Activity
13K followers
-
Max Rhodes shared this“My vision is a decade from now, you walk down downtown Norman, Okla., and every storefront is open because Faire has made it so easy for these retailers to open up shops and to succeed.” It was great to have the chance to share this vision for my hometown, and the progress we’re making towards it, with Kelly Cloonan at The Wall Street Journal: https://lnkd.in/eDDmVuPw The past few years have changed the game for Faire: we've reached a tipping point where the scale of our sell-through data and advances in AI have unlocked accelerating growth for our retailers, our brands, and our business. As we shared with Kelly, we’re tracking to a run rate of $730 million in revenue in Q3, a 45% increase year-over-year, and expect to break even in Q4. We need great people to help us build on our momentum. Check out Faire for our open roles.Faire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.Faire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.
-
Max Rhodes shared thisMany thanks to Nicholas Carlson and Founders Explain the World for giving me an outlet to share one of my big beliefs: There’s never been a better time to take the leap and open your own store. Millions of people dream about doing this, and as The Economist reported, it’s a golden age for American entrepreneurship. New business applications have exploded over the past few years, and retail is the second biggest category driving this growth. Part of this is because technology is making it so much easier for independent retailers to compete. Some of the tech resources for small businesses I mentioned in this episode are Shopify, Square, Indeed, Found and, of course, Faire. But it’s really the combination of these tech platforms with our customers’ judgement and taste that makes independent retail so compelling and special. We’re working hard to make Faire even smarter and easier for our “Opening Soon” retailers—stay tuned! https://lnkd.in/gGHxYkUV
-
Max Rhodes shared thisJournalists like Kyle Chayka have written about how algorithms have flattened culture, but Faire’s data tells a different story. When you look at the top 10 apparel brands on Faire nationally versus the top 10 for individual cities, the average overlap is only two brands. In places like Chicago, Portland, and Brooklyn, there’s no overlap. That means these retailers are building assortments unique to them and their city, rather than defaulting to what’s broadly popular: https://lnkd.in/gt8zzg-6 This is one of the things I most appreciate about independent retail: These retailers and brands are a bulwark against the sameness we now encounter online. Walking into a boutique in Denver, you’ll find a completely different assortment from a boutique in Seattle, one that reflects the owner’s unique taste and builds on the distinctive character of their clientele and community. If we know where to look—away from our screens, out into our real-life neighborhood—there are still plenty of interesting, human things to enjoy. And if you want to help make it more joyful and easier for these business owners to thrive, we’re hiring: https://lnkd.in/gwc8_pC3
-
Max Rhodes shared thisOur work at Faire is about more than the retailers and brands we serve; it’s also about the communities that are made more vibrant and human through their work. With our first annual Faire Summer Give Back last week, I had the chance to connect more deeply with our community in San Francisco by volunteering with St. Anthony's Farmer's Market, which provides vital food security to low-income seniors in the Tenderloin. Already looking forward to next year’s Give Back. You can be there, too—join us: https://lnkd.in/gwc8_pC3Max Rhodes shared thisLast week Faire celebrated our first “Summer Give Back.” Across our North American offices, Faire employees volunteered with local organizations, from food kitchens to animal shelters to beach and park clean ups. Our mission is to empower independent retailers and brands to strengthen the unique character of local communities. Faire Summer Give Back was an opportunity to go into some of these communities and bring our mission to life in a new way. And to have fun! Throughout the day, Faire employees got the chance to work alongside coworkers from different teams, maybe someone whose name they'd only known from Slack. Doing this kind of work together builds a connection no meeting can, and we carried the spirit right into our office celebrations at the end of the day. We can’t wait to make this an annual tradition, and we’d love for you to join us: https://lnkd.in/gta6FmX
-
Max Rhodes shared thisGreat talking to Jason Del Rey about Faire, wholesale, and AI. As we both acknowledged, wholesale might not seem “sexy” at first glance, but I’m glad to hear our talks convinced him to take a closer look. And for my part, I loved being able to go deep on how we’re using AI to make wholesale buying more personalized and less tedious for independent retail, how it's dramatically accelerated our growth, and why I think AI will actually increase the demand for product and design talent in the coming years. We started Faire believing that technology could be a game changer for independent retail, and AI is creating even more opportunities for us to level the playing field. If that fires you up, we’re hiring: https://lnkd.in/gwc8_pC3Max Rhodes shared thisFaire is a nine-year-old online wholesale marketplace, valued most recently at $5 billion, whose customers are independent retailers and brick-and-mortar shops. But I admit that I have not previously covered it closely, which says more about me than the company. Basically, I’ve had a bit of an aversion to covering B-to-B e-commerce other than stories about brands’ relationships with major retailers like Amazon and Walmart. I have often just found storylines in B-to-C commerce more compelling. I’ve recently decided that’s ridiculous. After all, it’s a monstrous space. Amazon Business, for example, announced recently that it was on track for more than $60 billion in annual revenue. More importantly, I’ve come across more and more industry leaders in the past year who are incredibly excited about the role AI technologies can play in modernizing how businesses buy and sell from each other. Not in the future. But right now. And Faire is one of the more innovative companies in the space. So I recently interviewed Max Rhodes, the company’s co-founder and CEO, in what I found to be a candid and compelling conversation. Rhodes explained in detail why the biggest driver of his company's nearly 40% revenue growth actually has a lot to do with “old-school AI,” not Large Language Models. But he also reveals where LLMs are actually pulling their weight, where they still fall short, and what has to change before he trusts one to power the “holy grail” tool he really wants to launch for his retailer customers. Plus, some insights on both the pros and shortcomings of the AI coding boom. I’ve edited the conversation for both clarity and length. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Subscribers can read the full interview in The Aisle here: https://lnkd.in/geUCKZmjThe AI triumphs–and pitfalls–at a $5 billion online marketplaceThe AI triumphs–and pitfalls–at a $5 billion online marketplace
-
Max Rhodes shared thisHard to overstate the impact Dan Hockenmaier has had at Faire over the past nine (!) years. I’m really grateful to him for his work, both in building out our incredible Strategy & Analytics team and as a thought partner to me. Thanks, Dan! You've left us in great hands with Jolie and Tom, and I’m excited to see what’s next for you.Max Rhodes shared thisAfter nine (!) years, I’m leaving Faire. I am filled with so much gratitude for my time here. I’m so proud of the team we’ve built, the business we’ve built, and the hundreds of thousands of small businesses we’ve served. It’s always hard to know when to leave, but now feels right. The business is strong, with a growth rate that has accelerated every quarter for the last 12 quarters. And the team is in a great place: Jolie is stepping up to lead the Strategy & Analytics team, and Tom is stepping up to lead the Core Strategy team. I’m so grateful to Max for being an incredible CEO and thought partner, to the leadership team at Faire for teaching me so much, and to the S&A team for being so much fun to work with every day. Building this team has been one of the absolute joys of my career. It’s a great privilege to be able to take some time to explore what's next. One part of that exploration will be writing more. To start, I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned about building a high-growth culture at Faire - link below.
-
Max Rhodes shared thisCurated assortments, community events, clever merchandising, cool branding. All these elements contribute to the ambiance of our favorite local retailers. But what most shapes the experience of shopping at a store for me is the mood of the owner. Are they having a good time? Does their smile reach their eyes? Or do they seem stressed, like their mind is elsewhere? Too often in the early days of Faire, I spoke to retailers who were losing their spark: They’d put so much of their time, money, and heart into their stores, but they were bogged down by the headaches of running a small shop. Nearly 10 years later, my conversations with retailers have changed dramatically: Faire has made running an independent store so much easier and more fun, and it makes a real difference in how our customers feel every day. In a recent survey, 9 out of 10 Faire retailers told us our platform makes their jobs more joyful. That joy then spreads to shoppers, to neighborhoods, creating a world that feels more alive. I’m really proud of this impact. This industry runs on passion, and for too long that passion was being undercut by stress and tedium. But there are still so many opportunities to make independent retail—and our local communities—even stronger. If you want to help us spark joy for that 10th retailer, we’re hiring: faire.com/careers
-
Max Rhodes shared thisThe World Cup came to an anticlimactic close on Sunday, but there’s another contest heating up here at Faire: the Competition of Corners. Max’s Corner is an in-office store I run, stocked with my favorite Faire brands and shoppable by Faire employees. The idea is to understand our retailers’ experience more deeply: What is it like to rely on Faire to discover great products and manage all the workflows that go into building successful assortments? Are there things we learn in the process that inspire new ideas to serve our customers better? Each quarter, other members of our leadership team open their own in-office stores, and we compete to see which of us can drive the most sales. Unfortunately, Max’s Corner has been on a cold streak. After an ignominious loss to Jeffrey Kolovson (who clearly had an unfair advantage running our marketing team), I have also lost to Thuan Pham and Jennifer Burke. Current standings have me in last place versus Rebekah Punak’s “The Fine Print” and Jason Lee's “JMart.” I’ll need to step up my game with fresh inventory, maybe a promotion or two, and—lesson learned from Jeff—some marketing: For Faire employees reading this, reminder that you can shop Max’s Corner in person in our San Francisco, New York, Toronto, and Waterloo offices. For everyone else: If you want to get in on the action, we’re hiring: faire.com/careers
