its teaching note.
The Grommet: Managing Operations at a Fast-Paced Start-Up
Ref BAB224C |
The authors |
|