As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 6, 2021

Registration No. 333-             

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Stran & Company, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2 Heritage Drive, Suite 600

Quincy, MA 02171

800-833-3309

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Andrew Shape

Chief Executive Officer

2 Heritage Drive, Suite 600

Quincy, MA 02171

617-501-7423

(Names, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Stran & Company, Inc.

$15,000,000 Units

Each Unit Consisting of One Share of Common Stock and One Warrant to Purchase One Share of Common Stock

This is our initial public offering. We are offering $15,000,000 of units, each unit consisting of one share of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and a warrant to purchase one share of common stock. We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be between $[ ] and $[ ] per unit. Each share of common stock is being sold together with one warrant to purchase one share of common stock. Each whole share exercisable pursuant to the warrants will have an exercise price per share at $[ ], equal to 125% of the initial public offering price. The warrants will be immediately exercisable and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the original issuance date. The units will not be certificated. The shares of common stock and related warrants are immediately separable and will be issued separately, but must be purchased together as a unit in this offering.

Currently, there is no public market for our common stock. We have applied to list our common stock under the symbol “STRN” and our warrants under the symbol “STRNW,” both on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The closing of this offering is contingent upon the successful listing of our common stock and warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

Our key officers and directors will own approximately [ ]% of our outstanding common stock following this offering, or approximately [ ]% if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full. As a result, they may have the ability to approve all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval.

We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and as such, we have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings.

Investing in our shares of common stock and the warrants (collectively, “securities”) involves a high degree of risk. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 15 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

We have granted a 45-day option to the underwriters to purchase up to [   ] additional shares of common stock and/or up to [   ] additional warrants (equal to 15% of the shares of common stock and warrants underlying the units sold in the offering) in any combination thereof, solely to cover over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts.

The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about              , 2021.

, 2021 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Please read this prospectus carefully. It describes our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, among other things. We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus and in any free-writing prospectus we have authorized. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we nor the underwriters take responsibility for any other information others may give you. Neither we nor the underwriters are making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of units. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than its date.

TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

We use various trademarks, trade names and service marks in our business, including “STRÄN,” “STRÄN promotional solutions” and “Stran Promotional Solutions”. For convenience, we may not include the SM, ^® or ^™ symbols, but such omission is not meant to indicate that we would not protect our intellectual property rights to the fullest extent allowed by law. Any other trademarks, trade names or service marks referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners.

INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

This prospectus includes industry data and forecasts that we obtained from industry publications and surveys including but not limited to certain publications of the promotional products member groups Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) and the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), as well as public filings and internal company sources. Industry publications, surveys and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there can be no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of the included information. Statements as to our ranking, market position and market estimates are based on third-party forecasts, management’s estimates and assumptions about our markets and our internal research. We have not independently verified such third-party information, nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon in those sources, and we cannot assure you of the accuracy or completeness of such information contained in this prospectus. Such data involve risks and uncertainties and is subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before purchasing our securities. We have listed below (not necessarily in order of importance or probability of occurrence) what we believe to be the most significant risk factors applicable to us, but they do not constitute all of the risks that may be applicable to us. Any of the following factors could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects, and could result in a partial or complete loss of your investment. Some statements in this prospectus, including statements in the following risk factors, constitute forward-looking statements. Please refer to the section titled “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our business could be materially adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March of 2020. We believe that the global spread of COVID-19 has created significant volatility and uncertainty and economic disruption. We believe the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately impacts our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows will depend on numerous evolving factors that we may not be able to accurately predict, including, without limitation: the duration and scope of the pandemic; the success in delivering and efficacy of vaccines; governmental, business and individuals’ actions that have been and will be taken in response to the pandemic (including restrictions on travel and transport and workforce pressures); the effect on our suppliers and customers and customer demand for our core products and services within certain industries such as the restaurant, transportation, hospitality and entertainment industries; the effect on our sources of supply; the impact of the pandemic on economic activity and actions taken in response; closures of our and our suppliers’ and customers’ offices and facilities; the ability of our customers to pay for our products and services; financial market volatility; commodity prices; and the pace of recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

The spreading of COVID-19 that we believe is impacting global economic activity and market conditions could lead to changes in customer purchasing patterns. We believe we have seen disruptions in our customers’ businesses, including, but not limited to, our customers’ willingness and ability to spend, layoffs and furloughs of our customers’ employees, and temporary or permanent closures of businesses that consume our products and services. Prolonged periods of difficult conditions could have material adverse impacts on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We believe the potential effects of COVID-19 also could impact us in a number of other ways, including, but not limited to, reductions to our revenue and profitability, costs associated with complying with new or amended laws and regulations affecting our business, declines in the price of our securities, reduced availability and less favorable terms of future borrowings, valuation of our pension assets and obligations, reduced credit-worthiness of our customers, and potential impairment of the carrying value of goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangible assets.

Any of these events could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our customers may cancel or decrease the quantity of their orders, which could negatively impact our operating results.

Sales to many of our customers are on an order-by-order basis. If we cannot fill customers’ orders on time, orders may be cancelled and relationships with customers may suffer, which could have an adverse effect on us, especially if the relationship is with a major customer. Furthermore, if any of our customers experience a significant downturn in their business, or fail to remain committed to our programs or brands, the customer may reduce or discontinue purchases from us. The reduction in the amount of our products purchased by customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

In addition, some of our customers have experienced significant changes and difficulties, including consolidation of ownership, increased centralization of buying decisions, buyer turnover, restructurings, bankruptcies and liquidations. A significant adverse change in a customer relationship or in a customer’s financial position could cause us to limit or discontinue business with that customer, require us to assume more credit risk relating to that customer’s receivables or limit our ability to collect amounts related to previous purchases by that customer, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

We may be unable to identify or to complete acquisitions or to successfully integrate the businesses we acquire.

We have evaluated, and may continue to evaluate, potential acquisition transactions. We attempt to address the potential risks inherent in assessing the attractiveness of acquisition candidates, as well as other challenges such as retaining the employees and integrating the operations of the businesses we acquire. Integrating acquired operations involves significant risks and uncertainties, including maintenance of uniform standards, controls, policies and procedures; diversion of management’s attention from normal business operations during the integration process; unplanned expenses associated with integration efforts; and unidentified issues not discovered in due diligence, including legal contingencies. Acquisition valuations require us to make certain estimates and assumptions to determine the fair value of the acquired entities (including the underlying assets and liabilities). If our estimates or assumptions to value the acquired assets and liabilities are not accurate, we may be exposed to losses, and/or unexpected usage of cash flow to fund the operations of the acquired operations that may be material.

Even if we are able to acquire businesses on favorable terms, managing growth through acquisition is a difficult process that includes integration and training of personnel, combining facility and operating procedures, and additional matters related to the integration of acquired businesses within our existing organization. Unanticipated issues related to integration may result in additional expense and disruption to our operations, and may require a disproportionate amount of our management’s attention, any of which could negatively impact our ability to achieve anticipated benefits, such as revenue and cost synergies. Growth of our business through acquisition generally increases our operating complexity and the level of responsibility for both existing and new management personnel. Managing and sustaining our growth and expansion may require substantial enhancements to our operational and financial systems and controls, as well as additional administrative, operational and financial resources. We may be required to invest in additional support personnel, facilities and systems to address the increased complexities associated with business or segment expansion. These investments could result in higher overall operating costs and lower operating profits for the business as a whole. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in integrating acquired businesses or managing our expanding operations.

In addition, although we conduct due diligence investigations prior to each acquisition, there can be no assurance that we will discover or adequately protect against all material liabilities of an acquired business for which we may be responsible as a successor owner or operator. The failure to identify suitable acquisitions, successfully integrate these acquired businesses, successfully manage our expanding operations, or to discover liabilities associated with such businesses in the diligence process, could adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.

In order to finance such acquisitions, we may need to obtain additional funds either through public or private financings, including bank and other secured and unsecured borrowings and/or the issuance of equity or debt securities. There can be no assurance that such financings would be available to us on reasonable terms. Any future issuances of equity securities or debt securities with equity features may be dilutive to our shareholders.

If our information technology systems suffer interruptions or failures, including as a result of cyber-attacks, our business operations could be disrupted and our reputation could suffer.

We rely on information technology systems to process transactions, communicate with customers, manage our business and process and maintain information. The measures we have in place to monitor and protect our information technology systems might not provide sufficient protection from catastrophic events, power surges, viruses, malicious software (including ransomware), attempts to gain unauthorized access to data or other types of cyber-based attacks. As cyber-attacks become more frequent, sophisticated, damaging and difficult to predict, any such event could negatively impact our business operations, such as by product disruptions that result in an unexpected delay in operations, interruptions in our ability to deliver products and services to our customers, loss of confidential or otherwise protected information, corruption of data and expenses related to the repair or replacement of our information technology systems. Compromising and/or loss of information could result in loss of sales or legal or regulatory claims which could adversely affect our revenues and profits or damage our reputation.

We rely on software and services from other parties. Defects in or the loss of access to software or services from third parties could increase our costs and adversely affect the quality of our products.

We rely on technologies from third parties to operate critical functions of our business, including cloud infrastructure services, payment processing services, certain aspects of distribution center automation and customer relationship management services. Our business would be disrupted if any of the third-party software or services we utilize, or functional equivalents thereof, were unavailable due to extended outages or interruptions or because they are no longer available on commercially reasonable terms or prices. In each case, we would be required to either seek licenses to software or services from other parties and redesign our business and marketplace to function with such software or services or develop these components ourselves, which would result in increased costs and could result in delays in the launch of new offerings on our marketplace until equivalent technology can be identified, licensed or developed, and integrated into our business and marketplace. Furthermore, we might be forced to limit the features available in our current or future products. These delays and feature limitations, if they occur, could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to comply with data privacy and security laws and regulations could adversely affect our operating results and business.

In the ordinary course of our business, we might collect and store in our internal and external data centers, cloud services and networks sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business collaborators, as well as personal information of our customers and employees. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. The number and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions that companies have experienced from third parties has increased over the past few years. Despite our security measures, it is impossible for us to eliminate this risk.

A number of U.S. states have enacted data privacy and security laws and regulations that govern the collection, use, disclosure, transfer, storage, disposal, and protection of personal information, such as social security numbers, financial information and other sensitive personal information. For example, all 50 states and several U.S. territories now have data breach laws that require timely notification to affected individuals, and at times regulators, credit reporting agencies and other bodies, if a company has experienced the unauthorized access or acquisition of certain personal information. Other state laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended (“CCPA”), among other things, contain disclosure obligations for businesses that collect personal information about residents in their state and affords those individuals new rights relating to their personal information that may affect our ability to collect and/or use personal information. Meanwhile, several other states and the federal government have considered or are considering privacy laws like the CCPA. We will continue to monitor and assess the impact of these laws, which may impose substantial penalties for violations, impose significant costs for investigations and compliance, allow private class-action litigation and carry significant potential liability for our business.

Outside of the U.S., data protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”), also might apply to some of our operations or business collaborators. Legal requirements in these countries relating to the collection, storage, processing and transfer of personal data/information continue to evolve. The GDPR imposes, among other things, data protection requirements that include strict obligations and restrictions on the ability to collect, analyze and transfer EU personal data/information, a requirement for prompt notice of data breaches to data subjects and supervisory authorities in certain circumstances, and possible substantial fines for any violations (including possible fines for certain violations of up to the greater of 20 million Euros or 4% of total company revenue). Other governmental authorities around the world have enacted or are considering similar types of legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection.

The interpretation and enforcement of the laws and regulations described above are uncertain and subject to change, and may require substantial costs to monitor and implement and maintain adequate compliance programs. Failure to comply with U.S. and international data protection laws and regulations could result in government enforcement actions (which could include substantial civil and/or criminal penalties), private litigation and/or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and other existing or future government regulation could harm our business or may cause us to incur additional costs associated with compliance.

We are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to, laws and regulations relating to labor and employment, U.S. customs and consumer product safety, including the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, or the “CPSIA.” The CPSIA created more stringent safety requirements related to lead and phthalates content in children’s products. The CPSIA regulates the future manufacture of these items and existing inventories and may cause us to incur losses if we offer for sale or sell any non-compliant items. Failure to comply with the various regulations applicable to us may result in damage to our reputation, civil and criminal liability, fines and penalties and increased cost of regulatory compliance. These current and any future laws and regulations could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to international, federal, national, regional, state, local and other laws and regulations, and failure to comply with them may expose us to potential liability.

We are subject to international, federal, national, regional, state, local and other laws and regulations affecting our business, including those promulgated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act, the Textile Fiber Product Identification Act, the rules and regulations of the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the rules and regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA), various securities laws and regulations including but not limited to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, and the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC Rules, various labor, workplace and related laws, and environmental laws and regulations. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations may expose us to potential liability and have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Shortages of supply of merchandise from suppliers, interruptions in our manufacturing, and local conditions in the countries in which we operate could adversely affect our results of operations.

As a distributor, we buy merchandise both from multiple supply sources and from a network of factories in which we have developed direct relationships around the globe over the past 25 years. However, an unexpected interruption in any of the sources or facilities could temporarily adversely affect our results of operations until alternate sources or facilities can be secured. We rely on the supply of different types of raw materials as well as textiles, including plastic, glass, fabric and metal for our promotional products. Further, our suppliers generally source or manufacture finished goods in parts of the world that may be affected by economic uncertainty, political unrest, labor disputes, health emergencies, or the imposition of duties, tariffs or other import regulations by the United States.

Implementation of technology initiatives could disrupt our operations in the near term and fail to provide the anticipated benefits.

As our business grows, we continue to make significant investments in our technology, including in the areas of warehouse management, enterprise risk management and product design. The costs, potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of technology initiatives could disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations in the near term. They may also require us to divert resources from our core business to ensure that implementation is successful. In addition, new or upgraded technology might not provide the anticipated benefits, might take longer than expected to realize the anticipated benefits, might fail or might cost more than anticipated.

Failure to preserve positive labor relationships with our employees could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our operations rely heavily on our employees, and any labor shortage, disruption or stoppage caused by poor relations with our employees could reduce our operating margins and income. While we believe that our employee relations are good, have no knowledge of any employees as subject to collective bargaining agreements, and unions have not traditionally been active in the U.S. marketing industry, unionization of our workforce could increase our operating costs or constrain our operating flexibility.

We are exposed to the risk of non-payment by our customers on a significant amount of our sales.

We allow many of our customers to pay us within 30 days of service, also known as net 30 credit terms. Our extension of credit involves considerable judgment and is based on an evaluation of each customer’s financial condition and payment history. We monitor our credit risk exposure by periodically obtaining credit reports and updated financials on our customers. We generally see a heightened amount of bankruptcies by our customers during economic downturns. In particular, we believe that the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on our customers, could have a negative impact on our collection efforts. While we maintain an allowance for doubtful receivables for potential credit losses based upon our historical trends and other available information, in times of economic turmoil, there is heightened risk that our historical indicators may prove to be inaccurate. The inability to collect on sales to significant customers or a group of customers could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

There is a risk of dependence on one or a group of customers or market expectations of unsustainable growth.

