Going From $50M to $100M: How We Use Partnerships As Our Biggest Growth Levers at Hulken

Two things have been true at Hulken since year one: no dropshipping, and only say yes to collabs that actually earn it. On the eve of launching their most complex product development yet (a full pattern collab with Posh Peanut), Alex and Lee sit down to work out, on camera, what they actually think now.

This is a solo episode. No guest filter, no rehearsed takes. At $50M, the playbook isn't finished. The most honest thing you can say is that we’re still breaking rules we set when we were smaller.

If you're building a product brand somewhere between "we're figuring this out" and "we've figured this out," this is the real version of that conversation.

What's in this episode:
- The reason Alex and Lee said no to dropshipping for years (and the exact conditions that finally changed their minds)

- Alex's 3 non-negotiables for every brand collab

- Why Lee won't say yes to any retailer that won't buy inventory upfront

- How the Beautyblender collab landed Hulken backstage at the Grammys and the Oscars (the bag, not them)

- The "position of power" test that tells you when your brand is actually ready to dropship

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