Fresh Perspective - How This Couple Turned Fresh Sends into a E-com Gifting Powerhouse

In an industry cluttered with dusty traditions and dated websites, Fresh Sends is writing a different story. From their humble beginnings in a 900-square-foot Denver duplex, founders Ty and Jesse Hiss have revolutionized digital gifting by doing less - not more. Stripping away endless scroll pages of "corny name bouquets," they've built a powerhouse DTC brand that turns conventional flower delivery practices on their heads, proving that sometimes the best disruption starts with simplification.

Key Takeaways for Ecommerce Brands:

1. Denver duo transforms floral startup into nationwide gifting powerhouse, operating lean with <5% inventory waste
2. Ditches traditional VC path for profitable growth, turning fresh flowers into a tech-enabled gifting platform
3. Masters perishable logistics with 52-weeks-a-year inventory turns, scaling from duplex to nationwide distribution
   ‍

Building a Scalable Flower Operation

"We ship flowers and gifts nationwide in the US, and it's been such a wild ride the last 5 years," shares Ty Hiss. What started as a solution to the frustrating experience of sending flowers has evolved into a streamlined gifting platform focused on meaning over endless choices.

💡 Operations Spotlight

• <5% waste in perishable inventory
• 52 inventory turns a year
• 2-3 week buying forecasts

Managing Perishable Inventory at Scale

Their approach to ecommerce inventory is both sophisticated and practical. "We have become much more granular with our forecasting," Ty notes. "We do our buying about 2-3 weeks in advance, looking at the calendar to forecast. Valentine's Day, of course, requires months of planning ahead."

The company has identified unique seasonal patterns that differ from traditional e-commerce: "Black Friday for us is not a big holiday where most ecom companies, that's their Super Bowl. Our Super Bowl rolls around more closely with the actual Super Bowl of Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day is our actual biggest season."

💡 Growth Metrics

• ~20 core team members
• Scales to 40+ during peak seasons
• Strategic focus on NY and LA markets

The Tech Stack Behind Fresh Sends

"We love Finaloop," Jesse emphasizes. "The switch from QuickBooks to Finaloop has been hugely helpful for our brand, giving us a more real-time accurate, clean snapshot of where the business is at that moment in time." They combine this with "built-in Shopify" for basic inventory management, recognizing that with flowers, "trying to manage everything down to a stem on something so fragile is very difficult."

💡 Solution Stack Spotlight

• Finaloop for real-time financials
• Native inventory management Solution
• In-house customer service

Data-Driven Product Expansion

Fresh Sends has strategically expanded their gifting options while maintaining operational efficiency. "We have a gift set with a candle, cream and perfume, and then we also include other gifts with the flowers," Ty explains. "Right now you can ship what we call the birthday send - cookies from a bakery out of New York. We also have a pasta night set with olive oil and a wooden spoon." Each addition is carefully chosen to complement their core offering while fitting into their existing operational framework.

Community-Led Growth

Fresh Sends has developed innovative ways to stay connected with their community. "We do something called Tell Freshie," Ty explains. "We have customer community calls once a month... hearing about whether they've purchased from us in the past or they're just a brand friend, asking them about what they love about the brand, what they wish they would see more of."

Strategic Distribution Partnerships

Looking ahead, Fresh Sends is exploring smart partnerships for expansion. "We work with one of the larger wholesaler networks in the country," Jesse reveals. "We're in chats with them on trying to figure out how we could potentially use their existing network instead of having to build out our own floral logistical network throughout the country." This strategic approach could help them better serve their biggest markets - New York and Los Angeles - without the massive infrastructure investment.

Financial Infrastructure for Scale

The founders emphasize the importance of strong financial foundations and ecommerce accounting. "When you're starting a company and you want to get off on the right foot, legal and accounting/finance should be your two biggest T's to cross and I's to dot," Jesse advises. He emphasizes using tools like Finaloop and maintaining good books from the start: "A lot of founders are so focused on keeping their head above water, trying to just operate, design, product, customer service... it's easy to let finance kind of slip to the back."

Conclusion: A New Model for Sustainable Growth

Fresh Sends represents more than just another e-commerce success story - it's a masterclass in sustainable growth through operational excellence. By maintaining tight inventory control, leveraging technology strategically, and keeping customer experience at the forefront, the company has grown profitably without traditional venture capital.

Their approach demonstrates that in the competitive DTC landscape, success comes not just from what you sell, but how efficiently and thoughtfully you operate. As they continue to expand their reach and product offerings, Fresh Sends shows that focusing on operational financial and fundamentals while staying true to your core mission can build a lasting, profitable business in even the most challenging industries.