Creating Joy on Two Wheels: April Obersteller's Leadership Journey at WOOM Bikes | Consumer Products Series

Anthony Codispoti: Welcome to another edition of the inspired stories podcast where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from their successes and be inspired by how they've overcome adversity. My name is Anthony Codispoti and today's guest is April Obersteller, managing director for Womb North America. Womb Bikes creates lightweight children's bicycles designed to foster a love of riding early on with a focus on safety, ergonomic design and joyful experiences for families. Founded in 2013 in Vienna, Austria, the company has grown globally while staying committed to building bikes that spark joy and inspire parents and kids alike. Under April's leadership, Womb has expanded its reach and maintained impressive customer satisfaction, thanks to her proven expertise in customer and employee engagement. Previously, she's held key roles at Yeti Coolers, where she led global customer experience initiatives and helped build impactful employee programs. Recognized for her success in shaping positive workplace cultures and boosting operational performance, April is committed to driving Womb's goal of inspiring the next generation of writers. Her passion for nurturing both people and products has earned her praise in the CX and EX communities, as well as leadership awards with IBEX, AX100, and SurveyMonkey. Now, before we get into all that good stuff, Today's episode is brought to you by my company, AddBack Benefits Agency, where we offer very specific and unique employee benefits that are both great for your team and fiscally optimized for your bottom line. One recent client was able to add over $900 per employee per year in extra cashflow by implementing one of our innovative programs. Results vary for each company and some organizations may not be eligible. To find out if your company qualifies, contact us today at addbackbenefitsagency.com. All right, now back to our guest today. Managing Director of Wound Bikes, April Obersteller. I appreciate you making the time to share your story today.

April Obersteller: Mm-hmm. Absolutely, I'm excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Anthony Codispoti: Okay, so April, you started out your career in wedding and event planning. What key lesson or skill did you learn there that's still helpful to you today at WOMB?

April Obersteller: Mm-hmm. I think maybe the question would be, you what did I not learn? I mean, that was such an awesome kind of first step in my career. It was fresh out of college. And so not only is it a wedding and event facility, but it was also a startup to scale up organization. So when I joined, was employee number one when it came to really building out the operations of it. And I started as an intern and try to soak up as much as I could and then join them after college. And so I got to see firsthand the build of a company quite honestly, when we were doing a couple events and weddings a year to over a hundred a year. And then of course, working with the different clients we had, it was a full range. And so I also got to really see, it is not just one customer persona, it is many. And a lot of times we were doing, working with multiple brides all within one day. And so I also really got to build that skillset of being able to shift and pivot really, really quickly. which obviously has served me very well. after leaving there, working with another startup and another and another, if you can learn to pivot, you will get through that. those are just a couple of the things. It's always my frequent question. We were really lucky.

Anthony Codispoti: Any good brightzilla stories come out of that experience? or groomzilla. We don't need to discriminate.

April Obersteller: Yeah, there was definitely high emotions, I will say that. But no, we had some pretty amazing, amazing couples. So no crazy stories, but emotions are high that day up from the gamut, not just the couple, but also the family. So lots of experience of managing those emotions.

Anthony Codispoti: There's a lot of expectations on that day. You've got friends and family coming from all over. You want it just right. It's to be understood and expected. Okay, so how did you get from wedding and event planning to national sales manager at Green Go?

April Obersteller: Yup. Yeah. So I, that owner that I talked about that started the event facility, she pivoted and so her sister made these amazing products that I personally use, she used, it was born out of a farmer's market and really Jody, who was the owner of the wedding facility. She was like, I think we can bring this big and more people need to have this product. And so she decided to sell the event facility and then go into business with her sister and her mom and bring green goo to life and essentially bring it to a mass market, not just in the U S but internationally. And I was lucky enough to be a part of that ride and get out there and just sell this product that I had been using for years, but did not have any clue. how the land of consumer product good worked at that time. So it was also a crash course in learning that part of it.

Anthony Codispoti: Did you have a mentor or somebody that you could kind of lean on for help and experience during that time?

April Obersteller: Absolutely. mean, I think not only did I have just mentors that I met with and they invested that training and time with me, but also I was just hungry to learn. So anyone that would share anything in this field, I was there. And that essentially has continued and has been a big part of essentially where I am now.

Anthony Codispoti: What does green go? What does it do?

April Obersteller: It's a natural first aid product. So think of your natural Neosporin that you could put on anything and that's just one of many of the products. yeah, it's quite, my kids grew up on it and I always joke because instead of asking for a band-aid, when they were two years old, they were like, just need my green goo. And so that's what it is.

Anthony Codispoti: And so that you put the green goo on just by itself or you put that on and then like a bandage over top of it.

April Obersteller: just on itself. It's like a salve, like a natural salve. And I tell you what, it is a miracle worker. So, see ya.

Anthony Codispoti: So, okay, so I need to go out and get some green goo. Is it gonna get on the couch like my kids put it on and then like, you know, they go rolling around the floor like?

April Obersteller: You need to. Yes, everyone should have it in their pocket. You might not want to put it on a cloth couch. There's definitely been towels that, you know, for a little stain from the oil, but again, the benefits I think outweigh. Yes.

Anthony Codispoti: Okay. All right, just just so we know how to approach it. Yeah. OK, great. So clearly you learned something about consumer products there because a couple of years later you find yourself where?

