.Manly Bands is actually a direct-to-consumer vendor of men's bands. The provider introduced in 2016 after John Ruggiero, the co-founder along with his spouse Michelle, couldn't find a suited wedding celebration band.This is actually Ruggiero's second appeal on the podcast. In April 2021, our team discussed the company's starting, distinct ring components, and also a lot more. Since then, Manly Bands has actually gotten its supplier. The manufacturing of rings coming from, point out, Port Daniel's whiskey gun barrels or even Fender guitar strands develops compelling video, states Ruggiero, perfect for storytelling on social media and also elsewhere.The whole sound of our conversation is actually ingrained listed below. The transcript is actually edited for length and also clarity.Eric Bandholz: Provide us a rundown of what you do.John Ruggiero: My wife, Michelle, as well as I began an on the internet ring firm called Manly Bands in 2016 to deal with a trouble of wedding event bands for guys. Our company were actually only married. I have large fingers as well as couldn't discover a ring that I suched as that was certainly not overpriced. My choices were actually purchasing coming from a directory or even possessing one thing custom-built.I found yourself getting coming from an internet site. The ring showed up in a standard mailer, without any package or client service. It was a horrible adventure through today's ecommerce criteria.Our team acquired gotten married to, relocated to Florida, as well as required a project. Our experts informed our own selves, "Our team are actually both entrepreneurs. Why don't we generate our personal business?" Our team discussed the forms of concerns our company would certainly found and also exactly how to resolve them. My band knowledge appeared, and we decided to attempt to solve it for various other guys.Our objective when our company started was to pay out lease. Our experts presumed making a couple thousand bucks a month from this will be actually amazing. Our experts considered it a way of living service, certainly not high-growth. It was just Michelle and me in our garage designing rings as well as delivering them bent on clients. Our team had appealed one thing. Our notification sounded with prospects.Michelle and I create a great staff. I produce tips, and also she is actually the implementer. A lot of our effectiveness heads to her creative thoughts. She labels the rings and cultivates personalities. She attaches the bands to consumers. Defining a ring entirely as "eight-millimeter dark" really did not cut it.Our team made rings from one-of-a-kind materials, such as Jack Daniel's barrels or special metallics. Your business took off. Since then, our team have actually developed drastically. Our team currently have more than 55 people in the Manly Bands loved ones. About one-half of those are actually ring craftsmens who work in our just recently obtained manufacturing shop in Utah.Bandholz: When performed you get a producer?Ruggiero: Regarding a year and also a half ago. Our company had actually been their customer for years, so we knew all of them properly. Many of their organization was wholesale, which failed to passion our team-- visiting mom-and-pop jewelry experts. They preserved their retail customers and also brand. Our experts got a few of their possessions as well as took over staff members.Causing a manufacturing crew has been just one of the best factors we have actually carried out. It's been actually fabulous to go out there and also view them make rings out of Fender guitar strands or even metal coming from an M1 Abrams tank.Bandholz: How performs internal manufacturing effect advertising?Ruggiero: It is actually been large. Taking a video camera to the opposite of the workplace as well as recording the group utilizing lathes to reduce the metallic rods or even scotch gun barrels into bands creates astonishing online video. We possess our video camera workers on the market continuously. Our team utilize that video footage on our social media sites and also in our adds as well as e-newsletters. Our experts attempt to market that due to the fact that a lot of business in the guys's band space don't manufacture. They go down ship or even order from abroad and then deliver it out. However our experts prefer it to last a life-time and also be one thing people can take honor in.Our experts've possessed a ton of excellence with our army heritage compilation, where we resource unique military materials. Our team possess the M1 Garand rifle inventory, the timber component, coming from War of the nations I. Seeing our team put that in the lathe as well as cut an item out for a ring is amazing.Our marketing for those bands speak about the past history, the soldiers, where the tool was used, and also things like that. My spouse and also I researched filmmaking in university. We use our skills to inform and narrate. For example, I recently received an e-mail coming from a client that shared that his grandpa utilized to drive M1 containers. The client gifted one of those bands to his gramps, and they had fairly an emotional exchange. It's nice to help clients associate with their past and make one thing meaningful.Bandholz: Where can people buy a ring from you?Ruggiero: ManlyBands.com. We possess images on Instagram, as well. I'm on Twitter as well as LinkedIn.