Tom Phillips never imagined that a simple joke during his sister's honeymoon would spark the idea for a thriving business. In March 2021, Tom, his brother-in-law, and a friend launched Bro Glo, a self-tanning brand tailored for men. 

With just $937 invested in developing and purchasing their first 200 units, the trio began to disrupt the self-tanning industry. The idea for Bro Glo stemmed from Tom's brother-in-law's frustration with women's tanners that smelled too feminine, looked fake, and streaked on his skin. 

Tom recalls, "We were bouncing ideas back and forth, and he was like, 'Well, what about, let's just make a self-tanner for guys?' And I was like, that's kind of a crazy idea. Nobody's done it, as far as we could tell at the time."

Using Tom's background in sourcing products, they found a supplier specializing in self-tanning and launched their brand on TikTok. Within two weeks, they had a viral video and sold out of 200 units. Reinvesting all the profits into the business, Bro Glo quickly grew, launching a body tanner and selling out of their pre-sale in just four hours.

"We didn't invest anything besides that initial nine hundred thirty-seven dollars. It just snowballed from there, and we're bootstrapped. Never took on any debt or anything like that for an investment," Tom explains proudly.

Challenge: Navigating the complexities of sales tax

As Bro Glo's sales soared, Tom and his team struggled with the complexities of sales tax compliance. They were collecting sales tax through Shopify but had yet to file or register in the states where they had nexus. 

Tom knew they had a growing liability on their books and needed to address the issue quickly.

"Sales tax was a big thing. We wanted to be compliant and make sure that we weren't going to get in trouble, or, you know, we're doing things the right way as best we could," Tom shares.

The team turned to their accountant and tax person for guidance, but they quickly realized that their advisors needed to be equipped to handle the intricacies of sales tax compliance across multiple states. 

Tom's accountant recommended a company that claimed to offer a solution. Still, upon closer inspection, Tom found that their technology needed to be improved, and the process required a streamlined approach.

"It was something that we needed to figure out fast, and it became a priority as we were growing as quickly as we were," Tom emphasizes. "It just didn't seem as streamlined technology-wise. It just wasn't there for me."

Solution: Discovering Numeral

Frustrated and lacking viable options, Tom stumbled upon Numeral on Twitter. After reaching out and having a few calls with the Numeral team, Tom knew he had found the solution he sought.

"After one or two meetings with you guys, it became apparent what I wanted to do," Tom recalls. 

That was one of the pluses when looking at companies or services. They had been through it and picked Numeral based on their needs, which was essential to Tom because Numeral knew the issues and what needed to be solved.

Tom was particularly impressed with Numeral's white-glove onboarding process, which involved calling Tom, his accountant, and his tax advisor to assess Bro Glo's sales tax situation and develop a game plan for compliance.

"They worked with us to figure out where we stood at the time and where we should be and helped us. They made sure that we were a compliant business and doing everything the correct way," Tom says.

Some of the key features that attracted Tom to Numeral include:

• White-glove onboarding and customer service
• Seamless integration with Shopify
• Automated filing and registration in multiple states
• Accessible and responsive team

Impact: Peace of mind and focusing on growth

Since partnering with Numeral, Tom and his team have been able to focus on growing Bro Glo without worrying about the complexities of sales tax compliance. Numeral has taken the reins, handling registration and filing in over 20 states where Bro Glo has nexus.

"Now today, I think the biggest thing for me as one of the founders and operators is that we don't have to worry about it," Tom shares. “It's set it and forget it. And, if there's any issue or something that needs my signature or something like that, I get an email, and I do it. But it's nothing that takes a lot of time."

Tom estimates that with Numeral, managing sales tax compliance is possible, taking valuable time away from running and growing the business. 

"Without a service like Numeral, it'd be impossible to manage because the business would suffer at that point, right? We have more to worry about to keep the business growing and operating."

By the numbers

• Nexus and compliance management in over 20 states
• Streamlined sales tax compliance across multiple jurisdictions
• Automated filing and reporting processes, saving countless hours of manual work

Bro Glo's success story is a testament to the power of bootstrapping, innovative thinking, and finding the right partners to support growth. By entrusting Numeral with their sales tax compliance, Tom and his team have been able to focus on what they do best: developing and marketing high-quality self-tanning products for men.

"It's just—I know I've reiterated that I don't have to worry about it," Tom emphasizes. And the guys have been accessible. The team has been good at being accessible and getting back to you. We've exchanged tweets if I have questions or want to hop on calls. It's great to be, you know, feel that you're one of many clients, but you still get that white-glove feel to it."

With Numeral by their side, Bro Glo is poised for continued success. It is ready to take on the challenges of a rapidly growing business without the added stress of sales tax compliance.