April Obersteller: We're at Yeti. Yes. So I went.

Anthony Codispoti: Yeah, how did that come about?

April Obersteller: So with I loved what I did at Green Goo. But I was also it was my toe dip in sales. So as you know, a national sales manager, I was traveling three weeks out of the month and with two little kids at the time were two and four pretty intense. And so I knew that if I wanted to kind of make that shift, I needed to bring it back to my hometown. So bringing it back to Austin. I really quite honestly, for Yeti, I at that time I wasn't super familiar with their products. My husband was. He was a fisherman. He needed the products when he went out for a couple days. I remember Yeti though because my town that I lived in was super impacted by these massive floods. I remember just so many people lost their homes. We were at a local Ace Harbor store making sure people had food after the floods and this huge Truck pulled up and just started unloading massive coolers with ice because some people didn't have refrigerators. So, You know our town was literally, you know impacted by Yeti and that's how I discovered Yeti and So when I was looking for a place to work I saw an ad for them and thought okay. I know there's good people there and I gave it a shot and was lucky enough to join that crazy rocket ship that they were on and stay there for about five years.

Anthony Codispoti: And so what's the most exciting thing that you were able to accomplish while you

April Obersteller: I that's, I started out in the sales side with Yeti and then really halfway through that's when I transitioned to the service side. And so that was my first toadette fully in customer experience. And that quite honestly, I just, I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the complexity of it, with the impact of it, with the people behind it. The ones that you know really were showing up and not only were okay with being on the phone or being on emails or being on chat all day, but that was their Thrive Zone and So yeah, so that was a huge I you know kind of shift in my career And one obviously I continued as I joined womb, but really fell in love with it and I think too big pieces I was able to see the impact when you do it well and when you don't do it well. you know so that's obviously we want all of it to do well and that was a mission of mine.

Anthony Codispoti: So this isn't a traditional path that I hear. People being on the sales side, sales can be generally very lucrative if you're good at it and you know how to do it. Sort of making that transition from sales more onto the employee side of things, where did that idea come about? Was that something that you were sort of coached on? Was that something that, I don't know, you had in mind to do?

April Obersteller: Mm-hmm. Yeah I think it was really through the experience of, you know, being on the sales side and bringing success to sales and bringing success, quite honestly, to those kind of outward goals. I really got to see firsthand that that is not possible unless you are doing it well internally. And so that's where that combination between really how are we selling or servicing the external customer and how is that connected to how we are servicing our internal customer? And so. That's a big kind of realization I saw because when we only focused outside We just weren't getting it right inside. so allowing ourselves to pause and say, OK, how are we setting our teams up for success? How are we setting our people up for success? How are we really building a place where they can thrive? Then we saw those external results and said that was kind of that original pathway to, OK, we have to actually look at it holistically and we can't ignore that there's a really strong connection there. So I love sales. but I just really think you can't do great sales unless you have great service.

Anthony Codispoti: It's really interesting, you know, as I'm looking through your LinkedIn profile here, I see you mention employee partners over and over again. And as we're talking here, you refer to them as internal customers, which tells me that you do take a bit of a different approach to how you view employees, how you view your team members.

April Obersteller: you Okay. Yeah, I do. mean, it's I definitely look at it as a partnership because I am. I mean, we are we hire someone to our teams. We are asking for them to show up. to support this mission that we are on. We're asking for their time, for their focus. I mean, we're asking a lot. And I would never expect to ask that without also saying, here's how I'm going to show up for you. And I think that partnership, if we can get that right, not perfect, but if we can be intentional with it, that magic's created from that. And so I really don't think you can have one without the other. And I look at that as that customer, like every day, how am I getting up and setting up an environment for them to thrive? Because if they can thrive, then again, the work thrives, and then the whole ecosystem thrives. So it's simple, but definitely not simple to do, because no customer is the same, as I mentioned, I learned from the beginning.

Anthony Codispoti: So can you give us a specific example or maybe like a story, an anecdote of a time at Yeti where you did something sort of above and beyond to make the employee partner, your internal customer experience better?

April Obersteller: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I think, quite honestly, when I stepped into the role with customer experience, it was, things were not going great. I'll say that it was a time of a little bit of a chaos. There were literally thousands of emails in our email queue. There were hundreds of people waiting to talk to us. We weren't serving the customer how we wanted to. And there was a lot of tension within the team because, you know, we hired this amazing team and they can clearly see we're not doing right by the customers. That's what they want to do. and at that time, you know, the answer was, let's just work a little more. Let's just work some more hours to answer a couple more emails. It really wasn't addressing why we were in that spot in the first place. And so one of those things, it was, you know, unheard of, and it's not a great customer experience. It's we have to allow ourselves to stop. and come together and figure out how we were going to get in a better spot. And that meant literally turning off the phones. And so that was one of those moments where again, it had not been done before. It was a bummer for those customers for that hour that we turned off the phone, but it was really showing our internal team. We're not going to keep just pushing you, pushing you, pushing you, pushing you. We need your voice. We need you to help figure this out. And that's literally what we did. We came to a room. said, how do we solve this team? And shocker, they had so many of the answers. They just didn't have the space to share it. And so that was that one step to getting into a much better spot.

Anthony Codispoti: Mm-hmm. What was the best idea that came out of that meeting?