During 2019-2020, we were engaged by a Washington, D.C.-based advertising and marketing contractor as subcontractor on a nationwide awareness-generating initiative for the 2020 U.S. Census. During this period, this contract represented approximately 16.54% and 27.12% of our overall revenues for 2019 and 2020, respectively. This customer is not expected to renew its engagement with us due to the U.S. Census only occurring once every ten years. As a result, these non-recurring revenue increases are not expected to recur in fiscal year 2021 or beyond and do not represent our long-term growth expectations. Although we do not have a concentration of business in any particular customer or group of customers and do not view the revenues from these contracts to characterize our long-term steady growth expectations, the additional revenues cannot be excluded from our revenues under United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and investors that are unsophisticated or otherwise unaware of the likely moderating effect on our future income, may have an expectation of much faster revenue growth. If we are unable to meet these expectations by finding new major customers or gain major new engagements from existing customers to replace these nonrecurring contracts, there may be material adverse effects on the price of our securities due to the reactions of disillusioned investors, negative media coverage, damage to our reputation, and other effects that may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. If on the other hand we successfully source major new contracts, the risk that we may become dependent on one or a few customers may increase. This potential dependency could threaten the sustainability of our growth and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations if we are unable to retain such major contracts or replace them with similarly major contracts on a regular basis.

Our business incurs significant freight and transportation costs. Any changes in our shipping arrangements or any interruptions in shipping could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We incur transportation expenses to ship our products to our customers. Significant increases in the costs of freight and transportation could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, as there can be no assurance that we could pass on these increased costs to our customers. Government regulations can and have impacted the availability of drivers, which will be a significant challenge to the industry. Costs to employ drivers have increased and transportation shortages have become more prevalent.

If we are not able to negotiate acceptable pricing and other terms with these vendors or they experience performance problems or other difficulties, such as the increased volume of deliveries due to shelter-in-place orders associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it could negatively impact our business and results of operations and negatively affect the experiences of our customers, which could affect the degree to which they continue to do business with us. Disruption to delivery services due to inclement weather could result in delays that could adversely affect our reputation, business and results of operations. If our products are not delivered in a timely fashion or are damaged or lost during the supply or the delivery process, our customers could become dissatisfied and cease doing business with us, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our business may be impacted by unforeseen or catastrophic events, including the emergence of pandemics or other widespread health emergencies, terrorist attacks, extreme weather events or other natural disasters and other unpredicted events.

The occurrence of unforeseen or catastrophic events, such as the emergence of pandemics or other widespread health emergencies (or concerns over the possibility of such pandemics or emergencies), terrorist attacks, extreme weather events or other natural disasters or other unpredicted events, could create economic and financial disruptions, and could lead to operational difficulties (including travel limitations) that could impair our ability to source and supply products and services and manage our businesses, and could negatively impact our customers’ ability or willingness to purchase our products and services.

For example, our corporate headquarters is located in Massachusetts, which does have earthquakes and experiences other less frequent natural hazards such as flooding, coastal erosion and an occasional nuisance landslide; should any of these unforeseen or catastrophic events occur, the possibly resulting infrastructure damage and disruption to the area could negatively affect our company, such as by damage to or total destruction of our headquarters, surrounding transportation infrastructure, network communications and other forms of communication. Some of our other locations and those of our suppliers, such as those located in the U.S. and Central America, also are exposed to hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and other extreme weather events; the damage that such events could produce could affect the supply of our products and services.

Additionally, while the extent of the impact on our business and financial condition is unknown at this time, we believe we have been negatively affected by actions taken to address and limit the spread of COVID-19, such as travel restrictions and limitations affecting the supply of labor and the movement of raw materials and finished products. Although we have not experienced any significant shortage or delay in obtaining raw materials or finished product, our shipping costs for importing raw materials from overseas have increased significantly over the past 12 months. We believe further reduced manufacturing capacity or increased freight costs as a result of COVID-19 could have an increased negative affect on the timely supply and pricing of finished products and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We face intense competition within our industries and our revenue and/or profits may decrease if we are not able to respond to this competition effectively.

Customers in the promotional products, uniforms, tradeshow and event marketplace, loyalty and program management business process outsourcing industries choose suppliers primarily based upon the quality, price and breadth of products and services offered. We encounter competition from a number of companies in the geographic areas we serve. Majority of our revenue is derived from the sale of promotional products. Our major competitors for our promotional products business include companies such as 4Improint Group plc, Brand Addition (The Pebble Group plc), BAMKO (Superior Group of Companies, Inc.), Staples, Inc., Boundless Network Inc and HALO Branded Solutions, Inc. We also compete with a multitude of foreign, regional and local competitors that vary by market. If our existing or future competitors seek to gain or retain market share by reducing prices, we may be required to lower our prices, which would adversely affect our operating results. Similarly, if customers or potential customers perceive the products or services offered by our existing or future competitors to be of higher quality than ours or part of a broader product mix, our revenues may decline, which would adversely affect our operating results.

We face intense competition to gain market share, which may lead some competitors to sell substantial amounts of goods at prices against which we cannot profitably compete.

Our marketing strategy is to differentiate ourselves by providing quality service and quality products to our customers. Even if this strategy is successful, the results may be offset by reductions in demand or price declines due to competitors’ pricing strategies or other micro or macro-economic factors. We face the risk of our competition following a strategy of selling its products at or below cost in order to cover some amount of fixed costs, especially in stressed economic times.

Global, national or regional economic slowdowns, high unemployment levels, fewer jobs, changes in tax laws or cost increases might have an adverse effect on our operating results.

Our primary products within our promotional products are used by workers and, as a result, our business prospects are dependent upon levels of employment and overall economic conditions on a global, national and regional level, among other factors. Our revenues are impacted by our customers’ opening and closing of locations and reductions and increases in headcount, including from voluntary turnover and increased automation, which affect the quantity of uniform orders on a per-employee basis. If we are unable to offset these effects, such as through the addition of new customers, the penetration of existing customers with a broader mix of product and service offerings, or decreased production costs that can be passed on in the form of lower prices, our revenue growth rates will be negatively impacted. Likewise, increases in tax rates or other changes in tax laws or other regulations can negatively affect our profitability.

While we do not believe that our exposure is greater than that of our competitors, we could be adversely affected by increases in the prices of fabric, natural gas, gasoline, wages, employee benefits, insurance costs and other components of product cost unless we can recover such increases through proportional increases in the prices for our products and services. Competitive and general economic conditions might limit our ability and that of our competitors to increase prices to cover any increases in our product cost.

The promotional products, uniforms, trade show and events marketplace, loyalty and program management business industries are subject to pricing pressures that may cause us to lower the prices we charge for our products and services that adversely affect our financial performance.

Many of our competitors also source their product requirements from developing countries to achieve a lower cost operating environment, possibly with lower costs than our offshore facilities, and those manufacturers may use these cost savings to reduce prices. Some of our competitors have more purchasing power than we do, which may enable them to obtain products at lower costs. To remain competitive, we may adjust our product and service prices and margins from time-to-time in response to these industry-wide pricing pressures. Additionally, increased customer demands for allowances, incentives and other forms of economic support could reduce our margins and affect our profitability. Our financial performance will be negatively affected by these pricing pressures if we are forced to reduce our prices and we cannot reduce our product costs proportionally or if our product costs increase and we cannot increase our prices proportionally.

Increases in the price of merchandise and raw materials used to manufacture our products could materially increase our costs and decrease our profitability.

The principal components in our promotional products are plastic, glass, fabric and metal. The prices we pay for these fabrics and components and our merchandise are dependent on the market price for the raw materials used to produce them, primarily cotton and chemical components of synthetic fabrics including raw materials such as chemicals and dyestuffs. These finished goods and raw materials are subject to price volatility caused by weather, supply conditions, government regulations, economic and political climate, currency exchange rates, labor costs, and other unpredictable factors. Fluctuations in petroleum prices also may influence the prices of related items such as chemicals, dyestuffs and polyester yarn.

Although we have not experienced any significant shortage or delay in obtaining raw materials or finished product, our shipping costs for importing raw materials from overseas have increased significantly over the past 12 months. Any increase in raw material prices or shipping costs increases our cost of sales and can decrease our profitability unless we are able to pass the costs on to our customers in the form of higher prices. In addition, if one or more of our competitors is able to reduce their production costs by taking advantage of any reductions in raw material prices or favorable sourcing agreements, we may face pricing pressures from those competitors and may be forced to reduce our prices or face a decline in revenues, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Changes to trade regulation, quotas, duties, tariffs or other restrictions caused by the changing U.S. and geopolitical environments or otherwise, such as those with respect to China, may materially harm our revenue and results of operations, such as by increasing our costs and/or limiting the amount of products that we can import.

Our operations are subject to various international trade agreements and regulations, such as the Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act, as amended (HOPE), the Food Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (HOPE II), the Haiti Economic Lift Program of 2010 (HELP), the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Middle East Free Trade Area Initiative (MEFTA) and the activities and regulations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Generally, these trade agreements and regulations benefit our business by reducing or eliminating the quotas, duties and/or tariffs assessed on products manufactured in a particular country. However, trade agreements and regulations can also impose requirements that have a material adverse effect on our business, revenue and results of operations, such as limiting the countries from which we can purchase raw materials, limiting the products that qualify as duty free, and setting quotas, duties and/or tariffs on products that may be imported into the United States from a particular country. Certain inbound products to the United States are subject to tariffs assessed on the manufactured cost of goods at the time of import. As a result, we have had to increase prices for certain products and may be required to raise those prices further, or raise our prices on other products, which may result in the loss of customers and harm our operating performance. In response, in part, to tariffs levied on products imported from China we have shifted some production out of China and may seek to shift additional production out of China, which may result in additional costs and disruption to our operations.

The countries in which our products are manufactured or into which they are imported may from time-to-time impose new quotas, duties, tariffs and requirements as to where raw materials must be purchased to qualify for free or reduced duty. These countries also may create additional workplace regulations or other restrictions on our imports or adversely modify existing restrictions. Adverse changes in these costs and restrictions could harm our business. We cannot assure that future trade agreements or regulations will not provide our competitors an advantage over us or increase our costs, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Nor can we assure that the changing geopolitical and U.S. political environments will not result in a trade agreement or regulation being altered which adversely affects our company. The U.S. government may decide to impose or alter existing import quotas, duties, tariffs or other restrictions on products or raw materials sourced from those countries, which include countries from which we import raw materials or in which we manufacture our products. Any such quotas, duties, tariffs or restrictions could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

The apparel industry, including uniforms and corporate identity apparel, is subject to changing fashion trends and if we misjudge consumer preferences, the image of one or more of our brands may suffer and the demand for our products may decrease.

The apparel industry, including uniforms and corporate identity apparel for promotional products, is subject to shifting customer demands and evolving fashion trends and our success is also dependent upon our ability to anticipate and promptly respond to these changes. Failure to anticipate, identify or promptly react to changing trends or styles may result in decreased demand for our products, as well as excess inventories and markdowns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, if we misjudge consumer preferences, our brand image may be impaired. We believe our products are, in general, less subject to fashion trends compared to many other apparel manufacturers because the majority of what we manufacture and sell are uniforms, scrubs, corporate identity apparel and other accessories.

Our success depends upon the continued protection of our intellectual property rights and we may be forced to incur substantial costs to maintain, defend, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights.

Our owned intellectual property and certain of our licensed intellectual property have significant value and are instrumental to our ability to market our products. We cannot assure that our owned or licensed intellectual property or the operation of our business does not infringe on or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of others. We cannot assure that third parties will not assert claims against us on any such basis or that we will be able to successfully resolve such claims. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not allow us to protect, defend or enforce our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. We could also incur substantial costs to defend legal actions relating to use of our intellectual property or prosecute legal actions against others using our intellectual property, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. There also can be no assurance that we will be able to negotiate and conclude extensions of existing license agreements on similar economic terms or at all.

General Risk Factors

Some of the products that we design or otherwise assist customers with producing create exposure to potential product liability, warranty liability or personal injury claims and litigation.

Some of the products that we design or otherwise assist customers with producing are used in applications and situations that involve risk of personal injury and death. Our services expose us to potential product liability, warranty liability, and personal injury claims and litigation relating to the use or misuse of our products including allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product or activities associated with the product, negligence and strict liability. If successful, such claims could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Defects in the products that we design or otherwise assist customers with producing could reduce demand for our products and result in a decrease in sales and market acceptance and damage to our reputation.

Although we carry certain standard commercial insurance, including products-completed operations coverage, we do not currently maintain separate product liability insurance, and we may not be able to obtain and maintain such insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future. Even if we have purchased product liability insurance in the future, product liability claims may exceed the amount of our insurance coverage. In addition, our reputation may be adversely affected by such claims, whether or not successful, including potential negative publicity about our products.

We are subject to periodic litigation in both domestic and international jurisdictions that may adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.

From time to time we may be involved in legal or regulatory actions regarding product liability, employment practices, intellectual property infringement, bankruptcies and other litigation or enforcement matters. These proceedings may be in jurisdictions with reputations for aggressive application of laws and procedures against corporate defendants. We are impacted by trends in litigation, including class-action allegations brought under various consumer protection and employment laws. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation in both domestic and foreign jurisdictions, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings. These proceedings could cause us to incur costs and may require us to devote resources to defend against these claims and could ultimately result in a loss or other remedies, such as product recalls, which could adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.

Volatility in the global financial markets could adversely affect results.

In the past, global financial markets have experienced extreme disruption, including, among other things, volatility in securities prices, diminished liquidity and credit availability, rating downgrades of certain investments and declining valuations of others. There can be no assurance that there will not be further change or volatility, which could lead to challenges in our business and negatively impact our financial results. Any future tightening of credit in financial markets could adversely affect the ability of our customers and suppliers to obtain financing for significant purchases and operations and could result in a decrease in orders and spending for our products and services. We are unable to predict the likely duration and severity of any disruption in financial markets and adverse economic conditions and the effects they may have on our business and financial condition.

Inability to attract and retain key management or other personnel could adversely impact our business.

Our success is largely dependent on the skills, experience and efforts of our senior management and other key personnel, such as our Chief Executive Officer and President, Andrew Shape, our Executive Chairman, Andrew Stranberg, our Executive Vice President, Randolph Birney. If, for any reason, one or more senior executives or key personnel were not to remain active in our company, or if we were unable to attract and retain senior management or key personnel, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could adversely affect our business and price of our securities.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports. All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the consolidated financial statement preparation and presentation. While we continue to evaluate our internal controls, we cannot be certain that these measures will ensure that we implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting in the future. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm were to discover material weaknesses in our internal controls, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Failure to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment could cause us to be unable to produce reliable financial reports or prevent fraud. This may cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a material adverse effect on the price of our securities. 

Increases in the cost of employee benefits could impact our financial results and cash flow.

Our expenses relating to employee health benefits are significant. Unfavorable changes in the cost of such benefits could impact our financial results and cash flow. Healthcare costs have risen significantly in recent years, and recent legislative and private sector initiatives regarding healthcare reform could result in significant changes to the U.S. healthcare system. Additionally, we believe the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may result in temporary or permanent healthcare reform measures, would result in significant cost increases and other negative impacts to our business. While the Company has various cost control measures in place and employs an outside consultant to review on larger claims, employee health benefits have been and are expected to continue to be a significant cost to the Company. Medical costs will continue to be a significant expense to the Company and may increase due to factors outside the Company’s control. 

