Bryan Porter is the co-founder of Simple Modern, one of the world’s leading drinkware companies. It has partnered with the world’s largest brands: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Disney, the NFL and the NBA, just to name a few. Porter co-founded Simple Modern in 2015, scaling it from an Amazon-first startup to $250M in annual retail sales and 60+ million bottles sold. During this time, he served as Chief eCommerce Officer.
“We’re excited to have been able to give over $10 million to more than 1,000 non-profits this past decade, and we hope to do more,” he said. “Much of Simple Modern’s giving stays in Oklahoma, but a sizable amount reaches a national and international audience as well.”
When asked about what might have contributed to the success of Simple Modern, Porter said, “We were very early in drinkware to view our product as a fashion accessory rather than just a way to drink water. We think about our water bottles the way people think about shoes. Our strategy was to create many different colors—we were the first to do that in the drinkware industry, and it really resonated on Amazon.”
Porter is excited to be moving to the position of President of Simple Ventures, the holding company of Simple Modern. His focus will be finding high-return investments through new consumer brands and serving as an advisor to Simple Modern and Trevi.
Asked for advice he would give to future leaders, Porter said, “Believing in someone can be transformational. Someone believing in me got me out of my comfort zone and lit the fuse on my personal growth. First-time leaders: Create an environment where your people experience both high challenge and your belief in them. Also, people want their leaders to be transparent. People will follow a leader who is honest with them.”
Simple Modern has simple, yet revolutionary, ideas about how to promote its company culture. Porter said, “At this company, we prioritize lunches together at the same table. Relationships tend to grow the most over a meal. It’s a good way to share our values and our lives and to prioritize encouragement over competition at this company.”
Porter summed up what Simple Modern is all about: “We view business as a force that can be very positive in the world. We want to rethink what for-profit business can look like. We want to continue to give generously. People should be the focus of the company. Employees growing personally and professionally. Partners treated relationally and valued as humans. Customers whose lives are better with our products. Non-profits more resourced to fight injustice.”
