[Voiceover]: Welcome to the checkout. We catch up with previous add to cart guests and ask them five quick questions to get to know them better and leave you with a little extra inspiration to get you through your Friday.
[Voiceover]: Today's checkout features Jake and Jess Monday, co founders of Custom Neon. They're making and selling LED signs in any size, shape and color you like. Let your imagination run wild. Starting out as a side hustle on Instagram, the company now sell around 400 signs a week. They've got offices in the UK, Australia and the US and their client list get this includes Elon Musk and Kylie and Kendall Jenner.
Nathan Bush: Jake and Jess, welcome to the checkout. We've heard all about Custom Neon and the exciting things that you are doing with your business, especially the overseas expansion and growth of. I've got five questions to learn about you both. So number one, what's the weirdest thing that you've ever bought online? Jake, I might start with you.
Jake Munday: I would say that I was a sucker for a diamond ring for like a sign up for my email address and I think I buy it for $2 and it was, you know, promised this diamond ring. It got sent out to me and it definitely was not a diamond ring. I think the diamond or the quartz or whatever it was fell out pretty quickly.
Nathan Bush: I hope it was an engagement ring, thankfully.
[Voiceover]: Jess, can you be that one?
Jess Munday: Yeah, I'm a sucker for baby and children's products, being a mom myself, but I bought a airplane like mattress kind of thing for you to hold your baby in when you're in an airplane and it's meant to make the flight really smooth and easy when you're traveling with children. And yeah, it was, yeah, it didn't
Nathan Bush: really help you, but that's totally fair. You're gonna gamble on something like that if you're doing trips with a baby
Jess Munday: even seem slightly easier is fine with me.
Nathan Bush: Yeah.
Jess Munday: No regrets.
Nathan Bush: Yeah. All right, number two, who is your favorite retailer? Jess?
Jess Munday: Well, I used to work at Cotton on before I started this business. So I'm a sucker for Cotton On. I just love the product offering and I love their story and I absolutely loved their culture as well.
Nathan Bush: So yeah, what was it about the culture?
Jess Munday: I guess my experience is that I don't know how to know how to explain it. At Cotton on working there, there was a really good balance between that personal and professional office space and a lot of the experiences I had there working there. I've taken to this business and built with this culture. So yeah, I can't really explain It. But just. Yeah, a really nice mix of fun but also hard work.
Nathan Bush: Yeah. An amazing, amazing way to get it. To start your own international business, to work in a business like that.
Jess Munday: Right, Absolutely.
Nathan Bush: Jake, your favorite retailer, Scotch and soda.
Jake Munday: I very much like their clothing, most of their clothing. So yeah, purchase from them quite regularly.
Nathan Bush: Good stuff. Now, which e commerce practice do you wish was history? Jake, I reckon you'll have a strong opinion on this.
Jake Munday: Yeah, giving discounts. I think I've heard it a bit on your show, to be honest, but we obviously doing a business and having competitors out there that are just always on sale, it's something that we have purposely not done in our business. So yeah, just say no discounts only for special events.
Nathan Bush: Yes, we're special. Jess, can you add anything to that
[Voiceover]: and then that gets get you started?
Jess Munday: I would just agree with Jake on that one.
Nathan Bush: Oh, no. Why?
Jess Munday: We rarely agree, but yeah.
Nathan Bush: Oh, you're sorry. I thought you said I would disagree, but you said I would just agree.
Jake Munday: I thought you said disagree.
Nathan Bush: Yes, here we go. We've got a juicy scoop here.
Jess Munday: Juicy, but no, I totally agree with Jake.
Nathan Bush: Yeah. All right, good, you're aligned. Well, not good because I thought we might have had some tension and could have aired it and we'd have something, but no. All right, we're in agreement on discounting number four. Can you recommend a book or a podcast that our listeners should immediately get into?
Jake Munday: Yeah, so add to cart. Thanks for that.
Nathan Bush: I've heard about it. Thank you.
Jess Munday: Maybe the she's on the Money podcast.
Nathan Bush: Good one. Really good. Well produced, great content.
Jake Munday: For me, the Rocket Fuel is a book. It's about being a visionary integrator as kind of very much related to Jess and I and our business journey. Very much myself being a visionary and just being an integrator. And essentially we've done the book justice because when you put them two together, it becomes, you know, rocket fuel and, you know, you can have a really successful venture and that's, you know, it's kind of what we've done and done well together. You know, Jesse brought the process and the integration in the business and I've been the visionary and try to, you know, take it places.
Nathan Bush: So you reckon there's a book in your future together? Not much.
Jake Munday: I can't write it, so probably never.
Nathan Bush: All right, last question I have for you. Finish this sentence. The future of retail is exciting, I
Jess Munday: think obviously more of an eco friendly focus, but also more customizations for the customer and better turnaround time frames.
Nathan Bush: That's big. I like that. I like it. Jake, Jess, thank you so much for
[Voiceover]: joining us on the checkout.
Jess Munday: Thank you.
Jake Munday: Thank you.
[Voiceover]: To hear more from Jake and Jess, jump back in to episode 233, where Jake and Jess give the lowdown on all things neon, including the naked variety. They also talk about a pricey piece of marketing that they called the big video and how it's paid off for them and how Jake managed to slide right into Paris Hilton's DMs. And Jess isn't unhappy about it. Thanks for listening. And until next time, keep adding to car.