April Obersteller: It literally was in regards to like bucketizing what we were doing and since that everyone doing a little bit of everything. Okay, you're a power team on emails. We're going to focus here. You're a power team on phones. We're going to focus here. I mean, it was, was simplifying and prioritizing, which when you're in the middle of it, it's hard to see, but you know, it was, it was incredible. Within a couple hours, even we started to see just a little bit of movement to where we needed to be.

Anthony Codispoti: That's fast. So you were at Yeti from 2015 to 2020. But I see here that even back in 2000, know, 18, 19, 20, you were already working on things that were pretty advanced at the time, you know, in terms of like AI powered chat bots and whatnot. Can you say more about some of the tech things that you guys were doing there?

April Obersteller: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. I think again at that time, Yeti was growing and it has had a beautiful growth story. One of the natural challenges of course is, if we're growing our sales, we don't want our service needs to grow at that same rate. Because then of course it's not going to be scalable, profitable, etc. So here we were at that time, just kind of, okay, how many more people do we need to meet the service needs? We had to shift that and I knew that and that was a big part of my role is what things are we introducing, whether it be systems, whether it be processes, whether it be AI to allow us to just do things more efficiently. And also kind of butting up against the... You know, in order for us to provide the service that you gotta cut a spurs are used to, we have to have a human behind the phone. It's also allowing ourselves think, well, maybe we don't for certain things. What if we have, you know, the AI chat bot that answering those really kind of simple questions. So it was just, was allowing ourselves to rethink what does great look like and what's going to serve the needs of our customers. They might want to talk to someone on their phone, but not if they have to wait two hours. And so those are. the fuel behind some of those initiatives that we brought to life and just allowed us to scale, you know, how we did things.

Anthony Codispoti: Okay, so how did the opportunity for joining the WOOM team come about? And I keep saying WOOM, but just so people listening, you know, maybe don't have access to the show notes, it's W-O-O-M, not W-O-M-B. So, yeah, how did the opportunity come about at WOOM? Yeah.

April Obersteller: Bye. Thank you for clarifying. Yeah, I got a call one day, that beautiful story of someone that had seen some of the work that I was able to do over at Yeti and just asked for a visit. And at that time also in the Yeti kind of story, We had built this beautiful thing. We had scaled it to where it was really in that season, the transition from startup to scale up. And it was more in that scale up. And so we built the house and then we were optimizing the house, if you will. love the building. And that also is where I think I can uniquely contribute to companies at the most highest impact. And so right around that time I got that call was also when I was evaluating, can I still be able to make the impact that I know I'm uniquely qualified for? So with Womb, it was pure startup. I mean, it was a team, I think, of 10. And they were in a little bit of a pickle because They had insane demand for their products and we didn't have enough of it. And that beautiful story of there was thousand emails in the inbox. You know, I could live that life. And really they were looking not only for someone to come in and, you know, help with some of these problems, but doing it in a way that the customer could be at the center. And of course that really tugged at my heartstrings because that's what I believe. And then I got to talk to the founder and anyone that talks to Matthias, who is the founder of WombUS for five minutes, you cannot get off that call and not be on fire for this company. And that's where I was. So I took the leap and joined the team.

Anthony Codispoti: So how was it that you became aware of what you were doing at Yeti?

April Obersteller: I think he saw an interview or a podcast through something. so, yeah, so that's how they discovered my work and how I approached customer experience, which really resonated with them.

Anthony Codispoti: So it seems to me like this was a little bit of a flyer. Yeti's a larger, more established company, well-known brand. In your own words, very much a startup. 10 employees. This is a little bit of a risky career move, no?

April Obersteller: It was, it was absolutely. And at that time, I mean, I really, that was, it was, was the question of, you know, where I'm at, there was definitely more, I don't say security, but it was established. We had, you know, gone through private, going to a public company. There were a lot of things that offered a little bit more of that stability. But I've also learned my best work comes when I'm incredibly uncomfortable and at that time too I knew it like that was That's how I was gonna make the best impact I had to throw myself into uncomfortable land and not only bet on womb, but also bet on myself So that was definitely a piece of it, but I that it was it was scary writing that contract for sure

Anthony Codispoti: Say more about why it is that you do your best work when you're extremely uncomfortable.

April Obersteller: Hmm. And that is where I'm really stretched to grow. mean, it's putting myself out there knowing that there's a higher risk of failure, but also there's a higher risk if I can actually do the thing, the reward is there. And in those pivotal moments in my career, that's really where I've seen that magic and those magic moments. And so I don't enjoy it sometimes because being uncomfortable, not knowing the answer I don't love that but I also know I'm gonna figure it out. That's what I do know. I will figure out a way to get where I need to go. It just might be a little shaky getting there.

Anthony Codispoti: love this message. I've got two boys who are eight and 10, and something I try to instill in them on a regular basis, and I don't think it's landing quite yet, is that growth comes at the uncomfortable edges of life. They're like, Dad, I can't do that. I don't know how to do this. And I make them restate that by putting the word yet at the end of the sentence. I don't understand this yet. I don't know how to do this yet.

April Obersteller: Hmm. Yes.

Anthony Codispoti: And so I love that message there because I think it's incredibly powerful. think when we get comfortable, there's to be redundant, there's comfort that comes with that. There's an ease in life. But if we really want to push ourselves to see what we're ultimately capable of and grow into new areas, then yeah, you got to put yourself in places where it doesn't feel great or it's super uncomfortable.

