At a Glance

MakerFlo is a modern customization business that provides high-quality, commercial-grade, production-ready blanks for makers, laser engravers, UV printing shops, e-Commerce sellers, sublimation creators, and more.

Who is John Modi?

Meet John Modi, Co-Founder (or Chief Imagination Officer) of MakerFlo.

About MakerFlo

Marc and John actually knew each other for a long time, since they were in middle school together. But it was when they were in college that the journey to MakerFlo actually started. That first business, however, had nothing to do with craft supplies. Instead, it was about selling women’s shoes.

Their business was launched during the early days of e-Commerce and they actually did a lot of the work themselves, including creating their own website with HTML. It allowed them to learn a lot about different Marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, and more. And it allowed them to learn more about managing a website.

From there, they continued to grow and started venturing into different e-Commerce platforms and learned that people really wanted something unique. They wanted customizable products that they could really enjoy. Something that was personal to them. And that was something that John and Marc were interested in as well.

Creating products that helped someone to celebrate a special moment like a proposal or a birthday or even Valentine’s Day was a great experience. Being able to see the unique engravings that people design for their loved ones was another amazing moment. And through it all they learned a number of things about the industry.

For one thing, they learned that the products were all the same. So many companies were buying products overseas and selling the same things. But MakerFlo is completely different. They decided to venture into a Marcet of products that people use everyday from passport wallets and ballet trays to mugs and knives and everything in between.

They also have different options for engraving, sublimation, and more. And it all means that they’re selling more than just basic products. They’re actually selling innovative and patented items that you won’t find anywhere else.

What helps them in their process as well is cutting out as many of the middlemen as possible. Instead, the team at MakerFlo worked directly with the factory to engineer the products and get the best costs.

John himself enjoys the business strategy and planning out what’s going to happen with the company in the next five years. He loves knowing where the products are going and what’s going to happen next. He also loves being involved in the product development side and engineering. But it’s more than that. It’s also about sharing their story and making sure that customers understand what they’re really getting when they buy from MakerFlo.

John’s Journey

MakerFlo currently consists of around 12-14 people in their warehouse, which is located in the United States. But they also have a smaller team of three social media people and a single customer service agent. That agent works alongside an AI service agent. But that’s not the only place they use AI.

They actually use AI predictive tools for inventory and for picking, looking for all the possible ways they can use AI as a tool in their business. While it’s been extremely positive and helpful, it’s also been problematic in some ways, but John says that it’s been more good than bad adapting AI into their system.

And then it comes to the remote team, where there are people all around the world from New York to India, Philippines, China, and more. That’s because John and Marc are looking for the best people for their business, no matter where they might be located. And they’re more than willing to take care of those people.

The team members who work overseas are still paid fair wages, comparable to the wages they would make in the United States. And the U.S. workers are given paid lunches, paid gym memberships, and plenty of perks to keep them enjoying their work. There’s even a mental health and career coach to help the team whenever they need it, whether it’s personal issues or work issues.

Business Growth and Revenue Strategies

Overall growth can be complex for any company, but for MakerFlo, they started out with entirely organic growth and they grew at astronomical rates. With the website as their only source of attracting traffic, they managed to create an eight-figure business, and all without the use of social media or paid ads. And then COVID happened.

Post-COVID, the company revenue dropped by 60%. After all, during COVID things were in chaos. People were out of work and receiving checks and subsidies that they used to start businesses. But then things changed. People were going back to work after COVID and those businesses that were using MakerFlo disappeared.

It was a rough time, and John even thought about calling it quits. With the company losing so much money and prices dropping to counter lower-quality products flooding the Marcet it was a very rough patch and John struggled with just what to do.

But he didn’t want it to end like that. And so, they decided to make some big changes. That’s where the company dove into selling patent pending products rather than the cheapest options. They wanted something that truly added value and set them apart from the alternatives. And they were going to make it.

In fact, they did make it. They were able to pull out of that slump and into strong and steady growth, even with products that are twice what the cheap options sell for. The business is back on top with some of their top selling products frequently selling out entirely.

It’s been a wild ride, but they’ve been able to hold steady and come back even stronger.