-
Max Rhodes shared thisThere’s so much happening in tech now that feels straight out of science fiction: AI, of course, but also brain chips, self-driving cars, colonizing space, and more. I applaud all of it. But despite all that futuristic innovation, small business owners are shockingly underserved by the technology industry. That’s why I want to build for Suzi. There are millions of people like Suzi, dreaming of opening their own stores: Bookshops, gift stores, florists, fine grocers, and more. Faire’s job is to use technology to help them take the leap, take it with confidence, and in doing so, make our communities more human and vibrant. Independent retailers like Suzi shouldn’t be an afterthought in how we think about our economy: In the US alone, they account for nearly $4 trillion in consumer spending–more than half of the retail industry. They’ve persevered through pandemics, supply chain snarls, and macro volatility. They win real customers every day with thoughtful assortments and human touches. I shared Suzi’s story at our recent All Hands because I want to make it even easier for people like her to get their stores off the ground, so every aspiring retailer someday tells us, “When people ask me why I’m so successful, I say because of Faire.” If you’re excited to help people like Suzi, we’re hiring: https://lnkd.in/gwc8_pC3 And I’d love to hear: What’s a store in your neighborhood that makes your community more interesting and vibrant? Or, if you’re opening one of your own, what are you building?
Max Rhodes replied to a comment
1w
Shoeb Nagman email me at Max@faire.com and I will try to help!
Max Rhodes replied to a comment
1w
Dan Hockenmaier would never be in the position we now are without all your help the past decade!
-
Max Rhodes liked thisThank you to Kelly Cloonan and The Wall Street Journal for sitting down with our CEO Max Rhodes and CFO Jason Lee. I’ve been at Faire for four months, and I’m still struck by our pace of growth and the opportunity ahead. Retailers can double their profit margins on Faire. 9 out of 10 retailers tell us Faire makes owning a store more joyful. And we’re just getting started as we work toward a future of retail that is more interesting and more local. We’re hiring across marketing, especially in product marketing, where we've found that strong storytellers with entrepreneurial or analytical backgrounds tend to thrive. Please reach out with any referrals!Faire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.Faire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.
-
Max Rhodes liked thisMax Rhodes liked thisFaire I am incredibly proud to have been an investor in Faire since 2017. I worked closely with founders Max Rhodes, Jeffrey Kolovson, Marcelo Cortes, and Daniele Perito for several years before they started Faire. They are absolutely stellar S-tier talent. What they and the Faire team have accomplished since is extraordinary. This Wall Street Journal piece (linked below) captures the scale of that accomplishment: a $730M+ annualized revenue run rate, 45% year-over-year growth, and an expectation of reaching EBITDA breakeven in Q4. Those are remarkable numbers for a company taking on an enormous and stubborn problem. Wholesale has changed remarkably little for more than a century. Independent retailers still spend huge amounts of time discovering products, managing inventory, and absorbing costs that large chains spread across thousands of stores. Faire is changing that for hundreds of thousands of retailers and brands. The company is now on pace to facilitate more than $4.5B in merchandise purchases annually. Every order adds to Faire’s understanding of which products sell in which stores. That information improves product recommendations, gives retailers more confidence in what they buy, and connects brands with customers they would struggle to find on their own. I’m especially excited by how much opportunity remains. International markets give Faire much more room to grow. Advertising, launched in 2024, already contributes about 9% of revenue. Fulfillment could reduce customer shipping costs by roughly 80%, directly improving retailer margins. For Faire employees, I hope this article brings a deep sense of pride. You have built something truly special. For candidates, Faire offers a rare opportunity: proven demand, enormous room to grow, hard technical and operational problems, and a founding team that I would back again without hesitation. Very few teams get to build a company of this scale while improving the odds for independent retailers and brands around the world. Faire does both. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of the story from the beginning. I have never been more excited about what this exceptional team will build next. https://lnkd.in/dbJ5U9ytFaire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.Faire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.