We may recognize impairment charges, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We assess our goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets for impairment when required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). These accounting principles require that we record an impairment charge if circumstances indicate that the asset carrying values exceed their estimated fair values. The estimated fair value of these assets is impacted by general economic conditions in the locations in which we operate. Deterioration in these general economic conditions may result in: declining revenue, which can lead to excess capacity and declining operating cash flow; reductions in management’s estimates for future revenue and operating cash flow growth; increases in borrowing rates and other deterioration in factors that impact our weighted average cost of capital; and deteriorating real estate values. If our assessment of goodwill, intangible assets or long-lived assets indicates an impairment of the carrying value for which we recognize an impairment charge, this may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Environmental regulations may impact our future operating results.

We are subject to extensive and changing federal, state and foreign laws and regulations establishing health and environmental quality standards, concerning, among other things, wastewater discharges, air emissions and solid waste disposal, and may be subject to liability or penalties for violations of those standards. We are also subject to laws and regulations governing remediation of contamination at facilities currently or formerly owned or operated by us or to which we have sent hazardous substances or wastes for treatment, recycling or disposal. We may be subject to future liabilities or obligations as a result of new or more stringent interpretations of existing laws and regulations. In addition, we may have liabilities or obligations in the future if we discover any environmental contamination or liability at any of our facilities, or at facilities we may acquire.

If we are unable to accurately predict our future tax liabilities, become subject to increased levels of taxation or our tax contingencies are unfavorably resolved, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Changes in tax laws or regulations in the jurisdictions in which we do business, including the United States, or changes in how the tax laws are interpreted, could further impact our effective tax rate, further restrict our ability to repatriate undistributed offshore earnings, or impose new restrictions, costs or prohibitions on our current practices and reduce our net income and adversely affect our cash flows.

We are also subject to tax audits in the United States and other jurisdictions and our tax positions may be challenged by tax authorities. Although we believe that our current tax provisions are reasonable and appropriate, there can be no assurance that these items will be settled for the amounts accrued, that additional tax exposures will not be identified in the future or that additional tax reserves will not be necessary for any such exposures. Any increase in the amount of taxation incurred as a result of challenges to our tax filing positions could result in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure of our secured line of credit to renew could strain our ability to pay other obligations.

We have a $3,500,000 secured line of credit with Bank of America. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, borrowings on this line of credit amounted to $1,650,000 and $2,150,000, respectively. The line bears interest at the LIBOR Daily Floating Rate plus 2.75%. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, interest rates were 4.20% and 4.55%, respectively. The line is reviewed annually and is due on demand. This line of credit is secured by substantially all assets of the Company. We do not expect that this line of credit will be renewed beyond November 30, 2021 and are seeking alternative bank financing to replace it. If we are unable to renegotiate, extend or refinance this line of credit with an equivalent line of credit or other financing from another bank, then we may default on the line of credit as well as our other obligations. Although Andrew Stranberg, our Executive Chairman and majority shareholder, is a guarantor on the line of credit, there is a potential for conflicts of interest between his personal interests and ours whether his guaranty is called upon or not. No assurance can be given that material conflicts will not arise that could be detrimental to our operations and financial prospects. In that event, Bank of America could enforce its security interest in all of our assets, potentially resulting in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to This Offering and Ownership of Our Securities

There has been no public market for our common stock and warrants prior to this offering, and an active market in which investors can resell their shares of our common stock and warrants may not develop.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock and warrants. We have filed an application to list our shares of common stock under the symbol “STRN” and our warrants under the symbol “STRNW,” both on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The closing of this offering is contingent upon the successful listing of our common stock and warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market. There is no guarantee that Nasdaq, or any other exchange or quotation system, will permit our common stock and warrants to be listed and traded.

Even if our common stock and warrants are approved for listing on Nasdaq, a liquid public market for our common stock and warrants may not develop. The initial public offering price for our securities has been determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters based upon several factors, including prevailing market conditions, our historical performance, estimates of our business potential and earnings prospects, and the market valuations of similar companies. The price at which our securities are traded after this offering may decline below the initial public offering price, meaning that you may experience a decrease in the value of your common stock and warrants regardless of our operating performance or prospects.

The market price of our securities may fluctuate, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

After this offering, the market price for our securities are likely to be volatile, in part because our shares and warrants have not been traded publicly. In addition, the market price of our securities may fluctuate significantly in response to several factors, most of which we cannot control, including:

The public offering price of our securities has been determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters based upon many factors and may not be indicative of prices that will prevail following the closing of this offering. Volatility in the market price of our securities may prevent investors from being able to sell their securities at or above the initial public offering price. As a result, you may suffer a loss on your investment.

We may not be able to maintain a listing of our common stock and warrants on Nasdaq. 

Assuming that our common stock and warrants are listed on Nasdaq, we must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain such listing. If we violate Nasdaq’s listing requirements, or if we fail to meet any of Nasdaq’s listing standards, our common stock and warrants may be delisted. In addition, our board of directors may determine that the cost of maintaining our listing on a national securities exchange outweighs the benefits of such listing. A delisting of our common stock and warrants from Nasdaq may materially impair our shareholders’ ability to buy and sell our common stock and warrants and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our common stock and warrants. The delisting of our common stock and warrants could significantly impair our ability to raise capital and the value of your investment.

Our key officers and directors may own a majority of our outstanding common stock after this offering. As a result, they may have the ability to approve all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval.

Our key officers and directors will own approximately [ ]% of our outstanding common stock following this offering, or approximately [ ]% if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full. They therefore may have the ability to approve all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval including:

In addition, this concentration of ownership may discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us, which in turn could reduce the price of our securities or prevent our shareholders from realizing a premium over the prices of our securities.

We have considerable discretion as to the use of the net proceeds from this offering and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.

We intend to use the proceeds from this offering to make acquisitions and obtain partnerships, invest in technology, expand our sales team and marketing efforts, and general working capital and other corporate purposes. However, we have considerable discretion in the application of the proceeds. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of our net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. You will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. You must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds of this offering. The net proceeds may be used for corporate or other purposes with which you do not agree or that do not improve our profitability or increase our share price. The net proceeds from this offering may also be placed in investments that do not produce income or that lose value. Please see “Use of Proceeds” below for more information.

The warrants may not have any value.

The warrants will be exercisable for five years from the date of initial issuance at an initial exercise price equal to 125% of the public offering price per unit set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. There can be no assurance that the market price of our shares of common stock will ever equal or exceed the exercise price of the warrants. In the event that the stock price of our shares of common stock does not exceed the exercise price of the warrants during the period when the warrants are exercisable, the warrants may not have any value.

Holders of warrants purchased in this offering will have no rights as shareholders until such holders exercise their warrants and acquire our shares of common stock.

Until holders of the warrants purchased in this offering acquire shares of common stock upon exercise thereof, such holders will have no rights with respect to the shares of common stock underlying the warrants. Upon exercise of the warrants, the holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of a shareholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the date they were entered in the register of members of the Company as a shareholder.

You will experience immediate and substantial dilution as a result of this offering.

As of June 30, 2021, our net tangible book value was approximately $(972,224), or approximately $(0.10) per share. Since the effective price per share of our common stock being offered in this offering is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock, you will suffer substantial dilution with respect to the net tangible book value of the common stock included in the units that you purchase in this offering. Based on the assumed public offering price of $[   ] per unit being sold in this offering, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and our net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2021, and assuming no exercise of the warrants being offered in this offering, if you purchase units in this offering, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution of $[   ] per share (or $[   ] per share if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option to purchase additional shares of common stock and warrants in full) with respect to the net tangible book value of the common stock included in the units. See the section titled “Dilution” for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur if you purchase securities in this offering.

In addition, following our reincorporation in Nevada on May 24, 2021, a number of stock transfers by our Executive Chairman, Andrew Stranberg, resulted in our Chief Executive Officer, President and Director Andrew Shape, our Executive Vice President Randolph Birney, and Theseus Capital Ltd., receiving from Mr. Stranberg 3,400,000, 800,000 and 700,000 shares of our common stock, respectively. The transfers to Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney were agreed to be paid at a price per share that is equal to $0.1985 per share, being the price of our shares as of December 31, 2020 determined through an independent valuation of the Company dated April 27, 2021, in accordance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Each of Messrs. Shape and Birney paid the purchase price for their shares to Mr. Stranberg through the delivery to Mr. Stranberg of a promissory note. Pursuant to a different arrangement with Mr. Stranberg, Theseus paid Mr. Stranberg a nominal cash purchase price of $100 for its 700,000 shares of stock, or approximately $0.0001429 per share. Theseus does not have any relationship with the Company other than as a shareholder after the transfer by Mr. Stranberg, and its payment for Mr. Stranberg’s stock was made to Mr. Stranberg and not to the Company.

In addition, we plan to grant restricted stock to certain employees and directors of the Company totaling approximately [   ] shares for no consideration and options to purchase up to approximately 1,359,000 shares at an exercise price equal to the offering price of the shares in this offering, or $[   ] per share, as soon as possible after the consummation of this offering. The weighted average price per share for these share transfers and grants will be approximately $[   ]. The dilutive effect of these share transfers and grants on the value of the shares included in the units may therefore be substantial.

We have negative working capital.

Our net working capital (current assets less current liabilities) was a negative $390,220 at June 30, 2021 compared to a positive working capital of $1,272,930 at December 31, 2020. Additionally, any significant declines in our revenues could result in decreases in our working capital, which would further reduce our cash balances. Our failure to generate sufficient revenues or profits or to obtain additional financing or raise additional capital could have a material adverse effect on our operations and on our ability to meet our obligations as they become due. The occurrence of any of the foregoing risks would have a material adverse effect on our financial results, business and prospects.

A recent independent valuation of our stock and recent stock purchase prices are lower than the purchase price in this offering, which means that our securities may be worth less than the purchase price.

The per unit purchase price of our units in this offering has been arbitrarily determined by us without regard to an independent valuation of the common stock or warrants included in the units being offered in this offering. On May 24, 2021, our Executive Chairman, Andrew Stranberg, transferred 3,400,000, 800,000 and 700,000 shares of our common stock to our Chief Executive Officer, President and Director Andrew Shape, our Executive Vice President Randolph Birney, and Theseus Capital Ltd., respectively. The price per share in the transfers of our common stock by Mr. Stranberg to Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney was $0.1985 per share, being the value of our shares as of December 31, 2020 determined through an independent valuation of the Company dated April 27, 2021, in accordance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The aggregate purchase price of $100 paid by Theseus was nominal and was pursuant to a different arrangement with Mr. Stranberg. Theseus does not have any relationship with the Company other than as a shareholder after the transfer by Mr. Stranberg, and its payment for Mr. Stranberg’s stock was made to Mr. Stranberg and not to the Company. None of these purchase prices was based on the perceived current market value, book value, or other established criteria and has no relationship to the price per unit in this offering. We did not obtain an independent appraisal opinion on the valuation of our units as of the date of this offering. Accordingly, our units may have a value significantly less than the offering price, and our common stock and warrants included in the units may never obtain a value equal to or greater than the offering price.

Risks Related to our Common Stock and Warrants

We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future.

We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future, as we anticipate that we will invest future earnings in the development and growth of our business. Therefore, holders of our common stock included in the units being offered in this offering will not receive any return on their investment unless they sell their securities, and holders may be unable to sell their securities on favorable terms or at all.

If securities industry analysts do not publish research reports on us, or publish unfavorable reports on us, then the market price and market trading volume of our securities could be negatively affected.

Any trading market for our common stock and warrants may be influenced in part by any research reports that securities industry analysts publish about us. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by securities industry analysts. If no securities industry analysts commence coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our securities could be negatively affected. In the event we are covered by analysts, and one or more of such analysts downgrade our securities, or otherwise reports on us unfavorably, or discontinues coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our securities could be negatively affected.

Future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, our common stock, or the expiration of lock-up agreements that restrict the issuance of new common stock or the trading of outstanding common stock, could cause the market price of our securities to decline and would result in the dilution of your holdings.

Future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, our common stock, or the expiration of lock-up agreements that restrict the issuance of new common stock or the trading of outstanding common stock, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future issuances of our securities, or the future expirations of lock-up agreements, on the price of our securities. In all events, future issuances of our securities would result in the dilution of your holdings. In addition, the perception that new issuances of our securities could occur, or the perception that locked-up parties will sell their securities when the lock-ups expire, could adversely affect the market price of our securities. In connection with this offering, we will enter into a lock-up agreement that prevents us, subject to certain exceptions, from offering additional shares of capital stock for up to six months after the closing of this offering, as further described in the section titled “Underwriting.” In addition to any adverse effects that may arise upon the expiration of these lock-up agreements, the lock-up provisions in these agreements may be waived, at any time and without notice. If the restrictions under the lock-up agreements are waived, our securities may become available for resale, subject to applicable law, including without notice, which could reduce the market price for our common stock.

Future issuances of debt securities, which would rank senior to our common stock upon our bankruptcy or liquidation, and future issuances of preferred stock, which could rank senior to our common stock for the purposes of dividends and liquidating distributions, may adversely affect the level of return you may be able to achieve from an investment in our securities.

In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by offering debt securities. Upon bankruptcy or liquidation, holders of our debt securities, and lenders with respect to other borrowings we may make, would receive distributions of our available assets prior to any distributions being made to holders of our common stock. Moreover, if we issue preferred stock, the holders of such preferred stock could be entitled to preferences over holders of common stock in respect of the payment of dividends and the payment of liquidating distributions. Because our decision to issue debt or preferred stock in any future offering, or borrow money from lenders, will depend in part on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of any such future offerings or borrowings. Holders of our securities must bear the risk that any future offerings we conduct or borrowings we make may adversely affect the level of return, if any, they may be able to achieve from an investment in our securities.

We are authorized to issue “blank check” preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could adversely impact the rights of holders of our securities.

Our articles of incorporation authorize us to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of blank check preferred stock. Any preferred stock that we issue in the future may rank ahead of our securities in terms of dividend priority or liquidation premiums and may have greater voting rights than our securities. In addition, such preferred stock may contain provisions allowing those shares to be converted into shares of common stock, which could dilute the value of our securities to current stockholders and could adversely affect the market price, if any, of our securities. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized, under certain circumstances, as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of our company. Although we have no present intention to issue any shares of authorized preferred stock, there can be no assurance that we will not do so in the future.

If our securities become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not retain a listing on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange and if the price of our securities is less than $5.00, our securities could be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our securities, and therefore shareholders may have difficulty selling their securities.

We will be subject to ongoing public reporting requirements that are less rigorous than Exchange Act rules for companies that are not emerging growth companies and our shareholders could receive less information than they might expect to receive from more mature public companies.