Keeping Customer Coming Back

Customer retention is an important component for MakerFlo. They’re working hard at making sure the customers that they do have continue to buy again and again, but at the same time, they’re also looking for ways to bring in even more new customers.

John estimates that their current focus is actually about 50-50 between focusing on customer retention and customer acquisitions. But just how are they doing it?

Well, SMS messages, DM automations, emailing, and education on the website are all there to help keep customers coming back. It’s all about making sure they see the value of the company and what it has to offer and making sure that they know what new items might be available.

MakerFlo’s CX Philosophy 

Providing excellent customer service is at the forefront of everything that MakerFlo does. In fact, they strive to ‘be good, do good, spread good.’ For John and the company that means making sure that you’re being good to yourself and to others and that you’re doing good for yourself and for others. That way, you can spread goodness in the world.

For customer service, the company believes that they are there to help the customers and to make their companies grow. When they grow, MakerFlo grows. And that all means making sure that they provide the support that their customers need, including a Pro service that offers resources and tools to help grow the business.

And even that’s not all. They also have MakerHQ that offers an entire infrastructure with lead generation, CRM, design studio, and so much more so that everyone on the team, from the makers to vendors, and manufacturers, can get everything they need in one place.

It doesn’t end there. With the AI customer service agent available 24/7, that means customer support is available whenever people need it. And phone support is available whenever they need it.

When it comes to outreach MakerFlo goes to trade shows to meet customers where they are. And that’s on top of all the regular ways that customers can find them, like their website.

What does all of this mean together? It means that MakerFlo isn’t just looking to solve customer problems when they reach out. They’re looking to be a true silent partner, always there when the customer needs them.

Innovation and Adaptability

For John and Marc, it’s important to be at the forefront of everything they can when it comes to their business. That means making sure they’re looking into software and AI as well. And it means making sure that they are staying on top of innovation and problem solving for their customers. Because even as they venture outside of MakerFlo, they’re looking at ways those new innovations can help the customers and the brand they already have.

Keep It Fun

What’s something special about MakerFlo? They try to keep things fun. In fact, they’ve given everyone the ability to choose their own job title. Sure, they have a professional job title, but they also have fun titles. John, for example, is the Chief Imagination Officer. And one of their team members is the Chief Task Tackler.

It’s all about keeping things light and making sure that everyone enjoys what they do.

That fun aspect leads into what John would really love to be spending more time on in his business, telling the brand’s story.

He would love a little more time each week to share the day-to-day of the company and let people know more about what goes on there. Who works there? And everything else that has to do with helping people know them even better.

Still, John loves his alone time as well. And if he had the free time, he would also spend a bit more on laying out the plans and the strategies for the business. That way, they’d be able to keep the ball rolling a little more smoothly even as the business continues to grow and move forward.

Investing for the Future

Where is all the attention and investment going right now? Well, it’s going to social media and Amazon investments. Specifically, MakerFlo is investing in TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and their own website.

What John really likes about the website is that it actually blends e-Commerce and social media together, offering their products for sale as well as videos and influencer content. And that goes along with their influencer Marketing on channels like TikTok, where they’re actually working with over 80 influencers on a monthly basis.

Those influencers are very important to the brand and as such, they have to fit certain standards. For one thing, they need to be educators in the industry. They’re also building relationships with their influencers and keeping those connections stable and sustainable. That’s why the company is looking at new ways to grow their influencer network and the overall program in the best way possible for everyone involved.

Following the Seasons

When it comes to many e-Commerce businesses, their peak seasons are around Q4. But for MakerFlo the peak seasons can be a little different. They do have peaks around Q4 and even Q2, but also around specific holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

In order to keep track of everything and make sure they’re prepared for what’s coming, they use technology. And specifically, a predictive inventory software called Prediko, which analyzes their sales for the last couple years, considers their trends and then lets them know what to order from there.

It makes the entire process simpler and prepares them for getting a lot of work done without hiring in more people to do it and without needing an analyst to look at their numbers.

Planning for the Future

With improved tools and improved connectivity for those tools, John is looking for ways to make faster decisions and to manage the business more efficiently. With a focus on strengthening their AI services and making the most of what AI can do, John believes MakerFlo can make huge strides forward.