About the Company

Cody Candee is the CEO and co-founder of Bounce, a short-term storage marketplace. With a background in product management, having started his career at Intuit, Cody transitioned to entrepreneurial roles, culminating in the creation of Bounce.

Bounce was launched a little over a year ago by Cody and his co-founder, Aleksander Rendtlsev. The service allows users to find convenient storage locations for their belongings via an app. By partnering with local hotels and businesses, Bounce provides a flexible alternative to traditional train station lockers, catering to those needing to store luggage, backpacks, gym bags, and more.

The company gained significant recognition after the launch of its mobile app, being named the #1 product of the day on Product Hunt. Bounce initially started as a web platform over a year ago, quickly becoming known as the “Best Luggage Storage Provider in NYC.” The service has since expanded to San Francisco, where it boasts the most storage locations, and has also moved into several other major cities.

Bounce continues to grow and adapt, aiming to provide convenient and accessible storage solutions in urban areas. The company's success in multiple cities underscores its commitment to addressing the storage needs of both residents and travelers.

Idea Behind Company

Cody Candee has lived in numerous cities across the U.S. and internationally, carrying all his belongings in just three suitcases. This minimalist lifestyle highlighted a common issue he observed during his travels: the inconvenience of managing personal items while on the move. People often struggled with carrying bags from place to place, which hindered their plans and activities.

Recognizing this recurring problem, Cody envisioned a solution that would align with a lifestyle of minimalism and non-consumerism, where possessions wouldn't be a burden. This led to the concept of Bounce, a service designed to offer convenient, short-term storage options to eliminate the hassle of carrying around personal items. Cody's idea for Bounce was rooted in the belief that real solutions come from putting ideas in front of actual customers rather than merely brainstorming.

The idea for Bounce first came to Cody in 2014, but it took three years for him to bring it to life. Initially, the concept of pickup and delivery seemed too complex and capital-intensive to start. However, by 2017, Cody, alongside his co-founder Aleks, began prototyping a more feasible version of Bounce, eventually launching the service in late 2017. Their approach focused on creating a practical and user-friendly storage solution without the need for substantial initial investment.

Cody's journey from ideation to execution with Bounce underscores the importance of validating ideas with real customers and adapting to practical constraints. By addressing a common inconvenience faced by travelers and city-dwellers, Bounce has successfully tapped into a significant market need, evolving from a conceptual solution to a thriving business.

Creating the Company

Cody Candee and his co-founder Aleksander Rendtlsev began brainstorming new business ideas, leading to the concept of "an Uber for your things." They quickly set up a landing page for bag storage and delivery in New York City, using a basic landing page builder and plugging in Adwords. Within five minutes, they received their first customer request. To fulfill these initial orders, they used Citi Bikes, and soon, customer demand began to grow.

In these early stages, they faced logistical challenges, such as coordinating specific times and locations to meet customers. Realizing the impracticality of sustaining this model, they sought a simpler solution. They decided to streamline operations by designating specific "Bounce locations" where customers could drop off and pick up their bags. These locations were local businesses with extra space, which made the logistics more manageable and scalable.

By the fourth day of Bounce, this new model was implemented. The concept proved to be much simpler, as many customers were content to pick up and drop off their items at the same location. Recognizing the potential for a straightforward solution, Cody and Aleks believed they could build a fully functional product within three weeks. They proceeded to develop the necessary code, transforming Bounce into a viable service.

This process highlights their adaptive approach and emphasis on speed and simplicity. By testing assumptions quickly and iterating based on real customer feedback, Cody and Aleks were able to refine their business model efficiently. This iterative process allowed Bounce to evolve rapidly from an idea to a functional, customer-focused product.

Launching the Business

In the initial year of Bounce, all bookings were managed through their web platform, a strategic decision driven by the need for speed. Cody Candee and his co-founder Aleksander Rendtlsev built this first web booking platform in just a month. Aleks, showcasing his exceptional engineering skills, quickly developed the necessary code, enabling them to launch the service rapidly.

Recognizing sufficient demand through the web app, they continued to support and grow their user base while laying the groundwork for a mobile app. Customers discovered Bounce through online searches, effective Adwords campaigns, and word of mouth, which helped establish a steady flow of users. Although the web platform was intended as a preliminary version, they knew that a mobile app would offer a more seamless user experience.

Creating the mobile app proved challenging, as it required significant time and effort, diverting attention from enhancing the web app’s features. Nevertheless, they persevered, understanding that a mobile app was crucial for the business's long-term success. The process of developing the mobile app demanded meticulous planning and execution, but they remained committed to delivering a superior product.

The Bounce app officially launched in February 2019, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback and traction. It was voted the #1 product of the day on Product Hunt, and bookings through the app quickly outpaced expectations. Despite initial concerns that adoption might be slow, the app’s premium experience resonated with customers, significantly boosting their engagement and satisfaction.

Earnings

Since the launch of Bounce, attracting and retaining customers has been driven largely by organic search. Many users discovered Bounce through Google searches, a trend evident from day one. Interestingly, Bounce achieved this visibility without initially employing significant SEO strategies, revealing a strong demand for "luggage storage" solutions on Google.

Customer referrals have also played a critical role in Bounce’s growth. Satisfied users have naturally promoted the service through word of mouth, which has proven to be a highly effective form of PR. Despite the lack of a formal strategy to boost referrals, this organic growth has been substantial. Recognizing this missed opportunity, Bounce is set to launch a referral program to further capitalize on this potential.

To continually attract new leads, Bounce has experimented with various methods. These include content creation, Adwords campaigns, PR efforts, and podcast appearances. This multifaceted approach has allowed them to explore different avenues for customer acquisition and adapt their strategies based on what works best.

The most active users of Bounce are local city-dwellers, with some utilizing the service three to five times per week. To cater to their most loyal customers, Bounce has introduced a beta subscription model, though it is not widely advertised and is managed on a case-by-case basis. There is still significant work to be done in optimizing customer retention and understanding the needs of different user segments, which remains a focus for the company.

Bounce has seen significant growth and development, expanding into new cities and offering additional services. Initially focused on New York City and San Francisco, where tens of thousands of bags have been stored, Bounce has recently extended its partnerships to cities like Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Austin, and Philadelphia. More expansions are planned in the near future. The company is also introducing delivery connections, allowing users to have their items sent to convenient locations after drop-off, truly embodying the concept of "Bouncing" items away and back.

The journey of starting Bounce has imparted several valuable lessons. One of the most crucial insights is the importance of optimizing for speed. The team at Bounce has consistently embraced a philosophy of rapid experimentation and implementation, often moving forward with minimal details worked out in advance. This approach has allowed them to quickly adapt and respond to market demands and operational challenges.

A key example of this strategy in action is the initial launch of Bounce. The founders began with fundamental assumptions critical to the business’s success. One pivotal question they addressed was whether customers would be comfortable entrusting their belongings to strangers via the internet. If the answer had been negative, Bounce would not have progressed. However, as the affirmative response emerged, the team continued to build and refine the service.

This emphasis on speed and hypothesis-driven development has been central to Bounce's approach. By swiftly validating or invalidating core assumptions, the company has been able to iterate quickly and move on to the next challenge or opportunity. This agile methodology has been a cornerstone of Bounce's growth and success.