ruggable

About the company

Ruggable is a leading direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand based in Los Angeles, California, renowned for creating the original washable rug. As one of the largest Shopify stores globally, Ruggable operates across three continents (North America, Europe, and Oceania) with a made-to-order model that allows them to control nearly their entire supply chain.

My role

I joined Ruggable as their first technical hire outside of North America, based in the London office. I oversee the technical management of our three European storefronts, which operate in four different languages and seven different markets.

Working in the London office feels like being part of a startup within a larger organisation. Our team remains agile as we tackle the challenges of European expansion while working with limited local resources. Beyond my core responsibilities as a Product Manager, I take on various roles, including tech support, merchandising assistance, and pithcing in with CX and Ops improvements. Despite wearing multiple hats, I continue to perform my core PM duties such as writing tickets, QA testing, and refining our backlog.

Although the wider tech team (Dev, UX, and PMs) is based in LA, I have worked closely with them to establish efficient ways of working remotely. This ensures that, despite the time zone difference, I remain an integral part of the team, actively participating in sprint ceremonies such as stand-ups, backlog grooming, sprint planning, and retros.

My role bridges two distinct worlds—supporting the fast-moving European team during the day and collaborating with the US tech team into the evening. With stakeholders across both regions, my workdays are dynamic and varied. An average day could include QA testing dev tickets, writing and refining product requirements, preparing for upcoming sprints, setting up or analysing A/B tests, and supporting the merch teams for a new sale or product launch.

While we benefit from the support of our parent company, we often need to find creative and resourceful solutions to local challenges, making this role both rewarding and intellectually stimulating.

Highlights

• Led the successful launch of Ruggable Scandinavia (Sweden, Finland, Denmark)
• Contributed to the European team's most successful BFCM sale to date
• Established and maintain the European A/B testing programme
• Led global tech initiatives that impact Ruggable customers worldwide
• Played a key role in launching Ruggable’s first European wholesale partnership with John Lewis