About this episode

This week’s featured founder is Fraser Hall, Co-Founder and Director at Article. Article is an online-only, direct-to-consumer company that offers beautiful modern furniture that is well made. I speak from first-hand experience as I have a few pieces from them.

What is so fascinating about Article is that they are founded by a team of software engineers, not merchandisers or designers. Article launched in 2013 and reached profitability in 2015, having only raised approximately $5 million in funding. By the end of 2017, Article achieved $100 million USD in revenue and company sales have continued to grow. After hearing Fraser’s story, it became so apparent why Article is having the success they are having. I believe it is Fraser’s eclectic background which has contributed to this success.

His journey started so far from the furniture industry. In fact, his first startup was a heads-up display company. Yet, Fraser’s startup was in the market before Google Glass. And even before he started that cutting edge hardware company he was sailing the seas protecting whales aboard The Sea Shepherd. Like I said, Fraser’s journey is so diverse and fascinating.

Many of our featured founders have spoken about the importance of pursuing something that you are passionate about but nobody, except Fraser, has ever shared the idea that passion can be developed or as a developer would put it, ”incubated.” His journey is varied and those experiences have flavored how he built Article, as well as his new venture capital firm. This is Fraser Hall’s startup story..

In this episode, you’ll hear

• His early childhood being raised in an entrepreneurial family and his first foray into entrepreneurship was a mail packing venture at the age of 13
• The story of how he leased the land and refurbished a decrepit gas dock and turned it into a boat gas business, in the 11th grade
• His views about entrepreneurship, including seeing it as a responsibility and not a right
• How he discovered engineering and pursued it in college; how it led to his first career
• The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: what it is, how he became involved, the lessons he learned from his time on the Sea Shepherd, and how they can be applied to leading a startup
• His time working on cutting-edge, heads-up display technology, entering a local pitch contest, and losing to a ceviche restaurant; eventually being approached by big tech to buy the hardware and what experience taught him about deal momentum
• The beginnings of Article, where they focused their work early on, how the company evolved, and what they offer to the consumer market today
• How being founded by computer programmers plays to Article’s advantage
• The importance of receiving customer feedback and making responsive changes
• Fraser’s unique and inspiring approach to working with passion: doing things you love and how passion gets you through all the tough times

“Passion is not necessarily something you are born with. Sometimes you need to incubate it.”
—Fraser Hall, Article

Resources from this episode

The Startup Story is now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jamesmckinney
Article: https://www.article.com/startupstory
The Startup Story on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestartupstory/

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EPISODE CREDITS

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Contact him today at https://emeraldcitypro.com/startupstory

Special Guest: Fraser Hall.