Upon the completion of this offering, we will be required to publicly report on an ongoing basis as an “emerging growth company” (as defined in the JOBS Act) under the reporting rules set forth under the Exchange Act. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other Exchange Act reporting companies that are not emerging growth companies, including but not limited to:

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. Our financial statements may therefore not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

We expect to take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, although if the market value of our securities that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31.

Because we will be subject to ongoing public reporting requirements that are less rigorous than Exchange Act rules for companies that are not emerging growth companies, our shareholders could receive less information than they might expect to receive from more mature public companies. We cannot predict if investors will find our securities less attractive if we elect to rely on these exemptions, or if taking advantage of these exemptions would result in less active trading or more volatility in the price of our securities.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in, but not limited to, the sections entitled “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business.” These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could materially affect results. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties occur, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual events or results may vary significantly from those implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance.

The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus. Although we will become a public company after this offering and have ongoing disclosure obligations under United States federal securities laws, we do not intend to update or otherwise revise the forward-looking statements in this prospectus, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

USE OF PROCEEDS

After deducting the estimated underwriters’ discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us, we expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $[ ] from this offering (or approximately $[ ] if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full), based on an assumed public offering price of $[ ] per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

We plan to use the net proceeds of this offering as follows:

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $[ ] per unit, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease the net proceeds that we receive from this offering by approximately $[ ], assuming that the number of units offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us.

The foregoing represents our current intentions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering based upon our present plans and business conditions. Our management, however, will have broad discretion in the way that we use the net proceeds of this offering. Pending the final application of the net proceeds of this offering, we intend to invest the net proceeds of this offering in short-term, interest-bearing, investment-grade securities. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to This Offering and Ownership of Our Securities—We have considerable discretion as to the use of the net proceeds from this offering and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.”

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the near future. We may also enter into credit agreements or other borrowing arrangements in the future that will restrict our ability to declare or pay cash dividends on our common stock. Any future determination to declare dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, operating results, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, general business conditions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. See also “Risk Factors—Risks Related to This Offering and Ownership of Our Securities—We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future.”

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of June 30, 2021:

The pro forma information below is illustrative only and our capitalization following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the initial public offering price of our units and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. You should read this table together with our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed offering price per share of $[ ], assuming no change in the number of shares to be sold, would increase or decrease the net proceeds that we receive in this offering and each of total shareholders’ equity and total capitalization by approximately $[ ] (or $[ ] if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full), after deducting (i) estimated underwriter commissions and (ii) offering expenses, in each case, payable by us.

The table above excludes the following shares:

DILUTION

Dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors in our securities, assuming no value is attributed to the related warrants, is the amount by which the offering price paid by the purchasers of the shares of our common stock included in the unit sold in this offering exceeds the pro forma net tangible book value per share of common stock immediately after this offering. Net tangible book value per share is determined at any date by subtracting our total liabilities from the total book value of our tangible assets and dividing the difference by the number of shares of common stock deemed to be outstanding at that date.

The net tangible book value of our common stock as of June 30, 2021 was approximately $(972,224), or approximately $(0.10) per share.

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value dilution per share included in the unit to new investors represents the difference between the amount per share included in the unit paid by purchasers of units in this offering and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after completion of this offering. Investors participating in this offering will incur immediate, substantial dilution. After giving effect to our sale of [   ] units of our common stock in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $[   ] per unit, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, and assuming no exercise of the warrants contained in the units to be sold in this offering, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2021 would have been approximately $[   ], or approximately $[  ] per share. This amount represents an immediate increase in pro forma net tangible book value of $[   ] per share to existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in pro forma net tangible book value of $[   ] per share to purchasers of our common stock in this offering, as illustrated in the following table.

If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock, as adjusted to give effect to this offering, would be $[ ] per share, and the dilution in pro forma net tangible book value per share to new investors purchasing units in this offering would be $[ ] per share.

The following table sets forth, assuming the sale of [ ] shares of our common stock in this offering, as of June 30, 2021, the total number of shares of common stock previously issued and sold by us to existing investors, the total consideration paid for the foregoing and the average price per unit, before deducting estimated underwriter commissions and offering expenses (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option to purchase additional shares of common stock and warrants and assuming no exercise of the representative’s warrants), in each case payable by us. As the table shows, new investors purchasing shares of our common stock in this offering may in certain circumstances pay an average price per share substantially higher than the average price per share paid by our existing shareholders.

The table above excludes the following shares:

To the extent that any outstanding options or warrants are exercised, new options, restricted stock units or other securities are issued under our stock-based compensation plans, or new shares of preferred stock are issued, or we issue additional shares of common stock or warrants in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL

CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis summarizes the significant factors affecting our operating results, financial condition, liquidity and cash flows of our company as of and for the periods presented below. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. The discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our management. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in or implied by forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this prospectus, particularly in the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”.

Overview

We are an outsourced marketing solutions provider that sells branded products to customers. We purchase products and branding through various third-party manufacturers and decorators and resell the finished goods to customers.

In addition to selling branded products, we offer clients custom sourcing capabilities; a flexible and customizable e-commerce solution for promoting branded merchandise and other promotional products, managing promotional loyalty and incentives, print collateral, and event assets, order and inventory management, and designing and hosting online retail popup shops, fixed public retail online stores, and online business-to-business service offerings; creative and merchandising services; warehousing/fulfillment and distribution; print-on-demand; kitting; point of sale displays; and loyalty and incentive programs.

We earn the majority of our revenue from the sale of unique, quality promotional products for a wide variety of industries primarily to support marketing efforts. We also derive revenues from service fees from loyalty programs, event management, print services, fulfillment services, and technology services.

The majority of our revenue is derived from program business, although only a small percentage of our customers are considered programmatic. For the years 2019 and 2020, program clients accounted for 70.2% and 77.6% of total revenue, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, program clients accounted for 79.3% and 68.2% of total revenue, respectively. Less than 350 of our more than 2,000 active customers are considered to be program clients. With a larger sales force and other resources, we believe we can convert more of our customer base from transactional customers into program clients with much greater revenue potential. We define transactional customers as customers that place an order with us and do not have an agreement with us covering ongoing branding requirements. We define program clients as clients that have a contractual obligation for specific ongoing branding needs. Program offerings include ongoing inventory, use of technology platform, warehousing, creative services, and additional client support. Those program customers are geared towards longer-lasting relationships that helps secure recurring revenue well into the future.

Our sales declined 19.8% year-over-year in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020 due to the completion of the U.S. Census program in 2020, market saturation of personal protective equipment in 2021, a lack of in-person events, and businesses still not being fully reopened in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, we expect that by the fourth quarter of 2021 that pent-up demand from more widespread immunity to the COVID-19 virus and societal reopening will help compensate for lower sales during the first two quarters of 2021. However, this will be partially offset by increases in expenses, especially higher freight charges, raw material costs and a more challenging supply chain such as port congestion. According to a global pricing index by London-based Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd, the average price worldwide to ship a 40-foot shipping container has more than quadrupled from July 2020 to July 2021. According to Denmark-based shipping research group Sea-Intelligence ApS, a “staggering” 695 ships were more than a week late in arrivals at U.S. West Coast ports in the first five months of 2021. That compares with 1,535 such late arrivals during the entire period from 2012 to 2020, the group said. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Producer Price Index, on an unadjusted basis, the final demand index moved up 7.8 percent for the 12 months ended in July 2021, the largest advance since 12-month data were first calculated in November 2010.

We have also noted that some of our customers have indicated that a greater number of their employees work from home than in past periods. We believe this increase may be partially a result of the relatively new risk to office work from the COVID-19 pandemic, and that this trend may continue due to the growing spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. In addition, many customers appear to be continuing to shift their promotional marketing efforts from in-person events and meetings towards a more targeted approach that includes direct mail, kits, and personalized products. For example, instead of traditional holiday parties, many customers have indicated that they are planning on using at least some of their holiday party budgets to promote employee recognition and engagement by sending gifts and promotional items to those employees. As a result, we have been, and expect to continue to, drop-ship more materials directly to people at their homes than in periods before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect that this trend will continue to yield increased freight service fees and fulfillment revenue as well as associated costs.

For additional discussion, see “Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic” below.

As of June 30, 2021, we had $14.1 million of total assets with $1.2 million of total shareholder equity.

Recent Developments

On May 24, 2021, we changed our state of incorporation to the State of Nevada by merging into Stran & Company, Inc., a Nevada corporation, and changed the spelling of our name to “Stran & Company, Inc.” On the same date, our authorized capital stock changed from 200,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value, to 350,000,000 shares, consisting of 300,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. At the same time, we also completed a 100,000-for-1 forward stock split of our outstanding common stock through the merger by issuing 100,000 shares of our common stock for each previously outstanding share of common stock of our predecessor Massachusetts company. As a result of this stock split, our issued and outstanding common stock increased from 100 shares to 10,000,000 shares, all of which were then held by our Executive Chairman, Andrew Stranberg. Following our reincorporation in Nevada, on May 24, 2021, a number of stock transfers by Mr. Stranberg resulted in Mr. Stranberg, Andrew Shape, our Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Randolph Birney, our Executive Vice President, and Theseus Capital Ltd., owning 5,100,000, 3,400,000, 800,000 and 700,000 shares of our common stock, respectively. The transfers to Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney were agreed to be paid at a price per share that is equal to $0.1985 per share, being the price of our shares as of December 31, 2020 determined through an independent valuation of the Company dated April 27, 2021, in accordance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Each of Messrs. Shape and Birney paid the purchase price for their shares to Mr. Stranberg through the delivery to Mr. Stranberg of a promissory note. Pursuant to a different arrangement with Mr. Stranberg, Theseus paid Mr. Stranberg a nominal cash purchase price of $100 for its stock. Theseus also executed an irrevocable proxy providing that Mr. Stranberg may vote and exercise all voting and related rights with respect to the shares. The irrevocable proxy will automatically terminate with respect to any shares that Theseus sells in a transaction or series of transactions on any national securities exchange or other trading market on which the shares then trade. Theseus does not have any relationship with the Company other than as a shareholder after the transfer by Mr. Stranberg, and its payment for Mr. Stranberg’s stock was made to Mr. Stranberg and not to the Company. These share transfers are subject to certain repurchase and lockup conditions. Please see “Corporate History and Structure” in this prospectus.

We plan to file a Registration Statement on Form S-8 immediately after the consummation of this offering to register restricted stock and options to purchase stock issuable to certain of our executive officers, directors and employees pursuant to our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. We plan to grant options to purchase a total of approximately 1,359,000 shares of our common stock and [ ] shares of restricted stock, of which approximately 405,000 of the options to purchase common stock and 37,500 of the restricted shares will be granted to approximately 55 non-executive employees, an aggregate of 20,000 of the restricted shares and 134,000 options will be granted to two executive officers, and a total of [ ] of the restricted shares and 20,000 options will be granted to our director nominees. The options will have an exercise price equal to the price per share at which our common stock is being sold in this offering, and a term of ten years. 10,000 of the restricted shares and approximately 458,000 options will both be subject to vesting over a three (3) year period with one-third (1/3) of the restricted stock and options vesting on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant. Another 10,000 restricted shares and 81,000 options will be subject to vesting over a two (2) year period with one-third (1/3) vesting upon date of grant and the remainder (sixty-seven percent (67%)) vesting monthly over the following two (2) years at a rate of 1/24 per month. Options to be granted to certain of our executive officers and directors, which in aggregate will be exercisable to purchase 800,000 shares, will vest over a four-year period with 25% of the options vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the balance of the options (75%) vesting monthly over the following three years after the first anniversary of the date of grant at a rate of 1/36 per month. Our director nominees’ options will vest in twelve (12) equal monthly installments over the first year following the date of grant, subject to continued service, and their restricted shares will vest in four (4) equal quarterly installments commencing in the first quarter following the effectiveness date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The restricted stock and option grants will be treated as employee compensation for accounting purposes and will be reported as compensation expense based on the fair value of the stock on the grant date allocated over the service period. Please see “Corporate History and Structure” and “Executive Compensation – Employment Agreements” in this prospectus. For more information regarding determinations of the fair value of equity interests as components of equity compensation, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Stock-Based Compensation”.

Since 2018 we have also borrowed funds from Mr. Stranberg during periods when Mr. Stranberg did not already owe funds to us. The loans are unsecured, non-interest bearing, and there is no formal repayment plan. At December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the amounts due to Mr. Stranberg were $0, $38,207 and $2,097, respectively. In September 2021, Mr. Stranberg loaned us $500,000 on the same unsecured, non-interest bearing basis with no formal repayment plan.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

The current global pandemic of a novel strain of coronavirus, or COVID-19, and the global measures taken to combat it, have had, and may in the future continue to have, an adverse effect on our business. Public health authorities and governments at local, national and international levels have announced various measures to respond to the pandemic. Some measures that directly or indirectly impact our business include voluntary or mandatory quarantines, restrictions on travel and limiting gatherings of people in public places.

We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Stran’s operational and financial performance. Our sales declined 19.8% year-over-year during the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of the prior year. The decrease was primarily due to the completion of the U.S. Census program in 2020, market saturation of personal protective equipment in 2021, a lack of in-person events, and businesses still not being fully reopened in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Census program contributed $8.0 million of sales, or 39.6% of total sales, for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to less than $2,000 of sales, or 0.0% of total sales, for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Additionally, sales of personal protective equipment totaled $2.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to less than $105,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021. As has been typical for other firms in the promotional products industry, from March 2020 and into 2021 operational and supply chain disruptions combined with decreased demand for promotional products to cause sharp reductions in sales opportunities. We believe that relevant factors included businesses not being fully opened, a lack of in-person events, and decreased marketing budgets leading to decreased demand for promotional products and services such as ours. Although we were able to capitalize on the demand for personal protective equipment such as masks, hand sanitizer, and gowns, these sales are not expected to fully offset the overall decreased demand for promotional products.

We have responded to the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic by developing a clear company-wide strategy and sticking to our hardworking culture and core value of delivering creative merchandise solutions that effectively promote brands. We continue to focus on our core group of customers while providing additional value-added services, including our e-commerce platform for order processing, warehousing and fulfillment functions, and propose alternative product offerings based on their unique needs. We also continue to solicit and market ourselves to long-term prospects that have shown interest in Stran. We have remained committed to being a high-touch customer-focused company that provides our customers with more than just products. Below are some of the specific ways we have responded to the current pandemic:

We believe that we have seen encouraging signs of recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been a significant increase in the amount of requests for proposal and other customer inquiries beginning in the first quarter of 2021, which leads us to believe that companies are starting to prepare to spend at previous or increased levels. We expect that by the fourth quarter of 2021 there will be a significant amount of pent-up demand that may compensate for slower earlier numbers in the year.

We believe that we have fully complied with all state and local requirements relating to COVID-19. As described above, we have undertaken various measures in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including encouraging employees to work remotely if possible. We also have enacted business continuity plans, which may make maintaining our normal level of corporate operations, quality controls and internal controls difficult. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic may cause temporary or long-term disruptions in our supply chains and/or delays in the delivery of our inventory. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation efforts may also adversely affect our customers’ financial condition, resulting in reduced spending for the products we sell.

