.Manly Bands is a direct-to-consumer dealer of men's rings. The company released in 2016 after John Ruggiero, the co-founder along with his spouse Michelle, couldn't discover a suitable wedding celebration band.This is actually Ruggiero's second appeal on the podcast. In April 2021, our company talked about the firm's beginning, special ring products, and also extra. Ever since, Manly Bands has gotten its own supplier. The creation of rings coming from, state, Port Daniel's bourbon gun barrels or even Fender guitar strings creates engaging video, states Ruggiero, ideal for storytelling on social networks and also somewhere else.The whole entire audio of our conversation is actually ingrained listed below. The transcript is actually edited for duration and clarity.Eric Bandholz: Give us a review of what you do.John Ruggiero: My spouse, Michelle, and also I started an on the web ring company called Manly Bands in 2016 to handle a complication of wedding ceremony bands for men. We were only gotten married to. I have large fingers and also could not locate a ring that I just liked that was actually certainly not overpriced. My alternatives were actually purchasing from a brochure or even possessing something customized.I found yourself getting from a web site. The band arrived in a level mailer, with no box or even client service. It was a horrible expertise by today's ecommerce criteria.Our company obtained married, relocated to Fla, as well as needed a project. Our team told ourselves, "Our experts're both entrepreneurs. Why don't our company make our personal service?" Our team discussed the kinds of issues we 'd seen and exactly how to handle them. My band adventure appeared, and our company opted to make an effort to fix it for other men.Our objective when our company started was actually to pay for rental payment. Our company thought making a pair thousand dollars a month from this will be awesome. Our experts considered it a way of life organization, not high-growth. It was actually only Michelle as well as me in our garage developing bands as well as sending all of them out to consumers. Our company had actually appealed one thing. Our information sounded along with potential customers.Michelle as well as I make an excellent staff. I come up with ideas, and also she's the implementer. A lot of our excellence mosts likely to her artistic mind. She titles the rings and also establishes personas. She links the bands to clients. Illustrating a ring solely as "eight-millimeter dark" didn't cut it.Our company developed rings coming from distinct products, such as Port Daniel's gun barrels or even exclusive metallics. Your business took off. Since then, our company have actually increased dramatically. Our team currently have over 55 individuals in the Manly Bands household. About fifty percent of those are actually band artisans that do work in our lately gotten production outlet in Utah.Bandholz: When performed you get a manufacturer?Ruggiero: Concerning a year and also an one-half earlier. Our team had actually been their customer for years, so we knew them well. A lot of their company was wholesale, which didn't passion us-- visiting mom-and-pop jewelry experts. They kept their retail clients and brand. Our experts got a number of their resources and also brought over employees.Prompting a manufacturing staff has actually been one of the most effective traits our experts have actually carried out. It is actually been extraordinary to go out there certainly as well as watch them bring in rings out of Fender guitar cords or even steel coming from an M1 Abrams tank.Bandholz: Exactly how does in-house production impact marketing?Ruggiero: It's been actually significant. Taking a video camera to the opposite side of the office and recording the crew using turrets to reduce the metal poles or even scotch gun barrels right into rings produces extraordinary online video. Our team have our electronic camera staff available regularly. Our experts use that footage on our social media sites and in our advertisements as well as newsletters. Our experts attempt to market that because a lot of companies in the males's ring room do not create. They drop ship or even purchase coming from foreign and then deliver it out. However we desire it to last a lifetime and be one thing people may take satisfaction in.Our company have actually possessed a bunch of results along with our army heritage compilation, where our company resource unique army components. We possess the M1 Garand rifle supply, the hardwood component, coming from World War I. Watching our team placed that in the turret and cut a piece out for a ring is fascinating.Our advertising and marketing for those bands discuss the history, the soldiers, where the item was actually used, and traits like that. My partner and I analyzed filmmaking in college. Our experts use our skills to educate and also tell a story. For example, I just recently got an e-mail coming from a client who shared that his grandpa used to steer M1 storage tanks. The consumer blessed among those rings to his gramps, and they possessed quite a psychological substitution. It behaves to assist customers get in touch with their past times as well as make something relevant.Bandholz: Where can people buy a ring coming from you?Ruggiero: ManlyBands.com. Our team have images on Instagram, too. I'm on Twitter and LinkedIn.