Sun Bum
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Sun Bum: Tom Rinks. The Secrets of a Master Brand Builder (2023)
- Published
- July 13, 2026
- Duration
- 1h 15m
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Jul 14, 2026
Discusses Tom Rinks got his start in the commission-only "shark tank" of midwestern furniture sales. That’s wh…
Summary
Tom Rinks got his start in the commission-only "shark tank" of midwestern furniture sales. That’s where he learned what makes customers buy. Decades later, those instincts helped him grow a joke of a side hustle into a $400 million success.In 2009, he created the iconic branding for an obscure sun tan lotion, drawing on a mish-mash of surf culture, Scandi…
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Show notes
Tom Rinks got his start in the commission-only "shark tank" of midwestern furniture sales. That’s where he learned what makes customers buy. Decades later, those instincts helped him grow a joke of a side hustle into a $400 million success.In 2009, he created the iconic branding for an obscure sun tan lotion, drawing on a mish-mash of surf culture, Scandinavian furniture, and Japanese streetwear. Sun Bum became a huge success, but even before that, Tom helped boost a wildly diverse range of bran