As events are rapidly changing, we do not know how long the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures that have been introduced to respond to it will disrupt our operations or the full extent of that disruption.  Further, once we are able to restart normal business hours and operations doing so may take time and will involve costs and uncertainty. We also cannot predict how long the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts to contain it could continue to impact our business after the pandemic is under control. Governments could take additional restrictive measures to combat the pandemic that could further impact our business or the economy in the geographies in which we operate. We believe it is also possible that the impact of the pandemic and response on our suppliers, customers and markets will persist for some time after governments ease their restrictions. These measures have negatively impacted, and may continue to impact, our business and financial condition as the responses to control COVID-19 continue.

The extent to which the pandemic may continue to impact our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted as of the date of this prospectus, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of the pandemic and steps taken to contain the pandemic or treat its impact, among others. Nevertheless, the pandemic and the current financial, economic and capital markets environment, and future developments in the global supply chain and other areas present material uncertainty and risk with respect to our performance, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. See also “Risk Factors” above.

Principal Factors Affecting Our Financial Performance

Our operating results are primarily affected by the following factors:

Emerging Growth Company

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act. As a result, we are permitted to, and intend to, rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements. For so long as we are an emerging growth company, we will not be required to:

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. Our financial statements may therefore not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, or until the earliest of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our total annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (ii) the date that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our securities that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter or (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three year period.

Results of Operations

Comparison of Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 and 2020

Sales

Sales consist primarily of the selling price of the merchandise, service or outbound shipping and handling charges, less discounts, coupons redeemed, returns and credits.

Our sales decreased 19.8% from $20.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $16.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the completion of the U.S. Census program in 2020, market saturation of personal protective equipment in 2021, a lack of in-person events, and businesses still not being fully reopened in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Census program contributed $8.0 million of sales, or 39.6% of total sales, for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to less than $2,000 of sales, or 0.0% of total sales, for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Additionally, sales of personal protective equipment totaled $2.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to less than $105,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021. However, these decreases in sales were partially offset by the acquisition of the Wildman Imprints assets, which generated $4.4 million of sales for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $0 sales in the six months ended June 30, 2020. Our organic sales, defined as those sales excluding the U.S. Census program, revenue from the Wildman Imprints asset acquisition, and personal protective equipment, increased 16.4%, or $1.6 million, from $10.0 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $11.7 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021. Further, investors may not rely on these results as indicative of future revenue growth, as discussed further under “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Business and Industry - There is a risk of dependence on one or a group of customers or market expectations of unsustainable growth.”

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales consists of the costs of purchasing inventory and freight charges. Our total cost of sales decreased 13.7% from $13.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $11.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. More specifically, cost of purchases decreased from $12.6 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $10.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021, or 20.4%, while freight costs increased from $0.9 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $1.6 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021, or 79.8%. The decrease in cost of purchases was primarily due to a decrease in sales of 19.8% during that same period, while the increase in freight costs was primarily due to a general increase in freight costs, both domestic and international, we believe as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses consist of bad debt expense and general and administrative expenses. Our operating expenses increased 21.7%, or $1.0 million, to $5.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $4.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. This increase was primarily due to an increase in general and administrative expenses of $0.9 million, or 20.4%, from $4.6 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $5.6 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021, which in turn was primarily due to additional expenses related to the acquisition of the Wildman Imprint assets and organic growth in our business.

Other Income and Expense

Other income and expense consists of interest expense, interest income and other income. During the first six months of 2020 and 2021, we had interest expense and other income. Our interest expense decreased $1,813 from $41,619 in the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $39,806 in the six months ended June 30, 2021, or 4.4%. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease in borrowings on our bank’s line of credit. Our other income increased $0.76 million from $0.01 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 to $0.77 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021, or 7,600.6%. This increase was primarily due to the forgiveness of the Company’s Payment Protection Program (“PPP”) PPP loan.

Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate was (3.9)% and 5.6% for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, our effective income tax rate was 23.0% and (26.9)% for current and deferred taxes, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, our effective tax rate was 5.6% for current taxes. The decrease in the effective tax rate was driven by a decrease from 4.0% to (12.7)% in our effective federal income tax rate offset by an increase from 1.6% to 8.9% in our effective state income tax rate. For further discussion of changes in the effective tax rate, refer to Notes A.11. and A.12. to our Financial Statements.

Net Earnings and Losses

Our net earnings decreased 125.8% from $1.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 to net losses of $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. This decrease was due primarily to reduced revenue of $8.0 million caused by the completion of the U.S. Census program in 2020 and $2.0 million caused by the decline in sales of personal protective equipment, and only partially offset by the increase in sales from the Wildman Imprints asset purchase of $4.4 million.

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Sales

Sales consist primarily of the selling price of the merchandise, service or outbound shipping and handling charges, less discounts, coupons redeemed, returns and credits.

Our 2019 and 2020 revenues include non-recurring revenues representing 16.54% and 27.12% of our overall revenues for 2019 and 2020, respectively, as a subcontractor for the 2020 U.S. Census. The customer that engaged us in this regard will not renew their engagement with us due to the U.S. Census only occurring once every ten years. As a result, these non-recurring revenue increases are not expected to recur in fiscal year 2021 or beyond and do not represent our long-term growth expectations.  

Our sales increased 24.5% from $30.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $37.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to the U.S. Census program, acquisition of the Wildman Imprints assets, and the sale of personal protective equipment in 2020. Sales from the U.S. Census program increased $5.5 million, or 110.3%, from $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $10.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Sales from the purchase of the Wildman Imprints assets increased $2.2 million, from $0 in the year ended December 31, 2019 to $2.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2020. Sales of personal protective equipment increased $4.2 million, from $0 for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $4.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Further, investors may not rely on these results as indicative of future revenue growth, as discussed further under “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Business and Industry - There is a risk of dependence on one or a group of customers or market expectations of unsustainable growth.”

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales consists of the costs of purchasing inventory and freight charges. Our total cost of sales increased 23.0% from $21.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $26.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. More specifically, cost of purchases increased from $19.4 million in 2019 to $24.2 million in 2020, or 24.6%. This part of the increase was primarily due to an increase in sales of 24.5%. However, investors may not rely on these results as indicative of future revenue growth, as discussed further under “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Business and Industry - There is a risk of dependence on one or a group of customers or market expectations of unsustainable growth.” In addition, freight costs increased from $2.0 million in 2019 to $2.1 million in 2020, or 7.0%. This part of the increase was primarily due to a general increase in freight costs, both domestic and international, which we believe was as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses consist of bad debt expense and general and administrative expenses. Our operating expenses increased 19.5%, or $1.6 million, to $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $8.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. This increase was primarily due to an increase in general and administrative expenses of $1.7 million, or 20.7%, from $8.2 million in 2019 to $9.9 million in 2020, which in turn was primarily due to increased sales and commissions; and was partly offset by a decrease in bad debt expense of $0.7 million or 51.6%, from $0.14 million in 2019 to $0.07 million in 2020, which in turn was primarily due to a decrease in write-off of uncollectable receivables.

Other Income and Expense

Other income and expense consist of interest expense, interest income and other income. Our other income and expense increased $0.01 million from $0.03 million in 2019 to $0.04 million in 2020, or 22.8%. Our interest expense decreased $0.06 million to $0.05 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $0.11 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, or 54.7%. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease in borrowings on our bank’s line of credit. Our interest income decreased from $0.01 million to $0 from 2019 to 2020, respectively. This decrease was primarily due to the final payment of an employee loan. Our other income decreased from $0.08 million in 2019 to $0.01 million in 2020, or 86.8%. This decrease was primarily due to the recovery of a previously written-off customer receivable in 2019 and the receipt of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) advance loan in 2020.

Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate was 29.1% and 30.6% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate was driven by a decrease from 10.5% to 8.2% in our effective state income tax rate offset by an increase from 20.1% to 20.9% in our effective federal income tax rate. For further discussion of changes in the effective tax rate, refer to Notes A.11. and A.12. to the Financial Statements.

Net Earnings

Our 2019 and 2020 net earnings include non-recurring revenues representing 16.54% and 27.12% of our overall revenues for 2019 and 2020, respectively, as a subcontractor for the 2020 U.S. Census. The customer that engaged us in this regard will not renew their engagement with us due to the U.S. Census only occurring once every ten years. As a result, these non-recurring revenue increases are not expected to recur in fiscal year 2021 or beyond and do not represent our long-term growth expectations. 

Our net earnings increased 164.0% from $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.  This increase was due primarily to the majority of U.S. Census program revenue being recognized in 2020 along with revenue from the acquisition of the Wildman Imprints assets and the sale of personal protective equipment in the second half of 2020 that helped to offset a decline in our traditional business due to the lack of in-person events.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of June 30, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $234,540. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through revenue generated from operations and bank borrowings, including a $3.5 million line of credit held with Bank of America. Our line of credit agreement with Bank of America has been extended through November 30, 2021 and we do not expect that it will be renewed. We are currently in discussions with other banks and believe that we will secure substantially equivalent financing.

We believe that our current levels of cash, either with or without the proceeds of this offering, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for our operations for at least the next 12 months, including our anticipated costs associated with becoming a public reporting company. We may, however, in the future require additional cash resources due to changing business conditions, implementation of our strategy to expand our business, or other investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue. If our own financial resources are insufficient to satisfy our capital requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain additional credit facilities. The sale of additional equity securities could result in dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could require us to agree to operating and financial covenants that would restrict our operations. Financing may not be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Any failure by us to raise additional funds on terms favorable to us, or at all, could limit our ability to expand our business operations and could harm our overall business prospects.

Summary of Cash Flow

The following table provides detailed information about our net cash flow for all financial statement periods presented in this prospectus:

Cash Flow

Net cash used by operating activities was $1,216,793 for the six months ended June 30, 2021, as compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $627,522 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, increases in both inventory and accounts payable accompanied by a one-time gain on extinguishment of debt were the primary drivers of the net cash used by operating activities. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, decreases in both accounts receivable and accounts payable were the primary drivers of the net cash provided by operating activities.

Net cash used in operating activities was $1,989,565 for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $872,655 for the year ended December 31, 2019. For the year ended December 31, 2020, increases in accounts receivable and decreases in accounts payable and reward program liability were the primary drivers of the net cash used in operating activities. For the year ended December 31, 2019, increases in accounts receivable, accounts payable and reward program liability were the primary drivers of the net cash provided by operating activities.

Net cash used in investing activities was $218,321 for the six months ended June 30, 2021, and $93,913 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, primarily for additions to software-related property and equipment in both periods.

Net cash used in investing activities was $176,467 for the year ended December 31, 2020, and $117,880 for the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily for additions to software-related property and equipment in both years.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $1,022,419 for the six months ended June 30, 2021, as compared to net cash used in financing activities of $1,341,109 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, net cash provided by financing activities primarily consisted of borrowings and reductions on our line of credit and stockholder loan. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash used in financing activities consisted of PPP and EIDL Program loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), offset by borrowings and reductions on our bank line of credit.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $375,007 for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to net cash used in financing activities of $326,437 for the year ended December 31, 2019. For the year ended December 31, 2020, net cash provided by financing activities consisted of PPP and EIDL Program loans under the CARES Act, offset by borrowings and reductions on our bank line of credit. For the year ended December 31, 2019, net cash used in financing activities primarily consisted of borrowings and reductions on our bank line of credit.

On April 15, 2020, the Company received loan proceeds from Bank of America in the amount of approximately $770,062 under the PPP. The PPP, established as part of the CARES Act, provides for loans to qualifying businesses for amounts up to 2.5 times the average qualifying monthly payroll expenses of the qualifying business. The loans and accrued interest are forgivable as long as the borrower uses the loan proceeds for eligible purposes, including payroll, benefits, rent and utilities, and maintains its payroll levels.

The unforgiven portion of the PPP loan is payable over five years at an interest rate of 1% with a deferral of payments for the first six months. Subsequent to year (quarter) end, the Company received forgiveness by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) of the PPP loan in full, effective June 24, 2021. Accordingly, the entire PPP loan balance has been recorded as a liability at June 30, 2020.

On May 15, 2020, the Company received loan proceeds from the SBA in the amount of approximately $150,000 under the EIDL Program. The EIDL Program provides loans to qualifying businesses to provide economic relief to small businesses currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. The loan accrues interest at a rate of 3.75% per annum. Installment payments, including principal and interest, begin 12 months from the date of the note and are payable over 30 years.

The following is a schedule by years of aggregate maturities of indebtedness at June 30 of the following years:

Contractual Obligations

Wildman Imprints Acquisition

On August 24, 2020 we entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the inventory, select fixed assets, and a customer list of the Wildman Imprints division of WBG. In connection with the asset acquisition, the customer list was purchased using a contingent earn-out calculation. The purchase price is equal to fifteen percent (15%) of the gross profit earned from the sale of product to the customer list for year 1 and thirty percent (30%) for years 2 and 3. Payments are due on the anniversary date of the purchase. In connection with the asset acquisition, we also had an amount due to the seller under a note in the amount of $162,358 as of June 30, 2021 for the inventory and property and equipment purchased. This amount accrues no interest, and is to be paid “as used” on a quarterly basis through the three-year earn-out period. We anticipate that the note will be paid in full in 2021. We anticipate no deficiencies in our ability to make the payments required under the asset purchase agreements. The aggregate purchase price was $2,937,222, as follows:

For further discussion see Notes L and M to our Financial Statements for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 and Notes M and N to our Financial Statements for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Property Leases

The following is a schedule by years of future minimum property lease payments at June 30, 2021:

Rent expense for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2021 totaled $189,695 and $204,795, respectively. We anticipate no deficiencies in our ability to make these payments.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Critical Accounting Policies

The following discussion relates to critical accounting policies for our company. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires our management to make assumptions, estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported, including the notes thereto, and related disclosures of commitments and contingencies, if any. We have identified certain accounting policies that are significant to the preparation of our financial statements. These accounting policies are important for an understanding of our financial condition and results of operation. Critical accounting policies are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require management’s difficult, subjective, or complex judgment, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in subsequent periods. Certain accounting estimates are particularly sensitive because of their significance to financial statements and because of the possibility that future events affecting the estimate may differ significantly from management’s current judgments. We believe the following critical accounting policies involve the most significant estimates and judgments used in the preparation of our financial statements:

Method of Accounting

The financial statements are prepared using the accrual method of accounting whereby revenues are recognized when earned and expenses are recognized when incurred. This method of accounting conforms to generally accepted accounting principles.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For purposes of the statement of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid investments with an initial maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of accounts receivable and deposits in excess of federally insured limits. These risks are managed by performing ongoing credit evaluations of customers’ financial condition and by maintaining all deposits in high quality financial institutions.

Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market value.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred whereas major betterments are capitalized. Depreciation is provided using straight-line and accelerated methods over five years.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, and notes payable. The recorded values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, and notes payable approximate their fair values based on their short-term nature.

Revenue Recognition

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014- 09”), which is aimed at creating common revenue recognition guidance for GAAP and the International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). This new guidance provides a comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue guidance issued by the FASB. ASU 2014-09 also requires both qualitative and quantitative disclosures, including descriptions of performance obligations.

