
What To Do Next
How HigherDose Built A Luxury Brand In A Commodity Market | Katie Kaps
HigherDOSE began as a single infrared sauna spa. Today, it's a multi-channel wellness brand with products sold online and through high-end retailers. In this episode of What to Do Next, Katie Kaps, co-founder of HigherDOSE, joins host David Segal to discuss how that transformation happened. They explore the decisions that shaped the company's growth, from launching the sauna blanket and positioning a premium brand to choosing debt over additional venture capital, expanding into retail, managing inventory, and navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. — Brought to you by: Highbeam —Grow your brand with Highbeam’s cash management platform: https://www.highbeam.com/ — Where to find Katie Kaps: • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ktkaps • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiekaps • Website: https://katiekaps.com Where to find David Segal: • Website: https://www.highbeam.com/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wtdn.podcast • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-segal-80b6079 — Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:02) HigherDOSE overview (02:13) Launching HigherDOSE (03:32) Retail partnerships (04:25) First location business model (05:50) The sauna blanket (08:02) Why products won (10:32) Pandemic product shift (13:07) Debt vs. equity (15:18) Raising prices (19:04) Brand over design (23:50) Saying yes (26:18) Landing in Sephora (29:03) Cash flow vs. inventory (31:42) Choosing products (35:37) Measuring product success (36:48) Why physical locations mattered (37:50) What's next (39:00) Entrepreneurship (42:48) Lightning round — Referenced: • HigherDOSE: https://higherdose.com • Sephora: https://www.sephora.com • Bluemercury: https://bluemercury.com • Nordstrom: https://www.nordstrom.com • Amazon: https://www.amazon.com • abc carpet & home: https://abchome.com • 11 Howard: https://www.11howard.com • Equinox: https://www.equinox.com • Clearlight: https://infraredsauna.com • BIOHACK-HERS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtt3Vc8Sfqz2rWmxlkgDdcqUJp4fkWY1v • TD: https://www.tdsecurities.com • QVC: https://www.qvc.com • Ben Greenfield’s website: https://bengreenfieldlife.com • Tough Mudder: https://toughmudder.com • Will Dean on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foundingmudder • The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses : https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307887898