-
Max Rhodes liked thisMax Rhodes liked thisWhen I joined Faire as its 2nd employee nine years ago, I never could've imagined this outcome. I'm so proud of the team for achieving some truly mindblowing results: - On pace to have $4.5 billion in sales in 2026 - 45% year over year revenue growth - Expected to be EBITDA breakeven in the fourth quarter - Expecting a stock market debut in the next 12 months Beyond that, I'm eternally grateful for the people there who have indelibly shaped who I am and supported me throughout my career, both while I was at Faire and even after I left to pursue my passion for mental health. Thank you Max Rhodes, Daniele Perito, and Marcelo Cortes for building something extraordinary and teaching me everything I know about what it means to be a great product manager and great leader. Excited for Faire's next chapter! https://lnkd.in/db8-VDjVFaire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.Faire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.
-
Max Rhodes liked thisMax Rhodes liked thisThe best companies aren't the ones that shy away from complex, hard problems. They run right at them. Max and I got into that a bit with Kelly Cloonan at The Wall Street Journal last week, talking through what Faire has been up to over the last few years. Investors have told me how hard it is to re-accelerate growth at scale and do it durably, maybe <10% of companies get there. Our team worked hard to earn where we are today: getting to scale at >$730m annualized revenue, accelerating growth in each of the last two years and now >45% in Q3, all while pacing to breakeven exiting the year and operating with more discipline. I've been told the "worthwhile things are supposed to be hard" and we've had to earn every inch of it. And we're not done. This is when we have to keep earning it, and none of it happens without an incredible team and talent. Want to be one of these people? We're hiring! https://lnkd.in/eCTRw_5MFaire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.Faire Won Over Main Street. Now it Wants to Woo Wall Street.
-
Max Rhodes liked thisMax Rhodes liked thisIf you’re like me, you didn’t realize that mock turtlenecks have been trending. But you know who did? Faire retailers! A lot of the time trends start from some combination of TikTok, Instagram, and celebrities. But wherever they originate, independent retail proves time and again they’re the best at quickly jumping on and accelerating the cycle: https://lnkd.in/gjnQ8zbM Take DIY mockneck sweaters this summer: Within days of the trend taking off on social media, searches and orders for mocknecks spiked on Faire. Ditto with matching striped pajama sets after Rihanna was seen in a pair as streetwear. Our retailers aren’t beholden to national planograms or long inventory planning cycles; when they see something cool that fits their store’s aesthetic, they can act super fast. I’m probably not going to be rocking a pair of striped pajamas this weekend, but it’s been really incredible to dig into our data more over the past few months and see some of the strengths of independent retail come to life through these findings. More insights coming and, in the meantime, we’re hiring (I will give you a free mock turtleneck when you join): https://lnkd.in/ghm4zaJA
Experience & Education
Other similar profiles
Explore more posts
-
Matthew Nichols
One of my agentic commerce predictions for 2026 in this recent Forbes piece: Matt Nichols, General Partner at Commerce Ventures, notes that the mechanics are already in motion. Looking ahead, he predicts that this year, "Agentic commerce transaction volume reaches meaningful levels as consumers advance from research to buying on AI platforms. 2026 will be the year that transactions are completed in these platforms." To this prediction, Nichols adds another: retailers will be forced to build "super-feeds" specifically for AI platforms. “These data feeds may involve monetary transactions that could include payments to AI platforms or payments to the retailer/brand (depending on balance of power).” https://lnkd.in/g65RAerA
3 Comments
Explore top content on LinkedIn
Find curated posts and insights for relevant topics all in one place.
View top content