April Obersteller: Mm. And yeah, yeah, a hundred percent. have a 15, 13 and seven year old and it's the same. And you know what's so interesting? It's, especially with my 15 year old, she has the hardest time of being able to just start if she knows that, you know, there's a chance that she might not be good. And my middle girl, she's like, well, you're not supposed to be good at the beginning. It's so interesting. There's different perspectives, but it's also just continuing to put in front of them like, okay, This is the other side of the mountain like see this other part like in If they could hear that over and over and over again until they're ready to be in that uncomfortable spot It just it gives them those examples. So But I'm on that journey to

Anthony Codispoti: We all are. It's a constant process. Okay, so now I want to better understand what it is that Womb does that is so fascinating. You join this young company a few years back. To put it in your words, was this insane demand for the product. Why? It's a bicycle. Bikes have been around forever. What could be new or different?

April Obersteller: Hmm. Yeah, mean, it's that classic story, I think, of the products, right? It was two brothers and a best friend. you know, Brother Marcus over in Austria, his best friend Christian was the designer and Christian was about to have his first kiddo. you know, of course, in Europe, bikes are used in such a different way. I mean, it's a non-negotiable that you're going to have a bike and then it's going to be used for transportation. It is one of the main ways that you get from here to there. Christian was looking for bikes for his kid and just that realization that all these kids bikes were just shrunken down adult bikes. wasn't taken in consideration. What were the the kiddos dimensions, like what did they need? What was going to click and allow them to have a better writing experience? It just wasn't never created for the kid through the lens of the child. And that was obvious. And then they start, well, why not? Why has anyone just not done this yet? And a lot of times it's hard in regards to having kids bikes have less margin. Why would we invest this much into it where it might not be a profitable business or kids outgrow the bike so quickly? So there's a lot of things that I think are justified barriers. But of course, Christian and Marcus, we're going to do it anyways because we want to create this great bike for our kids. And probably some other kids are going to enjoy it too. So that was it. It was, you know, not only the design of the bike, but the weight of the bike. there's bikes now that I've come out with, you know, less weight or really understanding the impact that the child can control themselves on their bike. it's going, they're gonna feel more confident. They're gonna be able to go up that mountain easier. They're going to enjoy it more. It's not gonna be this frustrating experience for them. So those are the two big things that really differentiated the product. And then from there.

Anthony Codispoti: So one of them is the lighter weight and the other one is just sort of this focus on design for kids first. Say more about that part. In my mind as an outsider, it seems like, yeah, you just take an adult bike and you just make the proportionally smaller. Why does that not work? What's the difference about the approach that womb takes?

April Obersteller: Yeah, I mean, you can literally if you see a picture, I think the most relevant picture, if you see a bike that more traditional bike, a shrunken down adult bike and literally how the kids posture is, they're having to lean forward. They don't have that really good balance in regards to the steering versus where they're pushing the wheels, like things like that. just it's just not easy for them. And they're having to kind of go against what the natural posture should be when riding a bike. those things impact their ability to ride. And especially that really critical age where they're learning how to pedal for the first time. If they're in a kind of a weird position, it's just, it's gonna be awkward. It's not gonna flow naturally. And that's where it comes into place, that really specific kid focus designed where they can easily sit on it. It's a really natural from the hands, you know, all the way to the feet. It's like sitting in a chair that's really comfortable. And then you see them take off. And that is everything and the stories that we have heard from parents and I've literally just seen it's like my kid was never able to or never interested to and then they hop on and start going and then they're having a blast. So that's perfect.

Anthony Codispoti: You touched on exactly the problem that we're having in our household is my eight and 10 year old boys. No interest. You know, we had bikes with training wheels for them years ago and they would occasionally get on those. But as soon as we proposed removing the training wheels, we weren't able to get very far with them. And somebody said, get a balanced bike. And I don't know, maybe at that point they were too big for a balanced bike or but.

April Obersteller: Mm-hmm.

Anthony Codispoti: They didn't show an interest in that either. This certainly isn't your problem to solve is how do you motivate a kid who doesn't even want to try, but maybe, you know, sitting in the seat that you're in, you would have some advice for folks like myself.

April Obersteller: Yeah, absolutely. mean, just number one exposure to it. you know, that's we do a lot of just, you know, community rides and you'll see a lot like independent bike stores that do the same thing. Just exposure of going out biking. And so I'd say from like the spark that interests like, you know, whether if their friends aren't into it, like maybe go to a bike park, maybe just go, you know, to a park in general, where there's going to be some kind of cycling activity. So the exposure of the bike. literally I mean I would pop them on a womb like literally it's just it's just it's easy for them and if they ever had it really is

Anthony Codispoti: Is it really that different from a traditional bike? It's easier for them to balance? mean, because that's the thing is like, we never even got to the point where, you know, they could go on their own. Like, you know, here I am, you know, feeling like a decrepit old man, like running behind him, like, you know, holding onto the seat with my hand, holding my back. And so that goes away with the Wombike.

April Obersteller: totally totally it goes away I mean it's just I know it's hard until you see it but in a night and sometimes I become you know I see it so often it is crazy the difference of it in the weight of it it is not clunky it is not like shaky they literally start pedaling I mean it is it's a yeah So it does make a difference for sure in the amount of kids that we have with your exact story Especially if there is a clunky transition from training wheels to not training wheels Like if they had one little stumble or if just they couldn't get it right away, then they just gave up And that's where we see so many of the kids that are like, they just take off. So yes, well, we'll figure out after the show to get you get you some rooms, but it really is make a difference.

