172 | Great Idea + Marketing + Commitment = Success | with Mike Abadi

Born in Colombia, raised in Mexico, and college-educated in the United States, Mike Abadi comes from 4 generations of textile industry experts. 

Abadi began his career as a New York investment banker, before realizing his passion was in entrepreneurship. 

Various ventures led to his first major success as co-founder of tailored suits brand Arden Reed (now Hive & Colony), before launching D2C bedding brand Sunday Citizen alongside his wife of 6 years, with whom he has 3 children. 

Since its creation in 2019, Sunday Citizen has grown rapidly to serve several home categories, with multiple collections and 3,000+ 5-star reviews; in 2021, company sales grew by 400%. Abadi speaks English, Spanish, and basic Chinese. 

4 years spent living in China and 10+ years working with Chinese providers has earned him an in-depth understanding of factory processes and product sourcing. 

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:11] From investment banking to entrepreneurship
• [02:20] Mike’s experience in his first ventures
• [05:22] Why did Mike not give up?
• [07:27] The value in unsuccessful ventures
• [08:13] Where the idea of Sunday Citizen came from
• [12:24] Sunday Citizen’s go-to-market strategy
• [15:23] Expectations for marketing ad spend
• [17:11] Sponsor: Electric Eye electriceye.io
• [17:32] Sponsor: Mesa apps.shopify.com/mesa
• [18:15] Sponsor: Gorgias gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• [19:42] Sponsor: Rewind rewind.com/honestecommerce
• [20:12] Sponsor: Klaviyo klaviyo.com/honest
• [21:00] The relationship dynamics between C-Suite spouses
• [22:48] How Mike got lucky to leave China before the pandemic
• [23:27] Sunday Citizen expanding their product line up
• [25:10] Sunday Citizen products are more than just decorative
• [26:08] 2 problems that Sunday Citizen faced
• [27:10] iOS 14.5 leveled the playing field
• [28:01] Building a “true brand” through connections
• [29:05] Where to find Sunday Citizen

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Developing the world's softest home products sundaycitizen.co
• Connect with Mike linkedin.com/in/mikeabadi
• Scale your business with electriceye.io
• Download Mesa at the Shopify App Store apps.shopify.com/mesa
• Level up your customer support gorgias.grsm.io/honest
• Respond to any of Rewind’s welcome emails and mention HONEST ECOMMERCE to get 1 month free rewind.io/honest
• Get started with a free account at klaviyo.com/honest

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