RVE 210: Reet from TripOutside on Building a Marketplace

Sometimes you come up with a great business idea. It's something you know you would use. And when you get someone else to test it, you realize that it doesn't solve the right problem. This is what Reet faced when he launched Trip Outside, a platform to find and book outdoor adventures online. After a quick pivot, the marketplace serves outdoor outfitters by helping them rent and sell gear and acts as a one-stop-shop for adventurers looking to book rentals and experiences for their next vacation. But Trip Outside isn't the only company Reet runs with his wife, Julie. They also run Seva Stray, an e-commerce company with a big vision. After visiting India and volunteering and even adopting stray dogs, Reet & Julie decided to combine their love of dogs and their business knowledge. With Seva Stray, they sell beautiful, unique, ethically sourced, vegan products, and 20% of all sales go toward organizations in India that take care of stray dogs. These donations go toward vaccinations, spaying and neutering programs, and medical care. In this episode, Heath & Reet dive into: Bootstrapping versus raising capital (and the problems that come along with both) Prioritizing what to focus on as you scale a business Hiring and communicating with employees from abroad How to hire new employees (that will stick around) What metrics are worth tracking