Anthony Codispoti: I'd be grateful for that because I feel like that's a skill that everybody should know, you know, and we get our kids out and we get them playing sports and in other activities. And part of it is the neighborhood that we're in. Like we're kind of in we're in the city. so like, you know, the streets there aren't conducive to practicing, certainly conducive, like once you know how to ride, but not like the great, great place to learn. But yeah, I'd be grateful for any help that you and Woon can offer my family.

April Obersteller: Absolutely. We're there.

Anthony Codispoti: Okay, so there was this insane growth because in part because you guys have such a great product, but there are a lot of great products that never get noticed or discovered. They just don't get the attention or the traction. So in addition to having the great product, what was Womb doing to get noticed?

April Obersteller: Mm-hmm. I think that, you know, I laugh because I mean, it was, this was Matias. I mean, at the first couple of years at Womb US, he was still doing his full-time job. He was implementing ERP systems. So totally not this. I mean, he was doing out of his garage and it was through that, literally that referral. He sold the first Womb bike from his garage when his little boy was on it and neighbor walked by and said, what is that? How do I get it? And of course at that time too, I mean this was an expensive bike compared to other bikes and you know where if you're used to getting a bike from Walmart for $50 right $200 for a balanced bike and his mind is like well I don't think many people are gonna go for this they don't even understand him and so he said the price and the neighbor said great when can I get one and so that was the start of oh there might be interest in this and so literally I think Matias just started with his neighborhood and getting every single kid on a wind bike. And then it was it was really from there. It was that grass root word of mouth. It became you know in these little pockets especially of these kind of cycling parents that really it was important for them that their kid went bike riding with them. And they found out about this and their kids started riding their pedal bikes two and three years old where now my older girls learned at seven and eight and it was unheard of that you could learn this early and and that's how it started these little pockets of these bike experts and then it turned into people that weren't necessarily bike experts but really wanted their kids to enjoy riding a bike and that okay I guess I will spend that much if it's that big a difference. And then they realized that they can sell their bike, you know, once their kids have outgrown it for almost the amount that they bought it. And that's still like that today. And so that if there was hesitation of spending that much money on a bike, they realized that that long term investment was actually there. So it was little by little. And, and that's it really got it to

Anthony Codispoti: Yeah. There wasn't like this one big moment where like a celebrity or a, you you guys get on a news program or something where like that's when you were off to, it was just brick by brick, little by little.

April Obersteller: Oops. Little by little, yeah, we joke because there's been some fun little shout outs from like Marcus Eckenberg. put, love my womb. we're like, things are going go crazy. No, it didn't. No. I think what he has put that is like his LinkedIn header, like, oh my gosh, this is huge. And, you know, it was great. I love that he, you know, that was the bike that he advised kids, but it wasn't.

Anthony Codispoti: It didn't.

April Obersteller: Now we're on the radar. It was pockets. And you even see that today when, it's a part of our intentional strategy of really, instead of trying to get awareness out to the entire US, it's so huge.

Anthony Codispoti: Yeah.

April Obersteller: We have key cities that it's more known and we focus attention in these key spots, hoping that heart will grow a little bit more and more and more. So that's how it was from the get-go.

Anthony Codispoti: Yeah. Interesting story about Zuckerberg there. I had a physical product business myself once and we got on Oprah's list of favorite things and we thought, you know, this is going to be it. it was, no, was crickets. And I hear stories that are the opposite where, people get a, yep. And it was like, that's what sent us up and to the right, but I don't know.

April Obersteller: You hear? Yeah, totally. Yep, not for everyone.

Anthony Codispoti: The other interesting thing about Womb, I think, in terms of being a product that took off here in the States is that it has originated in Europe. And if anything, in my experience, maybe I'm just sheltered, is that it kind of goes the other way. Like physical products, they'll get a foothold here and then find their way across the world. And I don't know the specifics of it, but I've been told that Europe is not maybe as entrepreneurial friendly. It's not as easy to start a business because there's higher risks if you go bankrupt or if you hire employees and need to let them go. So I don't know, the way I read that is just like a further testament to what Womb is doing to have been so successful over there and now continue to find that success here in the States.

April Obersteller: Yeah, absolutely. Everything you said, is definitely, I mean, the common story. And that's, I love that because it, you see that. if you go, I mean, in Austria, the the share of bikes, you literally cannot do a circle without seeing three WUM bikes. I mean, it is, I compare it. I'm like, Yeti in Texas, it's like WUM in Austria. Like it, everyone has one. There is such a deep love for it because also it's like, was born here and it's just a fun company. So it is cool to see that because it definitely is not the norm. And if you meet Christian and Marcus, they are not the norm either. And so they are risk takers in the best way. And that's absolutely flooded into the womb culture.

Anthony Codispoti: Yeah. So when you were at Yeti, as we talked about already, we're working on some stuff that was pretty advanced for the time in terms of like the AI tech. Fast forward a few years and the AI tech is so much better than it was five years ago. Are you guys implementing and leveraging these tools now at Womb?

