Keep pulling the thread on Eric Ryan.
Olly simplified the vitamin category for consumers by naming products after their benefit, such as "Sleep," instead of their scientific ingredient, like "Melatonin."
Eric Ryan's jewelry brand, Cast, failed after three to four years because it was too capital-intensive to scale in the current market, despite a partnership with Nordstrom.
Eric Ryan's consumer brands Method and Olly are each approaching a valuation of nearly one billion dollars.
Around 2002, Method became one of the first startup brands to secure a mass retail partnership with Target.
The creation of the Method brand was driven by identifying two cultural shifts missed by the home cleaning category: the "lifestyling of the home" and the consumer demand for non-toxic products.
Method's product design was inspired by incorporating elements from the personal care category, such as colors and fragrances, and the housewares category, such as vase-like bottle shapes.
Eric Ryan believes it is easier to build a successful business by iterating on an existing product category rather than creating a completely new one, as it avoids the cost and difficulty of consumer education.
The Olly brand successfully encouraged adults to take gummy vitamins in mass quantities, a consumer behavior that was not widespread before its launch.
The Welly brand successfully encouraged adults to wear bandages with patterns and colors, challenging the dominance of traditional nude-colored bandages.
Method executed one of the first-ever designer collaborations at Target by partnering with handbag designer Orla Kiley to bring her patterns to a $3 cleaning product.
The Method brand was the first to combine high design with deep sustainability, creating a new "Eco Chic" category.
Eric Ryan believes he has failed more often by being "too novel" and over-innovating than by being "too familiar" and under-innovating.