Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019 (Revised December 2019)

Anthony Soohoo at Dot & Bo: Bringing Storytelling to Furniture E-Commerce

by Thomas R. Eisenmann, Allison M. Ciechanover and George Gonzalez

Abstract

The case provides students an opportunity to examine the founding of an e-commerce startup that used storytelling and compelling images to sell furniture and home accessories to millennials. The case describes the rapid sales growth the company experienced, as well as the challenges it faced with operations, delivery, and order tracking. Finally, the protagonist is poised to raise a Series C financing he hopes will value the company at $200 million.

Keywords: e-commerce; Startups; furnishing; Leadership; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Internet; Failure; United States;

Language: English Format: Print 20 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Eisenmann, Thomas R., Allison M. Ciechanover, and George Gonzalez. "Anthony Soohoo at Dot & Bo: Bringing Storytelling to Furniture E-Commerce." Harvard Business School Case 820-036, September 2019. (Revised December 2019.)

Related Work

  1. Supplement | HBS Case Collection | September 2019 (Revised December 2019)

    Anthony Soohoo: Retrospection on Dot & Bo

    Thomas R. Eisenmann, Allison M. Ciechanover and George Gonzalez

    The case describes the final year of the once-promising furniture e-tailer, Dot & Bo, that included a challenging fundraising market, troubles with logistics and operations, and a team tragedy. The founder looks back at the experience and shares his learnings about selecting a business model, financing, people issues, company culture, and operations. Finally, he looks ahead at his career and contemplates his next steps.

    Keywords: e-commerce; Startups; furnishing; Leadership; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Internet; Failure; Learning; United States;

    Citation:

    Eisenmann, Thomas R., Allison M. Ciechanover, and George Gonzalez. "Anthony Soohoo: Retrospection on Dot & Bo." Harvard Business School Supplement 820-037, September 2019. (Revised December 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related

  2. Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019 (Revised December 2019)

    Anthony Soohoo at Dot & Bo: Bringing Storytelling to Furniture E-Commerce

    Thomas R. Eisenmann, Allison M. Ciechanover and George Gonzalez

    The case provides students an opportunity to examine the founding of an e-commerce startup that used storytelling and compelling images to sell furniture and home accessories to millennials. The case describes the rapid sales growth the company experienced, as well as the challenges it faced with operations, delivery, and order tracking. Finally, the protagonist is poised to raise a Series C financing he hopes will value the company at $200 million.

    Keywords: e-commerce; Startups; furnishing; Leadership; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Internet; Failure; United States;

    Citation:

    Eisenmann, Thomas R., Allison M. Ciechanover, and George Gonzalez. "Anthony Soohoo at Dot & Bo: Bringing Storytelling to Furniture E-Commerce." Harvard Business School Case 820-036, September 2019. (Revised December 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related

About the Author

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Thomas R. Eisenmann
Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration
Entrepreneurial Management

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