April Obersteller: Mm. Yeah, it's pretty much right at that season where that's the focus. And so when we look at our OKRs for this year, it's the first time AI and the initiatives around it has entered the conversation. Not because it's not important or available. It just wasn't in the season we were at. But now we are because it is that kind of season of switching from that startup to scale up and really building resilience within the organization efficiency. Yeah, I'm excited about it and our COO who is really leading that is also beautifully involved in it. So excited to see what comes out of it.

Anthony Codispoti: So, April, I'm looking at a stat here that to me seems frankly unbelievable. maybe you can help me confirm or deny the accuracy of it. Womb has a 98 % customer satisfaction score.

April Obersteller: I know it's remarkable. It's remarkable. That is

Anthony Codispoti: You could give free money to everybody in the world and you're gonna get more than 2 % of the people who are angry about it. So this is a legit stat.

April Obersteller: Legit, legit. Sometimes we go down to 95 for the month or we'll shoot 100, but it's really remarkable. I will tell you, I still hop in the customer service queue every day. That's how I stay connected. So when I open up my Shopify, when I open up my BI dashboards, I open up our email queue. And sometimes I'll pop in there and respond. that it number one we have I mean we have just really great obviously customers but I tell you what the the team members they are number one half of them were customers to begin with one of our team members you know was a special needs teacher and when COVID hit he chose to home school his kiddos had left you know doing teaching and then homeschooling and then after he wanted to still work with kids but didn't necessarily want to go back to teaching. He had bought two WOOM bikes. They had made such a big impact on his kids and their right experience. He's like, hey, I love WOOM. You're a part of my family. I'm looking for a job. Can I do something for you all? So he is obviously one of our CXT members. And so I think that is such a part of the why. It's they not only can support the customers we're actively talking to, they are the customer. They show up with empathy and kindness and humor because sometimes it's just stressful and especially when something's not working on a bite that you have to give in an hour and you should have checked it before but you didn't and what am I gonna do? Like it's just really nice to have someone on the other end that's just human and lovely and that's what our team is.

Anthony Codispoti: So it's see, because what I want to ask you is what advice do you have for other brands that may be listening and saying, man, we're nowhere close to that kind of customer satisfaction score. Like what is something that wouldn't be overly complex that we could put in place tomorrow that could give us some kind of a boost there? And what you're talking about in terms of having customer service reps who are passionate about the product, who use it themselves.

April Obersteller: Mm.

Anthony Codispoti: to be there on the front line and be your advocates. That's great. Not every brand is positioned to be able to do that. But from your experience and what you've been able to do at Womb and what you've been able to do at Yeti, do you have any advice for other brands that might be struggling to get ahead with that?

April Obersteller: I think number one, figure out a way that you can give them more freedom. I know, and again, based on the industry, could be very different, but give them the guidelines of here's our policies, but don't make it 100 pages long, and certainly don't make it where they can't do anything outside of just answering it, a phone call. Build your policies so they can solve something. Number one, and then as much as you can give them freedom. if you know that, yes, it takes a baseline of hiring people that you generally want to do the right thing. That has to be the baseline for this suggestion, but most people do. I really think it, no one, mean, getting up and choosing to be in a role of customer service, you have to have some kind of passion for service or else it's gonna be a miserable job for you. so trust that they want to do good to the customer and build out your policies, build out your appeasement options to just allow them to solve whatever it is going on for the customer. And that...

Anthony Codispoti: Say more about appeasement options. So this is, hey, I've got an angry customer. I have permission to send them a bumper sticker or a cap or something like that. Is this what this means?

April Obersteller: Exactly. And it's as simple like we have three layers of appeasements and you know, we give okay, we, know, appeasement number two, if we miss the shipping deadline, we should, you know, deliver the product a day later. Now, if that was for a birthday and we missed the birthday, that's an immediate like, that's a number three, like, and we have here's what, you know, here's 10 things that you can offer that customer. So it's just simple as the guidelines, but also, Again, I think it really builds, it has to build from the culture. If they don't see something on that appeasement guideline for that unique situation, make a space where they can, if they need to get permission, okay, but make it quick. They say, hey, this is going on. I really think this is a better solution for them. Are you cool if I do this? and then the leader can say, nay, and usually it's a yay. That allows quick resolution. It allows a lot of humanness to the conversation. And also it allows your team members to feel like, okay, I got the job done. I was able to do well at my job, which of course fills their bucket, and that shows.

Anthony Codispoti: There's so much to be said for that sense of satisfaction that you get. So I'm kind of curious to hear more about the customer buying experience. Obviously, I see that we can get them on your website, and the address is just woom.com. Are these available on Amazon or at local retailers? do we strictly go to the Woom website to get these?

April Obersteller: Yeah. Yes, up until last year, it was just WOM.com. We were really, we were only D2C, which was great and intentional. Matias, when he started it, he wanted the ability to talk directly to the customer, knowing that he would also act if he heard something that wasn't right for the customer. For the longest time, the customer service line was his cell phone. And so it was awesome that the first decade of the company was D2C. And 80 % of the customers do not buy a bike online. And so we knew there was this massive group that we were not. like making it convenient for them. so, anyway, so last year we went offline. So we are in retail stores. You can see on the dealer locator. We chose one national partner to launch with, whether it was REI, and they've been a beautiful partner to launch these products in their stores. And then we're now in almost 200 independent bike dealers, working just hand in hand with them. And then you can also find us on Amazon. launched that to last year. So trying to get a little bit more customer friendly when it comes to showing up where their preference is for shopping.