On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2014-09 and all related amendments (“ASC 606”) and applied its provisions to all uncompleted contracts using the modified retrospective basis. The application of this new revenue recognition standard resulted in no adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings.

Performance Obligations

Revenue from contracts with customers is recognized when, or as, the Company satisfies its performance obligations by transferring goods or services to customers. A good or service is transferred to a customer when, or as, the customer obtains control of that good or service. A performance obligation may be satisfied over time or at a point in time. Revenue from a performance obligation satisfied at a point in time is recognized at the point in time that the Company determines the customer has obtained control over the promised good or service. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration of which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for the promised goods or services.

The following provides detailed information on the recognition of the Company’s revenue from contracts with customers:

Product Sales

The Company is engaged in the development and sale of promotional programs and products. Revenue on the sale of these products is recognized after orders are shipped.

The following table disaggregates the Company’s revenue based on the timing of satisfaction of performance obligations for the six months ended June 30, 2021:

Freight

The Company includes freight charges as a component of cost of goods sold.

Uncertainty in Income and Other Taxes

The Company adopted the standards for Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (income, sales, use, and payroll), which required the Company to report any uncertain tax positions and to adjust its financial statements for the impact thereof. As of June 30, 2021, December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company determined that it had no tax positions that did not meet the “more likely than not” threshold of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. The Company files tax and information returns in the United States Federal, Massachusetts, and other state jurisdictions. These returns are generally subject to examination by tax authorities for the last three years.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are provided for the tax effects of transactions reported in the financial statements and consist of taxes currently due plus deferred taxes. Deferred taxes are provided for differences between the basis of assets and liabilities for financial statements and income tax purposes. The Company has historically utilized accelerated tax depreciation to minimize federal income taxes.

Sales Tax

Sales tax collected from customers is recorded as a liability, pending remittance to the taxing jurisdiction. Consequently, sales taxes have been excluded from revenues and costs. The Company remits sales, use, and goods and services taxes to Massachusetts, other state jurisdictions, and Canada, respectively.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. Accordingly, actual results could differ from those estimates.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation costs under the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense related to the fair value of stock-based compensation awards that are ultimately expected to vest. Stock based compensation expense recognized includes the compensation cost for all stock-based payments granted to employees, officers, and directors based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718. ASC 718 is also applied to awards modified, repurchased, or cancelled during the periods reported. Stock-based compensation is recognized as expense over the employee’s requisite vesting period and over the nonemployee’s period of providing goods or services.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) and July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases and ASU 2018-11, Targeted Improvements (collectively “Topic 842”). Topic 842 establishes a new lease model, referred to as the right-of-use model that brings substantially all leases onto the balance sheet. This standard requires lessees to recognize leased assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclose key information about the leasing arrangements in their financial statements. Leases are classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern and classification of expense recognition in the income statement. The Company adopted Topic 842 effective on January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective transition approach that allows a reporting entity to use the effective date as its date of initial application and not restate the comparative periods in the period of adoption when transitioning to the new standard. Consequently, the requisite financial information and disclosures under the new standard are excluded for dates and periods prior to January 1, 2019. In addition, the Company elected to use a number of optional simplification and practical expedients (reliefs) permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, including allowing the Company to combine fixed lease and non-lease components, apply the short-term lease exception to all leases of one year or less, and utilize the “package of practical expedients”, which permits the Company to not reassess prior accounting conclusions with respect to lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs under Topic 842. Adoption of this new standard resulted in the recognition of $1,243,549 of operating lease liabilities ($300,822 in current liabilities and $942,728 in long-term liabilities) which represented the present value of the remaining lease payments of $1,343,586, discounted using the Company’s lease discount rate of 3% and $1,243,549 of operating lease right-of-use assets. Refer to Note N to our financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020 for the impact to our financial statements as of June 30, 2021. 

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment.” ASU 2017-04 eliminates the two-step process that required identification of potential impairment and a separate measure of the actual impairment. Goodwill impairment charges, if any, would be determined by the difference between a reporting unit’s carrying value and its fair value (impairment loss is limited to the carrying value). This standard is effective for annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company’s adoption of this standard on January 1, 2020 did not have a material impact on its financial statements. 

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, “Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract.” The update aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The update also requires an entity to expense the capitalized implementation costs of a hosting arrangement over the term of the hosting arrangement. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and may be applied prospectively or retrospectively. On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted this standard on a prospective basis. The Company’s adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting of Income Taxes”, which is intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. This update is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company’s adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on its financial statements. 

CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

Our company was incorporated in the State of Massachusetts on November 17, 1995 under the name “Strän & Company, Inc.” We also use the registered trade name “Stran Promotional Solutions”.

On September 26, 2020, we acquired certain assets including the customer account managers and customer base of the Wildman Imprints division of WBG.

On May 24, 2021, we changed our state of incorporation to the State of Nevada by merging into Stran & Company, Inc., a Nevada corporation, and changed the spelling of our name to “Stran & Company, Inc.” On the same date, our authorized capital stock changed from 200,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value, to 350,000,000 shares, consisting of 300,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. At the same time, we also completed a 100,000-for-1 forward stock split of our outstanding common stock through the merger by issuing 100,000 shares of our common stock for each previously outstanding share of common stock of our predecessor Massachusetts company. As a result of this stock split, our issued and outstanding common stock increased from 100 shares to 10,000,000 shares, all of which were then held by our Executive Chairman, Andrew Stranberg.

Following our reincorporation in Nevada, on May 24, 2021, Mr. Stranberg was our sole stockholder then holding a total of 10,000,000 shares of our common stock. On the date of the reincorporation transaction, Mr. Stranberg transferred 3,400,000 shares of common stock to Andrew Shape, our Chief Executive Officer and President and one of our directors, and 800,000 shares of common stock to Randolph Birney, our Executive Vice President. The shares were transferred to each of Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney pursuant to stock purchase agreements. The transfers to Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney were agreed to be paid at a price per share that is equal to $0.1985 per share, being the price of our shares as of December 31, 2020 determined through an independent valuation of the Company dated April 27, 2021, in accordance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Each of Messrs. Shape and Birney paid the purchase price for the shares to Mr. Stranberg through the delivery to Mr. Stranberg of a promissory note. Each of the promissory notes provides for 2% simple annual interest, and principal and accrued interest must be repaid by the note’s third anniversary. Each note grants a security interest to Mr. Stranberg in the transferred stock as to the repayment obligations under the note.

The stock purchase agreements between Mr. Stranberg and Messrs. Shape and Birney provide that if this offering is not consummated on or before the 240th day following the date of the stock purchase agreements, then all of the shares so transferred will become subject to repurchase. The repurchase price would be equal to the price paid by Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney, respectively (with credit, in each case, for amounts remaining due under the promissory note). In addition, unpaid principal and accrued interest under the promissory note would become immediately due. The stock is also subject to a lockup provision providing that (i) none of the shares may be sold or otherwise transferred until the expiration of Mr. Stranberg’s repurchase option and (ii) subject to the transfer restriction set forth in clause (i) above, one-half of the purchased shares may not be sold until the second anniversary of the date of the stock purchase agreement; provided, however, that such restriction on transfer will expire at a rate of 1/48^th of the shares subject to the restriction per month over such two year period.

Following the reincorporation in Nevada, on May 24, 2021, Mr. Stranberg also transferred 700,000 shares of common stock to Theseus Capital Ltd. (“Theseus”), pursuant to a stock purchase agreement. Pursuant to a different arrangement with Mr. Stranberg from Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney’s, Theseus paid Mr. Stranberg a nominal cash purchase price of $100 for its stock. Theseus does not have any relationship with the Company other than as a shareholder after the transfer by Mr. Stranberg, and its payment for Mr. Stranberg’s stock was made to Mr. Stranberg and not to the Company. Under the terms of the stock purchase agreement, Mr. Stranberg has the right to repurchase the stock from Theseus at the same nominal price if this offering is not consummated within 240 days following the date of the agreement and the Company does not otherwise become a public reporting company by such time. The repurchase right will expire upon the consummation of this offering. Theseus executed an irrevocable proxy providing that Mr. Stranberg may vote and exercise all voting and related rights with respect to the shares. The irrevocable proxy will automatically terminate with respect to any shares that Theseus sells in a transaction or series of transactions on any national securities exchange or other trading market on which the shares then trade.

Following the stock transfer transactions described above, Mr. Stranberg, Mr. Shape, Mr. Birney and Theseus each owned 5,100,000, 3,400,000, 800,000 and 700,000 shares of our common stock, respectively.

We have determined that immediately after the consummation of this offering, we will file a Registration Statement on Form S-8 covering grants of restricted stock and options to purchase stock to certain of our executive officers, directors and employees pursuant to our Equity Incentive Plan. Immediately following the consummation of this offering, we will then grant options to purchase a total of approximately 1,359,000 shares of our common stock and [ ] shares of restricted stock, including options to purchase up to 400,000 shares to our Treasurer, Secretary, Executive Chairman, and Director, Andrew Stranberg; 323,810 options to our Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Andrew Shape; 76,190 options to our Executive Vice President, Randolph Birney; 81,000 options to our Vice President of Finance and Administration, Christopher Rollins; 53,000 options to our Vice President of Growth and Strategic Initiatives, John Audibert; and 5,000 options to each of our director nominees. 10,000 shares of the restricted stock will be granted to each of Mr. Rollins and Mr. Audibert. Approximately 405,000 options to purchase common stock and 37,500 shares of restricted stock will be granted to approximately 55 other employees. A total of [ ] of the restricted shares and 20,000 options will be granted to our director nominees. The options will have an exercise price equal to the price per share at which our common stock is being sold in this offering, and a term of ten years. The restricted stock and options will be subject to vesting over a three (3) year period with one-third (1/3) of the restricted stock and options vesting on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant, except that the options to be granted to Mr. Stranberg, Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney will vest over a four-year period with 25% of the options vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the balance of the options (75%) vesting monthly over the following three years after the first anniversary of the date of grant at a rate of 1/36 per month, the restricted stock and options to be granted to Mr. Rollins will vest over a two-year period with 33% of the options vesting immediately upon issuance and the balance of the options (67%) vesting monthly over the following two years at a rate of 1/24 per month, and our director nominees’ options will vest in twelve (12) equal monthly installments over the first year following the date of grant, subject to continued service, and their restricted shares will vest in four (4) equal quarterly installments commencing in the first quarter following the effectiveness date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. For further description of the terms of the option grants to Mr. Stranberg, Mr. Shape and Mr. Birney, please see “Executive Compensation – Employment Agreements” in this prospectus.

As of the date of this prospectus, we have no subsidiaries.

Our principal executive offices are located at 2 Heritage Drive, Suite 600, Quincy, MA 02171 and our telephone number is 800-833-3309. We maintain a website at https://www.stran.com/. Information available on our website is not incorporated by reference in and is not deemed a part of this prospectus. Our fiscal year ends December 31. Neither we nor any of our predecessors have been in bankruptcy, receivership or any similar proceeding.

BUSINESS

Overview

We are an outsourced marketing solutions provider, working closely with our customers to develop sophisticated marketing programs that leverage our promotional products and loyalty incentive expertise. It is our mission to develop long term relationships with our customers, enabling them to connect with both their customers and employees in order to build lasting brand loyalty.

We purchase products and branding through various third-party manufacturers and decorators and resell the finished goods to customers. In addition to selling branded products, we offer our clients:

These valuable services, as well as the deep level of commitment we have to the business operations of our customers, have resulted in a strong and stable position within the industry.

We specialize in managing complex promotional marketing programs to help recognize the value of promotional products and branded merchandise as a tool to drive awareness, build brands and impact sales. This form of advertising is very powerful and impactful and particularly effective at building brand loyalty because it typically uses products that are considered useful and appreciated by recipients and are retained and used or seen repeatedly, repeating the imprinted message many times without adding cost to the advertiser. We have built the tools, processes, relationships and the blueprint to maximize the potential of these products and deliver the most value to our customers.

For over 25 years we have grown into a leader in the promotional products industry, ranking 18th overall and tied for 7th fastest-growing in the United States on Print+Promo’s 2020 Top 50 Distributors list, and 32^nd from over 40,000 businesses based on ASI’s Counselor magazine 2021 Top 40 Distributors list. Since our first year of operations in 1995, our annual revenues have gradually grown from approximately $240,000 to over $37.7 million in 2020, a compound annual growth rate of approximately 22%, and between 2017 and 2020, our revenues grew at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 24%. During 2017 through 2020, we had consistent gross margins of approximately 30%, and processed over 25,000 customer orders per year.

Our 2019 and 2020 revenues and gross margins include non-recurring revenues representing 16.54% and 27.12% of our overall revenues for 2019 and 2020, respectively, as a subcontractor for the 2020 U.S. Census. The customer that engaged us in this regard will not renew their engagement with us due to the U.S. Census only occurring once every ten years. As a result, these non-recurring revenue increases are not expected to recur in fiscal year 2021 or beyond and do not represent our long-term growth expectations.

As of June 30, 2021, we had total assets of $14.1 million with total shareholder equity of $1.2 million.

We serve a highly diversified customer base across many industry verticals including pharmaceutical and healthcare, manufacturing, technology, finance, construction and consumer goods. Many of our customers are household names and include some of the largest corporations in the world.

Our sales declined 19.8% year-over-year in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020, which we believe was due to the completion of the U.S. Census program in 2020, market saturation of personal protective equipment in 2021, a lack of in-person events, and businesses still not being fully reopened in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, we expect that by the fourth quarter of 2021 pent-up demand from more widespread immunity to the COVID-19 virus and societal reopening will help compensate for lower sales during the first two quarters of 2021. For further discussion, see “COVID-19 Pandemic” below.

Our headquarters are located at Quincy, Massachusetts, with remote offices located in Fairfield, Connecticut and Warsaw, Indiana. In addition, we have sales representatives in 12 additional locations across the United States and a network of service providers in the United States and abroad, including factories, decorators, printers, logistics firms, and warehouses.

Our Industry

Overview of Promotional Products Market

The promotional products market is large yet highly-fragmented, with thousands of smaller participants and indications of a lack of market power in any one firm or group of firms. The industry has generally experienced growth as businesses continuously invest in sophisticated marketing campaigns involving multiple types of advertising. Promotional products are items used to promote a product, service or company program including advertising specialties, premiums, incentives, business gifts, awards, prizes, commemoratives and other imprinted or decorated items. They are usually given away by companies to consumers or employees. The largest promotional products trade organizations are the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) and Promotional Products Association International (PPAI).

U.S. Promotional Products is a Large and Growing Market

According to the ASI, the U.S. market for promotional products exceeded $25 billion in 2019 and includes over 40,000 businesses. It has grown at an annual compound growth rate of 4.96% from 2009 to 2019.

Moreover, the promotional products market is only one segment of a total addressable market of possibly up to $384 billion based on the size of the product packaging market ($180 billion as of 2019, according to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data); the loyalty incentive programs market ($90 billion annually according to the Incentive Marketing Association, the umbrella organization for suppliers in the incentive marketplace); the printing market ($75 billion as of 2021, according to IBISWorld, an industry research provider); and the tradeshow market ($17 billion projected for 2021, according to MarketingCharts.com, a provider of marketing data, graphics, and analyses).

