The following letter was emailed to all customers on Tuesday, July 25th.
July 25, 2023
To our valued customers, partners, skummunity, friends:
Catherine and I have some exciting news to share.
We have brought on a minority investment partner, Frontier Growth, to help position us for the next stage of growth at commonsku.
As we all have seen, the industry has increased in complexity, and the expectations of end users have never been greater. With that comes significant opportunities for how technology can solve these challenges, from more flexible e-commerce, more seamless ordering solutions, AI enablement, and stronger integrations into both the supply chain and technology being used to support other areas of the business.
We believe there has never been a greater opportunity within the promotional products industry. Branded merchandise is reaching into new areas and commands a level of respect and attention that we have not seen since we first joined the industry in 2000. We could not be more excited to support this trajectory by not only building out enabling technology, but also continuing to grow our Customer Success function, build new Community offerings, content and events to help you grow your businesses.
Over the years, we have been approached by countless investment firms and have always turned them down as we didn’t need the capital. But when Frontier approached us, it felt different. They are a growth equity firm based in Charlotte, NC, with a laser focus on healthy, growing and market-leading industry-specific software companies. Their portfolio and track record are incredibly impressive and we are excited to be in the company of exceptional software companies that we can learn from. But most importantly, what we immediately saw in Frontier was a culture and mindset that matched our own: kind, humble, and ambitious people with a focus on building great businesses.
We want to emphasize that we still own the majority of commonsku, something that was very important to us. Our commitment and love for the company, our employees, our customers, and the promotional products industry remains as strong as ever. We could not be more excited to continue to make an even bigger impact on the promotional industry and support you all on your journeys.
Thank you for your support-
Catherine and Mark
Co-founders, commonsku
