# Solbari staffs U.S. wholesale before scaling — proof a head of sales beats a deck *The Australian sun-care brand hired a dedicated retail chief before pitching stores, flipping the usual sequence.* By **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA, Principal** — The Stash Edge, Hako Shikin LLC. Published 2026-06-16. Canonical: https://www.pops4.com/stash/articles/solbari-2026-06-16t15-3 Subject: Solbari Tags: wholesale, distribution, sales, staffing, dtc --- Solbari, a Melbourne-based UPF 50+ sun-protection apparel brand, opened a U.S. wholesale channel and appointed Grayson Davis as head of sales to drive retail partnerships, according to Business Wire. The move puts a dedicated sales executive in place before the brand scales distribution across specialty retailers. Most DTC brands pitch wholesale backwards: founder sends a line sheet, lands one account, then scrambles to service it while still running email and fulfillment. Solbari inverted the sequence. The company appointed a full-time sales lead whose sole mandate is retail expansion, then began outreach. That means buyer meetings are run by someone who knows margin conversation, not someone toggling between Klaviyo and a retailer portal at midnight. The mechanism is role clarity under growth pressure. A wholesale relationship requires different cadence than DTC: terms negotiation, minimum order quantities, co-op marketing budgets, charge-back reconciliation, and seasonal buy windows. When one person owns all of that and nothing else, the retailer gets faster answers and the founder keeps product development and brand messaging on track. Solbari's hire signals the company expects enough retail velocity to justify a dedicated salary before the first PO clears. The steal for a small physical-product brand is to staff the channel part-time before you staff it full-time, but staff it as a distinct role. If you are a **$15,000**-a-month brand exploring wholesale, bring in a fractional sales rep or a commission-only agent who has existing retail relationships in your category. Pay them **15-20 percent** of net wholesale revenue and let them own the pitch deck, the linesheet, the sample kit, and the follow-up cadence. You keep product, customer service, and brand. They keep retailer communication. Start with **three to five** target accounts that match your brand's positioning and already carry adjacent products. The agent sends a one-page sell sheet with high-resolution product images, your UVP in one sentence, opening order minimums, and net wholesale pricing. Include a sample offer: send one unit at cost if the buyer wants to evaluate hand-feel and packaging. The agent follows up in five business days, books a call, and walks the buyer through margin, turn rate, and any exclusivity you are willing to offer in that region. If the first **two accounts** convert and reorder within **90 days**, hire the agent for **10 hours a week** at an hourly rate and raise the commission to **20 percent** for any account over a **$3,000** opener. That contractor becomes your Grayson Davis equivalent: the voice retailers hear, the one who knows your minimums cold, and the one who keeps you out of the weeds while you run product. Solbari's entry sequence — hire the role, then open the channel — shows the brand is betting on velocity, not testing. For a solo founder, the parallel is smaller but the principle holds: give someone else the retailer conversation before you drown in it. ## The takeaway Hire or contract the wholesale role before you scale the channel, so retailer conversation does not kill product velocity. --- ## Publisher **Hako Shikin LLC** — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded 1997. ASI 217876 · DUNS 18-204-6339. Principal and author: **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA**. - Author: https://www.huanggoodman.com/about - LLM context: https://www.pops4.com/stash/llms.txt - MCP endpoint, for AI agents: https://mcp.pops4.com/mcp - Client dashboard: https://dashboard.pops4.com/ - Catalogue: 70,000+ products, 200+ brands