We believe that U.S. promotional products spending was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to ASI, promotional product distributor sales decreased about 20% in 2020 to $20.7 billion by the end of 2020. During the second quarter of 2021, distributors’ sales increased, on average, by 27.3% compared to the second quarter of 2020, according to ASI. In addition, 77% of distributors expect 2021 sales to exceed 2020 sales, and nearly half (48%) of distributors expect 2021 sales to match or exceed their performance in 2019, according to ASI.

The Promotional Products Industry Is Resilient To Other Forms of Advertising

The promotional products industry is relatively insulated from other forms of advertising such as television and digital advertising. Although promotional products compete for space within an advertising budget with other forms of advertising, particularly online advertising, they offer distinct benefits, particularly due to their physical nature, which may help distributors and suppliers continue to sell these products and related services despite these budgetary pressures. Data shows that promotional products are more effective in generating brand recognition and sales than other forms of advertising, including television and online advertisements. These factors help shield established industry firms like ours from the technological and competitive disruption experienced by other types of media advertisers.

The Promotional Products Industry is Highly Fragmented

The promotional products industry is also highly fragmented. The industry includes over 40,000 firms. As of 2019 the firm with the greatest percentage of industry sales generated $839 million revenues but made up less than 3.3% of the promotional products market. As a group, the top 50 distributors had less than 24% market share as of 2019, based on the total sales of approximately $6.8 billion of the top 50 distributors according to Promo Marketing’s 2020 Top Distributors report and the total promotional products industry value of $25.8 billion according to ASI for 2019.

Unlike our company, which provides comprehensive solutions to complex promotional and branding challenges, we view most of our competitors as generally falling into one of the five categories below:

Promotional Products are a High-impact, Cost-effective Advertising Medium

Because promotional products are useful and appreciated by recipients, they are retained and used, repeating the imprinted message many times without added cost to the advertiser. ASI’s Global Ad Impressions Study, 2020 Edition, reported:

In 2018, PPAI reported that promotional products are the most impactful form of advertising across all generations. Whereas reportedly less than 55% of consumers read or watch an entire advertisement online, in an email, on television, in the mail, in a magazine, or on the radio, over 80% of consumers retain promotional products. Moreover, promotional products have been ranked the most effective form of advertising across all generations, outranking even television, online, print, and mobile forms. A 2019 PPAI report revealed additional statistics reflecting the significant impact of promotional products on consumers:

Nearly all consumers say they would go out of their way to receive promotional products.

As of 2016, PPAI reported that, overall, buyers consider promotional products mostly or always effective in achieving marketing goals. They generally consider promotional products more effective than social media and nearly as effective as all other media. Data indicates that the majority of buyers do have a budget set aside for promotional products. However, for more than 72% the allocation is less than 20% of their marketing advertising budget. When asked what their plans were for promotional products spend over the next 12 months, only 3% projected a decrease in product purchases. This data suggests that the potential for promotional products’ market growth is significant.

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effects on the Promotional Products Industry

As in many other industries, we believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened many promotional products distributors and their suppliers. According to ASI’s 2020 State of the Industry report, the promotional industry was projected to experience a 34.9% decrease in sales for 2020, and over a quarter of distributors and suppliers expected their revenue to fall by at least 50% in 2020. But at the same time, Promo Marketing’s 2020 Top Distributors report, which ranked the top 50 distributors, found that 44 (88%) grew sales over the prior year. That compares favorably to its 2019 report, which ranked the top 65 distributors, where 50 (77%) grew sales. In terms of the top five vertical markets, the most opportunities for Promo Marketing’s 2020 Top Distributors were those in Health Care (listed 27 times), Financial (listed 21 times), Tech (listed 17 times), Manufacturing (listed 16 times), and Retail (listed 14 times). A recent forecast from global advertising corporation WPP plc’s ad-buying unit GroupM found that there appears to be a “K-shaped” recovery for the advertising industry as well as the overall U.S. economy. The “K” shape indicates a quick rebound for some marketers and a continued downward trajectory for others. For example, e-commerce and advanced digital services such as telehealth and remote learning have exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, restaurants, bars, travel, entertainment and nonessential businesses have all suffered. Overall, those dependent on traditional media including radio, newspapers and outdoor advertising, and those whose clients were largely nonessential services such as restaurants, bars, travel, entertainment have all suffered. On the other hand, demand for e-commerce and advanced digital services such as telehealth and remote learning, and home refinancings and the banking industry in general, have massively accelerated and saw record volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this economic environment, as of July 2020 ASI reported that the largest distributors in the industry have been increasingly grabbing market share. In ASI’s report, prominent industry executives went on record to say that they expected the trend to continue as weakened firms become prime acquisition targets. Many top distributors have also been able to pivot their supplier orders to take advantage of the recent trends away from live events and gatherings and towards digital promotions, personal protective equipment, and delivery services. As a result, distributors with strong balance sheets, flexibility to meet changing customer demands, and the drive to grow through strategic acquisitions have the greatest prospects to thrive despite the pandemic’s challenges.

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effects on Our Business

We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Stran’s operational and financial performance. Although our sales and net earnings increased by 24.5% and 164.0%, respectively, from 2019 to 2020, the short-term effects from the COVID-19 pandemic on our industry were reflected in our results of operations for the first six months of 2021. Our 2019 and 2020 revenues include non-recurring revenues representing 16.54% and 27.12% of our overall revenues for 2019 and 2020, respectively, as a subcontractor for the 2020 U.S. Census. Sales from the U.S. Census program increased $5.5 million, or 110.3%, from $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $10.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Investors may not rely on these results as indicative of future revenue growth, as discussed further under “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Business and Industry - There is a risk of dependence on one or a group of customers or market expectations of unsustainable growth.” Moreover, our sales declined 19.8% year-over-year during the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of the prior year. The decrease was primarily due to the completion of the U.S. Census program in 2020, market saturation of personal protective equipment in 2021, a lack of in-person events, and businesses still not being fully reopened in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Census program contributed $8.0 million of sales, or 39.6% of total sales, for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to less than $2,000 of sales, or 0.0% of total sales, for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Additionally, sales of personal protective equipment totaled $2.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to less than $105,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021. As has been typical for other firms in the promotional products industry, from March 2020 and into 2021 operational and supply chain disruptions combined with decreased demand for promotional products to cause sharp reductions in sales opportunities. We believe that relevant factors included businesses not being fully opened, a lack of in-person events, and decreased marketing budgets leading to decreased demand for promotional products and services such as ours. Although we were able to capitalize on the demand for personal protective equipment such as masks, hand sanitizer, and gowns, these sales are not expected to fully offset the overall decreased demand for promotional products.

We have responded to the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic by developing a clear company-wide strategy and sticking to our hardworking culture and core value of delivering creative merchandise solutions that effectively promote brands. We continue to focus on our core group of customers while providing additional value-added services, including our e-commerce platform for order processing, warehousing and fulfillment functions, and propose alternative product offerings based on their unique needs. We also continue to solicit and market ourselves to long-term prospects that have shown interest in Stran. We have remained committed to being a high-touch customer-focused company that provides our customers with more than just products. Below are some of the specific ways we have responded to the current pandemic:

We believe that we have seen encouraging signs of recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been a significant increase in the amount of requests for proposal and other customer inquiries beginning in the first quarter of 2021, which leads us to believe that companies are starting to prepare to spend at previous or increased levels. We expect that by the fourth quarter of 2021 there will be a significant amount of pent-up demand that may compensate for slower earlier numbers in the year.

For a further discussion of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic”.

Competitive Strengths

We believe our key competitive strengths include:

Growth Strategies

The key elements of our strategy to grow our business include:

Consistent with this strategy, we continue to evaluate potential acquisition targets (although no such acquisition target has yet been identified), particularly with the following attributes:

Other strategies that we plan to implement to expand our customer base with expanded sales staff and technology resources include:

Products and Services

Overview

Since our inception over 25 years ago, we have provided clients with marketing services that help drive sales, and make an impact using custom-branded merchandise, commercial print, loyalty and incentive programs, packaging and point of sale solutions while providing a technology solution to deliver these products and services efficiently via our warehouse and fulfillment system.

Our value to our customers is to be an extension of their own teams. We work to understand the different business and marketing goals of each customer and provide solutions that incorporate technology, human capital, and physical branded goods to solve their business challenges. This model of outsourced combined marketing and program-management services is unique in the promotional products industry, which is dominated by online e-tailers, franchisees, and mom-and-pop businesses. To achieve this value, we have built the internal resources, knowledge, and processes to support our clients with more than just commodity items.

We are both program managers and creative marketers, having developed multiple teams within our organization to specialize and focus our efforts on supporting customers with the specific support that they need:

We work closely with industrial designers of several of our key collaborators to understand the research and trends that are influencing product development in the six- to 18-month window ensuring that our team is up-to-date on trends in the industry.

Promotional Product Programs

We run complex corporate promotional marketing programs for clients across many different industry verticals. Most of our clients take advantage of all the services we provide; however, at the core of every program are the promotional products themselves. Our team works diligently to stay on point with the current trends so our clients’ branded products are relevant. We distribute a wide variety of promotional products to our customers, with the most popular promotional products including wearables, writing utensils, drinkware, technology and events-related products.

Loyalty and Incentives Programs

We build custom solutions for customers looking to drive either customer or employee behavior. We help our customers build a customer loyalty program or an employee incentive program that meets each customer’s specific needs. Our solutions can include gamification tools, social media integration, and a points-based plan that rewards clients’ users with a combination of physical products, digital rewards, gift cards, and experiential rewards nurturing loyalty to their brand. For example, we worked closely with a global producer of vaccines and medicines for animals, to design and implement a two-tier incentive program in which, on one tier, veterinarians were incentivized to purchase from our customer through providing them with promotional branded products, and, on a second tier, a loyalty points program featuring prepaid debit card rewards for end-user pet owners who buy their products.

In developing our loyalty and incentive offering Stran has taken a similar approach as we have in other areas of our business. Instead of developing our own internal solutions organically, we have sought out relationships with businesses with a variety of offerings that meet the very different needs of each of our customers. In some small cases where a client is looking for a very simple solution, we may make use of our existing e-commerce platform developed with Adobe Inc.’s open-source, Magento software, and suppliers from within the promotional products industry. In other cases where the customer is looking for a more well-developed incentive program that incorporates both an incentive structure and a rewards offering, Stran has contracted with Carlton One Engagement Corporation, or CarltonOne, a large provider of Internet-based employee reward management platforms. CarltonOne’s technology solutions are robust and constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of incentive users. Their model is to collaborate with value-added resellers like Stran who bring addition resources, knowledge and skill sets to create custom solutions.

Under our agreement with CarltonOne, dated as of January 20, 2021, we are an authorized reseller of CarletonOne’s brands of software-as-a-solution, or SaaS, employee loyalty and incentive programs to our customers. As an authorized reseller, CarltonOne will offer exclusive rights to any contracted clients but will not prevent other authorized resellers from calling on any protected customers. We will receive commissions from CarletonOne for any customers that we successfully sign up for CarletonOne’s SaaS services. The agreement is for two years and renews for consecutive one-year periods unless terminated in writing by either party. The commission percentage is generally 25%.

Packaging and Point of Sale

Presentation makes all the difference. Clever and custom packaging point of sale, or POS displays are essentials for elevating brand awareness and critical for driving sales. From packaging of corporate merchandise and promotional products to developing custom POS displays, clients come to us when they want to stand out and show the quality that their brands offer. We produce custom packaging and POS projects domestically as well as overseas for larger-run custom programs for many of our clients.

Commercial and Digital Printing

Printed informational materials used for marketing, or marketing collateral, such as business cards and brochures, are an essential component to effectively conveying information and marketing messages, and arguably all businesses use some form of marketing collateral. When a customer needs print collateral, our digital print-on-demand options route their orders through our technology platform and to our network of commercial printers to ensure that our customers can print each piece of collateral in the most effective and efficient manner. By offering print management with our promotional branded merchandise solutions, we help our customers create impactful presentations and mailings through the most efficient processes.

Warehouse and Fulfillment

We offer a global solution for warehousing and fulfillment through a network of fulfillment providers including a nearly ten-year relationship with industry leader Harte Hanks. These long-standing, strategic relationships provide our clients with process-driven fulfillment solutions that are scalable to meet client needs including real-time inventory reporting, climate-controlled facilities, high-value product security, storage, digital print-on-demand, and direct-mail solutions. Our custom front-end technology solution is directly integrated with the warehouse management software of our strategic global warehouse collaborators.

Technology

Our custom-developed e-commerce Magento platform allows our customers to manage all facets of their marketing program, linking branded merchandise, print, event assets, customer relationship management, or CRM, loyalty and incentives in a single solution. Our platform creates cost savings, increasing market efficiencies and brand consistency. With real-time accessibility to the necessary data to operate a complex demanding marketing program including hierarchy user profile groups, multi-lingual, multi-currency, multi-checkout methods and integration into any ERP (SAP, ORACLE, WORKDAY etc.). Our on-demand mobile reporting dashboard capabilities allows the ability for self-service access within our systems empowering clients with raw data to make informative decisions for their program.

Human Capital and Culture

We are more than an efficient distributor or supplier, and we offer our customers more than just products. We help them achieve their marketing and business goals using branded merchandise supported with technology, logistics, creative services, and account support. In order to provide all of these value-added services, we must leverage and cultivate the talent of our employees.

As an organization we encourage our team to engage with professional development opportunities. These opportunities include online courses, webinars, training sessions, and participation in various networking and professional development groups. As such we currently have a member of our team who serves on the board of directors for NEPPA (New England Promotional Products Association), a regional trade association, as well as another employee who is the current Board President of SAAGNY (Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York), another regional trade association. Empowering our team to grow their own careers helps ensure that we are more knowledgeable, experienced, and engaged.

Pricing

As a large and growing firm with over 500 suppliers and due to our membership in Facilisgroup, Stran has the purchasing power to receive advantageous pricing, helping us with price-sensitive bids. Facilisgroup is a buying group of fewer than 1% of distributors in the industry and processed over $1 billion of sales in 2020. Pursuant to our Sublicense Agreement, we may access Facilisgroup’s @ease proprietary software tools for promotional products business management and analysis and a white labelled, managed, product website which we may use to sell promotional products under our brand. We may also access its “Signature Collection” website which Facilisgroup promises offers the best products and margins. Under our agreement we paid Facilisgroup a one-time fee of $11,000 and make monthly payments of $8,000.

In addition to this competitive buying power, Stran has developed factory direct relationships with multiple factories in the U.S. and overseas. These direct relationships require additional vetting, longer production times, and larger production runs. However, we work to blend production from factory direct manufacturing with our other suppliers to continue to drive costs down on commodity-based items. We compete regularly with larger competitors and maintain healthy margins using this strategy for sourcing and procuring products.

