Shopify President Harley Finkelstein took to LinkedIn to share about his new venture Firebelly Tea. Cherishing the good nine months of his entrepreneurial journey, Finkelstein was elated to become an entrepreneur again. In a long post, Shopify President wrote how it all started six years ago and took shape during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Nine months ago, I became an entrepreneur again – and it feels damn good. Why? As the President of Shopify, the best way for me to understand what our merchants are experiencing today as they build their businesses is to be an entrepreneur alongside them,” he wrote.
When I wanted to stock up my own tea collection, we looked at the market and saw that artificial flavourings and un-listed preservatives were pervasive in most of the tea brands available. AKA = there was a gap in the market for high-quality tea. It was time to start a business
Harley Finkelstein
Finkelstein continued his post by sharing how he became a daily tea drinker from a heavy coffee drinker. “Six years ago, I met David Segal, and he introduced me to tea. But it wasn’t until the pandemic when I was experiencing a lot of anxiety (and drinking a lot of coffee) that David suggested I start drinking tea every day. I made a slight change in my habits and saw my anxiety go way down. I converted from a heavy coffee drinker to a daily tea drinker,” he further wrote.
“At the time, the tea David Segal was buying and sharing with me was in small batches and was incredibly flavourful because it was made with real ingredients. When I wanted to stock up my own tea collection, we looked at the market and saw that artificial flavourings and un-listed preservatives were pervasive in most of the tea brands available. AKA = there was a gap in the market for high-quality tea. It was time to start a business,” Finkelstein wrote highlighting the turning point.
“For a year, we product tested, designed tea accessories and packaging, built our site and our brand. Finally, in November 2021 we launched Firebelly Tea on Shopify. We are nine months in, and it’s been one hell of a ride so far. But I can tell you one thing – we are just getting started. If you want to see what we’ve built, check out what’s brewing,” he concluded his post.
About Firebelly Tea
Firebelly Tea claims that all its products are made of 100 percent real ingredients with no artificial sweeteners, flavouring or sugar. It also boasts of fast delivery and sustainable packaging. The brand’s resealable pouches are home-compostable. The company claims that pouches degrade in the compost area of the garden within one year.
In June, Firebelly Tea implemented a new subscription experience with Ordergroove. The brand aims to use subscriptions to foster long-term customer relationships, increase growth and drive higher customer lifetime value. “With Ordergroove powering our subscription experience, our customers will be able to enjoy their favorite teas on a recurring basis and prioritize their daily rituals,” said co-founder Segal as reported by worldteanews.com.
“Firebelly Tea truly understands its customers and has done an amazing job creating an exceptional and memorable product offering that puts customer relationships at the heart of its business,” said Greg Alvo, CEO of Ordergroove. “We’re excited to partner with David, Harley and the Firebelly team to power frictionless and delightful experiences that make their customers’ lives easier,” he added.
About Harley Finkelstein
Harley Finkelstein established his first company while he was a student. Also a lawyer, he co-founded the JD/MBA Student Society and the Canadian MBA Oath. The Shopify President has also been awarded Canadian Angel Investor of the Year Award and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award. He was on the Board of the C100 from 2014 to 2017 and then on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from 2017 to 2020. “Harley is currently starring on Discovery Channel’s I Quit, a television series about hopeful entrepreneurs who decide to quit their 9-5 jobs to focus full-time on their side hustles”, mentions his LinkedIn profile. Finkelstein is quite active on social media and often takes to Twitter to applaud entrepreneurs.