Anthony Codispoti: What does future growth look like? Is it trying to expand that retail distribution network? Are there more product lines that are coming?

April Obersteller: Yes, yes and yes. So this the next couple years a big part of our growth story will be with our retailers. So you know I'm a very big fan of you know partnering through these stores especially our independent dealers. just personally have a big heart for them because they're small business owners. Their why is so big and in the cycling community they care so much about about getting people on bikes. So we want to work with more of them. And that is definitely one of our goals for how to grow this business. And then yes, there will be some fun new products coming out here, which one of them is I think gonna be a little bit of a surprise and super excited to launch that later on this year.

Anthony Codispoti: Can we say anything more about that yet?

April Obersteller: I know I'm like, I need check myself. I think I'll pause there. I'll build the anticipation. It's gonna be awesome. I'll just say that. So wait for later this year. Yes.

Anthony Codispoti: Okay. going to be wow she's very excited about this look at how she's all lit up okay so for folks who want to make sure that they don't miss whatever this big announcements coming later this year is it like a mailing list that they can get on

April Obersteller: Hmm. Yes, absolutely. That's the very best way. So just wum.com and then sign up for our newsletter. We nurture our email community. We talk to them a lot and they will be the first to know. So just hop on over there and sign up.

Anthony Codispoti: Where do I find your newsletter sign up here? I'm on your home page. We'll figure it out.

April Obersteller: Just go all the way down to the bottom and you'll see it.

Anthony Codispoti: Well, we'll, join the list. We only send the good stuff. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the homepage. Yep, right above the social media icons.

April Obersteller: be a call out. We shouldn't have to scroll down. Pick up.

Anthony Codispoti: This is fun. Okay, let's maybe talk about a particular book, a podcast, a course that's been helpful for you that you might recommend to others that are listening.

April Obersteller: Yes, I, like I said, I am hungry to just learn. And so this is always the hardest question. but I'll say I'll land on a podcast. One of my favorite podcasts of his last couple of decades is how I built this. the good old guy and number one, I know it's so good just to be able to hear, obviously all these stories of building these businesses, but I really appreciate it too, that, you hear

Anthony Codispoti: One of my favorites too.

April Obersteller: all the struggles. So not only do you get to learn from those struggles, but you also, it's the reminder that it is a part of it. It's a non-negotiable when you're building something that most people haven't built yet. So.

Anthony Codispoti: Let's talk about a serious challenge that you've overcome, April. What was it? Whether it was personal or professional, how did you get through it and what did you learn?

April Obersteller: Thank Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I think, you know, looking back, I'll go with personal, I think a big thing over the last several years, quite honestly, that I've worked with my mom, who growing up, she was single mama, so was me and her against the world. She was very, very much a pillar in my life. And she also was that example. She was a school teacher and she got up way before the sun caught up and went to bed way after the sun went down. And it was never a question of, I provide for my family? Can I, you know, set me up for a success? So she was such a huge part of my life. And she unfortunately got diagnosed with Alzheimer's very early. and you know and then ultimately passed away a couple years ago from it. And so that alone, that journey was of course incredibly hard and because grieving someone who is actually physically here and then grieving them whenever they're no longer physically here. So that process was incredibly challenging. and I think the, was challenging to figure out how to do that. was her caretaker through her Alzheimer's and making sure that she was, you know, at a place that could get provides. So there was a lot of it, you know, obviously involvement. How do I do that? And also show up for my team and, not let it disrupt, but also it was a part of what I was going through. So what does that look like as a leader to allow them to understand what's going on? That was really hard to figure out how to balance because they were looking at me to be the lighthouse of the challenges we were going on with work. And I'm pretty good at compartmentalizing, maybe to a fault, but I also... I didn't think that was necessarily the right way to lead and to ignore everything going on in my personal life. So that was one of the big lessons I learned as a leader. chose to, you know, it wasn't a conversation and everyday stand up by any means, but they knew my journey that I was on and they very much supported me through it. And I think in return, it created a space where they were going through struggles. They allowed me to understand what was going on and I could support them. So yeah, so it was incredibly hard. It was a huge challenge. But gosh, it's so being on the other side of that mountain, I will always lead as a full journey leader. won't, I won't. just only bring part of me to the table. I'll bring all of it. And I really, I try very, hard to also allow space for all of our team members to actively do that too.

Anthony Codispoti: How long ago was it that your mother passed?

April Obersteller: Two years.

Anthony Codispoti: Two years. You know, I'm curious if you've noticed this as well. I feel like COVID was a bit of a reset in sort of what you're talking about here, right? There was more of a tendency to, as you put it, compartmentalize things, right? My personal life stays outside these walls once I come to work. You know, it's my work persona and, you know, all my work priorities. And then, you know, COVID happened and things kind of got

April Obersteller: and Mm-hmm.

Anthony Codispoti: a little bit more intertwined and mishmashed. And I think that since then, people have been more open and more receptive to understanding that we're not two separate people. If you're familiar with the television show on Apple called Severance, like, you know, we are not these like we we are one person that, you know, has these different parts of our lives and different responsibilities. Have you witnessed something similar as well?

