.Manly Bands is a direct-to-consumer seller of men's rings. The business launched in 2016 after John Ruggiero, the founder along with his partner Michelle, couldn't find an appropriate wedding ceremony band.This is actually Ruggiero's 2nd appearance on the podcast. In April 2021, our team covered the business's founding, unique ring components, and also more. Ever since, Manly Bands has actually gotten its own manufacturer. The making of rings coming from, say, Port Daniel's bourbon gun barrels or even Fender guitar strings generates convincing online video, states Ruggiero, excellent for narration on social media sites and also elsewhere.The entire audio of our talk is ingrained below. The transcript is actually edited for duration and also clarity.Eric Bandholz: Provide our team a run-through of what you do.John Ruggiero: My other half, Michelle, and also I started an on-line ring firm referred to as Manly Bands in 2016 to resolve an issue of wedding event bands for men. Our company were merely wed. I possess big hands and couldn't discover a band that I ased if that was certainly not overpriced. My alternatives were purchasing coming from a directory or even having one thing custom-built.I ended up getting coming from a website. The ring arrived in a flat mailer, without package or even customer service. It was actually an unpleasant experience by today's ecommerce specifications.Our team obtained gotten married to, relocated to Florida, and also needed to have a job. We informed our own selves, "Our company're both business owners. Why do not our company generate our own company?" Our experts covered the kinds of complications our company would certainly seen as well as just how to address them. My ring adventure turned up, and also our company opted to attempt to fix it for various other individuals.Our objective when our company started was actually to pay rent. Our experts presumed making a pair many thousand bucks a month coming from this would be superb. Our company considered it a way of living company, not high-growth. It was just Michelle and me in our garage making bands and also delivering them out to customers. We had appealed something. Our information sounded along with leads.Michelle as well as I make an excellent group. I develop tips, as well as she's the implementer. A considerable amount of our results goes to her creative thoughts. She labels the bands and creates personas. She links the rings to consumers. Illustrating a band solely as "eight-millimeter black" failed to cut it.Our team developed rings coming from distinct products, such as Jack Daniel's barrels or even special steels. The business took off. Since then, our experts have actually developed greatly. We now have over 55 individuals in the Manly Bands family members. Regarding half of those are actually ring artisans that function in our lately acquired manufacturing outlet in Utah.Bandholz: When did you obtain a maker?Ruggiero: Regarding a year and a fifty percent earlier. Our team had actually been their consumer for years, so we understood all of them well. Most of their business was actually wholesale, which really did not passion our company-- visiting mom-and-pop jewelers. They retained their retail consumers as well as trademark name. Our company got some of their assets and also took over staff members.Inducing a production team has been one of the best points our team've done. It's been awesome to walk out certainly there and also enjoy all of them make bands out of Fender guitar strands or metal from an M1 Abrams storage tank.Bandholz: Just how carries out in-house production effect advertising and marketing?Ruggiero: It is actually been actually big. Taking a camera to the other side of the office as well as recording the group using lathes to reduce the metallic poles or even scotch gun barrels in to bands makes for amazing video. Our company have our video camera crew available regularly. Our company make use of that video on our social media as well as in our adds and also email lists. Our team try to advertise that because the majority of business in the guys's ring space don't create. They lose ship or order coming from overseas and afterwards transport it out. But our team wish it to last a life-time and also be actually one thing individuals may take pride in.Our team have actually possessed a ton of effectiveness with our army heritage compilation, where our team source special armed forces materials. Our company possess the M1 Garand rifle sell, the lumber part, from War of the nations I. Viewing our team put that in the lathe and reduced a piece out for a ring is fascinating.Our advertising and marketing for those rings talks about the past history, the soldiers, where the weapon was made use of, and also factors like that. My spouse as well as I researched filmmaking in college. Our team utilize our skill-sets to educate as well as narrate. For example, I lately acquired an email from a consumer who shared that his grandfather used to drive M1 tanks. The consumer blessed one of those rings to his gramps, and also they had fairly an emotional swap. It's nice to assist consumers associate with their past and also make one thing relevant.Bandholz: Where can people purchase a ring from you?Ruggiero: ManlyBands.com. Our company possess pictures on Instagram, as well. I perform Twitter and also LinkedIn.