DTC lawn care that’s good for the planet with Coulter Lewis from Sunday

Introduction (00:00:00)

• Sunday is a startup founded by Coulter Lewis that produces eco-friendly lawn care products.
• Traditional lawn care products contain harmful chemicals that pose health risks, while Sunday's products are designed to be better for the environment and easier to use.
• Lawns are the third largest crop in the US, but lawn care is often complex, challenging, and toxic.
• Sunday uses technology to empower people to care for their outdoor spaces in a more environmentally friendly way.

Creating personalize law care plans (00:04:28)

• Coulter Lewis, founder of Sunday Lawn Care, discovered that lawn care is a massive industry worth over $100 billion.
• Traditional lawn care products contain harmful ingredients and face legal issues due to their link to cancer.
• Sunday Lawn Care provides better ingredients, approachable branding, and a convenient subscription model with personalized solutions.
• Their initial product was a custom fertilizer plan that analyzes property conditions, soil conditions, climate, and size to provide precise nutrients.
• Sunday Lawn Care's approach uses fewer inputs for fertilizer and pesticides while achieving desired results.
• The company's analysis is based on historical climate data, real-time weather, aerial imagery, and accumulated soil test data.
• Customers can further refine their plan by sending in a soil sample, similar to how farmers manage their land.
• Soil composition varies greatly, with organic matter being a key factor.
• Soil is crucial for reversing climate change, and organic matter plays a vital role.
• Soil testing is essential to identify nutrient deficiencies and avoid unnecessary fertilizer application that can pollute water sources.
• Most yards in the US have decent soil and are not beyond repair.

Launching DTC in this climate (00:09:34)

• Coulter Lewis, founder of Sunday, a DTC lawn care company, faced challenges in developing natural and eco-friendly lawn care products but collaborated with a Turf PhD from Cornell University to bring university research and knowledge to the company.
• Despite launching during a decline in the popularity of DTC companies, Sunday's success is attributed to its unique value proposition and focus on providing personalized lawn care solutions.
• Sunday's customer-centric approach, which emphasizes providing solutions rather than just products, has been key to its success in a challenging DTC environment.
• The company's expansion into brick-and-mortar stores was driven by retailers recognizing the need to engage the next generation of homeowners, which Sunday was uniquely positioned to do. This shared need led to significant investments in Sunday by retailers, ensuring greater visibility and awareness for the brand in stores.

Expanding into new categories (00:14:55)

• Sunday is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) lawn care company that provides personalized lawn care products and advice to customers online.
• The company targets customers who find lawn care intimidating or lack the knowledge to start.
• Sunday uses a soil database to create region-specific lawn care products tailored to the customer's location.
• The company expanded its product line to include pest control and gardening products.
• Sunday focuses on empowering individuals with the knowledge and tools to confidently engage in outdoor home activities like gardening and pest control.
• The company identified pest control and lawn care as significant areas where people lack confidence and expertise.
• Sunday's pest control research and development process involved creating effective formulas using natural and less toxic ingredients like pyrine, extracted from chrysanthemum flowers.
• Sunday's approach emphasizes empowering individuals to perform pest control tasks themselves, offering a more affordable, natural, and less intimidating alternative to traditional pest control services.

using data to improve products (00:20:50)

• Sunday focuses on building customer-facing features that leverage data to empower customers and provide expert guidance.
• They prioritize customer satisfaction and maintain an active relationship with customers throughout the season to gather feedback and improve their products and services.
• Sunday considers customer input as one of their best sources of data, enabling them to calibrate, improve, and better understand customer needs.
• Coulter Lewis, the founder of Sunday, shares his entrepreneurial journey and the challenges he faced while building a natural brand.
• He emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between using natural ingredients and ensuring product effectiveness.
• Lewis highlights the significance of understanding customer needs and preferences, as products must meet fundamental needs and provide tangible benefits to succeed.
• Sunday's approach is centered around delivering results, whether it's improving lawn appearance, controlling pests effectively, or enhancing garden growth.
• Lewis expresses his passion for building the company and his desire to continue driving value for customers through data-driven insights and customer feedback.

Building businesses with family (00:23:13)

• Coulter Lewis, the founder of Sunday, shares his experiences from building two companies, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and embracing challenges when starting a business.
• Lewis highlights the difference in funding landscapes between the CPG industry (Quinn Snacks) and Silicon Valley/New York VC style funding (Sunday).
• He stresses the significance of team building and surrounding oneself with capable individuals to complement one's strengths and weaknesses.
• Lewis discusses the positive aspects of working with family members but advises seeking advice and support from outside sources to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• Coulter Lewis and his spouse successfully overcame challenges when starting a business together by clearly defining their responsibilities and having a final say in their respective categories.
• Coulter's brother leads the R&D team and product development, resulting in the launch of 75 SKUs in a few years and 5,000 registrations across the US.
• Coulter feels fortunate to work with his brother and that they have found their respective roles in the business where they can excel.

Building the right team (00:28:06)

• Coulter Lewis says most interviewees express a lack of expertise in lawn care, but that is not a disadvantage.
• What unifies the team at Sunday is their shared passion for the company's mission of environmental sustainability and empowering individuals.
• This focus on mission and impact attracts and retains talented individuals to Sunday.
• The pandemic acted as a tailwind for the lawn care industry as people moved to suburban areas and sought outdoor activities.
• Sunday experienced growth during the pandemic but was not able to fully capitalize on the opportunity due to limitations in learnings, know-how, team, products, and categories.
• This restraint turned out to be beneficial as it prevented Sunday from over-leveraging itself and allowed for sustained growth after the pandemic.

Regulation and expansion (00:31:27)

• Sunday, a US-based DTC lawn care company, initially hired an advisor and an Ops leader to ensure expertise and operational efficiency.
• The company currently operates only in the US due to complex regulations for lawn care products, which require individual product registrations in each state.
• Sunday's products comply with regulations in countries like Canada and the EU, allowing for potential future expansion.
• The company's focus is on becoming a complete solution for outdoor home care in the US before considering international expansion.
• Sunday is experiencing rapid growth and innovation, with a talented executive team driving progress and customer-centric initiatives.
• Sunday is expanding its services to include environmentally friendly DTC lawn care products.
• The company aims to make gardening accessible and easy for individuals, promoting a healthier lifestyle and a positive impact on the environment.

Host conversation (00:36:15)

• Coulter Lewis, founder of Sunday Lawn Care, offers organic lawn care products and personalized lawn care plans based on soil analysis.
• Sunday Lawn Care's products are safe for people, pets, and the environment, avoiding harsh chemicals.
• The company's success lies in its innovative products and personalized lawn care plans, leading to partnerships with retail stores.
• Sunday's branding resonates with millennials, featuring an aesthetically chic design that stands out on retail shelves.
• The podcast, hosted by Becca Scac and Dominic Madori Davis and produced by Maggie Stach, discusses the concept of DTC lawn care and its potential environmental benefits.