.Manly Bands is a direct-to-consumer seller of men's rings. The business launched in 2016 after John Ruggiero, the founder with his partner Michelle, could not discover a suited wedding band.This is Ruggiero's second appeal on the podcast. In April 2021, our team reviewed the firm's beginning, one-of-a-kind ring components, and also much more. Since then, Manly Bands has obtained its maker. The manufacturing of rings coming from, mention, Jack Daniel's bourbon gun barrels or even Fender guitar cords generates engaging video clip, says Ruggiero, excellent for storytelling on social media sites and also elsewhere.The whole sound of our conversation is ingrained below. The records is actually edited for length and also clarity.Eric Bandholz: Provide us a run-through of what you perform.John Ruggiero: My better half, Michelle, and I began an online ring business knowned as Manly Bands in 2016 to deal with a problem of wedding celebration bands for men. Our team were only wed. I have big fingers and also couldn't discover a ring that I liked that was not overpriced. My possibilities were purchasing from a directory or having one thing custom-made.I ended up acquiring coming from a web site. The ring showed up in a level mailer, without any carton or client service. It was a terrible knowledge by today's ecommerce specifications.We acquired wed, transferred to Florida, and required a work. We told our own selves, "We're both business people. Why do not we make our own service?" Our company went over the sorts of problems our company would certainly seen as well as how to address them. My ring adventure turned up, and our team chose to try to address it for other fellas.Our goal when our team began was to spend rent. We believed creating a married couple thousand dollars a month coming from this would certainly be awesome. Our company considered it a lifestyle company, certainly not high-growth. It was actually only Michelle and me in our garage creating rings and delivering all of them out to consumers. Our experts had actually appealed something. Our notification sounded with leads.Michelle and also I make a superb crew. I develop concepts, and also she is actually the implementer. A considerable amount of our excellence mosts likely to her innovative mind. She titles the rings and builds people. She connects the bands to consumers. Explaining a ring solely as "eight-millimeter dark" really did not cut it.We designed bands coming from distinct materials, such as Jack Daniel's gun barrels or even unique steels. Business removed. Since then, our company have actually developed drastically. We currently have over 55 individuals in the Manly Bands household. Regarding fifty percent of those are band craftsmans that work in our just recently obtained manufacturing shop in Utah.Bandholz: When did you obtain a maker?Ruggiero: Concerning a year and a half ago. Our company had been their consumer for many years, so we knew them well. The majority of their company was actually wholesale, which didn't interest our team-- mosting likely to mom-and-pop jewelers. They preserved their retail clients and brand name. We acquired a number of their properties and took over workers.Bringing on a production crew has been just one of the best points our company've carried out. It is actually been actually amazing to head out there certainly and also watch them create bands out of Fender guitar cords or even metal coming from an M1 Abrams tank.Bandholz: Just how carries out internal production influence marketing?Ruggiero: It is actually been actually substantial. Taking an electronic camera to the other side of the workplace and also filming the crew making use of lathes to cut the metallic rods or scotch barrels in to rings produces unbelievable video. We have our electronic camera team around regularly. Our company make use of that video footage on our social networking sites and also in our advertisements and also email lists. Our experts try to market that considering that a lot of firms in the guys's ring area do not manufacture. They drop ship or purchase from foreign and then ship it out. However our team desire it to last a life-time and also be one thing people may take honor in.We have actually possessed a great deal of excellence along with our army heritage selection, where we source distinct armed forces products. Our company possess the M1 Garand rifle sell, the timber component, coming from World War I. Enjoying our group placed that in the turret and reduced an item out for a band is actually exciting.Our advertising for those rings discuss the past, the soldiers, where the weapon was utilized, as well as factors like that. My better half and also I examined filmmaking in college. Our team utilize our capabilities to teach as well as narrate. For instance, I recently acquired an email from a customer who discussed that his grandpa used to drive M1 containers. The consumer blessed one of those bands to his grand daddy, and also they had rather an emotional exchange. It behaves to help clients get in touch with their past and create something meaningful.Bandholz: Where can folks get a band from you?Ruggiero: ManlyBands.com. We have pictures on Instagram, too. I get on Twitter as well as LinkedIn.