Supplier and Fulfillment Relationships

We have formed strategic relationships with fulfillment and commercial print providers in the United States in order to effectively warehouse and distribute merchandise from one or more of our warehouse facilities depending on our customer’s requirements. For over 25 years, we have developed these strategic relationships in order to offer our clients a powerful solution for their branded merchandise needs. Together, we have experience in developing custom marketing solutions for our clients and regularly kit together promotional printed items and branded product into a single package. Our expertise in product development and sourcing, technology development, and program management combined with our various collaborators’ superior warehousing, logistics, fulfillment, distribution and print services are a competitive advantage.

We offer a global solution for warehousing and fulfillment through a network of fulfillment providers including a nearly ten-year relationship with industry leader Harte Hanks. We buy products and certain raw materials from a supplier network of factories, both domestic and international, as needed. We also outsource certain technology services such as web hosting and data backup. We do not believe that we are dependent on any supplier. Should any of these suppliers terminate their relationship with us or fail to provide the agreed-on services, we believe that there would be sufficient alternatives to continue to meet customer demand and comply with our contractual obligations without interruption.

Marketing

We have a direct sales team consisting of over 18 outside sales representatives and 20 in-house sales representatives. We incentivize our representatives with a commission structure.

We use social media, email marketing, and traditional networking at trade shows and events. We also rely on referrals to maintain and expand our customer base.

Customers and Markets

Stran’s customer base includes approximately 2,000 active customers and over 30 Fortune 500 companies, servicing a diverse customer base, encompassing pharmaceutical and healthcare, manufacturing, technology, finance, construction and consumer goods. Our active customers are any organizations, businesses, or divisions of a parent organization which have purchased directly or indirectly from us within the last two years, and include organizations that have bought from other organizations for which Stran acts as an established sub-contractor. We have long-term contracts with many of our customers, though most do not have minimum guarantees. We have ongoing contracts with clientele in such industries as financial services, consumer packaged goods, retail clothing and accessories, pet food and medicine, fitness, child care, retail hardware, fast food franchises, health care, and environmental services. Contracts are often multi-year and auto-renewing. Our average contract lifespan is approximately 10 years. Alternatively, we do have inventory guarantees where the customer must purchase any inventory held by us that has been purchased on their behalf within the contractual time periods. Our active customers may be broken into two main categories, transactional clients and program clients. 

We have also been retained for some very large promotional campaigns. For example, during 2019-2020, we were engaged by a Washington, D.C.-based advertising and marketing company leading a nationwide awareness-generating initiative for the 2020 U.S. Census. With our nationwide network of collaborator vendors and suppliers, we delivered a total array of approximately 16 million products printed with various logos in 15 different languages, in all 50 states and 5 U.S. territories, all aimed at increasing public participation in the U.S. Census. This campaign generated approximately $15 million in revenues over that time period, as well as an all-time high self-response rate for the U.S. Census. During this period, this contract represented approximately 16.54% and 27.12% of our overall revenues for 2019 and 2020, respectively. However, we treat these revenues as nonrecurring. The customer that engaged us in this regard will not renew their engagement with us due to the U.S. Census only occurring once every ten years. As a result, these non-recurring revenue increases are not expected to recur in fiscal year 2021 or beyond and do not represent our long-term growth expectations.

During 2020, sales to The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX), or TJX, were 10.1% of total revenue. All other customers generated less than 4% of sales, and the vast majority generated less than 1% of sales.

While our customer contracts are typically auto-renewing and we have many long-term established customer relationships, most of our customer contracts do not have any minimum or exclusive purchase guarantees, other than as to inventory already ordered by them or their program participants. There is no assurance of recurring revenues. We are not dependent on any particular customer or group of customers, and our highest-grossing contracts may change from year to year due to client brand initiatives.

We do business principally with customers based in the United States, although we also provide e-store, logistical support and other promotional services for client programs in Canada and Europe.

Online Store

We have been a leader in the use of technology to offer our clients an online platform to more efficiently manage their promotional marketing programs and to give them the ability to sell branded merchandise directly to consumers. We launched our first online store for one of our clients in 1999. Today we offer a custom-built technology platform which offers a B2C (business-to-consumer) retail shopping experience combined with all of the back-end functionality required of a powerful B2B (business-to-business) marketing services platform. Our technology platform services over 280 online stores for our clients.

Our Online Store Account Managers are responsible for ensuring that our stores are up to date with all products, images, and descriptions. As new products are approved to be added to the online store, our account manager will work the appropriate resources to prep the images, write the descriptions and upload the images. Typically, this process will take 24-48 hours. For inventoried products, we typically do not make the products live on the website until they have been received into inventory and are ready to be fulfilled.

If there is an issue with an online store order regarding payment or checkout, the user can contact the appropriate client team who will help troubleshoot the issue or manually place the order. If there is a back-order situation where an order would not be able to ship complete or on time, our Client Services team will review the order and advise the customer on the best and timeliest options to fulfill the order.

Competition

Our major competitors for our promotional products business include larger companies such as 4Imprint Group plc, Brand Addition Limited (The Pebble Group plc), BAMKO LLC (Superior Group of Companies, Inc.), Staples Promotional Products (Staples, Inc.), Boundless Network, Inc. (Zazzle Inc.) and HALO Branded Solutions, Inc. We also compete with a multitude of foreign, regional and local competitors that vary by market. If our existing or future competitors seek to gain or retain market share by reducing prices, we may be required to lower our prices, which would adversely affect our operating results. Similarly, if customers or potential customers perceive the products or services offered by our existing or future competitors to be of higher quality than ours or part of a broader product mix, our revenues may decline, which would adversely affect our operating results.

Our Program Management

We are experienced and industry-leading program managers who integrate all aspects of a successful program. Our program team works hand in hand with our account teams to drive the processes and procedures that ensure we are effectively managing our programs. For Stran, program management is built upon six key building blocks:

We began the process of joining and submitting documentation to Ecovadis for review in early 2021 to replace our involvement with the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA) which folded its operations in August of 2020. In 2017, Stran was one of only 13 distributors in the United States (out of over 30,000 according to PPAI) that was voted onto the Distributor Advisory Council (DAC) of the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA). QCA was a third-party, non-profit organization whose mission was focused solely on accrediting manufacturers’ processes in the areas of product safety and quality, social responsibility, supply chain security, and environmental impact. Stran has developed a well-defined vendor management program which is taken from QCA’s protocols developed from dozens of years of best practices across the industry. Once a supplier has been approved by Stran, we require regular updates to site audits and require testing on products as they are manufactured.

Intellectual Property

We conduct our business using the registered trademark “STRÄN” and the registered trade name “Stran Promotional Solutions”. We also use the unregistered logo “STRÄN promotional solutions”.

To protect our intellectual property, we rely on a combination of laws and regulations, as well as contractual restrictions. Federal trademark law protects our registered trademark STRÄN and may protect our unregistered logo “STRÄN promotional solutions”. We also rely on the protection of laws regarding unregistered copyrights for certain content we create and trade secret laws to protect our proprietary technology including our e-commerce platform and new ERP system currently under development. To further protect our intellectual property, we enter into confidentiality agreements with our executive officers and directors.

Facilities

We are headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, where we occupy approximately 10,000 square feet of office space pursuant to a lease that is expected to expire in May 2025. Our management team, client service team, marketing, operations, and sales team are all primarily based in this office.

We lease satellite office space in Warsaw, Indiana; Southport, Connecticut; and Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Our employees also work remotely from nine additional locations around the United States using other facilities.

We believe that all our properties have been adequately maintained, are generally in good condition, and are suitable and adequate for our businesses.

Seasonality and Cyclicality

Our business is generally not subject to seasonal fluctuations. While certain customers have seasonal businesses, the promotional products industry overall is not. Our net sales and profits sometimes are impacted by the holiday selling season.

Portions of the promotional products industry are cyclical in nature. Generally, when economic conditions are favorable, the industry tends to perform well. When the economy is weak or if there are economic disturbances that create uncertainty with corporate profits, the promotional products industry tends to experience low or negative growth.

Security

We regularly receive and store information about our customers, vendors and other third parties. We have programs in place to detect, contain, and respond to data security incidents. However, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may be difficult to detect for long periods of time, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures. In addition, hardware, software, or applications we develop or procure from third parties or through open-source solutions may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities, or those of third parties with whom we do business, through fraud, trickery, or other forms of deceiving our team members, contractors, and vendors.

Employees

As of July 23, 2021, we employed 67 employees and had one independent contractor executive officer, all of whom are full-time.

We do not believe any of our employees are represented by labor unions, and we believe that we have an excellent relationship with our employees.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. We are not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims against us.

Regulation

Trade Regulations

As disclosed above, our suppliers generally source or manufacture finished goods in parts of the world that may be affected by the imposition of duties, tariffs or other import regulations by the United States. The Company believes that its redundant network of suppliers provide sufficient capacity to mitigate any dependency risks on a single supplier.

We buy promotional products from suppliers or factories both domestically and internationally as needed. We do not depend on any single supplier. However, if we are unable to continue to obtain our finished products from international locations or if our suppliers are unable to source raw materials, it could significantly disrupt our business. Further, we are affected by economic, political and other conditions in the United States and internationally, including those resulting in the imposition or increase of import duties, tariffs and other import regulations and widespread health emergencies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Laws and Regulations Relating to E-Commerce

Our business is subject to a variety of laws and regulations applicable to companies conducting business on the Internet. Jurisdictions vary as to how, or whether, existing laws governing areas such as personal privacy and data security, consumer protection or sales and other taxes, among other areas, apply to the Internet and e-commerce, and these laws are continually evolving. For example, certain applicable privacy laws and regulations require us to provide customers with our policies on sharing information with third parties, and advance notice of any changes to these policies. Related laws may govern the manner in which we store or transfer sensitive information or impose obligations on us in the event of a security breach or inadvertent disclosure of such information. Additionally, tax regulations in jurisdictions where we do not currently collect state or local taxes may subject us to the obligation to collect and remit such taxes, or to additional taxes, or to requirements intended to assist jurisdictions with their tax collection efforts.

The production, distribution and sale in the United States of many of our products are subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Lanham Act, state consumer protection laws, competition laws, federal, state and local workplace health and safety laws, various federal, state and local environmental protection laws, various other federal, state and local statutes applicable to the production, transportation, sale, safety, advertising, labeling and ingredients of such products, and rules and regulations adopted pursuant to these laws. Outside the United States, the distribution and sale of our many products and related operations are also subject to numerous similar and other statutes and regulations.

A California law known as Proposition 65 requires a specific warning to appear on any product containing a component listed by the state as having been found to cause cancer or birth defects. The state maintains lists of these substances and periodically adds other substances to these lists. Proposition 65 exposes all food and beverage producers to the possibility of having to provide warnings on their products in California because it does not provide for any generally applicable quantitative threshold below which the presence of a listed substance is exempt from the warning requirement. Consequently, the detection of even a trace amount of a listed substance can subject an affected product to the requirement of a warning label. However, Proposition 65 does not require a warning if the manufacturer of a product can demonstrate that the use of that product exposes consumers to a daily quantity of a listed substance that is:

In January 2019, New York State’s governor announced the “Consumer Right to Know Act,” a proposed law that would impose similar and potentially more stringent labeling requirements than California Proposition 65. The law has not yet been adopted, and to our knowledge California Proposition 65 remains the most onerous state-level chemical exposure labeling statutory scheme. However, due in part to the large size of California’s market, promotional products sold or distributed anywhere in the United States may be subject to California Proposition 65.

We are unable to predict whether a component found in a product that we assisted a client in producing might be added to the California list in the future. Furthermore, we are also unable to predict when or whether the increasing sensitivity of detection methodology may become applicable under this law and related regulations as they currently exist, or as they may be amended.

We are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to, laws and regulations relating to labor and employment, U.S. customs and consumer product safety, including the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, or the “CPSIA.” The CPSIA created more stringent safety requirements related to lead and phthalates content in children’s products. The CPSIA regulates the future manufacture of these items and existing inventories and may cause us to incur losses if we offer for sale or sell any non-compliant items. Failure to comply with the various regulations applicable to us may result in damage to our reputation, civil and criminal liability, fines and penalties and increased cost of regulatory compliance. These current and any future laws and regulations could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Legal requirements apply in various jurisdictions in the United States and overseas requiring deposits or certain taxes or fees be charged for the sale, marketing and use of certain non-refillable beverage containers. The precise requirements imposed by these measures vary. Other types of beverage container-related deposit, recycling, tax and/or product stewardship statutes and regulations also apply in various jurisdictions in the United States and overseas. We anticipate additional, similar legal requirements may be proposed or enacted in the future at local, state and federal levels, both in the United States and elsewhere.

New legislation or regulation, the application of laws from jurisdictions whose laws do not currently apply to our business, or the application of existing laws and regulations to the Internet and e-commerce generally could result in significant additional taxes on our business. Further, we could be subject to fines or other payments for any past failures to comply with these requirements. The continued growth and demand for e-commerce is likely to result in more laws and regulations that impose additional compliance burdens on e-commerce companies.

Laws and Regulations Relating to Data Privacy

In the ordinary course of our business, we might collect and store in our internal and external data centers, cloud services and networks sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business collaborators, as well as personal information of our customers and employees. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. The number and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions that companies have experienced from third parties has increased over the past few years. Despite our security measures, it is impossible for us to eliminate this risk.

A number of U.S. states have enacted data privacy and security laws and regulations that govern the collection, use, disclosure, transfer, storage, disposal, and protection of personal information, such as social security numbers, financial information and other sensitive personal information. For example, all 50 states and several U.S. territories now have data breach laws that require timely notification to affected individuals, and at times regulators, credit reporting agencies and other bodies, if a company has experienced the unauthorized access or acquisition of certain personal information. Other state laws, particularly the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended (“CCPA”), among other things, contain disclosure obligations for businesses that collect personal information about residents in their state and affords those individuals new rights relating to their personal information that may affect our ability to collect and/or use personal information. The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“CDPA”) also establishes rights for Virginia consumers to control how companies use individuals’ personal data. The CDPA dictates how companies must protect personal data in their possession and respond to consumers exercising their rights, as prescribed by the law, regarding such personal data. The CDPA will go into effect on January 1, 2023. Meanwhile, several other states and the federal government have considered or are considering privacy laws like the CCPA. We will continue to monitor and assess the impact of these laws, which may impose substantial penalties for violations, impose significant costs for investigations and compliance, allow private class-action litigation and carry significant potential liability for our business.

Outside of the U.S., data protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”), also might apply to some of our operations or business collaborators. Legal requirements in these countries relating to the collection, storage, processing and transfer of personal data/information continue to evolve. The GDPR imposes, among other things, data protection requirements that include strict obligations and restrictions on the ability to collect, analyze and transfer EU personal data/information, a requirement for prompt notice of data breaches to data subjects and supervisory authorities in certain circumstances, and possible substantial fines for any violations (including possible fines for certain violations of up to the greater of 20 million Euros or 4% of total company revenue). Other governmental authorities around the world have enacted or are considering similar types of legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection.

The interpretation and enforcement of the laws and regulations described above are uncertain and subject to change, and may require substantial costs to monitor and implement and maintain adequate compliance programs. Failure to comply with U.S. and international data protection laws and regulations could result in government enforcement actions (which could include substantial civil and/or criminal penalties), private litigation and/or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business.

Environmental Regulations