April Obersteller: Yep. Absolutely, absolutely. And I think more than anything, number one, I fully agree, right? Anytime it's that when you have the option to see what's going on behind you, you saw the option turn that camera off and on, but life is happening around us quite literally. And we saw that during COVID. And I personally, I think my take on it is I can never go back. I will never work for a company that doesn't allow that to be able to show up as your whole self. To me, it became from a nice to have to a non-negotiable. Because again, I seen what's on the other side of it. And that's where the magic happens. That's where the teamwork happens. That's where... You thrive and it doesn't mean that it's not hard. mean bless it. I think all of us can know There is it is not easy. Sometimes it is so much easier to shut the door But then again you shut the door there's someone on the other side of it I'm all either I mean for me for future companies I'll work for it has to be there or future companies that I'll create one day it will be there and if I'm ever you know, I will always champion for that.

Anthony Codispoti: Yeah, I tip my hat to you for making the ultimate decision to approach it in the way that you did. Not only was it helpful for you at that time, so you didn't have to keep it quite so bottled up. You know, it also gave your team members the ability to support you, to be an ear, a shoulder, to help fill in, you know, with some work gaps when it was needed. But yeah, and I think you said it well. Like it also gave them permission for. whatever it is that they're going through that they can give voice to it. it's it's precisely the same reason why I ask this kind of question on the show is because I want others to hear, I'm not alone. Right. Like I have gone through something like that, too. And and so this this next follow up question I want to ask you is also helpful for people to hear, you know, people who are still going through the dark tunnel part of it. What were some things that you were able to do at that time to give you peace, to give you strength? Who or what were you able to lean on?

April Obersteller: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I think a part of that during that time, like I mentioned, it's leaning on your team. And I did that. I asked for support. Because at the end of the day, too, I'm very... We have businesses to run. Things have to get done. mean, these goals, no matter what is going on, we also have a responsibility to deliver. But we have a choice in how we deliver it. And I think that's where it doesn't have to be one way. I don't have to be the one to ultimately do X, and Z. If I've built my team up right, they should be a part of it actively, but also at times, like that's an opportunity for them to step up. And I saw that. saw people, part of my team members that rose to, they weren't expecting to rose there, but they needed to. And I needed to be gone and there was an emergency, there wasn't a choice and they stepped up. You know what? They are so much better for it. And that was a moment in their career. So. I think that was a part of it. It was really not only allowing the team to see what was happening, but also to ask for their support in it. And we got the job done. And that was the coolest part. And probably better than it would have been in the first place by allowing ourselves to work together to make it happen. that was a big part of getting through it.

Anthony Codispoti: Any daily habits, practices, rituals that are helpful to you?

April Obersteller: I'm a morning girl, just like my mom raised me that way. I was up at 4 a.m. with her growing up because that's when I got to see her and I still am. That is usually 3.45 or 4. That is my wake up time and that's have a it's a time for myself. It's a time to get set up for success and that's my time for routine. You know, I get my body moving. I get the coffee made as those little just kind of those habits. And I'm a huge, believer in gratitude. That's still very much a daily practice. And that's where I sit down and pause and write it down. So mornings between about 4 and 5 30 is my time where it pretty much happens every single day and that allows me to then handle the chaos that will most likely come my way as well.

Anthony Codispoti: We're talking about coffee, we're talking about exercise, we're talking about a gratitude journal, writing down everything that you're happy for.

April Obersteller: Gratitude. Yep, yep. And then I also write down, I do long-term vision setting. So every single day I have five things that I write in present tense of, know, I have done and they're my goals, they're my b-hags. I write them down physically every single day until I accomplish them. And so that's also right next to my gratitude.

Anthony Codispoti: April I've just got one more question for you, but before I ask it I want to do two things For everyone listening today I know that you loved today's show because April's been a phenomenal guest So please hit the follow button on your podcast app so you can continue to get more great shows like this in your feed April I also want to let people know the best way to either get in touch with you or to continue to follow the womb story. What would that be?

April Obersteller: Mm-hmm. A Wim story, I said, send it for the newsletter. We don't, promise it's not spammy. We try to do value add communication to our email community. So that's the best place to see the latest and greatest there. Of course we're on all social networks as well, but come and hang out with us on our email list. And then I'm very present on LinkedIn. That's where I show up the most and I try to not only obviously, you know, share learnings that I have that also connect with, you know, people that are going through the same journey. So I would love to connect with you there.

Anthony Codispoti: Terrific, and we'll include links to both the WOM website and your LinkedIn profile in the show notes. But April's last name is Obersteller for people who are listening. So last question for you, aside from maybe any of the things that we've already talked about, what is it that you're most excited for coming around the corner with WOM?

April Obersteller: Awesome. You know, I am, I'm very, we have a new CEO and that's always a big transition, you know, for our organization. And I'm a big fan of Byrne's. Byrne has been a part of really beautiful brands in the past, but. He believes in experience and bringing that to life. And so he's very much leading us in that posture too. And it's been at the root of Womb. So it's not new, it's not a new concept for us, but it's very much being centered at the core. And so I'm really excited to see what that continues to look like in big bold ways and how we can create experiences for our customer. not just through our product, but through everything around what's involved with our products. So yeah, so more to come. It's been a fun journey.

Anthony Codispoti: Nice. Well, April, I want to be the first one to thank you for sharing both your time and your story with us today. I really appreciate it.

April Obersteller: Absolutely, thank you for creating the space for it. It's been an honor and I love being here.

Anthony Codispoti: Folks, that's a wrap on another episode of the Inspired Stories podcast. Thanks for learning with us today.

April Obersteller: Bye. Yay!