Summary: On the 22nd episode of the Loose Threads Podcast, a show about the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce, I talk with Josh Udashkin, the founder of Raden, an emerging smart luggage company that marries the best of luggage, hardware and software into the ultimate toolkit for travel. Josh founded the company after he realized that there were few new and dominant entrants into the luggage space in almost 50 years, and bringing a younger and more modern perspective to the entrenched industry might be a crucial differentiator. We had a great talk about the challenges of integrating hardware and software; how Josh architected Raden is a true product company; how he decided on the right distribution strategy and moved far beyond a strictly direct to consumer business model; and how he’s planning to build the company for the long term. Josh was great to talk to because of his pragmatic and non idealistic approach to every part of Raden’s business. This was especially true about the company’s distribution strategy, where it took steps that were logical and didn’t worry about prevailing trends. As a result, Raden seems poised to grow over the long term rather than being yet another company that quickly rises and then quickly falls. We need more companies like that in this industry. — Show Notes — Raden https://raden.com/ Edited by George Drake Jr. — About Loose Threads — http://LooseThreads.com Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/buLQY9 Twitter: http://twitter.com/loosethreadsxyz The Loose Threads Podcast explores the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce. Hosted by Richie Siegel, an entrepreneur and writer, each episode features an in-depth conversation with one guest that spans a range of topics. The guests range from being fashion-focused to technology-focused to somewhere in between, but the unifying thread is always the rapid change facing the industry and how entrepreneurs are responding. You can listen to the podcast on any player of your choice, in addition to on http://LooseThreads.com
