Quick Jump
In an exclusive interview with Fulfill.com, Paul Jarrett, Co-Founder and CEO of Bulu, shares the story behind his logistics company’s rapid growth. Bulu specializes in offering 5PL services at 3PL rates, enabling CPG brands to seamlessly store, pack, and ship across multiple channels. By shifting away from traditional fulfillment to a hybrid, tech-enabled approach, Bulu has achieved a 500% client growth—largely through referrals. Today, Bulu is leading the way in omnichannel fulfillment, delivering scalability and efficiency for brands worldwide.
Section 1: Background and Company Origin
Who are you and what company are you building?
My name is Paul Jarrett and I’m the Co-Founder, Co-Owner and CEO of Bulu, where we just like to say, “We Do The Tricky Ship” because explaining logistics can be tricky…but hey, I’ll try my best to explain what we do in this article! Bulu is a hybrid, tech-enabled logistics facility providing 5PL services at 3PL rates, empowering consumer packaged goods or CPG Brands to store, pack, and ship orders through unlimited sales channels, packaging options, and packing configurations.
In essence, we work with CPG Brands to move them out of "Traditional, Linear Fulfillment" and into "Hybrid, Hub & Spoke Logistics," creating efficiencies, scalability, and convenience. Since focusing on providing the “Tricky Ship” or “5PL Services at 3PL Rates” we’ve grown our portfolio of Clients over 500% but the thing that I’m most proud of is that we’ve mostly grown by having current clients refer other companies to us!
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea (or who came up with the idea and how did you become part of the vision)?
Bulu originally started in 2012 as Bulu Box, a subscription box for vitamins, supplements, and healthy snack samples that grew to more than 60,000 subscribers monthly. With so much first-hand experience in the kitting and omnichannel fulfillment of subscription boxes, it was only a matter of time before other companies started asking us to kit and ship their boxes. To date, we have launched or managed fulfillment for hundreds of subscription box programs, including Disney, Crayola, and GNC.
As we gained more and more experience shipping globally for some of the biggest brands in the world, in late 2023 we made the decision to focus on 1 of the 8 services we were offering in logistics and the rest was history. The most interesting part is that we essentially took 12 years to solve our first challenge. When we started Bulu Box, we struggled to ship a kitted, consumer packaged good omnichannel and if you look at the core of what Bulu's “Tricky Ship” is, that is the core: the ability to ship a complicated product omnichannel globally is what took us a decade to refine, but hey, we solved our own problem that so many others experience too!
Section 2: Company Growth and Milestones
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
I think the most important part in attracting and retaining customers is understanding what problem you solve and for whom. In short, what is your “aspirin,” and who has the “headache?” At Bulu, we’re removing the headache of shipping kits and bundles omnichannel for COOs of consumer packaged goods. And that’s why Clients (AKA Partners) often find us after asking around for a fulfillment center that can take on high volume kitting or specialty fulfillment projects.
Of course we do the “blocking and tackling” of marketing and sales with email marketing, cold calls, events, PR, etc. but in all honesty, if you can solve a specific problem for a core group of people, your clients, they will soon become your best marketing tool. I care much less about how many emails are opened and much more about if folks understand that Bulu does omnichannel fulfillment AKA the tricky ship!
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
We’re profitable and growing with our operations becoming more and more efficient as we focus on our core strengths. Currently, we have 120,000 square feet in the heart of Nebraska and have our eyes on 250,000 in additional space.
Since we just fully acquired the business from investors in October 2023, our goal has been slow and steady growth. We have spent the better part of a decade growing fast through the use of venture capital, and now that we own 100% of the business we’re adjusting to nice, sustainable growth…and going on vacations! It is interesting being in a position of actually owning a business that we’ve run for over 12 years and building steady momentum. I overall have a deeper respect for founders that have bootstrapped and for founders dealing with VCs - I see you!
We have a great team that keeps operations running smoothly. Everyone knows what they are accountable for, and running a system that everyone can get behind is what builds trust and will help us grow as we look to our 2025 goals and beyond.
Section 3: Industry Insights and Advice
Through starting or growing the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
Starting and growing a business has really developed the part of me that sees people for who they really are. When you first start a business, not a lot of people want much to do with you, and it is terrifying. But as success comes, so do people. It is easy to make a few business decisions and get lucky, the same way it is easy to make a few bad decisions and be unlucky. It is not always easy to find people that will stick with you through the good and the bad decisions.
Because of this, I think that I have really learned how to stick it out with people through the good, the bad and the ugly. Running a business is, well, just a business. But people and relationships last forever, and I’m proud of the relationships we have built over the years of running a business.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
I am a big fan of EOS or entrepreneurial operating systems because they are simple tools that keep your team on the same page and make scaling and growing the business more accessible. We would like to say that we utilize EOS and run it on Asana.com while using Extensiv.com with our clients. Our company isn’t complicated - but complex - and to operate efficiently, we must use tools better than our competitors.
Another software that we are big fans of is Close.com. Many folks swear by Salesforce or Hubspot, but I am more a fan of old school sales, and tools like Close.com and Pipedrive.com allow our sales team to pick up the phone, make sales, and close better than most other software we have seen.
Section 4: Personal Insights
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
I am a big fan of reading, and if there is anything I have on the competition, it is that I will hammer through business books and podcasts simply because I enjoy doing so. Over the years, a handful of books have made my list - all for different reasons. The most crucial book is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The book was published in 1936 but is more relevant than ever and a required read for our Sales Teams over the years.
The next book on my list would be The Art of the Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki, because it provides an excellent format for seeing ideas through and helps refine them. Another book that falls along these lines is Bill Autlet’s Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup. I love this book because it helps avoid pitfalls. Another name for the book could be “24 Pitfalls to Avoid.” These three books can help anyone struggling with taking the next step in business and ensure that you can have a group of people paddle together on the same idea.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
The most extensive advice for entrepreneurs would be to dust off their knees and keep going. To venture into something, build something, and compete, you have to expect to get knocked down a lot, and that is just part of the game! Get up, dust your knees off, and keep going. I often think that is the “trick” to this whole thing: to keep going.
The second piece of advice I would give seems simple, but I rarely see entrepreneurs do it, and that is to have a plan with a goal and work backward from that. Entrepreneurs are an interesting breed and usually do not have issues with doing and/or competing, but they often forget who or what it is they are competing for. And frequently, it is as simple as having a plan they forgot to write down! So, write down your goals and work backward.
The last bit of advice is specifically for entrepreneurs in the thick of it: be kind to yourself. It is so easy to lose sight of wins when surrounded by losses, but remember it is not about that…it is about doing the right thing day in and day out, and to be kind to yourself in the process. My Co-Founder (who I happen to be married to), Stephanie, and I firmly believe that entrepreneurs need to take care of other entrepreneurs, so this is us telling our fellow entrepreneurs to take a moment and pat themselves on the back. Celebrate more victories, no matter how small they might be!
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
Right now we’re looking for some folks to help us pack some boxes so if you’re in or around Lincoln, NE, check us out at www.BuluGroup.com/Careers and we’re going to be posting some more Account Manager and Account Coordinator soon!
Where can we go to learn more?
- More on Bulu → www.BuluGroup.com
- More on Paul → www.PaulJarrett.com
